Uprooted

by Naomi Novik

[Leigha]

A young woman learns about magic in this adult fantasy novel.

My excitement for this book was off the charts. The synopsis was intriguing without giving too many detail. The cover was absolutely beautiful. Yet as I read the novel my excitement quickly disappeared into apathy and boredom. While the setting and world building were intricately crafted, the characters were, well, not.

Agnieszka suffered from Special Snowflake Syndrome. While she initially started training in magic, she soon eclipsed her trainer. She was magical Superman, able to defeat anything. I wasn't crazy about any of the other characters either. The Dragon was a generic, broody love interest. Kasia had a wooden personality and that’s before she literally became wood. The rest of the characters were mostly expendable and unremarkable. While I wasn't interested in the characters, I did really enjoy the setting. The Woods were wonderfully creepy and atmospheric. The story behind the Woods' corruption was intriguing, if a little vague.

tl;dr Uprooted contained a great setting with dull characters. Those interested in fantasy, folklore, and magic may enjoy it.