NEBULA AWARD WINNER • HUGO AWARD FINALIST • “If you want a fantasy with strong characters and brilliantly original variations on ancient stories, try Uprooted!”—Rick Riordan “Breathtaking . . . a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, familiar as a Grimm fairy tale yet fresh, original, and totally irresistible.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF … review)
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • BuzzFeed • Tordotcom • BookPage • Library Journal • Publishers Weekly
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
Praise for Uprooted
“Uprooted has leapt forward to claim the title of Best Book I’ve Read Yet This Year. . . . Moving, heartbreaking, and thoroughly satisfying, Uprooted is the fantasy novel I feel I’ve been waiting a lifetime for. Clear your schedule before picking it up, because you won’t want to put it down.”—NPR
more
I love this author’s Temaraire series and also enjoyed this stand alone take on a fairy tale. Great writer, good romantic fantasy story. Probably a bit violent for anyone under 12 or so.
I had no idea where the story was going half the time, but I liked the journey. It really meandered around, but honestly so did the magic, and I appreciated that it felt different from a lot of other fantasy that I read. The Wood was creepy and I liked how it moved from backdrop to main character. That said, I do think a little more character development could’ve been squeezed into the plot, given how much space was given to descriptions of food and clothes and such, but it never felt like anyone was so flat that it detracted from the action. Agnieszka was a great narrator in that she had a defined personality without overwhelming, but there were a few times I wanted to yell at her to focus so I could figure out what was going on
Naomi Novik is one of my favorite authors. She has the ability to draw you in quickly and hold you until the very end. This is such a beautifully written story with flawed characters who become something more than they thought they could be.
For anyone who loves strong female protagonists and fantasy adventure. In addition to the overall narrative, I love the sub-plot of Agnieszka and Kasia’s friendship.
An expanded re-telling of an Eastern European fairy tale, with strong characters whose stories gradually unfold. Scary “monsters” (of course, it is a fairy tale), with some of the characters as wicked as the monsters. Full of twists and surprises.
Ahhhhh so well written and entertaining! A delight from the start. This is truly a modern day fairy tale…more Brothers Grimm than Disney, so not for younger readers. The characters are well drawn and the monsters, magic, the way people change, and personal growth stories are deftly handled. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Young female protagonist, but NOT just a YA novel. Lots of action, blood and guts, along with a strong story line.
An amazing story filled with brutal truth about human nature, the graciousness of redemptive love and the trials required to become a different, better person than you are right now; told with vivid imagery, beautiful characters, and wonderful imagination.
A great book. I’ve ground tired of the constant trilogies, and It was refreshing that an entire story was encapsulated in one book. Couldn’t put it down!
Very slow and at times confusing, felt it took forever to finish.
i love everything Naomi Novik has written
One of my favorite books. It was interesting and charming, and had gripping scenes with a sense of power, loss, and finding your way in the world. I recommend this book to everyone.
Was initially planning on giving it 3 stars, but I’m a sucker for endings like that…
I must commend the author on the fair consistency of her characters. Our narrator was clumsy and dirty (and not too bright…?) and she stayed that way for a good deal of time (unlike Anastasia Steele who managed to be endearingly clumsy for about one chapter, like E L James just forgot she’d mentioned that initially). The Dragon was cold and angry, which got tired after a while, but at least it was maintained well. The villagers stayed…well,villagers. Prince Marek…all of them consistent. I think the…chemistry (?) between Sarkan and Agnieszka was well done.
The magic system was not half bad. I must admit though, the author used many words to sort of distract me from the magic workings, I deemed that unnecessary. She made it like…a feeling kind of thing…which I liked…but she seemed to rely too heavily on it.
I also liked the balance of the reliance of using magic and the cost of using magic. I love Harry Potter series and the Song Of Fire and Ice series, but it was like one seemed to use reliance to overshadow cost while the other made cost overshadow reliance.
I must say though, this book impressed me with its twists. Some stuff I predicted (who would try to have sex with who), and some stuff I didn’t see coming (powers gained, the suddenness of the horrors of the Wood, etc).
I wonder why there were no maps though.
Also got some feel of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha world here. Grisha had The Dark, Uprooted had The Wood. Both have powerful wizards, hard to kill and hard to die, a girl who suddenly discovers just how powerful she could be and many people start vying for her power. And then the eastern European sounding names. The king and kingdom, the court, everything. Bardugo wrote her own first so…
All the same, it doesn’t diminish this book in my eyes. It has its own distinctive quality and flavour.
Things seemed to slow down 2 thirds of the way in though, like we were just plodding along, waiting for the next big thing. The book seemed to try to overreach itself with all the politics and corruption and whatnots. Honestly, we just want to see the Dragon and you-know-who work some hard core spells.
The last 4 chapters seemed to become rather complicated. There was just so much to process.
The ending made up for all that though. Fair stuff.
Stumbled on this one. Someone mentioned it in book club and I, moment spur stuff, decided to check it out. Time well spent. And, it’s not a series. Yay.
One of my favorite stories! If you’re looking for a stand-alone fantasy with a fairytale feel, this is it. Beautifully written.
Fabulous book, had to re-read it immediately upon finishing the first time. Writing this good is very rare. It’s a first-person narrative, the imagery is stunning and lucid. The narrator grows visibly before the reader right to the last word.
Nothing is quite what you expect it to be in this unique, stand-alone fantasy. There is the dragon in his isolated tower, the young woman who is sacrificed to that dragon, complex and precise magic, and an ancient forest. But none of these things are exactly what they appear to be on the surface. People, magic, and the Wood twist and combine to culminate in a very engrossing climax. One of my favorite things about this book is that nature plays such a prominent role in all aspects of the story. I highly recommend this book.
Amzing book! It was hard for me to put it down. Definitely recommend it!
for children
The world borrows some from Russian folk tales, with a new sense of green magic, and a romantic story.
Well worth the time.