Uprooted by Naomi Novik
5/5 Stars
Publisher : Del Rey
Released: May 19th, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 438
“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”
The story
opens in a village where 17-year-old Agnieszka has been living with her family
all her life. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent
power, and its shadow lies over her life. In order to keep the Wood at bay, the
villagers rely on the help of the Dragon, a powerful wizard. As compensation
for his efforts, the Dragon demands a tribute: one young woman handed over to
serve him for ten years. With the next choosing approaching, she is
afraid. Everyone knows that the Dragon will take her best friend, Kasia. But
when the Dragon comes, it isn’t Kasia he chooses. Instead he chooses Agnieszka.
Uprooted has
quickly become one of my favourite reads of the year. It has everything I could
ever want in a book. That being said, I’m finding it surprisingly
difficult to write a review for it. I went into this book knowing very
little; I actively avoided reading anything about this book after I picked it
up. And I think that’s partially why I enjoyed this book so much. I didn’t know
what to expect going in, so I really couldn’t be disappointed. And I was
definitely not disappointed. This book blew me away. From start to finish, this
book held me in its grasp and didn't let go.
I won't go into
specific plot details. To give it all away would ruin the experience that is
this book. (And boy is this book an experience). But I will say that it was
very well done; complicated, dark and twisted in all the best ways. Seriously.
What I really loved the most about Uprooted was
the feeling it gave me. It’s an indescribable feeling, almost like a
nostalgic love. It has all the makings of a familiar fairytale story, something
you might have heard as a child. And this book is so well-defined that it
produces powerful feelings and strong, clear images in your mind. You can practically
feel the evil lurking inside and seeping through the pages.
Another
thing I loved was the focus on the friendship between Agnieszka and Kasia. Kasia
always seemed to remain her priority at all times; and the strengths and
weaknesses of their friendship felt honest and real, especially for their
age. And it was a much greater focus than the romance. And I love that. I
love books with strong female friendships. But don’t get me wrong, I also
enjoyed the romance-y bits. It’s just refreshing to see it take a bit of a back seat.
I have to
say this book was such a beautiful, dark fantasy read. It read like a modern
fairytale. Great world-building, engaging narrator, and spectacular depiction
of magic without dumping too much information. I could easily see this book
becoming a classic in the future. If
you're a fan of beautifully crafted stories, hideous
monstrosities that are all too human, and good triumphing over evil, read it.
