My third book by Novik! To be blunt, while I did enjoy this one, I prefer Spinning Silver. There were a couple things that felt off to me and stopped me from enjoying it as much as I thought I was going to. Part of it was the pacing towards the second half of the book. I thought it felt a little rushed, especially after Agnieszka

and Kasia escaped back to the tower with the children

, and that the ending was a little weird/abrupt, too.

The characters were fine - for me they fell a bit flat and weren’t particularly loveable or relatable. I also couldn’t get behind the romance - since there were so few scenes and so little development, it felt as though they would have made more sense as unlikely friends (and that it wouldn’t have affected the story all that much). I’m all for lowkey, second-to-the-plot romances - in fact, I usually prefer them - this one just didn’t work for me.

I should stress that while it wasn’t my favourite, and though I’ve gone into more depth about the things I disliked than the things I liked, there were lots of things I enjoyed about this book, including: 
- The overall writing/story/plot, which was on par with Novik’s usual standards - well written, thought-provoking, and creative. 
- The magic system was interesting, and I really liked the descriptions of it.
- Agnieszka’s friendship with Kasia. It’s always nice to read about a friendship that’s so obviously full of love and trust.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book, and recommend just giving it a try if you’re on the fence about it.

I would honestly give this a negative star if I could. The fact that this is catered toward YA readers for me is absolutely revolting.

Tedious and mediocre storytelling. The pacing was a complete slag. Some of the narrative itself was written relatively well, everything else in this book suffers.

Completely flat and one dimensional characters. Mary Sue main female character, a VERY special snowflake, with absolutely no explanation as to how her magic even works. She just speaks the words and somehow it happens. But she's so clumsy! And plain! And has super special magic powers! Where have we read this before…🙄

The entire magic system is honestly completely ridiculous. 

Emotionally absent and abusive love interest, with literally zero chemistry between the protagonists. He's a completely arrogant, entitled, abusive, narcissistic asshole for no apparent reason, other than the fact that he wants to be one.

'The Dragon' continuously insults her, berates her,  yet she she falls for him. Literally forces her to wear things she doesn't want to, she's sick and exhausted but he forces her to clean up her own vomit, and serve him without any instructions or help whatsoever. Se literally crawls on her hands and knees back up to her tower room. And he forced her to do this.

But she falls for him. Because "reasons".

He snarls and insult her, call her names, and then forces her to kiss him. The sex scene comes out of absolutely nowhere; it is so inappropriate and disturbing to the point I really wonder about this author's mental health.

Abuse is not romantic. I don't care how many authors try to make it sexy and romantic. It's not.

If I was giving this a star rating based on the fact this is supposedly supposed to be a beauty and the best retelling, I would give is 0 because it took me reading reviews to realize that 😂 However, on being a great introduction to people for Eastern European folklore I would give it 3.5ish. 

On basically everything else I give it a 1, this book has so much promise but nothing is really developed! Like am I the only one who was hoping Agnieszka was somehow gonna be Baba Yaga with that little hint about her messing with them? No? Ok 😂 Like, the romance is sidelined by the main story of the evil forest but we don’t really go into WHY until they’re legit killing it, like I would have loved more instances of the forest being evil (esp when Sarkan is expecting the forest to retaliate! I would have liked more physical retaliation than the subterfuge in the capitol). Like I saw Sarkan/Agnieszka coming a mile away but damn they do not really set it up at all like you could zone out and *BAM* they’re kissing! 

The first half of the book was interesting but almost as soon as Agnieszka gets to the tower is all goes down hill. A shame really, this book could have been great :(

It reminded me of an adult version of Hannah Whitten’s “For the Wolf,” but I did find that book more enjoyable. 

It’s clear Nokik is a talented writer, her descriptions are lovely and evocative. However, I was uncomfortable with the attempted sexual assault near the beginning of the book and couldn’t really move past that since it was unnecessary to the plot. 

Her characters were well written but were boring and took their sweet time to do anything. 

Reading reviews for Uprooted , I can see that the opinion of this book is pretty much polarized. Either you love and praise it or you hate it with a passion of thousand burning suns (okay, this is exaggerate). As for myself, I really liked it. Uprooted remind me of time when I read Elantris and Gods of Jade and Shadows, two standalone novels that I always recommend to everyone that want to read stand alone novels. However, Uprooted also have some glaring weakness that make me don't want to rate it more than 4 stars.

In her notes, Novik said that the idea of Uprooted come from Polish folklore, titled Agnieszka Skrawek Neiba, and because of it, the titular heroine of Uprooted also have name Agnieszka. In the first glimpse and also the blurb, Uprooted start with a single, simple premise. There's a wizard called the Dragon that lived in the Tower. For every 10 years, he will demand people from the village to give a girl age 17 years to live with him, in exchange of his protection from the malicious evil forest called the Wood. After 10 years, he will release the girl, but that girl herself will come out change, no longer want to live in the village. This year, it's Agnieszka and her friends turn. Agnieszka dread the time when the Dragon come, because she's so sure that he will choose Kasia. Kasia is the brightest girl in Dvernik village, she's beautiful, kind and brave, everything that Agnieszka not. Yet, it's not Kasia that the Dragon choose, because he choose Agnieszka instead.

Bewildered, confused, and angry -also Agnieszka already hate the Dragon because he will snatch her beloved friend Kasia at first-, Agnieszka find life in the Tower at first is difficult. The Dragon not only aloof and indifference, but also quick to anger and chastised Agnieszka because that girl is so clumsy. I understand that the first 5-6 chapters or so is slogging to read. Too mundane perhaps. Add it with the way Novik write Uprooted which told from Agnieszka's first PoV. We read she grunt, hate and whining. It can be tedious to read at first, yet I understand that Agnieszka is still 17, she is homesick already and scared because of the Dragon's treatment. When the Dragon realized that Agnieszka has affinity with magic, he reluctantly teach her the art of magic only to find that rather than healing magic, Agnieszka is more attuned to Jaga's magic that very much different from the Dragon's.

The story pick up the pace when Agnieszka decide to defend her village from the Wood attack. That's when the story finally shines. That's when I finally can enjoy this book. I see that Novik have a way with words. Sure, that Agnieszka's narrative can be too hyperbole, too flowery and exaggerating, but I can feel Agnieszka's emotion as my own. Her confusion, her eagerness to learn magic, her worry for her village and especially her beloved friend, Kasia. Novik's writing can evoke those emotions from me, merely just from reading her passage. Just like reading a story that need a sacrifice of my time sleep. I think that Agnieszka's driving force in this story mostly come from her friendship with Kasia. How she will move to Heaven and Earth to protect her, especially after Kasia got taken by the Wood and end up change. But, I also liked that despite their friendship, Novik manage to also write the frustration between both characters. How they also hate each other condition, although the friendship overriding those hate.

I read in some article that Uprooted is like a story that can be told in trilogy, but just condensed into one volume. I do agree, because there's so much happen in this book after a dragging and sloughing first part. There's a fight between the Dragon and Agnieszka against the Wood in order to free Kasia. Then, we will get introduced to the Kingdom of Polyan, in which their queen already taken by the Wood 20 years ago, and her son, Prince Marek together with his wizard companion, the Falcon want the Dragon and Agnieszka to save the Queen. Yet, The Wood is malice, cunning and its spread its seeds of corruption in everywhere Agnieszka turn and bidding its time to strike in order to destroy everything. This is when I hold my breath, because wow, the story is told in a high octane that make me want to devour the book in a whole but in the same time I don't want it to end. Agnieszka and the Dragon try to fight the Wood with their magics, but the Wood always have aces in its sleeve and always ready to face both Agnieszka and the Dragon. Not only just fight, battle and siege with the Wood, Novik also write about court & magician politic, especially when Agnieszka go to Kralia, Polyan's capital in order to become a witch and warned the Polyan King of the lurking danger from the Wood. 

However, for the last 2-3 chapters, the tension seems to lower and kinda lost some of the momentum after the intense siege between the Wood and combined force of the Dragon and Agnieszka. I feel like the ending feel open, like Novik tell the reader to how to interpreter it. I see a question  where people ask if Novik will write the continuation of Uprooted and she answer that she don't have plan yet. I think that as a story, Uprooted can be read as a stand alone, yet some things are still left unresolved. This is why I didn't give it 5 stars despite in the middle toward the end part that make me don't want to finish this book quickly. 

Another is the romance aspect. I'm a hardcore romance reader and I appreciate that Novik also incorporated the romance element. But, sadly I don't see the Dragon (aka Sarkan) as the love interest of Agnieszka, because I feel that he's too grumpy, aloof and although he relent when Agnieszka pursued him, he's also still running away from his feeling. I think maybe the first part when Agnieszka come to the Tower feel like Beauty and the Beast, but to read how Agnieszka's feeling toward the Dragon that changed from hate to want/need is weird. I can't said it's Stockholm Syndrome per se, and maybe Agnieszka feeling to Dragon come from when they try to intertwined their magic. Mind you, I read so much insta-lust and insta-love stories, but the insta-feeling that Agnieszka has for the Dragon in Uprooted left me dumbfounded. Although I praised Novik to write Agnieszka to pursue the Dragon first and didn't shy away from her sexuality. There's one sex scene, but modestly written and can be skipped if you prefer your fantasy to be clean from any sexual content (well, I'm not!!) Sadly, since Uprooted is told from Agnieszka's PoV, it's like the romantic feeling feel one-sided although the Dragon himself kind of reciprocated it.

One big question while reading Uprooted is why the Dragon took girls to his tower? With the story unfold, we will get the reason, and nope, the Dragon didn't rape or laying finger to them. Maybe he just want company but too proud to admit it and maybe there's a bigger reason for that. That reason is why I understand how the title Uprooted come. How the term "uprooted" is connected with the main plot in this book, not only with how the The Woods rooted in the place but also with the people of the Polyan Kingdom especially the Dvernik village. Some of reviews stated that Agnieszka is Mary Sue, however I don't feel it and I see that her emotion are valid although the narration can be too hyperbole. I also see that the magic system is sketchy at best and feel like Agnieszka can do many thing with her magic that seems endless. I do feel like the magic system is not explained thoroughly like with how Sanderson write, but well, this is the way Novik write her magic system for her Uprooted world. I liked her description of magic, and how the spell-tongue for the Wizard's real name when spelled by Agnieszka describe why the Wizard called by their moniker (like for the Falcon and the Dragon). I liked that Agnieszka's magic just a single or simple spell and cantrips but she wield it with song or telling a story. My favorite is when Agnieszka and the Dragon chant the Summoning spell, it's really feel magical.

I spent almost a week to read Uprooted because of my busy schedule, and find that with the dragging and slow first part, the story pace pick up in the second and third part although lost some momentum in the end. But, I still like Uprooted nonetheless, and will always recommend it if you search for a standalone fantasy that is magical and can evoke your emotions (in a good way) while read it. 

PS: The Indonesian edition have dragon on the cover. But, nope, there's no dragon. There's monster like chimaera, hydra, the Wood's monster such as wolves, walkers and mantises, and some abomination from the Wood's trap. But no dragon, and well the Dragon is just the wizard's epithet. He won't suddenly change into dragon, lel. 

Overall, subpar. The magic and world building are far more interesting than any of the characters could ever dream of being, which is a shame because we don't get to see much of it. The premise was interesting, the plot was an actual plot, but it could have been fleshed out so much better if it only had a bit more time. The ending was a semi-refreshing subversion of the expected romance ending, but it felt a bit rushed. The romance part itself was, in my opinion, wholly unnecessary and a bit unpleasant. The main romantic interest is an immortal while our mc is... 17-ish. Not to mention the attempted rape scene.

 As longtime readers of my reviews will know, I am a big fan of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. Novik’s blending of historical fiction with the fantasy concept of dragons serving in militaries is such a captivating tale. So when Uprooted came out in 2015, I was excited to read Novik’s foray into more traditional fantasy.

Then, of course, I never got around to it. Until now!

Agnieszka lives in a small village near an evil, corrupting Wood. Every ten years, the wizard who protects this group of villages from the encroaching Wood picks a single village girl to serve him for a decade. This wizard, the Dragon, is a fair yet foreboding lord. When Agnieszka is unexpectedly chosen over her more appealing best friend, this triggers a series of magical events that upend the lives of Agnieszka and many, many more. Uprooted draws from the atmosphere of fairy tales, particularly central and eastern European folklore, to pit our protagonist against twisted nature itself.

I’ll be upfront: I loved the first half of this book far more than the second half. From the time Agnieszka is chosen by the Dragon to roughly her arrival at the capital city, I was thoroughly engrossed in this narrative. The second half of the book branched out (pun intended) into a more epic narrative, and to be honest I just kind of lost interest in it all. So I’m going to deal with each half separately and then render a final opinion.

The first half of this book is so lovely. When Agnieszka arrives at the Dragon’s tower, she initially struggles with his attitude towards her, his moods, and her own inability to cope. What I love about this relationship is that Agnieszka constantly refuses to work within the confines the Dragon sets out for her. She pursues numerous little acts of rebellion. Then, when danger arises in another village while the Dragon is dealing with something else, she doesn’t hesitate: she takes matters into her own hands, proving herself heroic.

Agnieszka’s relationship with magic is important too. The way that she feels magic intuitively, versus how the Dragon and other wizards seem to believe it is a highly structured, very formulaic practice, strikes me as a very feminist theme. The wizards seem like a conservative lot in general, and their dismissiveness towards Agnieszka and Jaga and those who would use magic more liberally, based more on feeling than formula, supports this reading. (One theory I developed, which proved not to be borne out, was that Agnieszka becomes Old Jaga—the comment about Jaga saying at her own funeral “I’m unstuck in time” made me think Novik was foreshadowing Agnieszka’s fate to become the very witch whose journals inspired her to find herself.)

In this way, watching Agnieszka grow into herself was just so pleasurable. I curled up under a blanket and thoroughly enjoyed how Novik subverts the idea that women are captured in towers and need to be rescued by princes. Well, the prince in this story is a boorish mama’s boy. Similarly, the Dragon is not a great mentor figure. Watching him transform gradually from a remote, one-dimensional idea in Agnieszka’s eyes to a living, breathing human with a backstory of his own is so great. Novik has studied the symphony of a fairy tale so thoroughly she can reproduce it yet subtly adjust the notes to achieve new and superior harmonies.

The second half of Uprooted, alas, shifts the tone of the book from fairy tale to epic fantasy. I want to be clear that I’m not saying the second half is bad. If you enjoyed every page of this book, that’s cool. But I noticed my attention wandering during the last half in a way that it didn’t near the beginning, and I attribute this to how we went from Agnieszka’s very personal struggles to her and the Dragon fighting a pitched battle against Prince Marek and his evil witch mom. The climax, the last-ditch effort to kill the Wood and save everyone, felt like a confusing fever dream that was difficult for me to follow.

In the end, I enjoyed this book overall, but there’s a gap between what I was hoping it would be and what it ended up being. When that happens, it’s neither the author’s nor the reader’s fault. This is a beautiful standalone fantasy novel that once again showcases Novik’s storytelling skill, and I would recommend it.

Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.