Uprooted

Upon finishing this book I was reminded of Return of the King with Frodo saying "It's gone. It's done."

The accolades for the book piqued my interest but it led to disappointment. Seeing a Hugo nomination, Nebula victory and the popularity of the book on Goodreads polls I had a different set of expectations going in than I would have if I focused on the words "Young Adult Fantasy".

Right away I felt that there was more emphasis on "Young" in that description. Times where the story veered towards Fantasy were enjoyable, and almost redeemable, but then the scales would tip back to "Young Adult". I knew from the start that this story wasn't for me but I kept on going and I learned a lesson that my High Fantasy and Low Fantasy enjoyment should never cross over with YA.

I have to give the story credit in that this was a different take on magic and fantasy, but whenever a spell was butchered or mumbled intentionally I heard Hermione Granger scold the character with “You’re saying it wrong...it’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long”.

My Rating: 2/5 stars

This book.... I didn't particularly like this book, but I didn't hate it. I just thought it was OK. It was definitely readable, but I can't say that it's a favorite. The author's writing style was not bad, but the way sentences were phrased became a little confusing at times as well as repetitive. I think the mythology behind the story was cool with the mention of Baba Jaga, the dark magic of the enchanted forest and its ruler, the revengeful Wood Queen. I just don't think that it was executed well.

I have to say that prior to reading the book, I had some misconceptions - which were short lived - about the story and its characters that Uprooted did not live up to. I had imagined that the Dragon would remind me of The Darkling from Shadow & Bone, that he would start out as this mysterious figure that everyone thought was all powerful (check) and that the main heroine would think was really good at heart (kind of check) but who would eventually end up being the villain of the story (no check). I know it's horrible to compare one author's work to another, but because of the hype that the book summary created, I expected to love not only a well-thought out/complex villain but the other characters as well. But most of them fell flat for me, even the plot. I will say though, that I got a slight Snow White & the Huntsman vibe while reading Uprooted (with the wood creatures and the enraged Queen) which was pretty cool, but didn't amaze me.

spoiler section
There were some parts of the book that I thought were amusing yet irritating at the same time. The first being Prince Marek. He reminded me somewhat of Cinderella's Prince from the musical Into the Woods and had the whole "I was raised to be charming, not genuine" personality down to a T. I, at first, thought that he would be a love interest for Agnieshka, but that didn't really happen.... except maybe from his POV it did. There's this weird part toward the middle of the book where he non-chalantly says, "... I'll be announcing our betrothal..." and goes onto explain that by saying "You've earned it, slaying that monster, and it's the sort of thing commoners love. Don't make a fuss... I need you by my side." Like, WTF?! Agnieshka pretty much had the same reaction. I guess from his perspective it was more of a beneficial union than one born out of love, but it still came off as random as hell. I'd thought that Solya might be a love interest for Agnieshka, but that didn't go anywhere either and she just thought he was creepy.

I wasn't fond of Sarkan (The Dragon) being her love interest because he always seemed like he was irritated with her and never really acted like he had feelings for her. Love, which him and Agnieshka didn't really have, is supposed to be mutual emotionally not just physically. I couldn't really feel that between them. It seems like the author just put them together because she felt that Agnieshka should have a love interest but didn't want to make that the focus of the story. I would have rather they didn't have any romantic relationship at all, if that was the case. I would have rather him been a father or uncle figure to her instead. I mean, he's old enough to be. And then this book could've had a Sorceror's Apprentice type of feel to it (sorry for the movie references!).

The other thing was Sarkan (The Dragon) being able to read Agnieshka's mind. It's something that's completely glossed over and just not talked about at all in the book. All of a sudden he could read her mind and she didn't think anything weird about that. Like, she'd think a question and he'd answer it loud. He did this multiple times, but she never reacted to it. Since it was a new development between the two of them, the author should've definitely had Agnieshka say something or at least act a little surprised. I mean, I noticed it but the main character didn't? C'mon, now. I was able to guess on my own that Sarkan being able to read her mind was probably a result of them have joined their magic together so many times. Despite that, the author should've made it more clear to her readers.
end of spoiler section

If I liked any of the characters in the book, I'd have to say it would be Alosha and Kasia. They were both strong female characters in my opinion and I couldn't help liking them better than I did the heroine, Agnieshka. And I get it, I do. Agnieshka wasn't supposed to be picked, Kasia was. She's not the brave one, Kasia is. And I guess the readers were supposed to like Agnieshka anyway because she was placed in a predicament she hadn't prepared for and forced to take on the role of being brave because she had no choice. The only thing I liked about her was her selflessness when it came to saving Kasia and her family. But I never really grew to like her character as the story went on. Alosha is the only black character in the book and she's a strong, black woman at that (which I liked). Whenever I read a book, it matters to me a lot when there's a character that at least looks like me. I could relate to her in that way. I couldn't say our personalities are similar, but I found myself more interested her character than I was in Agnieshka.

Lastly, I'll mention that the last two chapters of the book dragged and felt rushed at the same time (if that makes any sense). It dragged in that I felt that the book could've just ended on a cliff-hanger and lead to a sequel. Yet it felt rushed because it seemed like the author was trying to put together an ending where the 'bad' guy (the Wood Queen) was stopped just because she knew that the story had to have an ending. I don't know if I felt this way because most of the books I read are part of a series and I'm used to exciting/heartbreaking cliff-hangers, but I did not like how Uprooted ended. Something was unsatisfactory about it that I can't quite but my finger on.

All in all, I would not read this book again.

Just finished this after learning it was nominated for a Hugo Award. As a fan of the Temeraire books, I already had pretty strong expectations going into this. I liked almost everything about the book, but there wasn't a whole lot I absolutely loved. I think 3.5 would most accurately sum up how I feel, but I'm rounding down to emphasize two things that bothered me about the book.

The world is a fairly unsurprising medieval fantasy setting, but with a refreshing Slavic touch. The plot did drag a bit when the heroine Agnieszka leaves her magical valley and runs around the capital a bit, but otherwise it was fun and easy to follow. Agnieszka was relatable and sympathetic, but in a fairly standard way - clumsy, not as pretty as some of her friends, unsure of what to do with her life. I feel that way too, so I could relate! But we do see these kinds of characters a lot in fantasy, so if you're dying for different kinds of characters this might frustrate you.

There are really only two things I would actually single out as real problems with the book. First, the romance (between the heroine and her captor-wizard The Dragon) wasn't quite as convincing as it could have been. The Dragon is fairly unpleasant at first, and just... stays that way, at least in terms of attitude. As the story goes on his actions become more sympathetic, but pretty much all of his social interactions with Agnieszka paint him as an impatient jerk, from beginning to end. I don't even recall him being made out to be especially handsome, or otherwise superficially appealing. It's not at all clear what Agnieszka sees in him as a romantic partner, though at least her feelings of attraction to him are quite well written.

The second thing is that the magic system is extremely haphazard. At first it seems fairly clear what's going on - there are magical spells that wizards and witches speak, they drain energy, etc. But the heroine seems to be able to sing her spells into doing just about anything she wants, with very little training and without a clear explanation of what's going on. The author makes an attempt to offset this by showing that Agnieszka is very bad at "traditional" spellcasting, but that doesn't feel like a problem when Agnieszka's magic seems in every way superior to what the rest of the witches and wizards are doing.

Luckily Agnieszka's own absurd power is offset by the evil Wood, an incredibly powerful villain that's quite effectively portrayed and refreshingly different to what I'm used to seeing in fantasy, so this magical imbalance to me felt more like a mild annoyance than a truly distracting issue. Also, props to Kasia, Agnieszka's best friend and a very fun twist on the old damsel in distress trope. I ended up much more invested in that side character than I thought I would be.

Overall, this is a fun fantasy novel that could have used a much more compelling romantic interest for the heroine, and maybe, if you're a stickler for such things, a more grounded magical system (though in fairness, this is supposed to be a fairy tale, and fairy tales generally have very flexible magic).

Ever 10 years the local wizard comes into the valley to choose a girl to live with him. Usually he chooses the most beautiful or talented. But this year, instead of taking Kasia who everyone knew was going to be the chosen one, he takes her friend Agnieszka because he recognizes her latent magical talent. He isn't happy about having a student especially when Agnieszka can't seem to master any spells.There is a Wood at the end of the Valley. Monsters live in the wood. The wizard is supposed to protect the people in the valley from the Wood but there isn't really much he can do. If anyone is taken by the monsters, they are dead.When the Wood attacks Agnieszka's home village and then takes someone that she cares for, she decides to use whatever magic she has to fight back.









The Good

• I have a soft spot for non-World War II books set in Poland. This book is set in a fantasy version of Eastern Europe. The audio version of this book was done with a strong Eastern European accent which was a constant reminder of the world where it was set.


• I like the fact that Agnieszka and the Dragon have very different systems of magic.  At first they don't even recognize the power that Agnieszka has because it is so different than what magic is supposed to look like.


• There is a great story of female friendship here.  That's isn't something that is always seen in fantasy books.


• Spoiler - Highlight to read - She sleeps with someone and then goes on with her life when a relationship doesn't develop.  She doesn't sit around and pine. There is some resolution of this at the end but there isn't a happily ever after.  That is refreshing.

The Bad

• I'm not a person who routinely says that books are too long but this one started to really drag after a while.  I sped the audio up and powered through it.  There was a complex political world that Agnieszka was thrown into and it went on and on.


• The Dragon is always written as annoyed or glaring.  Maybe he just a grumpy fella but don't try to make sympathetic and a potential romantic interest while having him be nasty to the character that you want him to get romantic with.  That's no basis for a relationship.


• There is a point where a prince comes to visit them.  He attempts to rape Agnieszka.  She realizes her power at this point and not only fends him off but almost kills him.  The Dragon then explains this all to her by telling her that the Prince planned to insult him by raping her.  We are into some seriously problematic territory now.  Her personal autonomy doesn't come into consideration at all.  Then it gets worse.  They decide to plant a false memory so he doesn't realize that she was violent towards him.  The Dragon gives her a choice of letting him think that she complied enthusiastically to his sexual advances and they had a great time or that she complied but was really bad at it.  She half heartedly complains about this but no other options are considered.  I mean, if you can implant a false memory why not have him think he got drunk at dinner and went to bed?

Bottom Line

I liked it but it drug on audio.  Maybe read this one instead so you can go faster.  That's sad because the narration was really well done.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story