Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi
Novik
Synopsis: “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.”
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.
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.
Review: I loved
Uprooted. It’s going on my top 10 list,
although I don’t know who to boot from the list. Maybe it will be my top 11 list now? Although not really a Beauty and the Beast
story Uprooted reminded me of Robin McKinley’s Rose Daughter. I think it’s the writing style. Uprooted is full of rich, meaningful details
and strong characters that you come to care about. The story evolves in unexpected ways.
At first I
thought that Uprooted was going to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it
starts out as if it is. But very quickly
it becomes much more as Agneiszka discovers her power, and shoulders the
responsibility for the survival of the Kingdom.
If you enjoy fantasy I am confident that you will enjoy Uprooted. Do yourself a favor and start it today.
Publisher: Del Rey
If you like this book you may want to read:
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
I definitely need to read this book at some point because I have heard so many people tell me how wonderful it is! The first time I heard about it it totally slipped under my radar but now I know better ^^
ReplyDeleteCheck out my recent post: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2015/07/oncoming-hiatus-summer-reading-list.html
I adored this one too!! Good to see it getting lots of great reviews and exposure!
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