Uprooted by Naomi Novik

A mysterious and powerful wizard, a quiet valley overshadowed by a dark forest, and a girl who can't seem to keep her dress clean for longer than it takes her to move from one end of the a room to the other- This is the perfect recipe for a truly addictive tale that will have you under its spell from the first page to the very last.

Agnieszka has lived her entire life knowing that her best friend- the perfect beyond comprehension Kasia, will be selected by the most powerful wizard in the kingdom, The Dragon. who protects their humble valley, to be his servant for ten years. She knows this because the wizard selects a girl of 17- the prettiest and most talented- every ten years in exchange for his protection, a price the villages of the valley are willing to pay, for the Forrest that abuts their home hold horrors more terrifying that the concept of allowing one of their own to be enslaved for a decade.

The girls he takes return to their homes once their service is up, but only for a week or two, long enough to say goodbye to their families and head for the cities, for they no longer belong. They say The Dragon has them for himself, that he makes them do more than just cook and clean. The girls all deny it- but of course they would.

Agnieszka and Kasia's 17th birthday arrives, but it is not the beautiful Kasia The Dragon takes. Meanwhile, the dark forest grows in power, spreading its poisonous roots into the heart of the valley Agnieszka loves so much.

The Writing

Point of view: first person

The writing is extremely descriptive without boring you with too much detail. Novik paints a vivid picture in your mind, and is particularly good at using metaphors to assist in the world building and in describing the magic system. 

It would've been nice to have a codex of all the magical words at the back of the book, as it sometimes took  a few seconds to remember which magical function a word had if that word hadn't been used for a while

The use of old eastern European folk tales gave the story an interesting twist not seen so often.

Cover art for Uprooted by Naomi Novik

The Characters

Fanart for Uprooted

For the most part the characters were very well developed and grew considerably throughout the story. They each have their own histories, quirks, talents, views and faults.

The main characters Agnieszka and the Dragon were particularly well written. Agnieszka's free spirit and devotion to her home is clearly demonstrated, and the dragons wit and biting tongue are particularly fun to read. I love the fact that the reasons for some of their personality traits are explained through their histories. 

However, one character- Agnieszka's best friend Kasia, is rather flat. Her character is defined more by what does or does not happen to her, and by what she means to Agnieszka. All we know about her is that she's near perfect. We don't know much about her personality. She doesn't really seem to grow as a person throughout the story, and considering how big a role she plays in the story, it can be quite bland to read about her.

World Building and the Magic System

Fanart for Uprooted

Because the writing was so intricate and beautiful, Novik managed the world building exceptionally well. It was very easy to imagine every scene, every character, their clothes, their voices, the magic, the atmosphere... it was like being transported into the book- an exhilarating experience, even in the creepier parts of the story.

The magic system was pretty simple- which was a welcome break from the more complicated magic systems common in fantasy today. Novik used interesting and easily understandable metaphors to help explain some of the more complicated spells. 

I liked the contrast between the more disciplined and structured magic The Dragon prefers , and the more free-styling go- with- the- flow magic Agnieszka excels in.

Romance

Whilst romance wasn't a major theme in this story, (a welcome relief, especially in a novel with a female protagonist), the romantic elements of the story were beautifully and subtly woven into the adventure and violence and conflict, so that the climax of the romantic sub- plot was a complete surprise, and only obvious in retrospect. 

Also, props to Novik for not censoring the sex scenes and sex in general in a YA novel. 

Themes and concepts

Rape Culture

Unfortunately the issue of sexual assault was not dealt with very well in this novel. 

Firstly, the villagers believe that the Dragon rapes the girls he takes (or rather, that they give him). and yet they still give them to him without any protest or at least any questioning. The villagers, have no love for The Dragon, but they do respect him and are proud of the fact that he resides in their Valley. I would've thought that the fact that he (in their minds) rapes their daughters would've at least inspired disgust and contempt in them, instead of reverence. If the writer meant it to be a symbol for how rape is treated in that society, then I suppose she made her point, but it didn't really come off as a criticism of rape culture, more an acceptance of it.

Secondly, one of the characters attempts to rape another. This incident is not really addressed throughout the book. The Almost victim dislikes the almost perpetrator, but it seems mostly for other reasons, and she continue to (begrudgingly) work with him  There is no discussion about guilt or punishment. He never takes responsibility for his actions, and she never asks him to- neither do the other characters who know of the attempted rape, for that matter. The victim grows stronger and more confident throughout the story- stronger, even, than her almost rapist- but in her interactions with him, he maintains a certain power over her. She remains a victim.

All in all, the issue of rape could've been handled much better. In the real world, perpetrators of sexual assault don't always take responsibility for their actions or get punished, but it would've been nice to see the women go from being a victim to a survivor- to stand up to her attacker and at least try to make him take responsibility. 

Revenge and Destruction vs Forgiveness and healing 

These concepts were beautifully contrasted with one another. The majority of the book deals with revenge and destruction- the entire story is driven by these themes, and the results of these concepts are portrayed in a dramatic conflict between one powerful entity and everyone else. The themes of forgiveness and healing drive the plot beautifully home. 

Fanart for uprooted

The Verdict

This book felt like an epic adventure through one of the Grimm brothers dark fairy tales- and I mean that in the best way possible. I felt the branches of the Forrest scrape against my skin, felt the trees watching me as I ran through them with the characters, felt Agnieska magic shake the earth and the Dragons cleverly crafted and unbelievably creative insults burn against my skin as he flung them at his targets.

Enjoyment rating: 4 and a half stars
However, because of the badly handled theme of rape, this book ultimately gets a:

   4/5 stars