Goodreads Summary-
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.
- The Magic– I thought the magic was unique and it was interesting to read about. I wasn’t expecting a lot of magic so it was a pleasant surprise!
- Retelling– I love that this book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling! You could definitely see the Beauty and the Beast influence but it was its own unique story.
- World building– I thought the world building was very well done and I could actually picture everything in mind.
- The Romance- I thought the romance was very unrealistic and that the characters had no chemistry. It felt so forced! It is almost as if the author knew that Beauty and the Beast is a love story so she felt that Uprooted had to have that element as well. I could have done without it!
- The Characters– I could not connect to any of the characters and I think that is why I ultimately didn’t care where the story was going. Kasia was unlikable so her fate was not important to me!
“I was a glaring blot on the perfection. But I didn’t care: I didn’t feel I owed him beauty.”
“You intolerable lunatic,” he snarled at me, and then he caught my face between his hands and kissed me.”
“Magic was singing in me, through me; I felt the murmur of his power singing back that same song.”
I really wanted to love this book! So many people adore it but I just couldn’t connect with it. The story dragged on at some points and I found myself skimming a lot of the time. I had a hard time just writing this review because I felt so blah about the book. I do think Naomi Novik is a talented writer so I would read another book by her!
I agree with you! I couldn’t connect to the characters either, and I just thought it was hard for me to get into. Like you I wanted to get into it and like it, but that wasn’t the case unfortunately.
It had so much potential! It was frustrating for me!
I’m one of those people that really liked reading it🙈! Maybe it’s because while I was reading it the book played like an anime movie in my head😂
I can totally see why I lot of people liked it! The imagery is great?
definitely! even though the ending was predictable I still enjoyed it 🙂
i am relieved! so many people rave about this book but i really can’t see me reading it and after your review i am happy haha 😂
I feel bad because so many people love it! I really struggled with it!
it happens sometimes! 🤗
Oh I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like the characters or the romance, Kristin… But everything else sounds amazing! I definitely need to give this one a try, it’s been on my TBR for months (maybe years!)
Lovely review <3
The concept is really great and so many people love this book. I definitely think you should try it if it sounds like something you would like!!
I agree about the romance, that was probably my least favorite thing about this book. I just was not into the two of them together at all, it felt weird. I wasn’t very into this book either!
There was almost something creepy about them being together? I am glad you agree!
Yes!! Something about the age difference and the fact that it seemed to rely a lot on physical attraction when he was still so secretive…it was uncomfortable to me. I also just wasn’t a huge fan of the dragon in the first place hahah.
Yes!!! When I heard Dragon that was not what I was expecting. I was so disappointed!
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one more! I absolutely loved it. I listened to the audiobook version, and the narration really added a lot to my enjoyment of the story.
I have had a few people say they loved the audiobook! Maybe I need to give that I try in the future 😊
I’m another one of those people who enjoyed this book, but I can see your reasonings for not liking it as much. That’s cool. We don’t all have to love and/or dislike the same books.
That is something I love about reading! Everyone has their own opinion on books and that’s okay. I love hearing about people who love books I disliked and vice versa.
As long as we remember that it’s okay to have differing opinions then it’s all okay. I know there are some out there who feel attacked and get defensive when someone doesn’t like their favorite books.