Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Pages: 438
Finished: January 5, 2020
First Sentence: Our Dragon doesn't eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley.
Summary: Agnieszka has always known her friend Kasia was going to be taken by the Dragon when they were of age. Everyone knows it. The Dragon protects the Valley from the dangers of the Wood, and in exchange, he takes one girl every 10 years. But when the time of choosing comes, Agnieszka is the one chosen. And upon entering the Dragon's tower, she finds out there's more at stake than just her Valley against the Wood. Her country is in danger, and only she and the Dragon seem able to do anything about it.
Thoughts: I read an ARC of Novik's Spindle's End a few years ago. I quite enjoyed it and made a mental note to come back to her work. This specific title kept popping up on various lists and hung out in the back of my mind for well over a year. I'm so glad I decided to start my year with this novel.
The story has shown up on many Beauty and the Beast retelling lists. And sure, one could call it that. But merely labeling it as a BatB retelling almost weakens the book. Because there's so much more to it. There's the story of the Wood and how it's intertwined into Polnya. There's corruption. And there's a mystery as to where the Wood even came from. How it started. Why it's so malevolent in the first place.
This is the type of fantasy I live for. The world building is balanced with the characterization. Polnya seems to be the fantasy version of Poland. And it's so rich. The fantasy creatures are creepy and real. The magic is stunning. And the characters have strong personalities. They grow. They learn. The story picks the reader up and sweeps them away. At least it did for me.
I enjoyed this one the way I enjoyed Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. I definitely mean to come back to it in a few years time to digest some more.
This book counts for Beat the Backlist, Virtual Mount To Be Read, and Library Love challenges.
The story has shown up on many Beauty and the Beast retelling lists. And sure, one could call it that. But merely labeling it as a BatB retelling almost weakens the book. Because there's so much more to it. There's the story of the Wood and how it's intertwined into Polnya. There's corruption. And there's a mystery as to where the Wood even came from. How it started. Why it's so malevolent in the first place.
This is the type of fantasy I live for. The world building is balanced with the characterization. Polnya seems to be the fantasy version of Poland. And it's so rich. The fantasy creatures are creepy and real. The magic is stunning. And the characters have strong personalities. They grow. They learn. The story picks the reader up and sweeps them away. At least it did for me.
I enjoyed this one the way I enjoyed Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. I definitely mean to come back to it in a few years time to digest some more.
This book counts for Beat the Backlist, Virtual Mount To Be Read, and Library Love challenges.
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