Uprooted in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Nov 09, 2020 Alicia rated it did not like it

Shelves: hp-challenge

I really wanted to like this book. I ever got 75% through before I realized I didn't care at all about the ending. Someone once reminded me that life is too short to read bad books, and while I don't think this is necessarily a bad book, it was not the book for me.

I had a lot of friends, authors and reviewers I generally agree with that absolutely loved this book. Maybe I came in with too high of expectations. However, the biggest thing for me is I didn't understand the point of the book. The d ...more

Like · see review

Jul 12, 2019 coffee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, ya-fantasy, young-adult, good-stand-alone, fantasy, favorites

The first time I read this book was closer to its publication date (2015) and I remember LOVING it. I had to buy it in hardcover and it's just been sitting on my shelf for the past five years. At my job, when people would ask me for fantasy recommendations, I would immediately point to Uprooted and Spinning Silver, however, recently I came to realize that as much as I loved Uprooted, I didn't remember much of the story. Since Spinning Silver was more recent (2018) and I'd only recently read it ( The first time I read this book was closer to its publication date (2015) and I remember LOVING it. I had to buy it in hardcover and it's just been sitting on my shelf for the past five years. At my job, when people would ask me for fantasy recommendations, I would immediately point to Uprooted and Spinning Silver, however, recently I came to realize that as much as I loved Uprooted, I didn't remember much of the story. Since Spinning Silver was more recent (2018) and I'd only recently read it (2019), I had no problem talking about that one. But Uprooted? Nothing. And thus I decided to reread it and I'm glad I still enjoyed it!

I do have to say that the writing and mentality of Agnieszka feels very juvenile compared to Spinning Silver's Myriem but it also makes sense. Agnieszka had a different upbringing full of love and the only "troubles" she had to deal with were keeping safe from the Wood (which she was rather good at) and accepting the fact her best friend Kasia would forever leave when she turned seventeen. As an older reader reading YA, I was initially put off but I also think that this is something I really liked about her character. Even though she wasn't as perfect as she believed Kasia to be, she had this inner strength and confidence to always search for a third choice and to never give up. When everyone would tell her things were futile, no matter how much each failure hurt her, she always kept trying to save the people around her. It feels like this trait is often only found in younger characters and served as a reminder that things are not always black and white, we just have to be flexible enough to find the grey areas

I found that I still loved the Dragon/Sarkan but I also began to realize WHY a lot of people dropped the story because of him. He really was a beast at the start! In hindsight, I also think that as we are now isolating ourselves (though temporarily) we can begin to understand why Sarkan is the way he is. While we keep struggling to keep ourselves home, he was able to successfully cut himself off from humanity for hundreds of years. I don't even know how I've survived the last month and a half, and don't even get me thinking about my (surely deteriorated) shabby communication skills. However, aside from his lack of communication skills, I still enjoyed his sharp tongue and the amount of work he put into always protecting strangers. Yes, a lot of this came from a sense of duty but I also think he genuinely cared for the people in the valley. After all, he didn't have to take those girls but he did

I was really sad that so many tragedies befell this kingdom (even though it was a sucky kingdom, but I guess that's what happens in "greater" societies) and yet also mesmerized by how clever the Wood was in planting all of these plots. I did think that Agnieszka was overpowered, especially since she'd only started using magic, but I also understand that her magic was different. Actually, it's more like SHE was different to everyone else and it's this empathy that she had (that was reflected in her magic) that was the key to "defeating" the Wood

I remember being extremely sad at the end of Uprooted the first time I read it. I really loved the dynamic between Sarkan and Agnieszka, especially after they became more comfortable with each other. I really wanted them to interact more but with the Wood going wild and trying to kill everyone, there wasn't much time to do so. I know this is a standalone but if Naomi ever wanted to do a sequel, I would totally be on board. I'd love to see how the two interact after this, if they end up living together or if they just make time for each other, what Sarkan has been up to, and just give me some fluff, I'M BEGGING YOU. But if the story had to follow someone else, I'm actually super curious as to how Prince (now King I suppose) Stashek will rule after everything he's experienced and lost. I also want to know how Kasia is living her days and how Agnieszka takes on the role of mentor, which was implied would be something she'd do in the future. Perhaps a new adventure will come one day ...more

Like · see review

May 07, 2020 Irene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: not-what-i-expected, got-in-2020, title-is-meaningful, own-physical, 5-stars, b-n, popsugar-2020, fave-fantasy, tedious-to-read, standalone

If you're looking for something easy-to-read, quick, and fun, then this book is not for you. Uprooted is challenging, heartbreaking, somber, deeply entrenched in folklore and fantasy, confusing and tedious, brilliantly imaginative, and ultimately a modern masterpiece of writing.

In other words, if you prefer books that lay out everything for you without enigmas, reading-between-the-lines, and forced imagination, then you will probably NOT enjoy this book very much. If, on the other hand, you enjo If you're looking for something easy-to-read, quick, and fun, then this book is not for you. Uprooted is challenging, heartbreaking, somber, deeply entrenched in folklore and fantasy, confusing and tedious, brilliantly imaginative, and ultimately a modern masterpiece of writing.

In other words, if you prefer books that lay out everything for you without enigmas, reading-between-the-lines, and forced imagination, then you will probably NOT enjoy this book very much. If, on the other hand, you enjoy unpacking literature and poetry, this fantasy book will definitely scratch a literary fiction itch. I haven't felt the exhilaration of unpacking the meaning of every line of a book since I was a literature major in college, studying Ulysses and the like. This book will make you work for it, and will require at least one reread to really understand everything that goes on within these pages.

Uprooted is a complete, fully-fleshed story that will start out feeling like one thing and end after what feels like a lifetime of growth and change with the characters. While I believe it takes place over just a year or two, it feels like you've started in the Shire and gone to Mordor and back, so some moments will pass slowly and seem unanchored and pointless. I think that's the beauty of books like this, compared to the almost economic-efficiency of so many authors today who attempt to appeal to our decreased attention spans by making sure every detail and action is as straightforward as possible. That's not how real journeys work, right?

I don't want to go into too much detail, but I will complain about the blurb/marketing of this book: This book is NOT a romance, YA, or any kind of fairy-tale retelling you've read before. The blurb of this book sounds like a fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast and that literally couldn't be farther from what it is. This book is equal parts sinister and grotesque, beautiful and creative - but zero parts fluff or unoriginal. I would recommend this most for adults who enjoy fantasy as a standalone genre (as opposed to fantasy as an afterthought that exists only for backdrop, atmosphere, and extra oompf) with large casts of characters, expansive lands, and magic that is complex and confusing. Yes, there are fairy tale elements, but it does it a disservice to call it any kind of retelling. Be ready for layers on layers of story.

The blurb of this book is as misleading as the following blurb would be for the first Harry Potter book: "An orphan boy is mistreated by his uncle, aunt, and cousin, until one day a mysterious stranger arrives bearing a letter." No mention of magic, no mention of what to expect of what's going to unfold, etc. So sure, the book begins with the MC being chosen by the Dragon, but that's not even the tip of the iceberg and tells you absolutely nothing about what the book will actually be about, who the MC will discover she really is, and none of the epic high fantasy that follows.

(Also, I loathe the standard U.S. book cover. I feel like it's uglier the more you look at it, so I really need to swap it for a different edition as soon as possible. Since this is clearly my biggest complaint, this book is an easy 5 stars for me.)

*2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge*
Prompt #29: A book with a bird on the cover
(previously: Prompt #33: A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads) ...more

Like · see review