Uprooted in Around the Year in 52 Books

Jan 15, 2016 Cora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: available-at-library, library, wizards, folklore, fairy-tales, coming-of-age, magic, friendship, baba-yaga

Every ten years the lord of the region, who happens to be a powerful wizard called the Dragon, chooses a village girl to serve him for ten years in his tower. The villagers are not sure what he uses the girls for, but at the end of ten years the girl is released, seemly unharmed. Once released, the girls are not satisfied with their former lives and most leave the village to pursue a life outside the region. The villages border an evil wood that can corrupt living things, turning them into evil ...more

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May 17, 2016 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, zsrc-2016-2-summer

It's always a pleasure to discover a new standalone fantasy novel with some excellent unusual ideas, and a fascinating world. My only criticism is it dragged slightly in and among the fighting towards the end, before then moving back to a conclusion which took elements of both Speaker for the Dead and Tolkien's Lothlorien, and made something new out of them. ...more

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Sep 16, 2016 Ruthi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-world-sucks-these-are-a-escap, my-favorites

In short: amazing, would recommend to lovers of folk lore & fairy tales, especially Russian as well as fans of Catherynne Valente.

I have tried to read Naomi Noviks dragon series before, and could not get into it for the life of me- but this one proved different. Her prose lends itself wonderfully to a standalone fairy tale retelling.

It was definitely worth the $11.99 I paid for it.

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Sep 11, 2017 Jesse rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: around-the-year-2017

This one was not my favorite, though there were some aspects I loved. The magic is definitely the best part in this one. And I love the way it's treated and accomplished. I love that some spells are like an epic conquest, requiring hours and hours of teamwork and concentration. Between and around the parts I loved, however, the story dragged and lost my interest. ...more

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Feb 16, 2019 Angela rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reading-challenge

I normally stay away from YA books unless they are re-reads of books that I loved when I was much younger, but gave this one a shot because I enjoyed Spinning Silver so much, and because so many other reviews loved it. I'm glad I did. It didn't have the insipid, mooning, teenage romance that so many YA books seem to need, and instead was full of creative imagery, an immersive world and a story that not just flowed but also pulled me along with it. ...more

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