Author Gush: Naomi Novik and Uprooted

Well good golly Miss Molly what a pleasant surprise this book was. Since finishing it I’ve seen it appear on multiple “what you should read next” lists but I was lucky enough to pick this one up randomly at a bookstore and think “oh, what the hell? Why not?”

There are some wonderful subversion of expectations here, dear reader, all surrounding magic, maturation, and a certain Wood (think Tolkien’s Fangorn Forest but with more character development).

Still one of the best scenes

In all seriousness if you wish to read a book with an excellent female protagonist, or just want an example of a book with a Main Character with simply an absurd degree of agency then this is the book for you. It does the heart good to see someone with both common sense, power, and drive without having them become their story’s version of Goku.

Not that theres anything wrong with that…

Without wishing to spoil: there’s a certain classical touch to the story, like you’re being told a tale from some new age Mother Goose as she tries to remember that one story from Grimm’s Fairy Tales while she’s helping you carve a pumpkin (that’s all good, trust me). It lends the story a kind of timeless appeal, allowing the “modernizations” (for lack of a better term) of the prose and story structure to shine through all the clearer.

If I were to have one complaint it’s that it’s over too soon. This is a wonderful stand alone novel, and though I love the very idea of a sequel the brevity with which it allows me to visit this unique little world is also kind of the appeal.

I don’t mean that to read as the story robs you of a satisfying narrative. Whooooooo buddy. No it doesn’t do that. I just wish there was more of it! If you’re looking for an amazing book to pick up this weekend, why not give Uprooted a try?

You won’t regret it. Lord knows I don’t!