Uprooted by Naomi Novik is a book that fully drew me in. I was at work and could only think of getting home to keep reading. It takes place in that long ago time where fantasy stories like to live. In a valley put upon by a malevolent power called the Wood. A force that comes from the forest to steal or kill people and livestock, sometimes it swallows a whole village.
Overlooking the valley is an ancient tower. From there a Wizard called the Dragon fights to keep the Wood at bay. Every 10 years he takes a teenage girl to be his servant. The previous selection leaves the valley, well paid, rarely to return.
When he chooses Agnieszka the whole valley was surprised. Everyone had expected him to choose Kasia. She was smart, brave, and beautiful, what more could the Dragon want? Agnieszka, aside from being tall seems so ordinary. She is far from it, she is a witch, her powers going mostly unnoticed until the Dragon finds her.
The Dragon begins to train Agnieszka. It does not go very well at first. They are too different. He’s neat and elegant, his magic precise and structured. Agnieszka can’t keep herself from becoming a mess for more than 10 minutes, with wild and free flowing magic. It takes a crisis for them to see how their abilities can work together.
The Wood, sensing the new threat, steals Kasia. Agnieszka and the Dragon have to team up to rescue her. She more or less forces him to. Agnieszka’s love for her friend overwhelms the Dragon’s caution. The amount that their magic compliments each other was surprising to both and it changes their relationship.
This is the part that I was torn about. The smart, capable young woman developing feelings for a secretive older man has been done so many times. Part of me wishes it was left out for once. The other part of me does ship them, they work together so well and the trust that they build between them is crucial to their work. Decide for yourself if the attraction gets in the way of the rest of the story. The Dragon had never had any sexual motivations in his selection of the girls he chose to serve him. He had accepted that the people in the Royal court didn’t believe this, but was insulted when Agnieszka told him the villagers believed the same thing. The Dragon had his reasons for choosing the girls, but his personal pleasures were not it.
Agnieszka eventually has to travel to the King’s court. The Dragon stays in the valley, fighting the Wood. Even if he could leave he would not have, he had long ago soured on the politics of court life. Agnieszka realizes this, too. She doesn’t know whom to trust or where to plead for help. War is coming, a distraction put forward by the Wood to weaken those fighting against it. Back in the valley, the Wood is making its move and it’s all the Dragon can do to restrain it.
Through the fear and chaos the friendship of Agnieszka and Kasia never waned. Inseparable since childhood, they remain loyal to each other. Kasia giving Agnieszka strength and courage when she needed to make hard choices. They fought and sacrificed together to save the home that they loved. It was nice to see these two women who always had the other’s back, no questions asked.
It was the love for her home that led Agnieszka to find the origins of the Wood and the cause of its rage. The Dragon assists her. He can see that she has an understanding of the Wood that no one else possesses. In the end only Agnieszka can heal the Wood and bring safety to the valley and the kingdoms beyond, and she does it in a uniquely feminine way.
I really enjoyed Uprooted. It was a great read and I would be eager to see an onscreen adaptation. In my mind a mini-series format would suit it best. There’s very little downtime within the story for cutting to movie length. I hope that the right people adapt it. Uprooted really deserves proper handling. It will pull you in like the Wood does.
Have you read Uprooted? What did you think?
Comments are closed.