Girl goes to live with Dragon and it's GREAT (Uprooted review | Naomi Novik)

Here's our Uprooted review, by Naomi Novik.
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[@bratturtle8631]

Uprooted is the kind of book that really reminds you that reading is a joy. I love reading, even some not great books lol but Uprooted is like when you're a kid and you find a book that just lights you up. As an adult, it's hard to find books that bring you back to that feeling. But Uprooted definitely took me back to that simple place of enjoyment.

[@Shalaena]

Author goal: Find a reader who talks about you the way Will and Maria talk about Naomi Novik.

[@tahinaandale3197]

So, basically a wizard trying to teach a sorcerer, getting baffled over the differences? 😄 I have to read this 💜

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

That is EXACTLY what it is 😂😂 - Maria

[@tahinaandale3197]

@@unresolvedtextualtension I finally got around to read it and I LOVED it. It's soooo GOOD! 🥰💜

[@Azareea]

more like a Druid I think :))

[@lisaashpole8066]

It's funny that you enjoyed Uprooted more than Spinning Silver. I definitely enjoyed Uprooted, but the ending just didn't quite do it for me. Whereas Spinning Silver dragged a bit in the middle, but the ending was so beautiful that it transformed the entire reading experience for me. Edit: After watching you discussing it, I feel I need to reread this book

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

Spinning Silver is MY favorite Novik novel and one of my all time fav books. It is kinda magical in how it transports me and how I connect to the characters. I do think the ending of Uprooted can be hit or miss for people! It’s so nice to hear peoples opinions on these two books I adore! Thanks for commenting. - Maria

[@hotplotsandsynonyms]

You guys left out that Sarkan drank the Spindle water in order to cast the Summoning (at least in this edit)! That's important, mostly because it's the primary reason he ran away. He was watching Agnieska get turned into a corrupted tree and he SACRIFICED his separation from the valley that he valued so highly in order to save her, but was then horrified by what he'd done. He didn't have his protected tower to keep him separate from the valley, so he couldn't cut himself off and he'd ingested the magic that tied people there. So the final tension is between Sarkan wanting Agnieska and NOT wanting to be tied to the valley and she's sad that he chose being separate from the valley over having her. That's why the reunion is the right resolution to the book! I adore this book, but I wanted Novik to end it right BEFORE the "come meet my mother" line because I felt like the dialog lost something the scene had before. But it's small, so I forgive her for it. :)

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

Omg you are completely right! I was rewatching the video and I also forgot some important things about the summoning spell. I need to write notes! - Maria

[@angryotter9129]

Honestly, I’m surprised you guys didn’t do this sooner.

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

Me too. - Maria

[@gryranfelt5473]

Haven't watched the video yet, but YES, I look forward to this video, I loved Uprooted. One of the only times the "old guy gets with young girl" trope works.

[@Luumus]

I actually read the "For the wolf" book because the first part of your video about it got me intrigued (obviously only watched the rest of that video after reading the full book, which in hindsight it was a poor choice because just as you guys didn't like the book, I didn't either). So to know that you really liked this one may actually get me to read Uprooted as well. You guys should get into bookselling, you are great at the sales pitch lol. Edit because I will try to sell this book until I die: I would love to see you read and review "A history of dragons, a memoir by Lady Trent" series. It has the best dragons (that feel like real animals) and really fascinating characters, character development and worldbuilding, with cultures that feel real, complex and fascinating. Also the character gets to be in her 40s by the end of the series and it's not everyday you read about a character that old that is that much of a adventurous badass (in a realistic way)!

[@aaytennnn]

we need more of Maria recaping books to this detail by herself!!!

[@sambucivox]

YES you have started covering Novik, you have the best book club.

[@thatgamingfreak]

I discovered Novik this year with this book and its been a great pleasure of mine to start reading her. Shes such an amazing writer

[@obvious1341]

Love Naomi Novik. I read Uprooted three times too!!! Spinning Silver twice. The humor in Uprooted is so perfect. I love Agnieszka's personality and the Dragon is so beautifully brooding and brilliant. They both are brilliant.

[@testosteronic]

I subscribed pretty recently and I've watched most of your videos, and this was the first one where I went "you know what, I'm gonna actually go read this before I go any further" at the beginning. I did and I enjoyed it! Listened to the audio book in three days! (And did a lot of crochet). I'd listened to your ~murder hogwarts~ videos, and ended up regretting not having read them for myself. So I'm glad I stopped myself (your descriptions are so good it's hard not to just let myself hear the whole story right away) and actually experienced one of Naomi Novik's books this time

[@BaobhanloreArt]

Though I always felt gross towards Marek because of the attempted r*pe, I feel like the humanity he was granted made the portrayal of it so much more realistic and relatable for certain people. When we characterise abusers as pure evil people, we fail to provide warnings for the real world. R*pists dont always radiate evil and are more likely to be those you trust. Granting people humanity doesn't have to come with sympathy, but it does allow for accuracy.

[@SingingSealRiana]

mad respect for will mentioning that hoop skirts where a way to take control of the room around you, enforce distance and things like it. Many only ever see opression in womens fashion of the past. With corona I whished I where accoustemed to wear one, or in public transportation

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

The part with the dress to rebuff advances reminds me of the famous scene in The Mahabharata where Draupadi’s clothes become infinite when a man tries to disrobe and shame her

[@syenite]

I love this book so much. It's definitely in my top 3. I consider it something of a spiritual relative of Howl's Moving Castle. Loved listening to yall discuss this CLASSIC, especially when yall were making Howl's comparisons, too.

[@CrisM779]

This sounds like such a good read, intricate and well thought out, so I'll be adding it to my reading list. Thank you for another great review! As much fun as it is to poke fun at bad books, listening to reviews of good books is so much more rewarding.

[@gogumarshmallow]

I can tell when I should put a a book on tbr by the tone of the recap. cant wait to read this one :)

[@TeaCupSimmer]

This is one of the best summaries of this story. 👏 well done. I love this podcast

[@andreahartman9656]

I LOVE uprooted. Every time I want to sneak a peek at the first few chapters to remind myself of how novik does tone or exposition, she grabs me by the THROAT and by the time I come to, I’m over halfway through the novel.

[@dkannapan]

My sense of Kasia is that she's quiet. She just likes to listen, keep her hands busy with the many hobbies she's great at, and be a supportive presence. When she and Agnieszka hang out, it's probably Agnieszka talking a mile a minute, and Kasia saying "Oh okay. I made you a leaf-crown."

[@vapx0075]

53:45: Me describing how to cook something to my co-worker, lol

[@mirroredhour]

The mention of the "Howl's Moving Castle" movie YESSSSSSS I absolutely adore the magic in this book. Granted, I don't read as many fantasy books as I should, but whenever I have I don't ever recall being so enchanted by the way the magic was written and how it was done by the characters as much as I was with this book. There's some standout moments that made me think of the "Howl's Moving Castle" movie like I could imagine Uprooted's magic so vividly being done and feeling the same way magic does when I watch that movie. It was a pleasant surprise and one of the highlights of this book for me. In regards to Kasia: It's important to remember that Sarkan was about to pick her, but then Agnieszka reached out for Kasia's hand which then caught Sarkan's attention and then ended up with him choosing her after he did his magic thingy. I think it's interesting that Will and Maria wanted more of Kasia and Agnieszka talking to each other, but their relationship was so much about their actions and what they were willing to do for each other, because they cared so much for the other. It really was the driving force behind the plot at times. There was also that moment where Agnieszka learned about all the conflicting feelings that Kasia had felt towards her as they were growing up (when Agnieszka and Sarkan were trying to bring the corruption out of her), so that fleshed out Kasia more as a character for me, but I felt like Kasia was missing from the final act and I do agree that there could've been more conversations/interactions between her and Agnieszka - for more than because I was shipping them lol I like Sarkan and Agnieszka, but I was also really feeling Kasia and Agnieszka.

[@Msgamefreak2110]

Studio Ghibli, specifically Howl's Moving Castle is what I thought of while reading Spinning Silver. So, it's just not me who thinks Novik's stories can be made into Ghibli movies.

[@akernis3193]

I loved this review! While it's great to hear when you have critique of books, it's a joy to listen to you rapt talking about one that you really enjoy as well. This made me want to read the book and I plan to buy it as soon as I'm finished with my current one.

[@arianad5690]

I read a deadly education, then watched ur review, you guys mentioned uprooted, I always read the synopsis but was like nah but after yall spoke about it I was like, I'll give it another shot and now I'm here to listen to you guys because I finished uprooted and I don't want it to die away yet

[@crysj5225]

Yesss! I loved this book and it’s actually because of y’all. I read spinning silver before I watched your review and so I was introduced to uprooted

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

This makes me SO happy! - Maria

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

Me too! -kt

[@CrisM779]

I finally read this! I know, I know, it's a year later, but holy shit it was a good read and I have a lot of thoughts on it! First of all, there wasn't one moment when I was bored during this. The pacing was so tight, there was always something interesting happening and there were always more questions that I wanted answered. The Eldrich horror was great! It was scary and mystic and very very cunning! Btw, good news for Will, the back story didn't spoil it, because in fact, the Wood Queen's problem was that she couldn't enter that dream state because she was too rage-filled. The closest thing she could do was to fall asleep next to her friend's heart tree. In the end, she managed it because she was fuelled by her want to save her friend's tree. I loved Agnieszka as a character. The way she was written was so in-tune with her background, especially using her own words for things, like when she sees a carpet for the first time she calls it something like weaved short furr. Splendid! Just, chef's kiss! And her friendship with Kasia was so nuanced. I loved that the darker aspects of her were acknowledged, that they had some envy towards each other, that not all was perfect. It added so much to the realism of their human connection (same with Jerzy and Krystyna, and Wensa and Agnieszka). Weirdly enough, the romance was probably the weakest aspect of the book. Sarkan felt to me like sapiosexual (I think that's the term) and from my point of view, I understood his attraction to Agnieszka more than her attraction to him. Her competence with magic seemed to be the thing that attracted him to her and I thought it was a neat way of handling the romance between characters with more than a century gap in age. On the other side, Agnieszka never thought of him in that way until late in the book which I thought was weird, considering the first-person point of view. Maybe it's just me, but for most of the book he was more of a mentor than a potential love interest. In any case, their one intimate scene was very tastefully done. It skirted around crude terms with grace and without losing the feeling it was supposed to evoke. Also, it cut off just in time to keep it "short and sweet". One thing that I noticed in the book, and I'm not sure if this is just Novik's style or just a way to keep the word count down, Agnieszka tends to think things to herself and the other characters respond to her thoughts. For the first portion of the book, I was convinced this was Sarkan mind-reading her thoughts but later on, non-magical characters would do the same, so I assumed it was the author's way of not repeating information and we're supposed to assume that Agnieszka spoke her thoughts off-page. If magic weren't involved it would probably be more obvious. I also loved the ending with Agnieszka eating the fruit and saying she might go into that dream one day because it subtly brings back the answer to an earlier dilemma she had when she realized she wouldn't age and that she'd get to see her little nephew grow up, grow old and die. So the fruit became a cosy solution as a way to pass on naturally. Oh, damn, this comment turned into a mini-essay 😅 Anyway, thank you for doing this review since it got me to read a great book!

[@Azareea]

I just finished it yesterday and jumped to see what other ppl thought of it. I loved it soo much, it was amazing to read and the thrill and magic and action was entertaining and I loved the Dragon a lot, such a grumpy character, we love a good tsundere. I play D&D for over 10 years now, and this book may have convinced me to play a druid finally ( I never care for the class really). the female lead is amazing I am so glad it didn't turn to a scenario where she goes and changes clothes and who she is, and then BAM, he loves her. NO She stays true to herself which proves to be the reason they actually win so good for her, she is amazing. The romance made me sqwee at night so much because YES it is so well done and also YES, my shipper heart wanted one more chapter, just to see them a bit more together at the end. Ahhhhh such a good book

[@ChrisHarperBooks]

I really liked this book, but I think I just found the last part really frustrating because the whole thing was so clearly a trap to me and I couldn't figure out why no one was dealing with it like right away. Other than that I remember really enjoying the world and the characters.

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

Listen, I feel you. It had such a sense of dread and there are SO many times I was like “listen to the one sensible person!” But I think it’s part of Agneizka’s growth. I can see it being frustrating though! - Maria

[@ChrisHarperBooks]

@@unresolvedtextualtension yeah, it was definitely a very good book, in fact listening to this reminded me oh how much I enjoyed it. I'm gonna have to reread it at some point.

[@CodyWhitlock]

I was hoping yall would rip into Naomi a bit more for dropping the ball on Kasha like that. There’s like one good bout between the best friends and we never hear anything more about their conflict. I wished there was like one or two pages later in the book to touch upon the concerns the two women had so we could see the growth between them. The woods were the best part of the book. So creepy and fun. Tho the romance made me feel icky. I’m 23 and i feel too old for a 19yo, forget a 17yo. The dragon is too old for her!

[@del_luccetti]

I agree completely and this is why I really didn’t like the book. These are the two characters who are supposed to be most important to Agnieska. Yet there were no scenes with her and Kasia where I believed them to be childhood best friends. And ancient man with teenage girl is just not my kink

[@davincigift]

I read this book after my sister's suggestion. I really enjoyed it and your commentary. I still need to read Spinning Silver, but right now I'm working on the Mirror Visitor Quartet. Have either of you read those books? First one is A Winter's Promise.

[@jorje0068]

When you hate, I learn what to avoid. When you love, I'm urged to steal...

[@lesyablackbird]

Vasya is evil! lol i love this book so much. it was lovely to hear you guys talk about it. to continue the first person books with a strong voice, i put forth Sunshine by Robin McKinley. tho i think at least one of you has already read it. i just love to recommend it.

[@nethla314]

Thanks for a great video - I'm inspired to read this one :D

[@artybluegirl]

I don't know what we did to deserve so many uploads lately but I am THANKFUL.

[@flowerpixel]

Subscribed, thanks for explaining...a few bits at the end confused me. I liked the romance

[@writerducky2589]

Since there's always something about a book that could have been done better, if one were to ever encounter one without flaws, could that be a flaw in itself? As always, love your videos and your sound and level insights and discussions.

[@mjw1111]

Extra rugged, extra handsome 😍

[@sambucivox]

"The romance was so good that I forgive him for not being a dragon" ----> is Téméraire next.....?

[@xdaresay]

I’m 50% into the audiobook and having the hardest time finishing it. It could just be the narrator, and I understand why they would want a Polish speaker, but she sounds monotonous and I am getting so bored of the story. Plus I am NOT feeling any romance vibes from the two MCs. How is a ML who’s impatient and constantly insulting the FL supposed to fall in love with her? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Y’all hate the books I like and love the books I hate 😂

[@Lolz4249]

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. The ending was unexpected for me but I found it really sweet, kinda larger than life feel. The romance between Nieszka and Sarkan was more on the back burner than I anticipated but it works so well. "He'd come back" was so cute agh. This was a great story, many thanks for the review! On to Spinning Silver...

[@clpearson991]

Me, the weird one who wants less sex scenes in everything

[@marocat4749]

41:00 something , henson? Who also made the dinos and farscape. That woods are evi!l oh that horrifying evil. ..wow really would make a great anime. Like it uses psychological corruption over magical evil, that son of of a weedplant.. oh what a great vilain wood orign story. Andit puts the woodqueen to reat, not redeem her. Its not a redemtption at all, maybe more she was terrible and didnt feserve ,nut needed to be at peace. And just the only practical solution to stop her. The queen is, noo, dont let her spread chaos.

[@mjw1111]

This is my favorite Novik.

[@bj71000]

This book kind of reminds me of Lord Loss by Darren Shan

[@indig0icee]

Having the greatest time listening to this review - just, yes. I love hearing all about this. It makes me love the characters all the more. And I agree: this was one of the only smexy scenes in recent book-reading memory that not only did NOT make me cringe…. it was heckin’ good. It was done simple and right.

[@mariekevandermeijden4541]

39:10 so you don't like hard magic systems?

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

He doesn’t dislike hard magic but he generally prefers the ambiance/vibes of a soft magic, if I’m not mistaken. - Maria

[@mariekevandermeijden4541]

@@unresolvedtextualtension ah okay

[@Trintron46]

I've been wanting to read this but I don't really read anymore, just listen to audiobooks. The audiobook for this on audible is too painful to listen to though. The narrator has an accent and yet lacks basically all emotion in their voice. Hopefully, this will be redone eventually, till then I'll keep watching people rave about it.

[@unresolvedtextualtension]

I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t mind the narrator anymore and actually enjoy the performance but on my first listen I really didn’t like it either! I hope you can experience it soon. - Maria

[@onceuponabook7838]

Hmmm...so when do we petition for Makoto Shinkaito to direct this film?