Uprooted A Novel

Naomi Novik erschafft in ihrem Roman eine ganz eigene Welt, in die zwar Aspekte verschiedenster Märchen eingeflossen sind, die sich aber nahtlos zu etwas ganz eigenem und neuen verbinden. Getragen wird die ganze Geschichte, in die die Magie erst langsam einfließt, durch Agnieszka, die, obwohl bislang eher tollpatschig angesehen, doch als Tribut von dem ihr Tal beherrschendem Lord, genant Dragon, ausgewählt wird. Denn der hat die ihr innewohnenden Fähigkeiten entdeckt und muss sie nun ausbilden - was Agnieszka aber nicht weiß. Und so ergeben sich im Zusammenspiel der eher impulsiven jungen Frau und des sehr ordnungs- und schönheitsliebenden Magiers so einige Szenen, die mich schmunzeln oder sogar lachen ließen. Natürlich geht es auch in diesem Fantasy-Roman am Ende um den Kampf “Gut gegen Böse”, nur dass hier die Bedrohung zuerst durch den verwunschenen Wald kommt, erst später durch rivalisierende Gruppen im Königreich. Eine erfrischende Fantasygeschichte, die Lust macht auf mehr.

One of my favorite books ever. I love the way it's written, it gives off a feeling of.. well, a tale being told, if that makes sense. Agnieszka is brave and stubborn and this story is uniquely magical.

One of the best books I've read in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed the darker elements of the story and how the "old fairytale" atmosphere carried through. The writing style is amazing - it made it a joy to read, almost like the words were woven from magic itself. ;)

Before talking about the content I want everyone to look at the cover. It is truly amazing with touches of gold and also it fits perfectly to the story. Agnieszka lives in a village not far from the wood and not far from the Dragon. The Dragon is actually a wizard that lives in a tower right before the wood and protects the people from it. But in return he takes a girl from a village every ten years. When the time comes Agnieszka knows that her best friend/ sister will be taken, because the Dragon always takes the gentle and beautiful ones. But as it happens things change and Agnieska is forced to live another fate. Now I am that kind of person that hates Grimm fairy tales, because the princesses always need a prince to survive. LO AND BEHOLD; MY FRIENDS! NOT THIS TIME! NAOMI NOVIK HAS COME TO SAVE US! This is no dramatic love story or a disastrous abusive relationship. No this story is about a girl, who'd do anything to protect her loved ones (her family and friends) from getting hurt and if the powerful guy she met three weeks ago won't help then she will do it herself, because that's how you do it! Don't wait for someone to save you or your friends! You can do it yourself! But what does she have to protect them from? The wood. The wood is a powerful force that can absorb entire villages. People that get into the wood will not return and if they do, they come back less than human with scattered minds. I have to admit that the book starts out a little slow, but that is because the reader needs time to be introduced to this new world and furthermore the story cannot develop any quicker. You can't become a strong woman that fights the woods by training for about 2 weeks. That stuff needs time to feel more realistic. But once you're through the first pages suddenly everything starts to make sense and you realize HOW grave the danger is. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something about strong friendship rather than boring love drama. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good fairy tale. I would recommend this book to anyone to be honest.