Book Review: Uprooted

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
DNF
Publication Date: May 19, 2015 by Del Ray
Source: Netgalley review copy

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.


I can't believe this book is only 400something pages, because I feel like I've been reading it for a year, and I'm only about halfway done. I'm just so bored. I don't care about any of it. Most of the reviews I've seen of this one are glowing, so I think it's one of those you'll either love or not like at all. If you like very descriptive and wordy books, you'd be much more likely to appreciate this book.

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

This book was very different from most of the fantasy books I've read. The style of writing was definitely different. Almost reminiscent of Jane Austen, but not quite, and with dragons. :) I have long loved dragons, so this was definitely a fun read for me, and the dragons were well done and interesting.

The story was a bit slow paced, and not a whole lot of action happened until the very end, but I was never bored, and I plan on reading the rest of the series.