Uprooted cover art

Uprooted

An extraordinary spellbinding fantasy inspired by Slavic folklore

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Uprooted

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Katy Sobey
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About this listen

 'Bewitching' – Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked


A dark enchantment blights the land in the award-winning Uprooted – a captivating fantasy inspired by fairy tales and steeped in Slavic folklore. From the author of A Deadly Education and His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik.

'A great heroine, new takes on old myths and legends, and surprising twists and turns. A delight' – Cassandra Clare, author of Sword Catcher

Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest's dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. One young village woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all they love and value behind.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked next, for she's everything Agnieszka is not – beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it's not Kasia he takes . . .

Uprooted is a stunning, romantic fantasy filled with unexpected twists, beautiful friendships and fierce battles against dark forces.

'So vividly believable that it almost seems you could work the spells' – Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea series

Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winner of the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
Winner of the British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel
Shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
Shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Novel

 Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy Historical Magic Romance Fiction Village Witchcraft Magic Users

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Critic reviews

Uprooted has everything I love: a great heroine, new takes on old myths and legends, and surprising twists and turns. A delight. (Cassandra Clare, author of the Mortal Instruments and Chronicles of Castellane series)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik is enchanting, in every sense of that fine old word. A charming and inviting story that looks unflinchingly at the strangling roots of hurt and revenge. (Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer Trilogy)
The magic in Uprooted, with its realistic moral dimension, is so vividly believable that it almost seems you could work the spells. But the book will do that for you. (Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea series)
Wild, thrilling, and deeply, darkly magical. An instant classic. (Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians)
Magical and practical, otherworldly and planted in the real, I could NOT stop reading this book and neither will you! (Tamora Pierce, author of Wild Magic)
Uprooted is one of those tales you come back to over and over again because it's just that enchanting. The adventure builds with such tension that you are peeking through your hands at the end, hoping it will all be okay, and Novik delivers a conclusion that's deeply satisfying, earning a permanent space on my bookshelf that I'll revisit often. (Kevin Hearn, author of Ink & Sigil)
Naomi Novik's Uprooted is a marvelous fantasy reminiscent of Howl's Moving Castle and vastly superior to The Hobbit. Her characters, setting, and the magic they use are all brilliant. I devoured the book in one reading. Well done! I want more! (Todd McCaffrey, co-author of the Dragonriders of Pern series)
The roots of Uprooted are planted deep in fairy tale lore, but the story that Naomi Novik has coaxed forth is fresh and compelling. It reads like a previously undiscovered origin myth in the best possible way! (Jacqueline Carey, author of Kushiel's Dart)
Every so often you come upon a story that seems like a lost tale of Grimm newly come to light. Uprooted is such a novel. Its narrative spell is confidently wrought and sympathetically cast. I might even call it bewitching. (Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Elphie)
All stars
Most relevant
I trudged through so much fantasy mediocrity before finding this gem. A bit slow at the start but really accelerates after that.

Spectacular

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didn't know what to make of this at first but it's an amazing story and I'm so glad I picked it up

loved it

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I couldn't stop listening! It's enchanting and very gradually reveals the the mystery of the sinister wood. It also tells of the constant uphill struggle our main character has, with learning on the job, living with a seemingly impossible and unlikely teacher The Dragon, and having to prove herself against yet more powerful and egotistical characters at the royal court.

I found myself rooting for her as she takes on each battle, mental as well as physical. And I enjoyed seeing her confidence grow, as well as how she eventually taps into the heart of the hard-armoured Dragon, which helps them understand how they feel about each other and that allows them to become a powerful duo.

Katy Soby's soft clear voice is well suited to the book, and the author describes each scene so well that I could really let my imagination take me further in.

All I would say is that after a major scene near the end, they seem to emerge unscathed and dust themselves down before they head to the wood, as if there was no consequence of their actions (with so much death around them, they had some answering to do). What became of the Falcon and the Barron? Maybe I missed it. Also, some outcomes in the last major scene in the wood, just seem too easy in the end. After we see how evil and dangerous the corruption is at the start, where just being in the wood can infect, yet it's affect seems to no longer an issue at the end, even though it's still there.

Gripping

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I enjoyed this. 3.5 🌟
Quite a strange magic in this book and took me a while to get used to it but it was quite fast paced and enjoyable to listen to.

Magical

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Wonderfully written and read, the kind of story you want to listen to again and again.

Simply brilliant

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