Uprooted by Naomi Novik Narrator: Julia Emelin
Published by Random House Audio on 05-19-15
Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
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 don’t think of myself as liking fantasy very much but Jessica from Rabid Reads had a high opinion of this and we seem to like some of the same things, so I read it. There are limited humor and romance so why did I like it?
The characters and world-building detail are so rich, so well written. It is detailed without being boring or overwhelming. The point of view belongs to Agnieszka. She is totally likable. She’s a bit messy and not always perfect in her plans and judgments. She is young but so compassionate.
The setting is historical, a time with swords and canons and magic. This is a dark story with battles between peoples. There are many deaths and some dire circumstances for our heroes. There are kings and queens, along with other nobility. Politics of a sort happen internally with the royal families as well as between peoples.
The Dragon is a recognized wizard. He provides a small touch of humor as he has a grumpiness at times. I love magic so it could be one reason why I enjoyed this so much. Or it may be just the writing was so excellent, I cared about the people and I FELT so much. I was completely absorbed. And there is one small sex scene.
The narrator, Julie Emelin, contributed greatly to my experience. The tone and style of her speaking seemed perfect for this tale. Her voice is unusual but easy to understand.
I highly recommend Uprooted. If you like any kind of fantasy or even if you usually don’t, this is the one to try. It’s amazing. It is a stand-alone novel.
Listen to a clip here:
About Julia Emelin
Julia Emelin is an actress and a successful voice artist. Born and raised in Saint Petersburg, Russia, she moved to Hollywood over 15 years ago, where she has appeared in numerous television and film productions. Her recent work includes appearances on Fracture, Cougar Town, as well as dubbing the voice of Queen Elizabeth in The King’s Speech.
About Naomi Novik
An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Jessica has given me some great fantasy recommendations in the past too. Great review.
Melanie – Thanks! I can always count on you! (And Against the Dark is avaialble in audiobook – whoa. I may have to get on that.) Anyway, Jessica is definitely my book buddy. She likes YA and the fae more than me but our tastes run similar. Anne
Every person I know gave this book 5 stars. I really need to read it soon!
Karen @For What It’s Worth
karen – yes it also has been nominated for a bunch of awards. But I didn’t know that when I read it. I just went by Jessica’s recommendation. Anne
I tend to really watch for Jessica’s recommendations myself and I’ve seen several really positive reviews and recs for this. Time to add it to my wishlist. 😀 Thanks for adding to the recs.
After listening to the audio sample while formatting your post I know I couldn’t hang with the narrator. LOL But I might try it in ebook at some point.
Jennifer – The narrator is awesome! The voice is unusual but it adds so much to the book. Either way, it’ a great book.
I have heard good and bad about this book. I’m not sure if it’s for me, especially as I’m not big on YA. However, I do like Fantasy. I will continue to think on this one. Nice review.