Review: Uprooted
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3 stars. Oh man, I had such high hopes for this. A true feminist fairy tail? So much hype! So much excitement! Unfortunately my feelings are mixed. Let's break it down:
First a summary: Every ten years, a wizard pulls a girl from a nearby village to serve him. This year, he picks Agnieszka, a generally untidy young woman who loves her valley home. The choice is a shock to her and the entire village, but she soon realizes she was chosen for a reason - she can conduct powerful, unimaginable magic. Together she and the Dragon face a terrible evil threatening to take over the world.
Now, what I loved: the setting (it's so rare to encounter deep, creative world building that isn't overly complex), the protagonist (fierce, intelligent, resourceful - and not a single mention of her curves), and the villain. I LOVED the villain. What an interesting concept for an enemy. A twist on an old trope.
What I didn't love: the romance. Don't get me wrong - I love a little (a lot) of sexual tension in books. But the Dragon, despite having a badass nickname, is ... an empty character. He has long fingers. He got dumped once. And that's about it. Oh, and he's also a bit of an asshole? He was a bit strange to read about. I think the author was trying to keep the depth, the agency and the emphasis on her very strong female protagonist, but it was at the expense of his character, and the chemistry that could have been.
The story also dragged a bit in the middle. and the end. There appeared to be some really useless subplots. And the climax went on for about a quarter of the book. I'm disappointed to say I ended up skimming many of the final pages.
Like I said, mixed feelings. But I truly, truly enjoyed this book, I admire the author, I was completely captivated and it gave me the very specific feeling only brought on by a true fairy tale - a strange feeling of nostalgia; youth; the sensation of returning to my roots; the scent of a good story and the hope that everything will be okay and everyone will live happily ever after.