Uprooted
{5/5} “A haze of smoke was drifting across my eyes, the sudden crackle of fire. I turned towards the trunk, and Sarkan was there, too, caught in the tree with silver bark trying to devour him, saying, ‘Now, Agnieszka,'” while fire-heart glowed red between his fingers. Instinctively, I half-reached my hand towards him, remembering dread and anguish, and for a moment — for one brief moment, he wasn’t illusion at all, not just illusion. He frowned back at me startled; his eyes said, What are you doing, you idiot?”
Uprooted by Naomi Novik, published in 2015
Agnieszka was sure that the wizard known as the Dragon would choose Kasia to take with him to his tower. But he didn’t — he chose Agnieszka. After cooking for him for a while, she got bored and borrowed a book from the library. It might be magical in some way, because the Dragon comes barging in and is very upset — and doesn’t believe she is who she says she is.
This is a stunning novel.
It’s about learning something you’re good at, and what happens when you’re thrown into a bunch of new situations. It’s about people who, even though they’ve been alive a long time, can still change their mind when presented with new reasoning.
This is the 4th book I’ve read by Novik. I previously reviewed The Golden Enclaves.