Uprooted & Spinning Silver
In an industry where fairy tales are flowing freely, Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver have stood out among the rest.
Novik’s spellbinding fairy tale retellings draw readers in not only because of their creative covers but because of the winding path Novik lays down for readers to follow – a path that keeps readers guessing around every turn. Just when I thought I had figured out the direction the stories were taking, Novik would surprise me and change course. Instead of infuriating me, it only made me want to read more.
Uprooted is Novik’s Beauty and the Beast retelling. In it, the Beast is a powerful wizard named the Dragon who takes one girl from a quiet village and returns her every ten years. Agnieszka and her fellow villagers rely on the Dragon to keep the powerful magic of the Woods at bay, but when the corrupted Woods and its deadly creatures threaten her home, it is Agnieszka who must do what it takes to save it – and the Dragon.
I am a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story, but this one I enjoyed more than most. Agni isn’t a beauty – she’s clumsy and loud and determined. She’s everything the Dragon hates, but also what he needs in order to defeat the Woods. He just doesn’t know it. It was thrilling to read how these two worked together, reluctantly at first, and to see where they ended up. The Dragon could be cold and dismissive, especially in the beginning, but he truly loved Agni and she loved him, enough to let him go when he needed and to welcome him back when he returned.
I loved Spinning Silver, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, even more than Uprooted, which shocked even me considering how much I gushed over Uprooted to my friends. But there was something about Silver’s leading lady that I immediately fell head over heals for.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of a moneylender, and when she takes up the family trade herself, she finds she’s rather good at it. Hardening her heart to her villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what she is owed. But her hardened heart leads her into trouble when the king of the cold creatures who live near her village wants to exploit her talent of turning silver into gold for his own purposes.
I connected with Miryem as soon as I read her first chapter. Her anger at how the villagers treated her father and took advantage of her family was visceral. I’ve felt anger like that – one sowed from the desire to be viewed as an equal instead of an inconvenience. I loved that anger and how Miryem was willing to do what it took to change what she could. Of course Miryem’s cold heart did soften, as it should, but I understood her anger and her pain. She kept me hooked.
What I also enjoyed about Silver was how it focused primarily on three very different women – Miryem, Wanda, and Irina. These three women were put in impossible situations, either through their own choices or that of the men in their lives, and in the end, they saved themselves.
I only had one nagging question at the end: when the Chernobag left the tsar’s body, did he and Irina stay together? Novik made it sound as though the tsar now saw his tsarina in a new light without the demon corrupting him, but one can never be sure. I would have liked to get more answers about that. But Irina proved she can handle whatever was thrown at her, even a demon tsar, so I’m sure she can handle what comes next.
Uprooted and Spinning Silver are amazing pieces of work. I’m excited to see what fairy tale Novik decides to work on next!
Uprooted and Spinning Silver Ratings: ★★★★★
Novik’s spellbinding fairy tale retellings draw readers in not only because of their creative covers but because of the winding path Novik lays down for readers to follow – a path that keeps readers guessing around every turn. Just when I thought I had figured out the direction the stories were taking, Novik would surprise me and change course. Instead of infuriating me, it only made me want to read more.
Uprooted is Novik’s Beauty and the Beast retelling. In it, the Beast is a powerful wizard named the Dragon who takes one girl from a quiet village and returns her every ten years. Agnieszka and her fellow villagers rely on the Dragon to keep the powerful magic of the Woods at bay, but when the corrupted Woods and its deadly creatures threaten her home, it is Agnieszka who must do what it takes to save it – and the Dragon.
I am a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story, but this one I enjoyed more than most. Agni isn’t a beauty – she’s clumsy and loud and determined. She’s everything the Dragon hates, but also what he needs in order to defeat the Woods. He just doesn’t know it. It was thrilling to read how these two worked together, reluctantly at first, and to see where they ended up. The Dragon could be cold and dismissive, especially in the beginning, but he truly loved Agni and she loved him, enough to let him go when he needed and to welcome him back when he returned.
I loved Spinning Silver, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, even more than Uprooted, which shocked even me considering how much I gushed over Uprooted to my friends. But there was something about Silver’s leading lady that I immediately fell head over heals for.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of a moneylender, and when she takes up the family trade herself, she finds she’s rather good at it. Hardening her heart to her villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what she is owed. But her hardened heart leads her into trouble when the king of the cold creatures who live near her village wants to exploit her talent of turning silver into gold for his own purposes.
I connected with Miryem as soon as I read her first chapter. Her anger at how the villagers treated her father and took advantage of her family was visceral. I’ve felt anger like that – one sowed from the desire to be viewed as an equal instead of an inconvenience. I loved that anger and how Miryem was willing to do what it took to change what she could. Of course Miryem’s cold heart did soften, as it should, but I understood her anger and her pain. She kept me hooked.
What I also enjoyed about Silver was how it focused primarily on three very different women – Miryem, Wanda, and Irina. These three women were put in impossible situations, either through their own choices or that of the men in their lives, and in the end, they saved themselves.
I only had one nagging question at the end: when the Chernobag left the tsar’s body, did he and Irina stay together? Novik made it sound as though the tsar now saw his tsarina in a new light without the demon corrupting him, but one can never be sure. I would have liked to get more answers about that. But Irina proved she can handle whatever was thrown at her, even a demon tsar, so I’m sure she can handle what comes next.
Uprooted and Spinning Silver are amazing pieces of work. I’m excited to see what fairy tale Novik decides to work on next!
Uprooted and Spinning Silver Ratings: ★★★★★