Book · 2015
Uprooted
by Naomi Novik
A village girl is taken by an ancient wizard as tribute every ten years, until the year his choice turns out to be a mistake he can't undo.
What does Reddit think of Uprooted?
Naomi Novik built enough trust with this one that r/Fantasy keeps citing it as a blank check. The ↑294 comment, reacting to news of a new Novik release, says plainly: after Temeraire, Uprooted, and Spinning Silver, I'm here for anything she writes. That's the pattern across these threads. Uprooted rarely gets discussed alone; it gets folded into recommendation lists next to Spinning Silver, the Scholomance trilogy, Curse of Chalion, the Winternight books. When it does get isolated, it's specifically as the standalone answer, the pick for someone who doesn't want to commit to a trilogy (↑200). One correction shows up directly (↑233): despite a romantasy readership claiming her, Novik doesn't actually write romantasy, and this book is the example people reach for. r/Fantasy's scored sentiment runs clearly positive; r/suggestmeabook's is milder, which fits a book people love enough to keep recommending but rarely stop to argue about.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The go-to answer when someone specifically wants a Novik standalone
- · Built reader trust that carries into her other books, trilogy included
- · A fairy-tale, valley-and-wizard structure compared constantly to Spinning Silver
- · Wrongly claimed by romantasy readers despite not being one
Common praise
- + The ↑294 commenter says outright that after this book, plus Temeraire and Spinning Silver, they're in for anything Novik writes next.
- + It's the specific answer when someone wants one standalone novel and nothing longer (↑200).
- + The ↑233 comment defends it against a romantasy label its own fans keep trying to slap on it.
Common criticism
- − It rarely gets argued about on its own; most of the top-voted mentions here are drive-by list entries sitting between four or five other authors (↑216, ↑201).
- − The ↑310 commenter warns that liking this one is no guarantee you'll like Novik's other books, or the reverse.
Who it's for
Want one self-contained fantasy novel instead of a trilogy commitment? This is the specific answer r/Fantasy gives (↑200). If people keep telling you Novik is a romantasy author, read the ↑233 correction before deciding that's not your genre. Go in for the fairy-tale valley-and-wizard shape, not for romance as the main event. One caveat worth taking seriously: the ↑310 commenter loved this, Spinning Silver, and Deadly Education, but says clearly that liking one Novik book doesn't guarantee the others land the same way.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Uprooted?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“My impression from other people’s reviews is that everything by Novik seems to be different enough that if you like one, you aren’t guaranteed to like her other works, or don’t like one you might still like another. I’ve read Uprooted, Spinning Silver, and Deadly Education and really enjoyed all t…
“>Naomi Novik (*Uprooted*) will publish *A Deadly Education* this fall, the first in an epic new trilogy that publisher Del Rey calls “a twisted, super dark, super modern, female-led *Harry Potter*.” After Temerarie, Uprooted and Spinning Silver, I'm here for anything she writes. But beyond that, I…
“Of course! Hope some of these are to your liking:) Horror/Thriller/Mystery - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - Gone Girl and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi Fantasy - Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay - This Savage Song and A Darker Shade of Magi…
“I hear Naomi Novik is popular among romantasy readers, and she doesn’t write romantasy. Spinning Silver and Uprooted in particular.
“The first Kushiel trilogy by Carey is my personal gold standard. I really liked Naomi Noviks Spinning Silver and Uprooted. The Winternight Trilogy by Arden. The seven waters trilogy, I’m drawing a blank on the author. All of these have various trigger warnings, so I would check those out if that’s i…
“The first two Bridget Jones books are my no-good-very-bad-day go-tos. They’re genuinely very funny. When I was ill for several months I reread many of my sick day books from my childhood/teens - Anne of Green Gables, Frederica by Georgette Heyer, Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie and then ploughed through s…
“Spinning Silver and Uprooted, both by Naomi Novik. Both are amazing. Spinning Silver is loosely a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, and Uprooted draws from stories about Baba Yaga. They are shorter for stand alone fantasy and both have really interesting magic systems.
“Naomi Novik's *Uprooted*, for sure.
“Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler Uprooted by Naomi Novik The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The first is a sci-fi trilogy made into an omnibus; the second is a fairy tale fantasy standalone; and the latter is technically YA but is absolutely worthwhile to read as an adult.
“The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. I love her recent standalones very very much (Uprooted and Spinning Silver) and I absolutely loved book one of the series, His Majesty's Dragon. I stopped after book 3 or 4. It stopped being interesting or charming and constantly felt like you were in the supply …
“Overrated: Fourth Wing Underrated: The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, or Uprooted, also by Novik. Temeraire is naval warfare but with dragons (think Master and Commander... but with dragons!) and Uprooted is a compelling coming-of-age story in a fairytale/medieval fantasy setting, with a cool mag…
“Naomi Novik writes women very well. Uprooted is my favorite of her novels. What I like about it is that there is a central female friendship that has nothing to do with men at all, in fact it is a very touching look at what female friendship is (including the less pleasant bits). The overall plot st…
“Have you read Spinning Silver, also by Naomi Novik? I think it’s even better than Uprooted.
“I would suggest reading "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik, or her "a deadly education" series. They have magical elements and romance. Honestly all of her books have similar themes but all of them are really enjoyable
“I've had mixed results with her books. Everyone always lumps Uprooted and Spinning Silver together because they're fairy tale retellings, but I thought Uprooted was not very good, and Spinning Silver was wonderful. Haven't read the Scholomance books, but I'm in the middle of reading the Temeraire se…
Convinced? Pick up Uprooted
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Uprooted — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring Uprooted
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Uprooted — frequently asked
Is Uprooted a standalone novel or part of a series?+
Standalone, and r/Fantasy treats it that way specifically. The ↑200 comment names it as the answer when someone wants exactly one Novik novel, not a trilogy; Spinning Silver and the Scholomance books get recommended separately for readers who want more.
Is Uprooted romantasy?+
No, and the ↑233 comment pushes back on that label directly, noting Novik has a romantasy following despite not writing romantasy herself, with this book cited as the example. Romance is present, but the top-voted quotes don't treat it as the point.
Should I read Uprooted before Spinning Silver?+
Either order works by Reddit's account; they're consistently listed together, not in sequence, since they aren't the same series (↑310, ↑216, ↑201). The ↑310 commenter enjoyed both but flags that liking one doesn't guarantee the other lands the same way.
Is Uprooted as trusted as Naomi Novik's other books?+
More than trusted; it's cited as the reason to trust the rest. The ↑294 commenter says plainly that after Temeraire, Uprooted, and Spinning Silver, they're in for anything Novik writes next, which is as strong an endorsement as this data shows for any author.