jacey | Booklog 69/2020: Naomi Novik: Uprooted

Read by Katy Sobey

Every ten years the dragon demands a girl… and so begins many a tale. But this dragon is a wizard, human-seeming, but ageless, abrupt, and icily cold. Agnieszka (and the whole village) knows he will choose Kasia, elegant and beautiful, but when the day comes, it’s Agnieszka who is chosen to serve. It's a fate almost as terrible as being drawn into the eerily malevolent wood, from which no one returns unchanged – if they return at all. Expecting to be a servant and a drudge (if not providing more intimate services) Agnieszka is surprised to find she has to learn magic. She struggles at first, but then finds her own style and gradually begins to learn. The threat from the wood is increasing as its corruption spreads and Kasia is caught up in it, driving Agnieszka to try to rescue her friend. Expect really scary trees, a touch of romance, some court intrigue, strong female friendship and LOTS of peril.

This is fairy tale-like, for certain values of dark fairy-tales, set in an alternate medieval Poland. I'm still getting used to hearing rather than reading a book. So far I find that I prefer listening to something I've read before, but this was a new book to me and the audio version kept me engaged. Katy Sobey's narration is easy on the ear.