I loved Novik’s Temeraire series, although I never actually got around to reading the last few books. So when I heard about this one, a Polish-based, fairy tale inspired story, I was definitely excited. Even more so when Stephanie Burgis said the romance had some similiarities with the Howl/Sophie, Gen/Irene, Peter/Harriet continuum which is my thing, fictional romance wise.

So I bumped this one up the reading list and ended up devouring it. It was a wonderful, engrossing read with lots of layers.

First, it plays with the Chosen One trope in an interesting way. Every ten years, the Dragon–a great magician–chooses a young woman from the valley where he lives to live in his castle. The girls swear that he doesn’t harm them, but after they emerge, they never stay for long. Agnieszka, our narrator, has grown up knowing that her friend Kasia will be the one chosen from their age range, because Kasia is perfect at everything. But at the beginning of the book, the Dragon emerges and chooses Nieshka instead. Part of the aftermath is spent dealing with both Nieshka and Kasia’s complicated feelings of relief and guilt and anger.

But they are truly friends, and the bond between them is tested and reforged throughout the book. It’s as important a relationship to Nieshka as any romance. Her feelings towards Kasia, complicated and complex as they are, drive much of Nieshka’s motivations throughout the story. I really appreciated this, since female friendships are something I want to see depicted more often. I especially appreciated that their friendship remains important through the whole story; it doesn’t disappear when Nieshka comes into her own.

(There are also some interesting mirrors of their friendship later, but I can’t say what they are here because they’re immensely spoilery. Suffice it to say that womens’ relationships are foregrounded in a way that I found realistic and refreshing.)

This is also a coming of age story. This was published as an adult book, but I see no reason that it shouldn’t be heavily promoted as a YA crossover. Agnieszka is seventeen at the beginning, and although a lot of sad, difficult things happen, the book deals with questions of identity and power in a way that seemed very familiar to me as a YA reader.

And in terms of power, this is a book with some fantastic descriptions of magic. In the first place, there’s the fact that Nieshka has been unaware of her own power, and that when the Dragon chooses her, he doesn’t understand the kind of power she has and tries to teach her in ways that are all wrong. Novik writes the shape of each character’s magic in a way that I really loved. Later, when Nieshka learns her own shape and is able to work with other magicians, the descriptions of the way their magics interact is similarly marvelous.

I loved Agnieszka’s voice throughout the book, but for me it ranks up there with Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in the way it conveys a sense of numinousness and wonder in the descriptions of magic. (Actually, I’m thinking of some interesting parallels between the two books, now.)

One of the things I loved most was the world. It’s–appropriately enough–rooted in the texture of the culture, in both the larger society of Polnya and the smaller circle of the valley where Agnieszka has grown up. It doesn’t have the vague pseudo-medieval feel that too much high fantasy does. Everything, from the food to the clothing and the songs and the mythology underneath, felt of a piece. And I also loved the contrast between the different settings: the warm, homey village where we start out, the threat of the Wood along its edges, the Dragon’s tower with its mysteries and hard-edged beauty, the grandeur and cruelty of the court.

And yes, I did love the romance. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go at first, because of the circumstances. But in the end, the path that Novik shows for these two characters, the way they grow to value and respect each other, to work together in ways that aren’t romantic as well as ways that are, completely convinced me. (And yes, I totally see the Howl/Sophie parallels!)

I’m pretty sure this is going to end up as one of my favorite books of the year. I have said for awhile of the stories I’m drawn to that they are both the trope and the subversion of the trope, and that’s true in this case as well. This is a classic coming-of-age story, with fairy tale echoes and motifs. But it also feels fresh; it feels like it’s taking those motifs and weaving them into something new, saying something that hasn’t quite been said before.

Book source: public library

Book information: 2015, Random House; published adult but great YA crossover

Just an incredibly good dark fairy tale from Naomi Novik. My latest on B&N SciFi. 

Release Date: May 19, 2015
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Del Rey

*Note: this is considered an adult title because of a few scenes and because it's a bit darker than most YA. It definitely has cross-over appeal, but I thought that I should at least have a disclaimer first.

Uprooted - Naomi Novik | Goodreads

Naomi Novik, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Temeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale.

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

I first heard about this book from Maggie Stiefvater. If I'm not mistaken, she'd posted about it on her tumblr, and then I'd added it to my GR to-read shelf. Then, sometime later, I'm told there's a giveaway for this book, and I get curious. I see all the blurbs for the book. I see that Maggie has recommended the book to Diana Wynne Jones fans, of which I definitely am. I see that Rachel Hartman loved this book, and I quite like Seraphina. And so I had a feeling that I was going to really enjoy this book. So I did.

I disagree with the Diana Wynne Jones recommendation. I think that perhaps the plot structure and the themes (Agnieszka says that she won't get chosen; it's her friend's fate to get chosen, she's not up to par... Sophie in Howl's Moving Castle says that the eldest of three children is the unlucky one; she's not up to par... etc.) might be similar, but Uprooted, as a whole, is much darker (and for "older" audiences, I guess, if you really and truly follow those labels) than what I've read from DWJ. I would recommend this to fans of Rosamund Hodge, which I will explain in a little bit, and also to fans of Seraphina - not just because Rachel Hartman liked and recommended this book, but because I actually had a similar experience reading this novel and Seraphina. I think that both have very similar lenses for how the plot/character development/tone is approached.

This book is supremely well executed and well written. I'm not sure that I really have any complaints for how anything was handled here. My only complaint would be to poke at myself and wish that I could get more involved in high fantasy worlds (I tend to be more of a character oriented than plot/world oriented reader, so sometimes I will skip over descriptions of the HF world because I don't care about furniture or clothing, etc. that much, though I do appreciate that the author considered these elements).

ANYWHO. The world-building is absolutely phenomenal. If you like fairy tales, darker Grimm retellings, you'll definitely love this book. If you love high fantasies with clearly defined magic systems, you'll love this. So, there's a cinematically creepy Wood. It's sentient and gorgeous but also brimming with dangerous, nightmare-inspiring creatures (imagining this on screen was terrifying). Not only do you get to find out more about said creatures and the dangers of the Wood, but you also get to uncover its history and see how each individual character has been affected by the presence of the Wood in his/her life - whether the character is the King and far away from its dangers, or like Agnieszka, rather close and well aware of the seed of corruption it can plant in people's minds. And the magic system is very well defined: we learn more about previous magic users (the wonderful history of this world!) as well as simple spells and how not everything is known about magic as it stands today (gasp, exceptions/rule-breakers do exist!). There's a magical hierarchy, books, etc. Each wizard clearly has their own specialty and their own way of using magic. It's all a delight to read and explore; and you ALWAYS get a sense of how this world has affected each and every character - their outlook, their attitudes, their goals, wants, needs, etc. Because the world is so well developed, with a pretty well developed history (enough so that you can imagine a companion novel elsewhere), the plot twists in really unexpected ways, and I never knew quite what to expect for what would come next or how the terrors the Wood posed would be solved. Plus, it then became really easy to picture what was going on (read above: imagining some of the scenes was terrifying; THE WOOD IS TERRIFYING).

The heroine, Agnieszka, gets to grow so much in this novel. Just reading the synopsis, you already know how little she seems to think of herself. Her best friend, Kasia, is beautiful, the Chosen One for the Dragon, of course. Not. So, Agnieszka has to learn to change her expectations for her future. She's heard so many things about the Dragon and what living with him would be like -- and of course so few of those rumors were right too. The Tower is so hard to navigate, and magic so draining. But if there's a will, there's a way; and the circumstances force Agnieszka to adapt. She becomes stronger once she accepts herself and her magic, and more confident of her place in helping others. I said that this book was for fans of Rosamund Hodge. This is because of the fairy tale feel + mysterious castle/Tower layout + the heroine's self-growth. In Cruel Beauty, Nyx is also forced to reevaluate the Gentle Lord and what she has heard of him, just as Agnieszka must learn to trust the cold Dragon in order to find out more about what he is hiding, how she can improve her magic, and what she can do for her village and country. However, the romance is much more of a side plot in Uprooted than it was in Cruel Beauty, and much more of a side plot than I expected (with the synopsis focusing on how the Dragon would choose Agnieszka, I thought that their relationship would be at the forefront... it's important and helps in a lot of character realizations/plot twists, but it definitely falls back when Novik needs to move the plot along in other directions). Still, the romance has its moments -- huzzah for Agnieszka taking charge and being so confident by the end! The main female friendship between Agnieszka and Kasia also reminded me of the sisterly bond in Cruel Beauty, dark but unbreakable. Naomi Novik is not afraid to point out the less kind thoughts we may have about one another, even friends; but how exposing those thoughts and moving past them would allow for deeper rooted friendships and relationships.

So, what do we have here? A side plot of slow burning hate-to-love romance (the Dragon is a bit of a jerk, and cold, towards Agnieszka), extensive character development for a determined, spirited heroine who learns to wield magic with skill, plenty of plot twists and an absolutely wonderful main female friendship. Plus, of course, a creative fairy tale world, with a cinematically creepy evil Wood. Are you reading Uprooted? I would certainly hope so. You'll be in the hands of a master storyteller.

A retelling of Hamlet in LA. Now, when you hear these words, do you get as excited and curious as I do? Today I have a special treat for y'all: Latifah Salom is here to explain the inspiration for her debut novel, The Cake House. I am currently running a giveaway for The Cake House; and I would urge you to enter if you like reading Latifah's response here today.

Release Date: March 3, 2015

The Cake House - Latifah Salom | Goodreads

Part mystery, part compelling coming-of-age tale, The Cake House is a riveting debut novel that re-imagines the classic story of Hamlet amidst the hills of suburban Los Angeles.

Rosaura Douglas’s father shot himself after her mother left him . . . or at least that's the story everyone is telling. Now her mother has remarried and Rosie is trapped in “The Cake House,” a garish pink edifice in the hills of Los Angeles that's a far cry from the cramped apartment where she grew up. It’s also the house where her father died—a fact that everyone else who lives there, including her mother, Dahlia, and her mysteriously wealthy stepfather, Claude, want to forget.

Soon, however, her father’s ghost appears, sometimes in a dark window, sometimes in the house’s lush garden, but always with warnings that Claude is not to be trusted. And as the ghost becomes increasingly violent—and the secrets of her family’s past come to light—Rosie must finally face the truth behind the losses and lies that have torn her life apart.

The Cake House and Los Angeles

By Latifah Salom

What informs our choices when writing? What strange jumble of influences, the flotsam in our conscious or unconscious minds that leads a writer to chose not only plot and theme and genre, but also character traits, history, and of course, setting?

Like in chemistry, sometimes all you need is that right mixture of elements to start a chain reaction. Every writer starts somewhere – an idea, a theme, a small kernel of story, a line of text – whatever it is that sparks that impulse to sit down and start writing. For my novel THE CAKE HOUSE, it started with Hamlet. That was my base, stripped down to its bones: a murder, a ghost, heartbreak, revenge.

As I began writing, I asked the sort of questions most writers ask: What do I want to say with this story? Who are my characters and what are their wants and desires? Where do they live, and why?

I am fond of questions. The beauty of asking a question when writing is that it doesn’t always matter what the answer is, as long as you do answer it. Case in point: Why Los Angeles? Well, the quick and easy answer is I live in Los Angeles and grew up here. But, in truth, familiarity only goes so far.

I knew this story needed to be set in a real place and not in an imagined town or city, to balance against the heightened drama of the story and to give credence to the ghost.

Los Angeles is big and vast and even though there are actual city limits, the perception is that it stretches across Southern California like a blanket of smog, from ocean to desert. But even choosing Los Angeles, I was still faced with deciding where: Beverly Hills or Hollywood? Westside or the Valley?

When I was in junior high I knew someone who came from Canyon Country, a place that is actually located outside Los Angeles, and I remembered how she used to speak about it, like a far off kingdom. I wanted that sense of isolation, of loneliness and seclusion.

I called upon those years as a young girl, living outside of Los Angeles – the way the asphalt almost melted in the September, the way I felt surrounded by hills. These were the flavors I wanted for my novel.

As soon as I decided to write a story based on Hamlet, I turned my back on the play. I didn’t want to be overly influenced by it. It was there of course, but under the surface, like a ghost. There is universality to Shakespeare’ that make them infinitely adaptable to any culture or setting. This is like magic.

“The Cake House is a gem of a novel: a mystery wrapped in a cloak of family dysfunction with subtle Shakespearean trim. . . . Rosaura is a heroine with spunk and a vulnerability so endearing I missed her the second I closed the book. Salom has written a dazzling coming-of-age tale that will resonate long after you reach the end.” —Elizabeth Flock, New York Times bestselling author of Me & Emma and What Happened To My Sister

copyright: Shannon Keast

About the author:

Latifah Salom was born in Hollywood, California to parents of Peruvian and Mexican descent. As a teenager she attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and she holds degrees from Emerson College, Hunter College, and from the University of Southern California’s Masters of Professional Writing program. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

What do you think? Does the Los Angeles setting sound fascinating to you or what? I particularly love how Latifah described "the way the asphalt almost melted in the September, the way I felt surrounded by hills" as flavors for her novel. As someone who grew up in Los Angeles, I can definitely identify with this sentiment. The Cake House and Los Angeles