Books.Paws

★★.5⭐

I wanted to love this book.

A Chinese inspired fantasy, poetry as magic, dragons, court politics, women forbidden from reading and writing... it sounded like everything I enjoy. Unfortunately, while the ideas were fascinating, the execution never came together for me.

My biggest issue wasn't the plot itself, it was the storytelling.

I don't care if a book has a happy ending or a tragic one. I only need the characters' decisions and the story's major events to feel earned. Here, they rarely did. Emotional moments happened before they were built up, and flashbacks often appeared only after a character had already made an important decision, as if they were there to justify the plot instead of naturally developing it.

Most of the characters felt surprisingly underdeveloped. Ironically, Terren ended up being the only character I truly understood. His past actually explained the person he became. Lady Yin, however, never felt fully believable to me, and many of her choices seemed driven more by the plot than by her own character growth.

The worldbuilding also left me with more questions than answers. Poetry is the foundation of the magic system, yet I never fully understood how it actually worked. The same happened with several other fantasy elements that appeared without enough explanation or consistency.

I had also heard that the prose was incredibly poetic, but I personally didn't find it lyrical or memorable. It was smooth and easy to read, but considering that poetry is literally the heart of this world, I expected much stronger and more beautiful writing. Even the poems themselves didn't leave much of an impression.

I also appreciated that the novel wanted to explore sexism, but I wish it had trusted the story to communicate those themes instead of simply stating them. I understood what the author wanted to say, but I rarely felt its emotional weight.

In the end, this book felt like a collection of interesting ideas rather than one cohesive story. It had all the ingredients for something unforgettable, but for me, they never blended into a satisfying whole.

I don't regret reading it, because I can appreciate the ambition behind the concept. I just wish the execution had lived up to its potential.

I don't think I'll ever forget how this series made me feel.

This final book was exhausting, heartbreaking, frustrating, and impossible to put down at the same time. I kept telling myself, “Just one more chapter,” because every chapter gave me something new to think about. I wasn't just reading the story anymore. I was living inside it.

What impressed me the most wasn't the magic or the battles. It was the characters. They felt painfully human. Their choices, their flaws, their fears, and their mistakes all felt believable, even when they broke my heart. I found myself stopping after chapters just to process what I had read.

I can't say the ending gave me the satisfaction I had been hoping for. I spent the entire trilogy believing there was still hope for a different future, and when I reached the last page, I was left with more grief than relief. I'm still trying to understand how I feel about it.

But maybe that's the point. Maybe some stories are not meant to comfort us. Maybe they're meant to stay with us.

Whether I end up loving or questioning the ending after a few days, one thing is certain. This trilogy changed the way I think about fantasy. It challenged me, surprised me, frustrated me, and made me feel more deeply than almost any series I've read.

I need time before I can review the trilogy as a whole. Right now, I'm simply sitting with everything this book left behind.

4–4.5 ⭐

I had such a good time reading Uprooted, even though it’s not my usual type of fantasy.

The writing is beautiful, atmospheric, and almost fairy-tale-like without feeling childish. The magic system was one of my favorite parts. spells, folklore, and the mysterious forest created a world that felt enchanting from the very beginning.

What really made this book special for me, though, were the characters. Agnieszka and the Dragon had such believable chemistry. Their relationship developed naturally, and every interaction between them felt genuine. I wasn’t looking for spice, I just wanted more of them. More conversations, more magic lessons, more quiet moments together. Their dynamic was easily my favorite part of the entire book.

My biggest issue was the pacing. Around the middle of the novel, the story slowed down considerably. There was a lot of atmospheric description, and while I appreciated Naomi Novik’s beautiful prose, I personally would have preferred fewer descriptions and more focus on the characters and their interactions.

The ending was satisfying, although fairly predictable. It wasn’t the kind of book that constantly surprised me with shocking plot twists, but it remained enjoyable throughout and left me with a warm feeling.

Overall, this isn’t an epic fantasy full of battles and political intrigue. It’s much more of a magical fairy tale inspired by folklore, with a gentle slow-burn romance at its heart. If that sounds like your kind of story, I would definitely recommend it.

The Dragon Republic somehow managed to be even more emotionally exhausting than the first book.

This isn't the kind of fantasy that gives you heroes, villains, or easy answers. Every chapter forces you to question someone's motives, their choices, and even your own reactions as a reader. I constantly found myself stopping to think because there was simply too much to process.

The biggest strength of this series continues to be its characters. They don't feel like fantasy characters, they feel painfully human. Everyone carries trauma, everyone makes mistakes, and almost nobody gets the luxury of making the “right” decision. Watching Rin slowly grow while still struggling with grief, loneliness, anger, and manipulation was frustrating in the best possible way. I wanted to shake her, protect her, and cheer for her all at once.

This book changed the way I read fantasy. Instead of simply asking “What happens next?”, I kept asking “Why did they do that?” and “What would I have done?” Very few books have made me analyze every conversation and every decision this deeply.

It's not a comfortable read. It's dark, emotionally heavy, and relentless. There were moments I had to put the book down just to process what had happened before continuing. But despite all of that, or maybe because of it, I couldn't stop reading. My only real criticisms are that the timeline occasionally felt confusing, and some recurring themes were more graphic than I personally needed. Still, neither one stopped this from being one of the most thought, provoking fantasy books I've ever read.

This isn't a book you simply finish. It's a book that stays in your head long after you close it.

Désirée is one of my favorite historical novels because it tells a familiar period of history from a perspective we rarely get to see.Most books and documentaries focus on Napoleon himself, but this novel gives a voice to someone who stood close enough to witness history while living her own remarkable life. That was what made the story so fascinating to me.Even though the novel is based on real historical events, it never felt like reading a history textbook. It felt deeply personal, emotional, and beautifully written. I loved seeing history through the eyes of a woman whose story is often overshadowed by more famous historical figures.After finishing the book, I found myself searching for old film adaptations because I wasn't ready to leave the story behind. While they were enjoyable, none of them captured the depth and emotion of the novel.If you enjoy historical fiction that brings forgotten voices to the forefront, Désirée is a beautiful and unforgettable read.