Uprooted by Naomi Novik (2015)

A quiet village sacrifices one girl every ten years to a wizard known as “the Dragon” — except this dragon lives in a tower, not a cave. What begins as a dark fairytale blooms into a story of growth, magic, and friendship in the shadow of corruption. Novik’s prose is lush and folkloric, full of eerie forests and quiet courage. The magic feels organic, rooted in nature and memory rather than power. It’s a modern classic of lyrical, grounded fantasy.

Rating: 5/5