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Quick answer: If you loved Uprooted, read Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver, then Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale, then Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. All are dark fairy-tale fantasy.
Naomi Novik's Uprooted is a fairy-tale fantasy about a girl taken by a wizard to his tower. These picks share its dark woods and magic.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinning Silver | Naomi Novik | Adult | readers who like retellings |
| The Bear and the Nightingale | Katherine Arden | Adult | readers who like folklore |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J. Maas | Adult | fantasy romance readers |
| The Hazel Wood | Melissa Albert | Teen | dark fairy tales |
| Shadow and Bone | Leigh Bardugo | 13+ | fans of a girl chosen for a destiny |
| The Cruel Prince | Holly Black | 14+ | readers who like court politics |
| Graceling | Kristin Cashore | 13+ | readers who like independent heroines |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Adult | readers who like puzzles |
| The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern | Adult | readers who like atmosphere |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Adult | patient readers |
| The Last Unicorn | Peter S. Beagle | Adult | readers who want a classic |
| Stardust | Neil Gaiman | Adult | readers who want a gentle fairy tale |
| Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo | 14+ | readers who like heists and ensemble casts |
| Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries | Heather Fawcett | Adult | scholarly adventure |
| The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison | Adult | readers who like courtly drama |
1. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
A moneylender's daughter makes a deal with the ice kings of the Staryk. A reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin.
Best for: readers who like retellings.
2. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Vasilisa lives in medieval Russia and must protect her village from spirits. Rich, cold and atmospheric.
Best for: readers who like folklore.
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Feyre kills a wolf and is taken to the faerie lands as a captive. A romance with a Beauty and the Beast base.
Best for: fantasy romance readers.
4. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
A girl searches for her mother in a world of dark stories. Eerie and sharp.
Best for: dark fairy tales.
5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Alina Starkov discovers a power that could free her war-torn land from the Fold, a belt of darkness. The Russian-inspired setting and the Grisha magic system give it a fresh feel.
Best for: fans of a girl chosen for a destiny.
6. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Jude, raised among faeries, wants a place at the High King's court even as the faeries torment her. Intrigue and betrayal.
Best for: readers who like court politics.
7. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Katsa is born with a Grace that makes her a deadly fighter, and she works for her king until she meets a prince who changes her view. Strong heroine, quiet romance.
Best for: readers who like independent heroines.
8. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A man lives in a vast house of statues and tides and slowly learns the truth about his world. Strange, quiet and brilliant.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Two magicians are bound in a contest in a mysterious circus. Lush, slow and enchanting.
Best for: readers who like atmosphere.
10. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic during the Napoleonic wars. Long, dry-witted and rich.
Best for: patient readers.
11. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
A unicorn leaves her forest to find the others of her kind, with the help of a magician. Lyrical and bittersweet.
Best for: readers who want a classic.
12. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Tristran crosses the wall into the land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star for the girl he loves. A fairy tale for adults, short and charming.
Best for: readers who want a gentle fairy tale.
13. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Kaz Brekker leads a team of misfits on an impossible heist in the city of Ketterdam. It has a diverse crew, banter, danger and twisty plotting.
Best for: readers who like heists and ensemble casts.
14. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
A professor travels to a remote village to study faeries. Funny and wintry, with slow romance.
Best for: scholarly adventure.
15. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Maia, a half-goblin, becomes emperor and must survive court intrigue. Kind, quiet and gripping.
Best for: readers who like courtly drama.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Uprooted: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Uprooted. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For dark fairy tales, read Spinning Silver. For gothic fantasy, try The Bear and the Nightingale. For romance, pick A Court of Thorns and Roses.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Uprooted?
Naomi Novik, in 2015.
Did it win an award?
Yes, the Nebula Award.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.