So many things happen in so few pages, there's too little time to dig deep and get attached to anyone or anything. What's worse is that the entire second act in the palace could have been streamlined into a more compelling narrative (or at least a less jarring change of setting). The relationships among the leads, the resolution with the Wood Queen, and the ending feel empty. It's a shame as I love Naomi Novik's Temeraire series and I know she can write compelling characters and plot given the room to breathe. I wonder why she squeezed herself too much in Uprooted. What a waste.