BOOK COUPLES COUNTDOWN | Day 6: Agnieszka & Sarkan
Day 6 of Book Couples Countdown has arrived, and my chosen pair for today are new, but absolute, favorites. If you haven’t read Uprooted by Naomi Novik, I recommend it with my whole heart! Seriously I love this book so much that I could start raving about all its beautiful themes and dynamic characters and stunning prose, but I’ve already written a full review on it, and today, we’re talking about the main couple within it: Agnieszka and Sarkan!
Art by Gabriela Aguilar Ortega.
A characteristic I think distinguishes this from most book romances is how slowly, and believably, the love builds. I don’t know if you can tell from the fact that I’m writing a weeklong series dedicated to the topic, but I live for a good love story. So naturally, I’m always on the lookout for a budding romance. I’d also heard that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, so I was fully expecting an epic love story. What I got was better than what I expected. After they spent some time together, it really seemed to me that Sarkan and Agnieszka wouldn’t end up together. I adored them each as individual characters and enjoyed the unspoken connection they were building through magic. Then—oh wait—that is the romance. The magic. Novik begins to tell the love story through their magic wielding. It’s subtle and exquisite, and I’m obsessed with it.
Art by LiberLibelula.
Sarkan and Agnieszka are so different, not only in the way they approach magic, but in personality, communication styles, and really anything you can think of. Sarkan needs order and Agnieszka is presented as an embodiment of nature’s chaos. This clash of traits makes for hilarious arguments and genuinely fascinating conversations.
This brings me to another point: they don’t change each other as they fall in love! I don’t necessarily think that characters changing because of a new love is a bad thing. I mean we do often experience this in real life, no? However, I can think of instances where it felt like their status as a couple existed to help each individual character evolve, which in turn portrays a character who becomes a whole different person seemingly for the other individual in the relationship. And that, I don’t love! Novik’s pair is refreshingly different. Sarkan and Agnieszka are who they are from beginning to end, and any growth they experience is influenced by the new points of view they glean from the events of the novel or their experiences with each other, not just from observing, and mirroring or aiming to complement the other person.
Art by Leasana.
I could ramble about these two, and this book, for the rest of my life! But I’ll end this post by saying: Agnieszka and Sarkan charmed me at every turn, and I think I need to go reread now.
Artist Links:
What is a book relationship you’ve found quite unique?
