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desertlover's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 STARS
"You are mistaken. Our Lada is no lady. She is a dragon."
This is rare for me.....but I feel the second installment is even better than the first. I LOVE this cast of complex and deeply flawed characters. The storyline is brutal and dark, but it is so addicting.
*Lada - She continues to baffle and astonish. I have an unyielding appreciation for everything she endures in a male dominated world. I especially enjoy all the interaction between her and her soldiers. Her moments with Oana are some of my favorite moments in the book, and I adore how the nurse can bring light hearted moments to such an intense story.
* Radu - I spent half the book wanting to shake him and the other half wanting to hug him. I think he is the character that continues to challenge and amaze the most. I never truly know what he will do. Sweet Nasira is the quite strength he often needs, and I adore their interactions.
*Mehmed - although he's far from a villain, I continue to despise him. He is a master manipulator and I wish Lada and Radu would stop being so blinded by him.
Kiersten White is an excellent author and her painstaking research shines through in her writing. I would read anything by her in the future. I think this is only a trilogy and can't imagine saying goodbye to these characters. It has also inspired me to find more books set in this time period.
Audible - I listened to book 1 and attempted to read book 2. I couldn't stop hearing Fiona Hardingham in my head. I had to download the audio of this book too. She's phenomenal in this series.
"You are mistaken. Our Lada is no lady. She is a dragon."
This is rare for me.....but I feel the second installment is even better than the first. I LOVE this cast of complex and deeply flawed characters. The storyline is brutal and dark, but it is so addicting.
*Lada - She continues to baffle and astonish. I have an unyielding appreciation for everything she endures in a male dominated world. I especially enjoy all the interaction between her and her soldiers. Her moments with Oana are some of my favorite moments in the book, and I adore how the nurse can bring light hearted moments to such an intense story.
* Radu - I spent half the book wanting to shake him and the other half wanting to hug him. I think he is the character that continues to challenge and amaze the most. I never truly know what he will do. Sweet Nasira is the quite strength he often needs, and I adore their interactions.
*Mehmed - although he's far from a villain, I continue to despise him. He is a master manipulator and I wish Lada and Radu would stop being so blinded by him.
Kiersten White is an excellent author and her painstaking research shines through in her writing. I would read anything by her in the future. I think this is only a trilogy and can't imagine saying goodbye to these characters. It has also inspired me to find more books set in this time period.
Audible - I listened to book 1 and attempted to read book 2. I couldn't stop hearing Fiona Hardingham in my head. I had to download the audio of this book too. She's phenomenal in this series.
sf_731's review against another edition
4.0
Aw crap bro why was there no climax?
Or maybe the fall of Constantinople was climax. And Lada's final encounter with the boyars in the ballroom. But I am scratching at the surface here, and I think neither of these climaxes were flushed out well. They were a bit anticlimactic; Radu's climax was too spread out, while Lada's climax was not spread out enough (too condensed/short).
I am glad that Mehmed is not as important in this book as before though. Also, I am SO INVESTED in Radu and Cyprian and I want to see so much more of them in the future
Or maybe the fall of Constantinople was climax. And Lada's final encounter with the boyars in the ballroom. But I am scratching at the surface here, and I think neither of these climaxes were flushed out well. They were a bit anticlimactic; Radu's climax was too spread out, while Lada's climax was not spread out enough (too condensed/short).
I am glad that Mehmed is not as important in this book as before though. Also, I am SO INVESTED in Radu and Cyprian and I want to see so much more of them in the future
ktalexis14's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
dalinarsreads's review against another edition
5.0
finally finished this book and oh my it was utterly brilliant.
coco_lolo's review against another edition
4.0
When I read And I Darken earlier this year, I was pretty underwhelmed and not very enthusiastic about the rest of the series, even though part of me was curious as to what would happen. My experience with Now I Rise ended up being much different: it was such an engrossing novel and has cemented my decision to finish The Conqueror's Saga once the final book's released.
There were several things White improved upon in this book that I had issues with in the one before, from the writing and pacing to the characterization. Whereas And I Darken spanned the course of several years, Now I Rise covered a much briefer period of time and focused on a few singular events revolving around the Draculesti siblings. I was honestly a bit surprised by how enjoyable this was; the story didn't slog along or feel like a chore to read, but rather I found myself reluctant to put the book down. I still wish the author used exclamation points less, and while her action scenes were better crafted this time around, there remained a slight distance between myself and the battles taking place, particularly the skirmishes leading up to the sacking of Constantinople (which I did find well written).
What made this book so compelling wasn't even the Ottoman siege of the Byzantine Empire's capital or Lada's journey to reclaim Wallachia, but the development of the characters involved in these crusades. Lada struggled throughout the book to be seen as the equal of any man, and her fight for the Wallachian throne forced her to reevaluate her strengths and weaknesses. She became decidedly more ruthless in this book, and what I continue to enjoy about Lada is that even when making these cutthroat decisions, she had the betterment of the future in mind. She also has some of the best lines in the trilogy.
I find it interesting that while And I Darken focused evenly on Lada and Radu, Now I Rise felt more like Radu's story, with his chapters receiving the most attention. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I do wonder if that means the third book will center mostly on Lada's narrative. I found Radu's growth to be extremely well done, with his internal conflict over the Ottomans and Byzantines being one of the novel's propelling forces. He was perpetually torn between doing what was right for his religion verses what was right morally, which changed his perspective of Mehmed and himself drastically.
One of the most intriguing things White has done with this series is create such a tangled, fascinating relationship between Lada and Radu. The siblings were constantly aware of the other's absence in their lives; they never interact in the book but thought of each other often, whether in good or bad ways. They also have very different connections to Mehmed, who can go choke as far as I'm concerned. I hated him before, and I hate him now, and I'm 90% sure I'm going to continue hating him in the third book. It's not his single mindedness or anything like that that I dislike—it's the way he manipulates Lada and Radu, the two people he supposedly loves above all others, and doesn't give a damn about how it's hurting them or what they might want out of life. Maybe if we'd gotten a chapter from Mehmed's point of view I might look at him differently, but I absolutely cannot stand him in any capacity.
I also found the romance between him and Lada to be even weaker in this book, and the more I consider it, the more toxic it seems. Lada talked about how being apart from Mehmed was so difficult and how she missed him even though she tried not to, but what did she miss about him? What does she love about Mehmed other than what he can do for her? There were all these mentions of love but nothing tangible showing either cared for the other beyond their own benefit and satisfaction. I get Radu's devotion to Mehmed, and that's even gotten a good degree of depth, but I don't buy Lada loving Mehmed romantically or him her. Honestly, I would prefer it if Lada's story ended with her not needing validation from him, if she could stand on her own without any man at all.
I can now say that Nazira is an absolute gem: her and Radu share such a sweet, platonic love, and they had some of the best interaction in the book. She's just such a supportive friend, and Radu desperately needed that. I also enjoyed Lada's companionship with the Janissaries, specifically Nicolae and Stefan, and seeing the ways these men changed over the course of the book. Cyprian was decent—there was nothing bad about him, but there also wasn't anything that made him stand out. I'm hoping he'll get more development in the third book,
Those last two chapters were so savage and perfect, and I can't wait to see how the finale unfolds. Now I Rise definitely did not fall into the category of second book slump: it only made me more invested in a series I wasn't initially sure about finishing. I'll definitely be picking up Bright We Burn this summer!
There were several things White improved upon in this book that I had issues with in the one before, from the writing and pacing to the characterization. Whereas And I Darken spanned the course of several years, Now I Rise covered a much briefer period of time and focused on a few singular events revolving around the Draculesti siblings. I was honestly a bit surprised by how enjoyable this was; the story didn't slog along or feel like a chore to read, but rather I found myself reluctant to put the book down. I still wish the author used exclamation points less, and while her action scenes were better crafted this time around, there remained a slight distance between myself and the battles taking place, particularly the skirmishes leading up to the sacking of Constantinople (which I did find well written).
What made this book so compelling wasn't even the Ottoman siege of the Byzantine Empire's capital or Lada's journey to reclaim Wallachia, but the development of the characters involved in these crusades. Lada struggled throughout the book to be seen as the equal of any man, and her fight for the Wallachian throne forced her to reevaluate her strengths and weaknesses. She became decidedly more ruthless in this book, and what I continue to enjoy about Lada is that even when making these cutthroat decisions, she had the betterment of the future in mind. She also has some of the best lines in the trilogy.
"Rumors are everywhere...You are the chosen servant of the devil."
"Why must I always be a man's servant?" Lada demanded. "If anything, I should be partners with the devil, not his servant."
I find it interesting that while And I Darken focused evenly on Lada and Radu, Now I Rise felt more like Radu's story, with his chapters receiving the most attention. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I do wonder if that means the third book will center mostly on Lada's narrative. I found Radu's growth to be extremely well done, with his internal conflict over the Ottomans and Byzantines being one of the novel's propelling forces. He was perpetually torn between doing what was right for his religion verses what was right morally, which changed his perspective of Mehmed and himself drastically.
One of the most intriguing things White has done with this series is create such a tangled, fascinating relationship between Lada and Radu. The siblings were constantly aware of the other's absence in their lives; they never interact in the book but thought of each other often, whether in good or bad ways. They also have very different connections to Mehmed, who can go choke as far as I'm concerned. I hated him before, and I hate him now, and I'm 90% sure I'm going to continue hating him in the third book. It's not his single mindedness or anything like that that I dislike—it's the way he manipulates Lada and Radu, the two people he supposedly loves above all others, and doesn't give a damn about how it's hurting them or what they might want out of life. Maybe if we'd gotten a chapter from Mehmed's point of view I might look at him differently, but I absolutely cannot stand him in any capacity.
I also found the romance between him and Lada to be even weaker in this book, and the more I consider it, the more toxic it seems. Lada talked about how being apart from Mehmed was so difficult and how she missed him even though she tried not to, but what did she miss about him? What does she love about Mehmed other than what he can do for her? There were all these mentions of love but nothing tangible showing either cared for the other beyond their own benefit and satisfaction. I get Radu's devotion to Mehmed, and that's even gotten a good degree of depth, but I don't buy Lada loving Mehmed romantically or him her. Honestly, I would prefer it if Lada's story ended with her not needing validation from him, if she could stand on her own without any man at all.
Spoiler
And I just have to say this: Lada was furious when she learned Mehmed knew of Radu's feelings and was using them to ensure loyalty...but she did the same with Bogdan. She was aware that Bogdan's love for her differed than what she felt for him, but she encouraged it by sleeping with him, knowing it would only make him more devoted. She's constantly compared to Mehmed in how they both do whatever necessary to get what they want, and this really proved it.I can now say that Nazira is an absolute gem: her and Radu share such a sweet, platonic love, and they had some of the best interaction in the book. She's just such a supportive friend, and Radu desperately needed that. I also enjoyed Lada's companionship with the Janissaries, specifically Nicolae and Stefan, and seeing the ways these men changed over the course of the book. Cyprian was decent—there was nothing bad about him, but there also wasn't anything that made him stand out. I'm hoping he'll get more development in the third book,
Spoiler
as will his and Radu's budding relationship; like with Lada and Mehmed, what does Radu like about Cyprian? His kindness for sure, but what else is there to him?Those last two chapters were so savage and perfect, and I can't wait to see how the finale unfolds. Now I Rise definitely did not fall into the category of second book slump: it only made me more invested in a series I wasn't initially sure about finishing. I'll definitely be picking up Bright We Burn this summer!
iamhume's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it but this one took forever to read. There was so much repetition (did the first book follow this formula? I can't remember) and a lot of inner turmoil for both Lada and Radu. But I didn't hate Mehmed like so many people seem to.
knallen's review against another edition
3.0
Much like the first book, this took me a while to get into. However, once I did, I was thoroughly sucked into the world and characters. Kiersten White paints a vivid picture of a world unlike any I have ever known. Her characters are strong, not always likable and flawed. I found myself rooting for each of them in turn and wanting to shake them from time to time as well. The ending felt a bit abrupt on Lada's end, but I'm looking forward to the third book in this series.
cheezh8er's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0