Scan barcode
amysbrittain's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series! Lada, the main protagonist, is tough as nails but faulted, and we see her forge her identity more fully through every ruthless or merciful move she makes, buoyed by the loyalty of her dedicated followers. In book one, Radu was clever but vulnerable and tragically besotted with unrequited feelings for Mehmed. In this book, he takes a circuitous route to realize more completely his worldview and true sense of self.
White doesn’t make self-discovery too easy for her characters, but when they earn it, it’s even sweeter for the reader to witness. The Ottoman setting here was vibrant and layered, and White lays out the messy politics and religious fervor on both sides wonderfully.
White doesn’t make self-discovery too easy for her characters, but when they earn it, it’s even sweeter for the reader to witness. The Ottoman setting here was vibrant and layered, and White lays out the messy politics and religious fervor on both sides wonderfully.
ang0521's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely liked this more than the first and would give it 4.5 stars. I really like Kiersten White’s writing and the characters she has created. I really enjoyed the multiple POV which I think was attempted in the first book but is much clear in this one. One thing I did not like was the time jumps. I didn’t really see a point to it and there was no big moment of time coming together. Regardless, still a great book that had be constantly hooked.
anita_van_sunshinee23's review against another edition
4.0
NO TIENEN IDEA DE LO QUE ES ESTO, TIENEN QUE LEERLO SE LOS DIGO EN SERIO, BUENA HISTORIA, BUENOS PERSONAJES, MUCHO CAOS Y AAAAAH ME GUSTÓ MUCHO MÁS QUE EL ANTERIOR
Perdón pero ese final me dejo con la emoción a tope, estoy
Perdón pero ese final me dejo con la emoción a tope, estoy
quequel's review against another edition
5.0
Eu não sei que poder é esse que essa autora tem, mas a escrita dela me prende de um jeito, eu me transporto para a história com facilidade, Os irmãos continuam a jornada pelo que desejam e sempre que você não espera ela traz pelos olhos deles reflexões sobre religião, politica, desejo, amizade etc. Ansiosa pelo final da trilogia.
lindsey_kerrigan's review against another edition
3.0
I have no idea what I just finished reading. Like I don’t think I have my thoughts in a cohesive enough manner to write a review but I am going to try. This book took a dark turn in the second half of the book that I was not expecting. With Lada's travel to the throne and Radu standing witness to all the horrors of the fall of the wall it felt like this book was just gruesome murder after gruesome murder for a larger portion of it. On the one hand I am happy with the man that we have been able to watch Radu turn into over the expanse of this book and I am happy he seems to finally be seeing some of Mehmed’s true colors, but on the other hand I do not like what Lada has turned into and every time Nicolae begs her to try to go through the ruling of her country in a less harsh way I beg her to listen to him for once. I just feel that she has gotten her point across on the throne and she doesn’t need to continue on in the same manner that she is currently taking but I guess we will just have to wait and see in the next book. I need to know where the next book takes us but at the same time I am fearful for what comes next. I NEED Lada and Radu to be reunited and I really hope Radu finds happiness with Cyprian. Cyprian and Nazira needed to both make it to safety and if I don’t see either of them in the last book I’m gonna be really upset. I’m very intrigued by how over the course of this book both siblings turned away from Mehmed in their own ways and I’m interested to see what happens with that in the next book as well. Throughout most of the book I felt like nothing was really happening, like I feel like for a good portion of the book Lada was at a standstill with her throne and Radu was at a standstill with the wall falling and we kept just bouncing back and forth between these unchanging problems which became kind of repetitive after a while. Other than that, the fact of how dark the story became was the only thing that truly shocked me. Since the third book is the last I am bracing that it has a better outcome than this did but one can only hope. The first book felt like it was spent learning about Lada and Radu as people and this book felt like it was spent watching to see what Lada and Radu did as these people. (I’m not sure if that makes any sense but that’s how I see it)
abbievillehorror's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my god. Lada and Radu are perhaps my favorite protagonists ever. Though I hate Lada as a person, I absolutely love her as a character. She is the ultimate hero-of-her-own-story villain - and good lord, did I love watching her turn from fierce, brutal little girl to ruthless, bloodthirsty leader.
And Radu is still as sad and sweet as ever, but his journey was more growing from idealist to realist and, I think, he is now moving toward cynicism even as he tries to keep a grasp on himself. I welcome all the character growth and betrayal and heartbreak that Kiersten White has mined from history.
I can't wait for the next book to break my heart along with Radu's, to make me bleed at the end of Lada's knife.
And Radu is still as sad and sweet as ever, but his journey was more growing from idealist to realist and, I think, he is now moving toward cynicism even as he tries to keep a grasp on himself. I welcome all the character growth and betrayal and heartbreak that Kiersten White has mined from history.
I can't wait for the next book to break my heart along with Radu's, to make me bleed at the end of Lada's knife.
emotionalbookreport's review against another edition
2.0
So, the thing is....I don’t think the story itself is uninteresting. I just really REALLY dislike the characters! It was a constant, well if she was here what would SHE do? If he was here what would HE do? I found it really annoying. And again, WHAT THE HELL WITH MEHMED???? He is a piece of SHIT! Anyways, on to the last one! I’ve come this far, may as well make the full descent into self loathing, amiright? _:(´ཀ`」 ∠)
pugslikemybooks's review against another edition
5.0
BITCH IT WAS SO GOOD
plot
i would say there is more action and intensity in this book than in the first book, so if you found and i darken to be too slow, then maybe consider giving this one a shot. but even through the action, the story still remained amazingly political and intriguing. radu’s and lada’s stories never really intersected, and usually this would bother me slightly, but i didn’t mind in the slightest here. they were both equally amazing, and it only made me more hyped for their meeting in the third book. the parts of the book where radu is witnessing the damage and bloodshed mehmed had unleashed were so incredibly powerful. i was actually close to tears. and then of course lada fighting with everything she had to take what was hers was fucking amazing. and the omg the ending was SO GOOD holy shit!! lada’s ending obviously, but also those letters between her and radu at the end!!!! like omfg lada you legend hahahahahah i love you
writing
the writing was still amazing. everything was just as brutal and dark and cruel as book one, probably even more so. kiersten white is the queen of character development and that is a FACT. i can safely say that i have never read character development like hers. she is a fucking wizard. there are such beautiful and moving quotes in there too. i love the moments when characters come to certain realisations/conclusions, they’re always written so well. the way conflicts are written is done amazingly, her never gearing more towards one side or the other. she lays out the facts and leaves you to decide which side you're on, even though most of the time it is impossible. the same goes for the way she writes the characters. she lays out every single part of themselves to the reader, both the good and the bad, and leaves it to the reader to decide if you can support them or not. so often in books it feels like the author is manipulating/forcing you to feel a certain way about certain characters, so it's really refreshing for the character's to be laid out in all of their morally greyness for you to decide how to feel about them. also so much research must have gone into these books, so a round of a applause of kiersten white for that.
characters
lada
can i pls marry lada? i don’t even care that she would probably gut me before ever marrying her. i would let her gut me. this is a bold statement, but she almost matches lila in the spot for my favourite characters. she’s that fucking awesome. and HER ENDING OH MY GOD. what a fucking legend omg. she’s easily one of the most fascinating and entertaining characters i have ever read about. she never ceases to surprise or impress me. at one point at the start of the book i had worried she was kinda getting a little softer/less violent, but DAMN was i wrong after reading that ending. the whole time i was rooting for her to completely lose her shit and release her inner crazy and THEN SHE DID AND IT WAD AMAZING. i seriously love that lada legitimately doesn’t have any limits. there is no place she won’t go to get what she wants, and i can’t tell you how much i love her for that. she is so determined and passionate, and it’s so amazing to see. in conclusion, i am in love.
radu
radu’s character development WAS SO GOOD. he frustrated me a lot for the first little bit of the book, but then i saw where his character was going and, well, dang. i’ve always been kinda iffy on his character, mainly because of my love for lada, but wow i came to kinda adore him by the end of the book. and i darken was the book of lada’s character development, but now i rise was the book of radu’s character development. seeing him slowly begin to find independence away from mehmed was so beautiful. his obsession with mehmed was the main thing that turned me off his character, so seeing that fade was so nice to see and i could finally start appreciating him as a character in his own right. i am SO hyped for him to fully realise in the next book that mehmed ain’t shit and that he deserves better (*cough* cyprian). his relationships with nasmira was honestly the sweetest thing. i love them, mlm and wlw solidarity at it’s finest. radu truly lost his innocence and naivety in this book, and seeing him see the world for what it really is was kinda heartbreaking. his journey felt so real and raw, but extremely powerful. i'm really happy with where his character is going, which is a huge deal because i was prepared to kinda hate him in this book.
lada and radu’s sibling relationship is somehow so powerful in this book, even though they are not in one scene together. they are constantly on each other’s minds and you can tell, despite their anger and relationship troubles, that they love each other so much. they both come to realise that they are stronger together, so i'm really excited to see how this plays out when they finally interact in bright we burn.
side characters
the side characters were also amazing. hunyadi has my heart <33. nazmira is a whole ass LEGEND. she is seriously such a compelling and fleshed out side character. usually her type of character would be shoved into the background and would be very flat, but nazmira is so interesting and so well written. i loved cyprian so much. and FUCK i ship him with radu so hard!!! even that tiny bit of eye contact they had in book one had me shipping them, so this book was such a gift. radu needs to realise his own worth and dump mehmed’s shitty ass. him an cyprian would be fucking legendary together. i was gonna cry thinking about how he was going to have to find out about radu being a spy. my poor heart. mehmed is still a sly bitch. he can choke. lada’s crew were amazing, and i have a special place in my heart for nicolae. also i honestly grew such an attachment to every character we met in constantinople, and it was breaking my heart knowing that radu was going to have to betray them all.
conclusion
this series is really solidifying itself as one of my new favourites. if bright we burn holds up the way i'm hoping it will, then get ready for me to never shut up about these books. especially lada, who is probably the new love of my life. also, side note, these books would make such an amazing tv series. i think it would even actually stand up against game of thrones as a show.
plot
i would say there is more action and intensity in this book than in the first book, so if you found and i darken to be too slow, then maybe consider giving this one a shot. but even through the action, the story still remained amazingly political and intriguing. radu’s and lada’s stories never really intersected, and usually this would bother me slightly, but i didn’t mind in the slightest here. they were both equally amazing, and it only made me more hyped for their meeting in the third book. the parts of the book where radu is witnessing the damage and bloodshed mehmed had unleashed were so incredibly powerful. i was actually close to tears. and then of course lada fighting with everything she had to take what was hers was fucking amazing. and the omg the ending was SO GOOD holy shit!! lada’s ending obviously, but also those letters between her and radu at the end!!!! like omfg lada you legend hahahahahah i love you
writing
the writing was still amazing. everything was just as brutal and dark and cruel as book one, probably even more so. kiersten white is the queen of character development and that is a FACT. i can safely say that i have never read character development like hers. she is a fucking wizard. there are such beautiful and moving quotes in there too. i love the moments when characters come to certain realisations/conclusions, they’re always written so well. the way conflicts are written is done amazingly, her never gearing more towards one side or the other. she lays out the facts and leaves you to decide which side you're on, even though most of the time it is impossible. the same goes for the way she writes the characters. she lays out every single part of themselves to the reader, both the good and the bad, and leaves it to the reader to decide if you can support them or not. so often in books it feels like the author is manipulating/forcing you to feel a certain way about certain characters, so it's really refreshing for the character's to be laid out in all of their morally greyness for you to decide how to feel about them. also so much research must have gone into these books, so a round of a applause of kiersten white for that.
characters
lada
can i pls marry lada? i don’t even care that she would probably gut me before ever marrying her. i would let her gut me. this is a bold statement, but she almost matches lila in the spot for my favourite characters. she’s that fucking awesome. and HER ENDING OH MY GOD. what a fucking legend omg. she’s easily one of the most fascinating and entertaining characters i have ever read about. she never ceases to surprise or impress me. at one point at the start of the book i had worried she was kinda getting a little softer/less violent, but DAMN was i wrong after reading that ending. the whole time i was rooting for her to completely lose her shit and release her inner crazy and THEN SHE DID AND IT WAD AMAZING. i seriously love that lada legitimately doesn’t have any limits. there is no place she won’t go to get what she wants, and i can’t tell you how much i love her for that. she is so determined and passionate, and it’s so amazing to see. in conclusion, i am in love.
radu
radu’s character development WAS SO GOOD. he frustrated me a lot for the first little bit of the book, but then i saw where his character was going and, well, dang. i’ve always been kinda iffy on his character, mainly because of my love for lada, but wow i came to kinda adore him by the end of the book. and i darken was the book of lada’s character development, but now i rise was the book of radu’s character development. seeing him slowly begin to find independence away from mehmed was so beautiful. his obsession with mehmed was the main thing that turned me off his character, so seeing that fade was so nice to see and i could finally start appreciating him as a character in his own right. i am SO hyped for him to fully realise in the next book that mehmed ain’t shit and that he deserves better (*cough* cyprian). his relationships with nasmira was honestly the sweetest thing. i love them, mlm and wlw solidarity at it’s finest. radu truly lost his innocence and naivety in this book, and seeing him see the world for what it really is was kinda heartbreaking. his journey felt so real and raw, but extremely powerful. i'm really happy with where his character is going, which is a huge deal because i was prepared to kinda hate him in this book.
lada and radu’s sibling relationship is somehow so powerful in this book, even though they are not in one scene together. they are constantly on each other’s minds and you can tell, despite their anger and relationship troubles, that they love each other so much. they both come to realise that they are stronger together, so i'm really excited to see how this plays out when they finally interact in bright we burn.
side characters
the side characters were also amazing. hunyadi has my heart <33. nazmira is a whole ass LEGEND. she is seriously such a compelling and fleshed out side character. usually her type of character would be shoved into the background and would be very flat, but nazmira is so interesting and so well written. i loved cyprian so much. and FUCK i ship him with radu so hard!!! even that tiny bit of eye contact they had in book one had me shipping them, so this book was such a gift. radu needs to realise his own worth and dump mehmed’s shitty ass. him an cyprian would be fucking legendary together. i was gonna cry thinking about how he was going to have to find out about radu being a spy. my poor heart. mehmed is still a sly bitch. he can choke. lada’s crew were amazing, and i have a special place in my heart for nicolae. also i honestly grew such an attachment to every character we met in constantinople, and it was breaking my heart knowing that radu was going to have to betray them all.
conclusion
this series is really solidifying itself as one of my new favourites. if bright we burn holds up the way i'm hoping it will, then get ready for me to never shut up about these books. especially lada, who is probably the new love of my life. also, side note, these books would make such an amazing tv series. i think it would even actually stand up against game of thrones as a show.