You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
"They are less than the mud. You do not get angry at the mud for clinging to your shoe. You wipe it off and never look at it again."
First read: 7/9/16-12/9/16
Reread: 9/6/20 - 15/6/20
Still loved this just like I loved it the first time. Finally able to read the next few in the series. Excited but scared! I have a feeling these books will break my heart.
*4.5 stars*
I love badass women characters. I really do. Like, I want to BE them! I wish I was as cool as some of these female characters.
I love the moody, antagonistic. independent natures. The way they are completely opposed to the idea of anyone, male or female, telling them what to do or trying to control them. And they're not afraid of getting their hands dirty with a little bit of violent action.
And Lada is just that. Completely badass and brilliant. Strong-willed, crazy as fuck, yet relatable in a weird way. Her child self terrified me with how dark she was, but she softened as she grew up into someone completely amazing. I loved her as a character more than I've loved a protagonist in a long time.
There isn't really a proper plot to this story. It just covers Lada and her younger brother Radu after their mostly absentee father abandons them in Edirne, the captial city of the Ottoman empire, in exchange for his life and his country. Here the kids grew up, and met Mehmed, the Sultans son, who is their age and they form a close friendship. There's a lot of politics, between all the different parts of the empire, and a fair bit of action and violence.
The love triangle was unique and I really did like it. The characters are all relatable, and I couldn't help but like them all, even Radu, who I wasn't sold on at times. He made some dubious decisions, but I like how he was there for his sister in the end. The sibling relationship was lovely to see.
The ending was heartbreaking. I was angry at what Huma did, and felt so sorry for Mehmed. Lada is a tough cookie to crack, but I do understand her reasoning behind her decisions. I hope the trio are reunited in book 2, because their relationship makes up the best part to this book.
Which brings me to my final point. Book 2. 2017. No month yet, but I'm assuming at least mid 2017. A whole year!?
I don't know if I can wait that long. I want more! This is why I try not to read new releases!
Reread: 9/6/20 - 15/6/20
Still loved this just like I loved it the first time. Finally able to read the next few in the series. Excited but scared! I have a feeling these books will break my heart.
*4.5 stars*
I love badass women characters. I really do. Like, I want to BE them! I wish I was as cool as some of these female characters.
I love the moody, antagonistic. independent natures. The way they are completely opposed to the idea of anyone, male or female, telling them what to do or trying to control them. And they're not afraid of getting their hands dirty with a little bit of violent action.
And Lada is just that. Completely badass and brilliant. Strong-willed, crazy as fuck, yet relatable in a weird way. Her child self terrified me with how dark she was, but she softened as she grew up into someone completely amazing. I loved her as a character more than I've loved a protagonist in a long time.
There isn't really a proper plot to this story. It just covers Lada and her younger brother Radu after their mostly absentee father abandons them in Edirne, the captial city of the Ottoman empire, in exchange for his life and his country. Here the kids grew up, and met Mehmed, the Sultans son, who is their age and they form a close friendship. There's a lot of politics, between all the different parts of the empire, and a fair bit of action and violence.
The love triangle was unique and I really did like it.
Spoiler
although I am completely team Lada and Mehmed, I love them together! As long as he stops having concubines and visiting the women in the harem, and commits only to Lada. I just want them back together in the next book.The ending was heartbreaking. I was angry at what Huma did, and felt so sorry for Mehmed. Lada is a tough cookie to crack, but I do understand her reasoning behind her decisions. I hope the trio are reunited in book 2, because their relationship makes up the best part to this book.
Which brings me to my final point. Book 2. 2017. No month yet, but I'm assuming at least mid 2017. A whole year!?
I don't know if I can wait that long. I want more! This is why I try not to read new releases!
3.5/5 Stars
I acquired this ARC from the publisher at Book Expo America. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
With And I Darken Kiersten White brings us an alt history set in the Ottoman Empire where Lada and Radu Dragwyla, royals of Wallachia, are pawns in their father's political game. Forming a tenuous friendship with the Sultan's son, Mehmed, leaves the three of them in a tangled mess of emotion and danger. There's plenty to love and hate within these pages but I erred on the former more often than not.
This book is just so dark and gritty, filled with a ton of brutality and backstabbing. Alliances change so swiftly and the fate of countless lives hang in the balance. The Ottoman Empire was the perfect setting for this narrative and it was so eloquently depicted. White's descriptions were vivid and detailed allowing the reader to immerse themselves within the pages.
I am so here for these characters. Lada is such a vicious terror, violent and outspoken. She's loyal to few and her country means more than anything to her. Honestly I thought I was going to hate Radu but he really came into his own. He was the perfect contrast to his sister, kind, thoughtful, using tactics and charm to have an impact. Mehmed really bridged the gap between them with passion, idealism, and defiance.
While I enjoyed And I Darken, I had plenty of mixed thoughts throughout reading. This book felt so long and it wasn't even 500 pages. The beginning was extremely slow and I had a hard time getting into the story. It only really pulled me in after 100 pages when Mehmed showed up. It probably didn't help that the narrative spanned such a large period of time. Plus there were moments when I was just so disconnected from the characters.
Overall though I did enjoy the story Kiersten White was telling in And I Darken. With a different setting and characters than I'm used to, this dark twisted history kept me intrigued. I just had to know what was going to happen and I'll definitely be continuing with the series. If you're looking for a story that's brutal and emotional at the same time, this one's for you.
Originally posted on Hopeful Reads
I acquired this ARC from the publisher at Book Expo America. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
With And I Darken Kiersten White brings us an alt history set in the Ottoman Empire where Lada and Radu Dragwyla, royals of Wallachia, are pawns in their father's political game. Forming a tenuous friendship with the Sultan's son, Mehmed, leaves the three of them in a tangled mess of emotion and danger. There's plenty to love and hate within these pages but I erred on the former more often than not.
This book is just so dark and gritty, filled with a ton of brutality and backstabbing. Alliances change so swiftly and the fate of countless lives hang in the balance. The Ottoman Empire was the perfect setting for this narrative and it was so eloquently depicted. White's descriptions were vivid and detailed allowing the reader to immerse themselves within the pages.
I am so here for these characters. Lada is such a vicious terror, violent and outspoken. She's loyal to few and her country means more than anything to her. Honestly I thought I was going to hate Radu but he really came into his own. He was the perfect contrast to his sister, kind, thoughtful, using tactics and charm to have an impact. Mehmed really bridged the gap between them with passion, idealism, and defiance.
While I enjoyed And I Darken, I had plenty of mixed thoughts throughout reading. This book felt so long and it wasn't even 500 pages. The beginning was extremely slow and I had a hard time getting into the story. It only really pulled me in after 100 pages when Mehmed showed up. It probably didn't help that the narrative spanned such a large period of time. Plus there were moments when I was just so disconnected from the characters.
Overall though I did enjoy the story Kiersten White was telling in And I Darken. With a different setting and characters than I'm used to, this dark twisted history kept me intrigued. I just had to know what was going to happen and I'll definitely be continuing with the series. If you're looking for a story that's brutal and emotional at the same time, this one's for you.
Originally posted on Hopeful Reads
Rereading this 5 years later and this book is still five stars—but for slightly different reasons. It’s interesting reading my first review, how attached I was to Radu while keeping a log of distance from Lada. While I still love Radu and he made me want to sob numerous times, but kindred spirit this time was Lada. She is so complex and interesting and beautifully complicated, I adore her! She is what drives the book, and what kept me wholly engaged. The baddest baddie that ever baddied.
—
Original review:
Ok. This book hit me in a way I was not expecting. I had to set it aside for a while before even attempting to put my thoughts and feelings into words. And I Darken is a book unlike anything I have read before. Its characters in particular hold a special place in my heart, both in how they step outside the lines of gender stereotypes, and the ways in which they are all flawed and difficult to like sometimes. Set in the Ottoman empire, the world is expertly crafted, and its historical accuracy never ceased to amaze me. I watched an interview with the author where she went into detail about the amount of research that went into creating this story, and I was thoroughly impressed.
“As the baby latched on with surprising fierceness, the nurse offered her own prayer.
Let her be strong.
Let her be sly.
And let her be ugly.”
The book follows siblings Ladislav (Lada) and Radu from their births all the way into their late teens/early adulthood as they grow up and become their disturbingly wonderful selves. Lada and Radu are born in Wallachia, but soon find themselves in Erdine, being used as a bargaining chip by their father. There, the children are educated and taught about religion and the history of the Empire. They also meet Mehmed, the sultan’s bastard son (their words not mine). The story develops as they try to reconcile their feelings towards their motherland, and their new life in the capital.
“She plucked a rose and held it to her face. She hated the way roses smelled, their sweetness too fragile. She wanted a garden of evergreens. A garden of stones. A garden of swords.”
Lada is scary. Seriously, I would not want to serve her cold coffee. She is made of steel, unwilling to bend to and/or for anyone, and she is the epitome of BDE. She can be cruel, and vindictive, even to the people she ‘loves’. And I say ‘loves’ because she would never admit to loving anyone, nuh uh that’s for weaklings. She is our main character, and is hella complex. Most of the time, I could not stand her, especially in those scenes with Radu that shattered my heart. Still, I admired her drive and determination to be successful and independent in a society that only expected her to become a wife. Even with Mehmed in the picture, Lada never loses sight of her goals, and refuses to become a weak, discarded wife, like the many women she knows (especially her own mother).
“On our wedding night,” she said, “I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.”
Radu is his sister’s polar opposite, always is search of someone who will love him, and hug him, and just be a little nice to him *BIG SOB* he kills me, you guys. He drinks up every tiny little kindness that is offered to him, a reflection of the isolated and cold childhood he is punished with. The contrast between the siblings is stark, and you see it in the way they deal with their changing environment and the many hurdles they face. Lada and Radu’s relationship is complex. On Lada’s part, her struggle is clear as she tries to make sense of her feelings for her brother. As a young girl, she only sees Radu as her possession, repetedly telling him he is hers. On Radu’s part, once again, he just wants to be loved. He craves his sisters approval and affection, and is distraught at the possibility of never being worthy of it. As they grow up in Erdine, Radu learns that he doesn’t have to be like his sister to be successfull and useful, and finds a way to use his likeability and ability to make people trust him to his advantage. Radu was definitely my favourite character to read about. There is something so pure and heartbreaking about him, especially in the way he yearns for love. I constantly wanted to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe from a world that doesn’t deserve him. I love him.
“..If anyone is going to kill you, it will be me. Understand?”
Radu nodded, snuggling into her shoulder. “Will you protect me?
“Until the day I kill you.” She jabbed a finger into his side, where he was most ticklish, and he squealed with pained laughter.”
Mehmed. Oh, Mehmed. The beauty about this book is that it allows the reader to see the characters grow up. When we are first introduced to Mehmed, he is a little boy, crying after being punished by his tutor. Throughout the novel, we see him grow into a young man with a clear vision for his empire, and mostly good intentions. He is strong, while trying to remain kind. He also plays a key role in the development of the relationship between Lada and Radu. *spoiler alert* both Lada and Radu find themselves loving the young Sultan, which brings on more tension for them to deal with. Radu’s sexuality is important, but in no way is it used to define Radu as a character. He is not a gay character, but a character that is gay. I find that often books use sexuality as the only trait a character has, but White intelligently crafts a character that is more complex than that. Radu’s marriage allows for a lesbian relationship to continue, while resigning to never achieve the same hapiness himself (I’m really hoping to see him in a happy relationship at some point in the series, he deserves all the hapiness in the world)
“The price of living seems to always be death.”
Tohin stood, joints popping audibly. “And that is why you become a dealer of death. You feed death as many people as you can to keep it full and content so its eye stays off you.”
In summary, I love this book. This is one of my favourite sibling relationships I have ever encountered, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel so I can follow them on their journey. I expect to get hurt over and over again, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
—
Original review:
Ok. This book hit me in a way I was not expecting. I had to set it aside for a while before even attempting to put my thoughts and feelings into words. And I Darken is a book unlike anything I have read before. Its characters in particular hold a special place in my heart, both in how they step outside the lines of gender stereotypes, and the ways in which they are all flawed and difficult to like sometimes. Set in the Ottoman empire, the world is expertly crafted, and its historical accuracy never ceased to amaze me. I watched an interview with the author where she went into detail about the amount of research that went into creating this story, and I was thoroughly impressed.
“As the baby latched on with surprising fierceness, the nurse offered her own prayer.
Let her be strong.
Let her be sly.
And let her be ugly.”
The book follows siblings Ladislav (Lada) and Radu from their births all the way into their late teens/early adulthood as they grow up and become their disturbingly wonderful selves. Lada and Radu are born in Wallachia, but soon find themselves in Erdine, being used as a bargaining chip by their father. There, the children are educated and taught about religion and the history of the Empire. They also meet Mehmed, the sultan’s bastard son (their words not mine). The story develops as they try to reconcile their feelings towards their motherland, and their new life in the capital.
“She plucked a rose and held it to her face. She hated the way roses smelled, their sweetness too fragile. She wanted a garden of evergreens. A garden of stones. A garden of swords.”
Lada is scary. Seriously, I would not want to serve her cold coffee. She is made of steel, unwilling to bend to and/or for anyone, and she is the epitome of BDE. She can be cruel, and vindictive, even to the people she ‘loves’. And I say ‘loves’ because she would never admit to loving anyone, nuh uh that’s for weaklings. She is our main character, and is hella complex. Most of the time, I could not stand her, especially in those scenes with Radu that shattered my heart. Still, I admired her drive and determination to be successful and independent in a society that only expected her to become a wife. Even with Mehmed in the picture, Lada never loses sight of her goals, and refuses to become a weak, discarded wife, like the many women she knows (especially her own mother).
“On our wedding night,” she said, “I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.”
Radu is his sister’s polar opposite, always is search of someone who will love him, and hug him, and just be a little nice to him *BIG SOB* he kills me, you guys. He drinks up every tiny little kindness that is offered to him, a reflection of the isolated and cold childhood he is punished with. The contrast between the siblings is stark, and you see it in the way they deal with their changing environment and the many hurdles they face. Lada and Radu’s relationship is complex. On Lada’s part, her struggle is clear as she tries to make sense of her feelings for her brother. As a young girl, she only sees Radu as her possession, repetedly telling him he is hers. On Radu’s part, once again, he just wants to be loved. He craves his sisters approval and affection, and is distraught at the possibility of never being worthy of it. As they grow up in Erdine, Radu learns that he doesn’t have to be like his sister to be successfull and useful, and finds a way to use his likeability and ability to make people trust him to his advantage. Radu was definitely my favourite character to read about. There is something so pure and heartbreaking about him, especially in the way he yearns for love. I constantly wanted to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe from a world that doesn’t deserve him. I love him.
“..If anyone is going to kill you, it will be me. Understand?”
Radu nodded, snuggling into her shoulder. “Will you protect me?
“Until the day I kill you.” She jabbed a finger into his side, where he was most ticklish, and he squealed with pained laughter.”
Mehmed. Oh, Mehmed. The beauty about this book is that it allows the reader to see the characters grow up. When we are first introduced to Mehmed, he is a little boy, crying after being punished by his tutor. Throughout the novel, we see him grow into a young man with a clear vision for his empire, and mostly good intentions. He is strong, while trying to remain kind. He also plays a key role in the development of the relationship between Lada and Radu. *spoiler alert* both Lada and Radu find themselves loving the young Sultan, which brings on more tension for them to deal with. Radu’s sexuality is important, but in no way is it used to define Radu as a character. He is not a gay character, but a character that is gay. I find that often books use sexuality as the only trait a character has, but White intelligently crafts a character that is more complex than that. Radu’s marriage allows for a lesbian relationship to continue, while resigning to never achieve the same hapiness himself (I’m really hoping to see him in a happy relationship at some point in the series, he deserves all the hapiness in the world)
“The price of living seems to always be death.”
Tohin stood, joints popping audibly. “And that is why you become a dealer of death. You feed death as many people as you can to keep it full and content so its eye stays off you.”
In summary, I love this book. This is one of my favourite sibling relationships I have ever encountered, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel so I can follow them on their journey. I expect to get hurt over and over again, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
I liked how different this book & the main female character were!
I like the idea of a female Vlad the Impaler! It brings out a lot of discussion on female empowerment and the roles we must take in order to survive, the choices we make that make us. Interested to see Lada grow in the next book.
I finally finished a book since February!! Yay for tackling the reading slump (I was also playing video games a lot and I still want to idk how to manage time apparently)
I absolutely loved this book. There’s some things that irked me, but I really enjoyed it and was close to giving it five stars but I give a lot of books five stars... but I’m glad I got the next two books close because I can’t wait to start them.
I absolutely loved this book. There’s some things that irked me, but I really enjoyed it and was close to giving it five stars but I give a lot of books five stars... but I’m glad I got the next two books close because I can’t wait to start them.
I spent most of this book confused and bored but it got exciting towards the end that I am intrigued enough to continue with the series. That last line was especially powerful! I’m interested to see where the story goes next.
better than i expected. good thing i don't know history though bc then i might hate a lot of this tbh. also sorry i don't know history that's my bad
