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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
On Sale today 7/21/18 at Amazon Here for $1.99
4.5 Be The Knife Stars
Buddy Reading at Buddies Books & Baubles
I suck at history. The only Vlad I knew is the one that all the Drakula stories are based off of. So I want to give a big thank you to Choko who was kind enough to point out that the main character Lada (which was the shortened femine version of Vlad) is actually a gender twisted Vlad the Impaler as a child. *mind blown* That took the story that was interesting to a whole new level for me.
Lada is the Daughter of the Dragon Vladislav Dragwlya Prince of Wallachia. I was slightly confused in the beginning because everything I’ve ever read about Vlad portrayed him as strong tyrant or a blood sucking vampire. But this Vlad, while stoic was always grasping to hold onto power and placating foreign dignitaries trying to curry favor. In short he was not the badass I expected. But then Choko gave me a shorthistory and the gender twist information and I understood. Lada will grow up to be Vlad the Impaler and since she is brutal in her childhood, in an awesome way mind you.
This story covers the time that she and her brother Radu were held hostage in the Ottoman Empire. Lada had to come up with some very creative ways to ensure they were kept alive. She was definitely the brawn of their duo but Radu added a lot with the way he could watch and manipulate people and situations. He had the patience while Lada had the power.
This book is all about the power of being a woman in a time and place when it really sucked to be a woman. Lada struggles with the fact that as a girl her only value is as a bargaining price when she is of age and married off. She is strong and fierce and yet she knows that as soon as her monthly courses start she will lose any hope of gaining power or going home.
However she will be cowed by no man and I love that about her. She will always find a way no matter how brutal she needs to be and even if the world sees only a woman she will be a warrior.
This is a story with a strong female lead and I loved that it is Historical Fiction and follows the event of the years that Lada and Radu were held in the Ottoman Empire. They befriend Mehmed the Sultan’s third son which gives them a small level of protection but also has its own pitfalls. I’m going to say that while Mehmed as a love interest is unusual I appreciated it but at the same time I hated him as the love interest for Lada. It makes sense to the plot of the story but because of the culture of the time he isn’t the typical love interest because he has a Harem.
I completely appreciate that KW stayed true to the history. A Sultan or even the son of a Sultan would have a Harem. But even though it is clear he has actual romantic feelings for Lada he still has a Harem…that he visits. Yes the time on page with him is cute and he is sweet but it is still always there in my head, the same as it is in Lada’s that he will always have a Harem and how many of it’s flowers has he picked and what will happen when one day he loses interest in her and she will become just another girl in a line of many.
Don’t get too caught up on the love aspect because that is only a very small part of the story. Mostly it is about the struggle of living with the enemy and trying not to lose sight of who you are, what you believe in and finding a way to survive. There are assassination attempts, covert plots, a siege and an unexpected enemy that might tare the two siblings irrevocably apart.
Most of the time I enjoyed Lada and Radu together. They have some struggles and each deals with them in a different way. Even when they are mean to each other I see how they try to protect one another.
Best side character award goes to Nicolae. He is a Janissary (Turkish soldier) from Lada’s home land and probably her best friend. I really found it refreshing that there wasn’t a hint of any type of romantic interest between them and he is just a friend to her. Their banter with each other was one of the highlights from this book to me.
While there is a possibility for some sort of love triangle in the future between the Sultan Mehmed and Lada’s childhood friend Bogdon I really hope that it is either minimal or nonexistent as I really liked how Lada took charge of herself and the ending of this book.
Sometimes she floundered in this as she tried to find her way. There is a section of the book that I was extremely frustrated with her and so that part dragged a little for me. But at the end I loved the power she found within herself and the choices she made. It left me very hopeful for her continuing story.
Audio Note I was really glad I listened to this on audio as I wouldn’t have known how to pronounce so many words in this. I mean I would never have got Wallachia (Val – air –ey –ah) right. Also I have loved the voice of Fiona Hardingham since [book:The Scorpio Races|10626594.
Special Thanks to Kiersten White this story has nothing to do with the book content
I met Kiersten at the Salt Lake City Comic Con in Sept 2016. It was the last day of the con and I had dragged my man to so many panels and through a bunch of fandom stuff that he really doesn’t give a crap about and on the last day we were just waiting to go to Kiersten White’s signing to get her beautiful Hardback signed before we could go home. She was so kind that when we saw her after a panel she was on she signed my book and myAuthors are my Rock Stars t-shirt along with taking a picture with me so I didn’t have to wait another two hours for her signing. She is now my man’s favorite author ever.
4.5 Be The Knife Stars
Buddy Reading at Buddies Books & Baubles
I suck at history. The only Vlad I knew is the one that all the Drakula stories are based off of. So I want to give a big thank you to Choko who was kind enough to point out that the main character Lada (which was the shortened femine version of Vlad) is actually a gender twisted Vlad the Impaler as a child. *mind blown* That took the story that was interesting to a whole new level for me.
Lada is the Daughter of the Dragon Vladislav Dragwlya Prince of Wallachia. I was slightly confused in the beginning because everything I’ve ever read about Vlad portrayed him as strong tyrant or a blood sucking vampire. But this Vlad, while stoic was always grasping to hold onto power and placating foreign dignitaries trying to curry favor. In short he was not the badass I expected. But then Choko gave me a short
“He will be angry. And Mircea will kill me. I am scared to die.”
“Everyone dies sometime. And I will not let Mircea kill you. 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.”
This story covers the time that she and her brother Radu were held hostage in the Ottoman Empire. Lada had to come up with some very creative ways to ensure they were kept alive. She was definitely the brawn of their duo but Radu added a lot with the way he could watch and manipulate people and situations. He had the patience while Lada had the power.
This book is all about the power of being a woman in a time and place when it really sucked to be a woman. Lada struggles with the fact that as a girl her only value is as a bargaining price when she is of age and married off. She is strong and fierce and yet she knows that as soon as her monthly courses start she will lose any hope of gaining power or going home.
“When her nurse had told her she would not have to worry about marriage until her monthly courses started, it had been a comfort. Until the morning Lada awoke covered in blood, in her enemy’s house.”
However she will be cowed by no man and I love that about her. She will always find a way no matter how brutal she needs to be and even if the world sees only a woman she will be a warrior.
This is a story with a strong female lead and I loved that it is Historical Fiction and follows the event of the years that Lada and Radu were held in the Ottoman Empire. They befriend Mehmed the Sultan’s third son which gives them a small level of protection but also has its own pitfalls. I’m going to say that while Mehmed as a love interest is unusual I appreciated it but at the same time I hated him as the love interest for Lada. It makes sense to the plot of the story but because of the culture of the time he isn’t the typical love interest because he has a Harem.
I completely appreciate that KW stayed true to the history. A Sultan or even the son of a Sultan would have a Harem. But even though it is clear he has actual romantic feelings for Lada he still has a Harem…that he visits. Yes the time on page with him is cute and he is sweet but it is still always there in my head, the same as it is in Lada’s that he will always have a Harem and how many of it’s flowers has he picked and what will happen when one day he loses interest in her and she will become just another girl in a line of many.
Her nurse had explained how men and women came together in the marriage bed to her when she was very young around the same time her religious tutors had taught her of Adam and Eve. The two had mixed together in her head until it was men and their snakes that had persuaded Eve to lose her beautiful perfect garden. No garden could survive the introduction of a snake.
Don’t get too caught up on the love aspect because that is only a very small part of the story. Mostly it is about the struggle of living with the enemy and trying not to lose sight of who you are, what you believe in and finding a way to survive. There are assassination attempts, covert plots, a siege and an unexpected enemy that might tare the two siblings irrevocably apart.
Most of the time I enjoyed Lada and Radu together. They have some struggles and each deals with them in a different way. Even when they are mean to each other I see how they try to protect one another.
Best side character award goes to Nicolae. He is a Janissary (Turkish soldier) from Lada’s home land and probably her best friend. I really found it refreshing that there wasn’t a hint of any type of romantic interest between them and he is just a friend to her. Their banter with each other was one of the highlights from this book to me.
“I think of you like a sister," he said. "Like a brilliant, violent, occasionally terrifying sister that I would follow to the ends of earth, in part because I respected her so much and in part because I feared what she would do to me of I refused. "
She nodded. "I would do awful things.
While there is a possibility for some sort of love triangle in the future between the Sultan Mehmed and Lada’s childhood friend Bogdon I really hope that it is either minimal or nonexistent as I really liked how Lada took charge of herself and the ending of this book.
Sometimes she floundered in this as she tried to find her way. There is a section of the book that I was extremely frustrated with her and so that part dragged a little for me. But at the end I loved the power she found within herself and the choices she made. It left me very hopeful for her continuing story.
Audio Note I was really glad I listened to this on audio as I wouldn’t have known how to pronounce so many words in this. I mean I would never have got Wallachia (Val – air –ey –ah) right. Also I have loved the voice of Fiona Hardingham since [book:The Scorpio Races|10626594.
Special Thanks to Kiersten White this story has nothing to do with the book content
I met Kiersten at the Salt Lake City Comic Con in Sept 2016. It was the last day of the con and I had dragged my man to so many panels and through a bunch of fandom stuff that he really doesn’t give a crap about and on the last day we were just waiting to go to Kiersten White’s signing to get her beautiful Hardback signed before we could go home. She was so kind that when we saw her after a panel she was on she signed my book and myAuthors are my Rock Stars t-shirt along with taking a picture with me so I didn’t have to wait another two hours for her signing. She is now my man’s favorite author ever.
Her spine was steel. Her heart was armor. Her eyes were fire.
3 stars
Phew, I find it sooo hard to rate this book...
On the one side it was pretty addicting and after really getting into it, I couldn't put it down anymore. I loved the historical aspects and the focus on the Ottoman Empire and the Islam and I really liked the "twist" in the love triangle with Radu being gay (and coming to terms with his love). I'm kinda rooting for him to get the boy, tbh.
Buuuut on the other hand... well, I didn't enjoy any of the protagonists. Radu was a weeping, melodramatic boy, Mehmed was so full of himself (UGH) and Lada was nearly the most annoying of them all with her often unnecessary hate towards everyone and everything. But I can also say a lot of positive things about her: she is definitely not your typical ya-heroine! She is such a fierce and badass warrior and very brave (while also being absolutely reckless sometimes) - she also finally began to grew into herself when she got older and I hope that she'll really "find herself" in the next book.
Also the plot could have been SO GOOD but most of the time White dragged it unnecessarily and therefore it got pretty boring sometimes.
The people I enjoyed reading about the most were Nicolae and Kumal, but that was it.
All in all I'm also not really sure if I will continue reading this series or not - while I do want to know what will happen now that Lada is finally back in Wallachia and also if there's a possibility of a relationship between Radu and Mehmed... I'm not really that invested in the general story line.
3 stars
Phew, I find it sooo hard to rate this book...
On the one side it was pretty addicting and after really getting into it, I couldn't put it down anymore. I loved the historical aspects and the focus on the Ottoman Empire and the Islam and I really liked the "twist" in the love triangle with Radu being gay (and coming to terms with his love). I'm kinda rooting for him to get the boy, tbh.
Buuuut on the other hand... well, I didn't enjoy any of the protagonists. Radu was a weeping, melodramatic boy, Mehmed was so full of himself (UGH) and Lada was nearly the most annoying of them all with her often unnecessary hate towards everyone and everything. But I can also say a lot of positive things about her: she is definitely not your typical ya-heroine! She is such a fierce and badass warrior and very brave (while also being absolutely reckless sometimes) - she also finally began to grew into herself when she got older and I hope that she'll really "find herself" in the next book.
Also the plot could have been SO GOOD but most of the time White dragged it unnecessarily and therefore it got pretty boring sometimes.
The people I enjoyed reading about the most were Nicolae and Kumal, but that was it.
All in all I'm also not really sure if I will continue reading this series or not - while I do want to know what will happen now that Lada is finally back in Wallachia and also if there's a possibility of a relationship between Radu and Mehmed... I'm not really that invested in the general story line.
I really enjoyed this book and absolutely loved Lada even if she was incredibly stubborn at times! It was a great book with a lot of well written characters and the plot was amazing!
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
2.5.
I just had trouble connecting with the story, and maybe it was the pacing. I appreciated a lot of what the book tried to do, and I don't think it's a bad book by any means, I think it just wasn't for me really.
I just had trouble connecting with the story, and maybe it was the pacing. I appreciated a lot of what the book tried to do, and I don't think it's a bad book by any means, I think it just wasn't for me really.
Let me first say that this was not at ALL what I expected it to be.
Mostly because it kept being lumped in with fantasy books like Game of Thrones and Red Queen, and well it has zero magic in it.
However, once my surprise settled and I got used to the setting - I very much enjoyed this. It's definitely more historical fiction than fantasy, and I wish they would say that. It is also gritty, complex, and very intriguing. It focuses on two siblings (a brother and sister), and their very difficult journey into adulthood. They both struggle with minority status, and how to pave their way in a world that does not want them.
I also very much appreciated the *not quite a spoiler* LBGQT character(s) in this book.
Lastly, other than young adult characters, I have no idea why this is a YA novel.
Mostly because it kept being lumped in with fantasy books like Game of Thrones and Red Queen, and well it has zero magic in it.
However, once my surprise settled and I got used to the setting - I very much enjoyed this. It's definitely more historical fiction than fantasy, and I wish they would say that. It is also gritty, complex, and very intriguing. It focuses on two siblings (a brother and sister), and their very difficult journey into adulthood. They both struggle with minority status, and how to pave their way in a world that does not want them.
I also very much appreciated the *not quite a spoiler* LBGQT character(s) in this book.
Lastly, other than young adult characters, I have no idea why this is a YA novel.
Really had a hard time getting into this book. It kept me intrigued in the middle but I feel like I didn’t comprehend what I was reading very well.
Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White is a dark, compelling, and rich piece of historical young adult fiction. The princess Lada (who is anything but a princess), and her younger brother Radu are traded to the Ottoman Empire by their father as part of a peace treaty. Lada was unfortunately not graced with beauty, but she is blessed with strength and intelligence. She is the ultimate FIERCE female character.
It’s fascinating to watch a woman like this grow up in enemy territory and begin to understand how she can survive. She is forced to become cruel and aggressive in order to protect not only herself, but the people she loves. She teaches herself to fight and becomes a warrior in spite of the gender norms. Not only that, but she earns the respect of men who likely would have written her off.
There is an interesting love triangle that I actually thought served the story incredibly well. It created numerous layers of conflict amongst the main characters, and drove much of the action. Don’t want to give too much away, so all I can say is: READ THIS BOOK!
I’ve enjoyed White’s writing in the past, but this book really took her work to a new level. Not only is it meticulously researched, but she skillfully covers am array of difficult topics: religion, war, love, violence, sexuality, politics, etc. AND I DARKEN seriously raises the bar for YA fiction.
AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White is a dark, compelling, and rich piece of historical young adult fiction. The princess Lada (who is anything but a princess), and her younger brother Radu are traded to the Ottoman Empire by their father as part of a peace treaty. Lada was unfortunately not graced with beauty, but she is blessed with strength and intelligence. She is the ultimate FIERCE female character.
It’s fascinating to watch a woman like this grow up in enemy territory and begin to understand how she can survive. She is forced to become cruel and aggressive in order to protect not only herself, but the people she loves. She teaches herself to fight and becomes a warrior in spite of the gender norms. Not only that, but she earns the respect of men who likely would have written her off.
There is an interesting love triangle that I actually thought served the story incredibly well. It created numerous layers of conflict amongst the main characters, and drove much of the action. Don’t want to give too much away, so all I can say is: READ THIS BOOK!
I’ve enjoyed White’s writing in the past, but this book really took her work to a new level. Not only is it meticulously researched, but she skillfully covers am array of difficult topics: religion, war, love, violence, sexuality, politics, etc. AND I DARKEN seriously raises the bar for YA fiction.
I really enjoyed this historical fiction centering on the Ottoman Empire and the life of Vlad the Impaler with a twist; Vlad is a woman. This had major Game of Throne vibes. Highly entertaining story.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This was not at all what I expected, but wow did I enjoy it. To be clear, this is not a fantasy book. Theres no magic or vampires. It’s a gender-flipped historical fiction Vlad Dracula retelling, with Lada as our main character.
Lada and her younger brother Radu are our 2 POV characters. Where Lada is ruthless and ambitious, Radu is sweet. The Ottoman sultan’s son Mehmed is the star they both orbit. This story is really the start of their saga and covers their formative years. It’s a slower paced character study that is just fascinating. These three circle each other, hurt each other, protect each other, and love each other. But the love takes very different forms for each of them.
I love how unapologetic Lada is at every turn. She refuses to be put into any typical female role. Mehmed loves her, but cannot understand her. Neither does he understand Radu and the love he has.
I will absolutely be continuing this series. I know this is labeled YA, but it definitely feels like an adult book.
Lada and her younger brother Radu are our 2 POV characters. Where Lada is ruthless and ambitious, Radu is sweet. The Ottoman sultan’s son Mehmed is the star they both orbit. This story is really the start of their saga and covers their formative years. It’s a slower paced character study that is just fascinating. These three circle each other, hurt each other, protect each other, and love each other. But the love takes very different forms for each of them.
I love how unapologetic Lada is at every turn. She refuses to be put into any typical female role. Mehmed loves her, but cannot understand her. Neither does he understand Radu and the love he has.
I will absolutely be continuing this series. I know this is labeled YA, but it definitely feels like an adult book.