Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I first want to say that there is no magical element to this book (maybe something in the series?). I'm not sure why it is labeled fantasy, because there is nothing fantasy-like in this book besides my imaginary heart burst and beating for the first time in over twenty years, but it is really phenomenal anyway!
Reasons why you should read this book as follow:
You don't have you typical plain-awkward-clumsy-yet-extremely-beautiful-talented-shy main girl. No, the main girl, from the first page she was on, is in your face, strong, and nothing to mess with. She knows what she wants and she is going to get what she wants. You want to screw with her? She will cut your throat. You think she is less because she is a woman? She's going to show you how much more she is. Lada Dragwlya is who every young lady (old too, though LBR) should strive to be.
Now you do have a plain-yet-smart-and-adorable-and-not-really-fitting-in brother, Radu Dragwlya at play at well. He is more strong in the mind and with wit than with the sword and brute (like his sister). He's so friendly but fragile. He wants to be seen and accepted, but with the brutality of the world he lives in, he is kind of over looked. But the fun part is that he is most definitely, tragically and beautifully gay. And with the time period this is in, that isn't accepted.
Now, I'm just going to cut right to the point: This story is so unique in the way of love triangles.
"So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?"
I'm not talking just any love triangle that you roll your eyes at, but like the best kind of tragic love triangle that your heart will hate but your attention craves. You don't know which why it should go because you love everyone involved and it kind of drives you a little nuts. But in a way like cracking your back feels. It hurts, but it's still amazing.
This whole story starts out with the siblings being traded to the enemy for safety. They are young, like twelve and eleven I think, and so they are basically raised in the hands of the person they were raised to not like. As you can gather from that, the book is very, very political. There are a bunch of chess pieces at play and you have to keep them straight (which isn't very hard because the author makes it very easy to follow).
On top of the politics, the not-fantasy, the love triangle and the siblings, you have a lot of historical facts. I'm not really a historical reader, though I do have exceptions, so this is where I started losing a lot of my focus with the book. It didn't take away from anything, it just added a ton of facts (which isn't bad, just information overload for me sometimes).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The ending made me bawl my eyes out. You basically are watching these two siblings grow into adults and bring havoc onto the world. So when you are in pain, it's like seeing a loved one in pain and it makes my heart weep. I am so anxious for the next book though. That cliff hanger was not okay.
---
This has broken my heart... RTC.
Reasons why you should read this book as follow:
You don't have you typical plain-awkward-clumsy-yet-extremely-beautiful-talented-shy main girl. No, the main girl, from the first page she was on, is in your face, strong, and nothing to mess with. She knows what she wants and she is going to get what she wants. You want to screw with her? She will cut your throat. You think she is less because she is a woman? She's going to show you how much more she is. Lada Dragwlya is who every young lady (old too, though LBR) should strive to be.
Now you do have a plain-yet-smart-and-adorable-and-not-really-fitting-in brother, Radu Dragwlya at play at well. He is more strong in the mind and with wit than with the sword and brute (like his sister). He's so friendly but fragile. He wants to be seen and accepted, but with the brutality of the world he lives in, he is kind of over looked. But the fun part is that he is most definitely, tragically and beautifully gay. And with the time period this is in, that isn't accepted.
Now, I'm just going to cut right to the point: This story is so unique in the way of love triangles.
"So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?"
I'm not talking just any love triangle that you roll your eyes at, but like the best kind of tragic love triangle that your heart will hate but your attention craves. You don't know which why it should go because you love everyone involved and it kind of drives you a little nuts. But in a way like cracking your back feels. It hurts, but it's still amazing.
This whole story starts out with the siblings being traded to the enemy for safety. They are young, like twelve and eleven I think, and so they are basically raised in the hands of the person they were raised to not like. As you can gather from that, the book is very, very political. There are a bunch of chess pieces at play and you have to keep them straight (which isn't very hard because the author makes it very easy to follow).
On top of the politics, the not-fantasy, the love triangle and the siblings, you have a lot of historical facts. I'm not really a historical reader, though I do have exceptions, so this is where I started losing a lot of my focus with the book. It didn't take away from anything, it just added a ton of facts (which isn't bad, just information overload for me sometimes).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The ending made me bawl my eyes out. You basically are watching these two siblings grow into adults and bring havoc onto the world. So when you are in pain, it's like seeing a loved one in pain and it makes my heart weep. I am so anxious for the next book though. That cliff hanger was not okay.
---
This has broken my heart... RTC.
A young adult version of a Jeffrey Archer epic with three children growing up, two as slaves/hostages and one a sultan’s son in the Byzantine empire. Assault, torture and sexuality are there in soft focus.
Dark, dark, dark. This book pulls no punches. This reimagining of Vlad Dracul's life in the form of Lada is quite stunning. White manages to make Lada a bit sympathetic, despite her dark nature. The book is creative and engaging, and I can't wait to read the next.
4,5 Sterne
GROßARTIG!! Leute, Feminismus, LGBT, Diversity, dieses Buch macht einfach alles richtig! Plus tolle, sympathische Figuren, die einem ans Herz wachsen, nur um es einem wieder raus zu reißen, wieder und wieder. Mir fehlt noch ein bisschen was zu den fünf Sternen, ich fand es im Mittelteil teilweise anstrengend zu lesen und musste mich fast zwingen, aber wow! =D
GROßARTIG!! Leute, Feminismus, LGBT, Diversity, dieses Buch macht einfach alles richtig! Plus tolle, sympathische Figuren, die einem ans Herz wachsen, nur um es einem wieder raus zu reißen, wieder und wieder. Mir fehlt noch ein bisschen was zu den fünf Sternen, ich fand es im Mittelteil teilweise anstrengend zu lesen und musste mich fast zwingen, aber wow! =D
Epic story of ambition. Incredibly violent. Bit disappointed by the lack of vampires.
dark
tense
medium-paced
*I received a free e-arc of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review
Actual rating: 3.75, almost 4 stars!
Bad news first: It took me more time than I expected to finish this book. I felt like the story started and went on way too slow for my liking, but then I felt like it ended too soon with that intense ending! I also expected this book to be brutal and action packed, but it wasn't. . .at least not as much as I expected it to be. And the romance, oh God, that "toxic triangle" mentioned at the synopsis was real. . .and toxic. . .and even annoying sometimes but oh well, that happens. . .
Now, let's move on to the good news! Even though the pacing was quite slow throughout most of the book, I really enjoyed the story that came to life through Kiersten White's wonderful writing between Radu and Lada''s POVs. I loved how we were able to see and feel what happened around them through two totally different perspectives! While Lada was calculating, a little annoying and ready for anything that came her way, Radu was calm, charming and easy to get along with (and he had his very intelligent reasons to be that way). Another thing that I loved about this was the world building! I found it so easy to imagine Wallachia and the cities Radu and Lada went through around the lands of the Ottoman Empire after their father sold them off to the Sultan.
But, in general, the things that happened around the story were very interesting and intriguing; you never knew who to trust and like or what to expect next. New things happened around every chapter, and the twists that suddenly appeared always made things better! Like I mentioned before, I expected more action around the story, but it was still good and enjoyable.
While Lada, Radu and Mehmed were great and fun main characters that I loved, we also get to meet a handful of other characters that play important parts as the story goes on. Through the story and its different settings, we get to meet characters like Radu and Lada's nana/nurse, their father and mother, their brother Mircea, Bogdan, Lazar, Sultan Murad (Mehmed's father), Halil Pasha, Kumal, Huma (Mehmed's mother), Nicolae and many more! What I loved about all these characters was the fact that each one of them managed to have an impact (either big or small) on Lada, Radu and Mehmed's characters in some point of their lives. They all helped them grow and evolve and become who they were meant to be by the end of the book, and that's something that helped me like this book more!
In the end, And I Darken was nothing like I expected, but it still managed to give me the feels and make me enjoy it! The characters were great and they all manage to make you see and feel how strong the bonds of their friendships were, or how easy they could go from friendship, to love, or betrayal. If you're still wondering if you should give this one a try after reading this well. . .yes, even though the pacing is slow and there isn't much action, you should, you never know! Kiersten White did a very good job with this story and after that ending I can't wait to see what comes next!
Actual rating: 3.75, almost 4 stars!
Bad news first: It took me more time than I expected to finish this book. I felt like the story started and went on way too slow for my liking, but then I felt like it ended too soon with that intense ending! I also expected this book to be brutal and action packed, but it wasn't. . .at least not as much as I expected it to be. And the romance, oh God, that "toxic triangle" mentioned at the synopsis was real. . .and toxic. . .and even annoying sometimes but oh well, that happens. . .
Now, let's move on to the good news! Even though the pacing was quite slow throughout most of the book, I really enjoyed the story that came to life through Kiersten White's wonderful writing between Radu and Lada''s POVs. I loved how we were able to see and feel what happened around them through two totally different perspectives! While Lada was calculating, a little annoying and ready for anything that came her way, Radu was calm, charming and easy to get along with (and he had his very intelligent reasons to be that way). Another thing that I loved about this was the world building! I found it so easy to imagine Wallachia and the cities Radu and Lada went through around the lands of the Ottoman Empire after their father sold them off to the Sultan.
But, in general, the things that happened around the story were very interesting and intriguing; you never knew who to trust and like or what to expect next. New things happened around every chapter, and the twists that suddenly appeared always made things better! Like I mentioned before, I expected more action around the story, but it was still good and enjoyable.
While Lada, Radu and Mehmed were great and fun main characters that I loved, we also get to meet a handful of other characters that play important parts as the story goes on. Through the story and its different settings, we get to meet characters like Radu and Lada's nana/nurse, their father and mother, their brother Mircea, Bogdan, Lazar, Sultan Murad (Mehmed's father), Halil Pasha, Kumal, Huma (Mehmed's mother), Nicolae and many more! What I loved about all these characters was the fact that each one of them managed to have an impact (either big or small) on Lada, Radu and Mehmed's characters in some point of their lives. They all helped them grow and evolve and become who they were meant to be by the end of the book, and that's something that helped me like this book more!
In the end, And I Darken was nothing like I expected, but it still managed to give me the feels and make me enjoy it! The characters were great and they all manage to make you see and feel how strong the bonds of their friendships were, or how easy they could go from friendship, to love, or betrayal. If you're still wondering if you should give this one a try after reading this well. . .yes, even though the pacing is slow and there isn't much action, you should, you never know! Kiersten White did a very good job with this story and after that ending I can't wait to see what comes next!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes