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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
What a great retelling. To take Vlad the Impaler and turn him into a female is a genius idea on the author's part. The character of Lada is absolutely savage and I love when main characters are unconventional. Plus we have the weirdest love triangle ever where Lada and her brother Radhu are both in love with the sultan Mehmed. And Mehmed deserves neither of them, that jerk!
Wow. Now that's how you write a killer historical fiction novel!!!! And I Darken is based on actual historical figures but I am embarrassed to say that I don't know much about them - however, I am very much excited to go down that rabbit hole and learn more after reading this absolutely phenomenal story inspired by them from Kiersten White.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction but when I do, I pick the winners. This baby is dynamite. It's full of such rich and fierce characters, two of which we follow, the brother and sister duo, Lada and Radu as they go from being their father's leverage to finding and honing the power that they themselves hold. I loved following Lada and Radu, the story is told from both of their POVs, from childhood into their teen years and really following their growth under an empire that is not their own. Under an empire that one embraces and the other never does. Talk about heads butting. Not only do they get in their own way at times, they get in each other's way at times, are there when it matters most, and aren't there when the other believes it matters most...and seeing that sibling relationship executed so perfectly brought me such joy to see, oh my goodness. I love a spot on complex sibling relationship at that's what we get here. Loved it. All this from two siblings who weren't raised with little to no love from their parents and lack so much affection and respect and seek it in such different ways. Where Radu is soft and kind and open to change, to adapting, Lada is always abrasive, defensive and closed to anything not resembling her vision of home. Oh man, what a journey.
I can't express enough how much I loved every single character, every single relationship dynamic. Whether it was a tense and strained relationship or joyful one, White nailed it bringing every single character, major and minor to life. I love that the characters were as rich as their settings and the religions and customs they followed.
I loved the themes throughout this story as we follow Radu and Lada as they struggle to find their rightful place in not simply a society but in lands of kingdoms. Talk about a Game of Thrones. If you're looking for an absolutely captivating and fascinating slow burn of a story that explores what it means to have power and control, loyalty and loneliness, what it means to be betrayed, to be loved, to be ruthless, to protect and be protected and fight vulnerability, what it means to manipulate and be manipulated, what it means to never underestimate anyone - even the people you love most and think you know... And I Darken is the book to read asap.
White says in her author's note that "The central aspect I wanted to explore was the path a person takes to get to the point where they can justify doing terrible things in the name of good." She more than accomplished that. And I Darken is riveting. This is Kiersten White's best novel to date so let there be zero doubt as to whether or not you should add this to your list of books to read. Add it. Read it. You'll love it.
I can't write a review and not mention how powerful the character of Lada was, whether you agree with her approaches all of the time, or not, she's not one to be reckoned with. She is quite a force but not only that, she knows her worth and won't let any man stand in the way of that. And she doesn't knock other females to make her strength known. She simply is. Her burns though are brutal and I love it (example: After a soldier tells Lada she isn't very pretty for a whore - which she isn't - Lada says "You are prettier than I. Perhaps you could offer yourself as whore instead." Ooooo! Burn!!!!) Anyway, her strength both physical and mental, her abilities as Lada Dragwlya stand on her own. Talk about feminism in the 1400's. Go, Lada!
Also, Radu. In this delicately tangled web, there's a, dare I say romance, because Radu is in love with a man who is not in love with him but is in love with Lada who is not in love with him. So, it's not exactly a love triangle because love is not reciprocated so the connections in the triangle don't exactly touch. But what lovely execution of both feminism by way of Lada and LGBT representation by way of Radu. Both in in the 1400s, I might add. Love it. Finally, if I may add, what a beautiful representation of Islam. I am Christian but I must say, Islam really is such a beautiful religion and to see it portrayed as such (in the way that it should be, I can't even believe I have to write that) brought such warmth to my heart.
I listened to the audiobook for this and absolutely loved it. Fiona Hardingham is fantastic! She also narrates An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Acid by Emma Pass, and The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron to name a few, so if those titles are also on your list of books to read, I'd highly recommend checking out those audiobooks as well. I know that I will certainly be looking out for more audiobooks narrated by Hardingham.
And I Darken is one of my favorite books of 2016 and I cannot wait for book two!
I don't read a lot of historical fiction but when I do, I pick the winners. This baby is dynamite. It's full of such rich and fierce characters, two of which we follow, the brother and sister duo, Lada and Radu as they go from being their father's leverage to finding and honing the power that they themselves hold. I loved following Lada and Radu, the story is told from both of their POVs, from childhood into their teen years and really following their growth under an empire that is not their own. Under an empire that one embraces and the other never does. Talk about heads butting. Not only do they get in their own way at times, they get in each other's way at times, are there when it matters most, and aren't there when the other believes it matters most...and seeing that sibling relationship executed so perfectly brought me such joy to see, oh my goodness. I love a spot on complex sibling relationship at that's what we get here. Loved it. All this from two siblings who weren't raised with little to no love from their parents and lack so much affection and respect and seek it in such different ways. Where Radu is soft and kind and open to change, to adapting, Lada is always abrasive, defensive and closed to anything not resembling her vision of home. Oh man, what a journey.
I can't express enough how much I loved every single character, every single relationship dynamic. Whether it was a tense and strained relationship or joyful one, White nailed it bringing every single character, major and minor to life. I love that the characters were as rich as their settings and the religions and customs they followed.
I loved the themes throughout this story as we follow Radu and Lada as they struggle to find their rightful place in not simply a society but in lands of kingdoms. Talk about a Game of Thrones. If you're looking for an absolutely captivating and fascinating slow burn of a story that explores what it means to have power and control, loyalty and loneliness, what it means to be betrayed, to be loved, to be ruthless, to protect and be protected and fight vulnerability, what it means to manipulate and be manipulated, what it means to never underestimate anyone - even the people you love most and think you know... And I Darken is the book to read asap.
White says in her author's note that "The central aspect I wanted to explore was the path a person takes to get to the point where they can justify doing terrible things in the name of good." She more than accomplished that. And I Darken is riveting. This is Kiersten White's best novel to date so let there be zero doubt as to whether or not you should add this to your list of books to read. Add it. Read it. You'll love it.
I can't write a review and not mention how powerful the character of Lada was, whether you agree with her approaches all of the time, or not, she's not one to be reckoned with. She is quite a force but not only that, she knows her worth and won't let any man stand in the way of that. And she doesn't knock other females to make her strength known. She simply is. Her burns though are brutal and I love it (example: After a soldier tells Lada she isn't very pretty for a whore - which she isn't - Lada says "You are prettier than I. Perhaps you could offer yourself as whore instead." Ooooo! Burn!!!!) Anyway, her strength both physical and mental, her abilities as Lada Dragwlya stand on her own. Talk about feminism in the 1400's. Go, Lada!
Also, Radu. In this delicately tangled web, there's a, dare I say romance, because Radu is in love with a man who is not in love with him but is in love with Lada who is not in love with him. So, it's not exactly a love triangle because love is not reciprocated so the connections in the triangle don't exactly touch. But what lovely execution of both feminism by way of Lada and LGBT representation by way of Radu. Both in in the 1400s, I might add. Love it. Finally, if I may add, what a beautiful representation of Islam. I am Christian but I must say, Islam really is such a beautiful religion and to see it portrayed as such (in the way that it should be, I can't even believe I have to write that) brought such warmth to my heart.
I listened to the audiobook for this and absolutely loved it. Fiona Hardingham is fantastic! She also narrates An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Acid by Emma Pass, and The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron to name a few, so if those titles are also on your list of books to read, I'd highly recommend checking out those audiobooks as well. I know that I will certainly be looking out for more audiobooks narrated by Hardingham.
And I Darken is one of my favorite books of 2016 and I cannot wait for book two!
This book is so exceptional. It took two characters I disliked, made them our main characters, and forced me to care what happened to them?! I'm still not sure how it happened. Our heroine is a girl in a world where being a woman holds no power (unless you count sex as a power which, as it turns out, is discussed in this novel), and her brother is a spineless, withering boy who ends up having more than a few redeeming moments.
These characters are complex! We watch them grow and evolve, we watch them make vital, human decisions, and we watch on the edge of our seats.
I was really uncertain about the hype surrounding this book when I disliked these characters initially, and it honestly took until I was over halfway through this book to get it. I think that's the main drawback for me, was that it did take me so long to get a groove and to accept the behavior, attitudes, and thoughts of our MCs.
The last hundred pages really sealed the deal that yes, this book knocked it out of the park, and I feel intense feelings for the creatures on these pages. I am in it. This book was dark, depressing, and somehow kickass-inspirational? It was so unlike what I expect YA fantasy to be: a beautiful, always gets what she wants in the end, heroine who falls in love with the right for her guy who helps her save the day. That's HIGHLY generalized, obviously, but this novel was just so. not. that. And I kind of loved it? After I got used to it, that is.
These characters are complex! We watch them grow and evolve, we watch them make vital, human decisions, and we watch on the edge of our seats.
I was really uncertain about the hype surrounding this book when I disliked these characters initially, and it honestly took until I was over halfway through this book to get it. I think that's the main drawback for me, was that it did take me so long to get a groove and to accept the behavior, attitudes, and thoughts of our MCs.
The last hundred pages really sealed the deal that yes, this book knocked it out of the park, and I feel intense feelings for the creatures on these pages. I am in it. This book was dark, depressing, and somehow kickass-inspirational? It was so unlike what I expect YA fantasy to be: a beautiful, always gets what she wants in the end, heroine who falls in love with the right for her guy who helps her save the day. That's HIGHLY generalized, obviously, but this novel was just so. not. that. And I kind of loved it? After I got used to it, that is.
Having read all of Kiersten's other books, I have seen hints of the darkness she is capable of, but never really expected her to embrace that darkness so fully. This book is dark, brutal, twisted, and absolutely brilliant.
This book was really good! It was a lot different than I thought it would be and provided a lot of historical information that I want to go and research. I loved the character of Lada and also Radu. I liked how she switched between the two POV's and how the chapters were all relatively short. It made the book flow really well. Some parts in the middle kind of dragged on, but overall it was a fantastic read. I look forward to the rest of the series!
4.5
I listened to the audiobook and well as reading the ebook
As I finished reading I realized that woah, this took a lot out of me emotionally. White does a FANTASTIC job of allowing the reader to feel what the MCs do.
I m not a big fan of Mehmed... because I’d be so pissed if the guy I’m with was having multiple babies with the women in his Harem, WHILE HE WAS WITH ME. I love Lada, she’s fierce and powerful but needs more good people to balance her. I also have conflicting thoughts on Radu. I want to love him, but he is so selfish and unhealthily attaches to Mehmed. I get you, you’re in love with him but come on dude! You can still love him but not be in love with him. Move forward.
Also I’m still shipping Lada and Bogdan, or Lada and Nicolaie (even though that was already a no go)
I listened to the audiobook and well as reading the ebook
As I finished reading I realized that woah, this took a lot out of me emotionally. White does a FANTASTIC job of allowing the reader to feel what the MCs do.
I m not a big fan of Mehmed... because I’d be so pissed if the guy I’m with was having multiple babies with the women in his Harem, WHILE HE WAS WITH ME. I love Lada, she’s fierce and powerful but needs more good people to balance her. I also have conflicting thoughts on Radu. I want to love him, but he is so selfish and unhealthily attaches to Mehmed. I get you, you’re in love with him but come on dude! You can still love him but not be in love with him. Move forward.
Also I’m still shipping Lada and Bogdan, or Lada and Nicolaie (even though that was already a no go)
3.5-4 stars. I haven't quite decided.
This has been languishing on my to-read list for more than a year, and I finally bit the bullet and picked it up. I really didn’t have any idea of what to expect because I didn’t remember what about the description had grabbed me in the first place. I’m glad I picked it up.
Maybe I’m a total idiot, but I absolutely didn’t get that this was a retelling or faux-history until Mehmed mentioned Constantinople, because hey, that’s a real city. Then I googled Edirne, which is also a real city, and I was surprised to find that it was West (not East, like I assumed) of Constantinople, watched a video on how the Ottomans conquered the surrounding areas until finally Constantinople fell. Oh, Mehmed was a real person? So was Radu. That left...Lada, but it says here that Radu was sent to the Ottomans with his brother Vlad, not a sister a sister named Ladislav. Oh. OH. The whole book premise is reimagining Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) as a woman. WELL THAT’S INTERESTING. Good thing I was drawn to the book besides what should obviously have drawn me. So there’s a public service for those who might be as dense as me.
Lada is a dark and twisted, and I related a lot to her. This made me a little uncomfortable once I figured out that she’s actually Vlad Tepes, but you know.
The military campaigns and plots didn’t exactly interest me, but the love triangle did. And I hate love triangles. But love triangles involving siblings? Yes. That was interesting. So...since a large chunk of the novel involved politics, it got a little slow in the middle.
This has been languishing on my to-read list for more than a year, and I finally bit the bullet and picked it up. I really didn’t have any idea of what to expect because I didn’t remember what about the description had grabbed me in the first place. I’m glad I picked it up.
Maybe I’m a total idiot, but I absolutely didn’t get that this was a retelling or faux-history until Mehmed mentioned Constantinople, because hey, that’s a real city. Then I googled Edirne, which is also a real city, and I was surprised to find that it was West (not East, like I assumed) of Constantinople, watched a video on how the Ottomans conquered the surrounding areas until finally Constantinople fell. Oh, Mehmed was a real person? So was Radu. That left...Lada, but it says here that Radu was sent to the Ottomans with his brother Vlad, not a sister a sister named Ladislav. Oh. OH. The whole book premise is reimagining Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) as a woman. WELL THAT’S INTERESTING. Good thing I was drawn to the book besides what should obviously have drawn me. So there’s a public service for those who might be as dense as me.
Lada is a dark and twisted, and I related a lot to her. This made me a little uncomfortable once I figured out that she’s actually Vlad Tepes, but you know.
The military campaigns and plots didn’t exactly interest me, but the love triangle did. And I hate love triangles. But love triangles involving siblings? Yes. That was interesting. So...since a large chunk of the novel involved politics, it got a little slow in the middle.
What you get:
- A badass female protagonist who challenges gender norms and uses her cleverness and physical strength to beat others
- A male protagonist who excels in subterfuge rather than physical activities
- A surprising amount of queer representation and the way it's viewed by their society
- Great character writing (depth, flaws, strengths, personality, complexity, conflict)
- Romances that make sense, feel genuine and earned, and won't have you rolling your eyes
- An engrossing story that gets you emotionally invested in all the characters, where they'll end up, and how they get there
I devoured this book, I loved it so much! I've already got book two on hold at the library!
- A badass female protagonist who challenges gender norms and uses her cleverness and physical strength to beat others
- A male protagonist who excels in subterfuge rather than physical activities
- A surprising amount of queer representation and the way it's viewed by their society
- Great character writing (depth, flaws, strengths, personality, complexity, conflict)
- Romances that make sense, feel genuine and earned, and won't have you rolling your eyes
- An engrossing story that gets you emotionally invested in all the characters, where they'll end up, and how they get there
I devoured this book, I loved it so much! I've already got book two on hold at the library!
Kiersten White deciding to write this: "Diversity win! The ottoman warlord desecrating your small village is a bottom!" (original post on tumblr by @saltysalmonkid)
(This was initially a way longer review, detailing all the way in which the author shat all over my country's history. Please be aware whatever you think of saying to me about my low rating, I've probably heard it already. People saying "but it is fantasy" do not understand that my issue is not with a poorly written FICTION, but by one which used my HISTORY as a marketing technique, to then stomp over every single thing my ancestors took pride in. She could have just written a fantasy on its own (Grishaverse style), but if she decided to use a feminized version of Vlad the Impaler, then she should be able to swallow the situation in which someone points out the inaccuracies. But no one cares about those from small and poor countries with weird languages and convoluted histories anyway, right? )
This woman just doesn't know how to stop. Now she is going to write a retelling of Dracula... which is in itself a xenophobic depiction of Romanians, haha, lovely!! :) I got annoyed, so here's a breakdown of some of the most obvious, painful atrocities she added to this book:
- Red flag!! From the reason of why she decided to write this book!! Oh, her husband went on a religious conversion mission to my country, and she thought she knows enough about it now to write about it? Wrong, wrong, wrong!!
- The protagonist's name is 1) actually masculine if we follow the rules of the languages she decided to write a book inspired by 2) it means "wooden box" in Romanian. So this should very obviously point to the fact that absolutely no research has gone into this book supposedly retelling the life of one of the most important figures in my country's history
- The narrative constantly calls Romanian peasants and all other ethnicities within the area "pigs" and other such words. You will NEVER find a ruler fighting against Ottoman rule call its subjects something like that, and it is in fact just attempting to hide blatant xenophobia with 'history'
- Speaking of, pretending that Vlad the Impaler is nothing but a great ruler to Romanians... like, was he cruel and firm? Yes. Did he keep invasion at bay, and the torture he's most famous for was inspired from his political imprisonment at the Ottoman court? Also yes, and we love him for it and we are possibly a country thanks to it.
- It's clear no care has been given to the turbulent history of the day. Starting from the very stale brand of white feminism (god forbid a father was happy he got a daughter! when it didn't even matter to the nobles back then!) to the utter lack of critical thinking on colonialism, tribute paying, political imprisonment and forced religion conversion (betting 10 dollars she doesn't know what half of those words mean).
- Do I honestly look like I care when people argue it is a 'fiction'? Again, if thousands of readers learn about my country's existence from this book, then that is an immense damage left to reign free that will never be undone.
I am SO tired of americans being allowed to write the most VILE shit about countries that half of their population doesn't even know exists. And when I know the care can be there, the research can be done, then I am not going to be forgiving for purposeful ignorance.
(This was initially a way longer review, detailing all the way in which the author shat all over my country's history. Please be aware whatever you think of saying to me about my low rating, I've probably heard it already. People saying "but it is fantasy" do not understand that my issue is not with a poorly written FICTION, but by one which used my HISTORY as a marketing technique, to then stomp over every single thing my ancestors took pride in. She could have just written a fantasy on its own (Grishaverse style), but if she decided to use a feminized version of Vlad the Impaler, then she should be able to swallow the situation in which someone points out the inaccuracies. But no one cares about those from small and poor countries with weird languages and convoluted histories anyway, right? )
This woman just doesn't know how to stop. Now she is going to write a retelling of Dracula... which is in itself a xenophobic depiction of Romanians, haha, lovely!! :) I got annoyed, so here's a breakdown of some of the most obvious, painful atrocities she added to this book:
- Red flag!! From the reason of why she decided to write this book!! Oh, her husband went on a religious conversion mission to my country, and she thought she knows enough about it now to write about it? Wrong, wrong, wrong!!
- The protagonist's name is 1) actually masculine if we follow the rules of the languages she decided to write a book inspired by 2) it means "wooden box" in Romanian. So this should very obviously point to the fact that absolutely no research has gone into this book supposedly retelling the life of one of the most important figures in my country's history
- The narrative constantly calls Romanian peasants and all other ethnicities within the area "pigs" and other such words. You will NEVER find a ruler fighting against Ottoman rule call its subjects something like that, and it is in fact just attempting to hide blatant xenophobia with 'history'
- Speaking of, pretending that Vlad the Impaler is nothing but a great ruler to Romanians... like, was he cruel and firm? Yes. Did he keep invasion at bay, and the torture he's most famous for was inspired from his political imprisonment at the Ottoman court? Also yes, and we love him for it and we are possibly a country thanks to it.
- It's clear no care has been given to the turbulent history of the day. Starting from the very stale brand of white feminism (god forbid a father was happy he got a daughter! when it didn't even matter to the nobles back then!) to the utter lack of critical thinking on colonialism, tribute paying, political imprisonment and forced religion conversion (betting 10 dollars she doesn't know what half of those words mean).
- Do I honestly look like I care when people argue it is a 'fiction'? Again, if thousands of readers learn about my country's existence from this book, then that is an immense damage left to reign free that will never be undone.
I am SO tired of americans being allowed to write the most VILE shit about countries that half of their population doesn't even know exists. And when I know the care can be there, the research can be done, then I am not going to be forgiving for purposeful ignorance.