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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Mixed feelings.... 3.5?
got bored in the middle, but I endured and the rest was okay. I couldn’t stand Lada for most of it, but I would die for Radu. I enjoyed it a lot in the end, might pick up the sequel.
Before picking it up, please be aware that many people that are from where this story takes place find this to be almost offensive in its inaccuracy, so if you care about that you’re free to look at the one star reviews in this site.
got bored in the middle, but I endured and the rest was okay. I couldn’t stand Lada for most of it, but I would die for Radu. I enjoyed it a lot in the end, might pick up the sequel.
Before picking it up, please be aware that many people that are from where this story takes place find this to be almost offensive in its inaccuracy, so if you care about that you’re free to look at the one star reviews in this site.
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought for sure I’d enjoy this book more.
I love historical fiction and this is an era of time i have yet to read about.
I don’t know really why I didn’t like this book as much as i expected but I just didn’t.
If you like political novels with some romantic elements you might enjoy this.
It vaguely reminds me of A Cruel Prince but doesn’t feel like it’s been written by an 11 year old
OKAY
After reading this review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2046798013
I know don’t recommend this book at all and will not be reading the second. I also have next to no understanding or knowledge of the events this novel is based around so I can’t adequately defend or criticize the written story
I love historical fiction and this is an era of time i have yet to read about.
I don’t know really why I didn’t like this book as much as i expected but I just didn’t.
If you like political novels with some romantic elements you might enjoy this.
It vaguely reminds me of A Cruel Prince but doesn’t feel like it’s been written by an 11 year old
OKAY
After reading this review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2046798013
I know don’t recommend this book at all and will not be reading the second. I also have next to no understanding or knowledge of the events this novel is based around so I can’t adequately defend or criticize the written story
The premise's highly interesting. Even though the plotline in this volume isn't particularly interesting to me, the storytelling has enough potential so I'll see what book 2 will unfold.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It kept my attention and never bored me throughout the entire book. I definitely enjoyed reading about Lada, Radu, and Mehmed's adventures and the relationships they formed as they grew, and I would love to read more about it.
simply 1 word to explain this book. "EXTRAORDINARY". After such a long time i got to read such a well written book. It made my day, my week,my month..... my life
I really enjoyed this book. I like how it switched perspectives between the siblings. At first I was only fond of Radu, but Lada grew on me quickly. I enjoyed the decieving and action-packed pages. White did a good job of properly showcasing behaviors within royalty. I'm excited to continue this trilogy.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Let me start this off by saying, And I Darken is my favorite read of 2016. I’m not quite sure anything else I read will compare. This book was so diverse and well-written, it was dark, gritty, brutal and Kiersten White is an incredible writer.
We follow the story of siblings Lada and Radu who are taken from their homeland of Wallachia to be raised in the Ottoman courts. Lada who hates the Ottomans waits for the day until she can claim her homeland Wallachia. Gentle and sweet Radu wants a place where he can feel safe, a place where he belongs. This all changes when they meet Mehmed who is the son of the Sultan and Radu feels he’s finally found a friend and Lada? Someone worthy of her passion. Together the three form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love, and loyalty.
I found the book to be a little slow in the beginning, but soon man, I was hooked! And could not put it down! The writing is intricate and flows very well and I cried a few times and my jaw dropped with some of the plot twists. That I honestly did not see coming.
I loved how we got to see Lada and Radu grow up as little children to teenagers and the fact we got to see them going through puberty. The author didn’t sugarcoat it either. Lada freaking out over monthly bleedings, her reactions to her breasts, Radu becoming a man. I also love how the main religion was Muslim and how eye opening and beautiful it is. As explained in a conversation with Radu and Kumal:
I want to talk about Lada, oh my word she is an amazing female character. She is brutal, fierce and unique.
Throughout the book, we see how women are expected to act or what their duties are in the Ottoman world and Lada is not having it. She REFUSES to be ruled and act as women are expected. She leads a group of soldiers who in time become her loyal followers, she doesn’t take crap from anyone.
And Radu, oh I loved him! He is said to be incredibly beautiful, but he is not like Lada, He is fierce in his own way. He is loyal and compassionate, and I won’t give too many spoilers about Radu, but there are LGBT+ themes in this book that are not judgmental
To sum it up, I feel this book is the most compelling that I have read in 2016 and that is SUPER important to read! This book is about what one is willing to do and sacrifice for power and finding who you really are. I suggest everyone read it.
We follow the story of siblings Lada and Radu who are taken from their homeland of Wallachia to be raised in the Ottoman courts. Lada who hates the Ottomans waits for the day until she can claim her homeland Wallachia. Gentle and sweet Radu wants a place where he can feel safe, a place where he belongs. This all changes when they meet Mehmed who is the son of the Sultan and Radu feels he’s finally found a friend and Lada? Someone worthy of her passion. Together the three form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love, and loyalty.
I found the book to be a little slow in the beginning, but soon man, I was hooked! And could not put it down! The writing is intricate and flows very well and I cried a few times and my jaw dropped with some of the plot twists. That I honestly did not see coming.
I loved how we got to see Lada and Radu grow up as little children to teenagers and the fact we got to see them going through puberty. The author didn’t sugarcoat it either. Lada freaking out over monthly bleedings, her reactions to her breasts, Radu becoming a man. I also love how the main religion was Muslim and how eye opening and beautiful it is. As explained in a conversation with Radu and Kumal:
“Please do not judge my country by the cruelty of a few, though there is one God and one Prophet, peace be upon him, not everyone interacts with him in the same way. There are varying levels of faith and practice, just as everything in life. But you have a choice.”
“I do not feel like I have any choices left to me.”
“It may seem that way, but you always have a choice. You can choose to find comfort and solace in God. You can choose to be brave and compassionate. And you can choose to find beauty and happiness wherever they present themselves.”
I want to talk about Lada, oh my word she is an amazing female character. She is brutal, fierce and unique.
“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?”
Throughout the book, we see how women are expected to act or what their duties are in the Ottoman world and Lada is not having it. She REFUSES to be ruled and act as women are expected. She leads a group of soldiers who in time become her loyal followers, she doesn’t take crap from anyone.
And Radu, oh I loved him! He is said to be incredibly beautiful, but he is not like Lada, He is fierce in his own way. He is loyal and compassionate, and I won’t give too many spoilers about Radu, but there are LGBT+ themes in this book that are not judgmental
To sum it up, I feel this book is the most compelling that I have read in 2016 and that is SUPER important to read! This book is about what one is willing to do and sacrifice for power and finding who you really are. I suggest everyone read it.
“Well, are you ready, Lada Dragwlya, daughter of the dragon?”
“Not Dragwlya, Lada Dracul. I am no longer the daughter of the dragon. I am the dragon.”
2.5 stars.
In many ways, And I Darken told the story I expected it to. This first installment in White's female reimagining of Vlad the Impaler set the scene for bloodshed and battle, while also focusing on various human relationships and how these are subject to change. There's a lot of history to live up to, and I had hoped that by mixing fact with fiction, the author would weave a thrilling, compelling drama. That is most definitely not what happened, as I ended up finding this pretty average.
There were undoubtedly certain things I enjoyed, one being the complexity of the Draculesti siblings. Lada was unapologetic in her ferocity and refused to let herself be bound by her gender: her determination to be seen as the equal of any man was admirable, especially in today's world. She had a softer, more insecure side that helped balance out her confidence, and I loved how seeing Lada at both her strongest and weakest made her more fleshed out. I didn't really get why she was so feral though, especially as a young child, and her behavior often grated on my nerves. Radu was more intriguing than I'd thought he would be, and what I liked most about him was that he perpetually lay in a gray area: he most definitely had a conscience and was primarily "good," but his cunning and ambition added well needed layers.
And speaking of Mehmed...I honestly don't know if he's written to be disliked, but I could not stand him. The young Mehmed, the child Lada and Radu first meet who is unsure of himself and wanting a friend desperately, was actually likeable. But for the majority of the novel, I really hated him—I wanted something to make me sympathize with him, to make it harder for me to dislike him, but I found him much less compelling than Radu and Lada. I hated how smug he was, how dismissive he could be of his so-called "friends," and my fervent hope is that Mehmed rots in a deep dark pit. And don't get me started on the romance, because
The overall writing—the paragraph structure, the phrasing of sentences and White's visceral imagery—was quite enjoyable and had a nice flow. I thought exclamation points were extremely overused though, which made the story feel a little less polished and the characters overly dramatic. And while the writing itself was good, I had major issues with the novel's overall construction. This was a pretty slow book—it meandered, supplying little substance through its action. What action there was I felt disconnected from because of the way White presented it: a week or month or year would pass without much development of events, so while there were sieges and revolts taking place, it was as if these were written in the most passive way possible. And honestly, I never entirely knew what the overall plot was heading toward, what the climax would be.
Frankly, And I Darken wasn't a poor book, but it did underwhelm me in a way I hadn't anticipated. Because I really thought I was going to love this, I was so excited when I finally picked up my copy from the library, and I was already planning to get the second book whenever I could. Despite my problems with the novel, I would like to read the rest of the trilogy at some point (or at least Now I Rise to see if the series gets any better), but I am in no hurry to do so.
In many ways, And I Darken told the story I expected it to. This first installment in White's female reimagining of Vlad the Impaler set the scene for bloodshed and battle, while also focusing on various human relationships and how these are subject to change. There's a lot of history to live up to, and I had hoped that by mixing fact with fiction, the author would weave a thrilling, compelling drama. That is most definitely not what happened, as I ended up finding this pretty average.
There were undoubtedly certain things I enjoyed, one being the complexity of the Draculesti siblings. Lada was unapologetic in her ferocity and refused to let herself be bound by her gender: her determination to be seen as the equal of any man was admirable, especially in today's world. She had a softer, more insecure side that helped balance out her confidence, and I loved how seeing Lada at both her strongest and weakest made her more fleshed out. I didn't really get why she was so feral though, especially as a young child, and her behavior often grated on my nerves. Radu was more intriguing than I'd thought he would be, and what I liked most about him was that he perpetually lay in a gray area: he most definitely had a conscience and was primarily "good," but his cunning and ambition added well needed layers.
Spoiler
I just wish he wasn't so far gone for Mehmed, because that blind devotion and adoration quickly got old.And speaking of Mehmed...I honestly don't know if he's written to be disliked, but I could not stand him. The young Mehmed, the child Lada and Radu first meet who is unsure of himself and wanting a friend desperately, was actually likeable. But for the majority of the novel, I really hated him—I wanted something to make me sympathize with him, to make it harder for me to dislike him, but I found him much less compelling than Radu and Lada. I hated how smug he was, how dismissive he could be of his so-called "friends," and my fervent hope is that Mehmed rots in a deep dark pit. And don't get me started on the romance, because
Spoiler
I couldn't find any romantic love between Mehmed and Lada. A love of friendship and companionship that began in childhood, yes, but they seemed more lustful than anything. The way Mehmed treated Lada mostly as a source of physical pleasure really pissed me off, but I did like that Lada never made things easy for him.The overall writing—the paragraph structure, the phrasing of sentences and White's visceral imagery—was quite enjoyable and had a nice flow. I thought exclamation points were extremely overused though, which made the story feel a little less polished and the characters overly dramatic. And while the writing itself was good, I had major issues with the novel's overall construction. This was a pretty slow book—it meandered, supplying little substance through its action. What action there was I felt disconnected from because of the way White presented it: a week or month or year would pass without much development of events, so while there were sieges and revolts taking place, it was as if these were written in the most passive way possible. And honestly, I never entirely knew what the overall plot was heading toward, what the climax would be.
Frankly, And I Darken wasn't a poor book, but it did underwhelm me in a way I hadn't anticipated. Because I really thought I was going to love this, I was so excited when I finally picked up my copy from the library, and I was already planning to get the second book whenever I could. Despite my problems with the novel, I would like to read the rest of the trilogy at some point (or at least Now I Rise to see if the series gets any better), but I am in no hurry to do so.
Listen, this book had me indifferent in every possible way. I read it. The end. Some how it felt like so much was happening but also nothing. Unnecessarily long really. To be fair there was a lot of politics and dialogue going on throughout the book and that was dreary at best, at some moments this was redeemable by a surprise in the plot but it was bland. The politics of court and the clear splitting of the characters (Radu & Lada specifically) in where their hearts and loyalties lie were amazing and I loved reading about how FERAL Lada was. I enjoyed the writing and White’s world-building was commendable but in essence I felt like I would’ve lost nothing by not reading this book - I’ve attempted to read this 4 TIMES. Each time I get only about 1/2 way through before I put it in a corner or on my bedside table and leave it there for a couple of months. An okay book, intriguing enough to finish the series but by itself - meh. 3 stars.