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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Now I Rise by Kiersten White
3.0
The bloodthirsty Lada the Impaler and her loyal to a fault brother Radu the Handsome are faced with even higher stakes in book two of White's "The Conqueror Saga."
After going against both her beloved brother, Radu, and her sporadic lover, Mehmed, Lada Dracul has failed to acquire the throne of Wallachia. Now, she will do anything it takes to win back the kingdom that is rightfully hers. Even if it means betraying the only allies that have ever been on her side. Unfortunately, brute force alone isn't enough to get Lada everything she wants in life. If only she had her brother by her side. . . But Mehmed has sent Radu to Constantinople as a spy to gain intelligence in hopes of turning the tide of his conquest. In the city of Mehmed's desires, Radu is conflicted in many ways. Where should his loyalty truly lie? With Mehmed, who has only ever used him as a tool, but at least values him as a friend? With his sister Lada, who has also used him time and again to achieve her nefarious schemes? Or the the innocent people of Constantinople, who have done nothing to deserve the bloody deaths that Mehmed's plans for them? Radu has never felt more torn in his life, and it only becomes more messy as he becomes closer to his "enemies" within the cities walls. Both siblings will have to sacrifice much to achieve their ambitions, but are they even fighting for the right things?
White has truly penned a historical masterpiece with this series. However, I just didn't enjoy reading this book nearly as much as the first one. I feel that the majority of the plot just went around in circles as the siblings tried to decide where their true allegiances lie. I understand that war and political alliances are beyond messy and there really isn't another way to write a series like this that isn't sometimes long winded with actions that are seemingly pointless or detrimental in the long run. Personally though, this just isn't my favorite type of book.
One thing I enjoyed about this one is seeing the struggles that Radu and Lada both experienced with their loyalties, sexualities, and life desires. Both siblings want to run back to Mehmed, whom they both desire for various reasons. However, destiny has flung them deep into the path of conquest and they must choose to either fight or die in the complicated webs of war. Lada still struggles with her identity as a woman, but is also starting to learn to cope with it more. There are many plans and tactics that she employs that only function due to her womanhood and she begins to realize that if she was born a man, she probably wouldn't have turned into the fighter that she is today. Radu on the other hand, is still grappling with his forbidden love and is confronted with an entirely different issue of the heart: another man that he can't seem to stop thinking about. I found it interesting to read of Radu's struggle with his feelings and my heart truly goes out to this poor kid. He has already been through so much pain in his life, and the fact that he has fallen for two people who don't return his love is quite tragic for the poor lad. On a side note, I really love the platonic relationship he has with his wife Nazira. It is so sweet and I love the extreme lengths the two of them are willing to go for each other. Of course, this makes Radu's situation even more complicated.
Once again, the historical atmosphere of this series truly takes my breath away. It is so easy to be swept away in White's words and imagine this alternative history that she has created. I'm not a huge history buff, but I can still feel all of the effort that she put into writing this series and I'm astonished by how much research she must have put into Lada, Radu, and Mehmed's story.
Overall, I wish that "Now I Rise" would have been a little less repetitive and that the action would have picked up a tad faster. I still really enjoyed reading about the trio's complicated web of history that they are creating amongst the three of them, but I could feel the book start to drag as I got about halfway through. I'm intrigued to see how this series ends, especially because I know a bit about history and things don't really go all that swell for Lada or Mehmed's real life counterparts. I'm interested to see if Radu can someone skirt his way to a happily ever after or if the author boldly bends history to her whim. However, I think I'm going to take a bit of a break before diving into the next one. These books are long, historical reads and I can already start to feel the burnout. I think I'll enjoy the book more if I pause for a bit and read something else, so that is the course of action I'm going to take.
After going against both her beloved brother, Radu, and her sporadic lover, Mehmed, Lada Dracul has failed to acquire the throne of Wallachia. Now, she will do anything it takes to win back the kingdom that is rightfully hers. Even if it means betraying the only allies that have ever been on her side. Unfortunately, brute force alone isn't enough to get Lada everything she wants in life. If only she had her brother by her side. . . But Mehmed has sent Radu to Constantinople as a spy to gain intelligence in hopes of turning the tide of his conquest. In the city of Mehmed's desires, Radu is conflicted in many ways. Where should his loyalty truly lie? With Mehmed, who has only ever used him as a tool, but at least values him as a friend? With his sister Lada, who has also used him time and again to achieve her nefarious schemes? Or the the innocent people of Constantinople, who have done nothing to deserve the bloody deaths that Mehmed's plans for them? Radu has never felt more torn in his life, and it only becomes more messy as he becomes closer to his "enemies" within the cities walls. Both siblings will have to sacrifice much to achieve their ambitions, but are they even fighting for the right things?
White has truly penned a historical masterpiece with this series. However, I just didn't enjoy reading this book nearly as much as the first one. I feel that the majority of the plot just went around in circles as the siblings tried to decide where their true allegiances lie. I understand that war and political alliances are beyond messy and there really isn't another way to write a series like this that isn't sometimes long winded with actions that are seemingly pointless or detrimental in the long run. Personally though, this just isn't my favorite type of book.
One thing I enjoyed about this one is seeing the struggles that Radu and Lada both experienced with their loyalties, sexualities, and life desires. Both siblings want to run back to Mehmed, whom they both desire for various reasons. However, destiny has flung them deep into the path of conquest and they must choose to either fight or die in the complicated webs of war. Lada still struggles with her identity as a woman, but is also starting to learn to cope with it more. There are many plans and tactics that she employs that only function due to her womanhood and she begins to realize that if she was born a man, she probably wouldn't have turned into the fighter that she is today. Radu on the other hand, is still grappling with his forbidden love and is confronted with an entirely different issue of the heart: another man that he can't seem to stop thinking about. I found it interesting to read of Radu's struggle with his feelings and my heart truly goes out to this poor kid. He has already been through so much pain in his life, and the fact that he has fallen for two people who don't return his love is quite tragic for the poor lad. On a side note, I really love the platonic relationship he has with his wife Nazira. It is so sweet and I love the extreme lengths the two of them are willing to go for each other. Of course, this makes Radu's situation even more complicated.
Once again, the historical atmosphere of this series truly takes my breath away. It is so easy to be swept away in White's words and imagine this alternative history that she has created. I'm not a huge history buff, but I can still feel all of the effort that she put into writing this series and I'm astonished by how much research she must have put into Lada, Radu, and Mehmed's story.
Overall, I wish that "Now I Rise" would have been a little less repetitive and that the action would have picked up a tad faster. I still really enjoyed reading about the trio's complicated web of history that they are creating amongst the three of them, but I could feel the book start to drag as I got about halfway through. I'm intrigued to see how this series ends, especially because I know a bit about history and things don't really go all that swell for Lada or Mehmed's real life counterparts. I'm interested to see if Radu can someone skirt his way to a happily ever after or if the author boldly bends history to her whim. However, I think I'm going to take a bit of a break before diving into the next one. These books are long, historical reads and I can already start to feel the burnout. I think I'll enjoy the book more if I pause for a bit and read something else, so that is the course of action I'm going to take.