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amylongtin15 's review for:
And I Darken
by Kiersten White
If I had one word to describe this book it would be; REFRESHING. And I would consider you a fool if you do not pick this book up and read it in June.
I really enjoyed this book even though it wasn't what I quite expected from the cover and the summary on the back. The characters were exciting, but the setting was my favorite part of this novel. And I Darken was the first book that I've read that is set in the 1400's Ottoman Empire. This book was so unique that you feel like you've found something you never knew you needed. We need more YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy. I'm tired of the WWII books, I want more medieval ones with strong characters and a conflict that we haven't read about hundreds of times. But enough of that. There were some things about this book that I did not love. There were many times throughout this novel when I sat back and wondered, "where is this story going?". The goal that they were trying to accomplish was often unclear. The other thing that bugged me a bit was that the characters never seemed to act their own age. Lada and Radu were able to create battle strategies and develop conspiracy theories at ages 12-14, but were at a loss for ideas at aged 15-17.
The characters were a lot of fun, but often childish. Lada was a very refreshing female character. She was completely ruthless. She would use any method to take down her target; bitting, scratching, impaling, etc. And I want to give Kiersten White a hat tip for making her a physically unappealing character. Lada did not have boys dropping to her feet left and right to praise her beauty. Instead she was told that she should have been born a man, so that she could gain the respect she desired. I have mixed feelings about Lada's younger brother, Radu. He was cute as a little kid, but once he grew up he got a bit annoying. In my opinion he needed to get his tail out from between his legs and stand up straight ;).
Four Stars!
I really enjoyed this book even though it wasn't what I quite expected from the cover and the summary on the back. The characters were exciting, but the setting was my favorite part of this novel. And I Darken was the first book that I've read that is set in the 1400's Ottoman Empire. This book was so unique that you feel like you've found something you never knew you needed. We need more YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy. I'm tired of the WWII books, I want more medieval ones with strong characters and a conflict that we haven't read about hundreds of times. But enough of that. There were some things about this book that I did not love. There were many times throughout this novel when I sat back and wondered, "where is this story going?". The goal that they were trying to accomplish was often unclear. The other thing that bugged me a bit was that the characters never seemed to act their own age. Lada and Radu were able to create battle strategies and develop conspiracy theories at ages 12-14, but were at a loss for ideas at aged 15-17.
The characters were a lot of fun, but often childish. Lada was a very refreshing female character. She was completely ruthless. She would use any method to take down her target; bitting, scratching, impaling, etc. And I want to give Kiersten White a hat tip for making her a physically unappealing character. Lada did not have boys dropping to her feet left and right to praise her beauty. Instead she was told that she should have been born a man, so that she could gain the respect she desired. I have mixed feelings about Lada's younger brother, Radu. He was cute as a little kid, but once he grew up he got a bit annoying. In my opinion he needed to get his tail out from between his legs and stand up straight ;).
Four Stars!