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morganameridius 's review for:
And I Darken
by Kiersten White
4.5 stars rounding up to 5. I thought And I Darken was incredible. I'll go into more detail in my blog review but I thought this was amazing alternate history because it felt SO real. The details of the countries, the people, the religions, the politics. It was all so very well done. And the characters! Oh my god. From the opening pages, you are painted a very stark picture of brutal Lada and her scared little brother Radu. But as with any good story there are layers and twists in every relationship. It's all so complicated in the best way, sometimes loving and sometimes toxic. The story is definitely slower paced but not boring; this is a long haul kind of story and we're setting the scene. The political machinations, the attention paid to religion, and the moral grayness of characters, the sometimes Machiavellian attitudes, really do bring A Game of Thrones to mind. Every action has a reaction. I also loved the diversity in every aspect, from culture (Turkish/Wallachian/Ottoman/etc) to religion (I learned a lot about Islam!) to sexuality (an unexpected but very welcome surprise). Everything was woven into the story seamlessly. I can't say enough about the writing, I thought it was wonderful. White really knows how to weave a complicated web. There are also some excellent kisses, a few ships, and some complicated romance, though not in the way you might expect (the sultan's harem, for example). It was also interesting to watch how Lada and Radu's characters shifted over time, learning to soften and strengthen in turn. The book faltered slightly in the middle just because it is a looong book and it can't keep up the pacing the whole time. But I can't wait to follow Lada, Radu, and Mehmed and see how their lives intertwine; loyalty (to family, to yourself, to your country) are big themes throughout. If you love historical fiction, and a lot of political cleverness mixed with action, violence, and romance in a non-Western setting, you need this book.