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A review by charspages
And I Darken by Kiersten White
4.0
"And I Darken" was everything I expected and so much more.
Finishing this book left me with the burning desire to know more and the sweet, familiar chest ache of finishing a book that has been nothing short of extraordinary so far. It rekindled my love for reading YA from barely glowing embers to a small, homely fire, now flickering away in its hearth where there used to be only ashes and dust.
And yet, it wasn't quite 5-star-worthy for me. But let's take a closer look:
PLOT: 3 / 5
There were many things I loved about this book, and some that threw me off. Since I never read the blurb, I went into this completely unawares of what I was about to read. In most cases, this approach doesn't prove to be a problem at all, but I would not recommend it for AID.
First off it would be good to know that this is a retelling of Vlad the Impaler, who was a famous vaivode of Wallachia (a region in southeastern Europe, today also known as Romania.) Vlad the Impaler is better known as Vlad Dracul and served as inspiration for the famous Dracula by Bram Stoker. Vlad Dracul was infamous for killing enormous numbers of men through impaling, hence the fun nickname.
Now, if I had known this before reading the book, I would have probably been able to sit back, relax, and let myself be absorbed by the story. Because I didn't do my research, though, I spent the first eighty pages confused and desperately trying to figure out who was who.
There are a lot of books you can read without having any prior knowledge about anything, but "And I Darken" is not one of them.
It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out the power structures and titles, so if you want to save yourself some time and frustration, look up the political structures of Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire, ca. 1435, before you start reading. There is a glossary at the end of the book, explaining the most important characters and vocabulary, but if you're like me, you won't stumble across it until you've already read the entire book. If you don't know what words like beylerbey, boyar, Janissary, or vaivode mean, you're probably better off looking them up beforehand.
Another thing that surprised me was that AID follows a rather slow pace, picking up the story at the very beginning with our protagonist Lada's birth. That’s right: this is a retelling of a female Vlad Dracul, and it rocks.
In between time jumps, the reader gets to follow Lada and her brother Radu as they spend their childhood in Wallachia, before being torn away from home and brought to the Ottoman courts, a strange place filled with stranger people. For a good portion of the book, you just get to sit back and examine Lada and Radu figuring out the dynamics in this strange new world and their place in it - meaning: for the most part, this book feels like an introduction rather than an action sequence.
Thankfully, Kiersten White understands using plot twists expertly, throwing them in whenever the story threatens to grind to a screeching halt. There is always just enough suspense to keep you reading one more chapter.
Overall, And I Darken reads a little like a 400-page prologue, slowly easing the reader into its world and power dynamics. There's considerably less action than you'd find in another novel of the same genre, but it lays a solid foundation for the next two books. And even if it took me almost 200 pages to be absorbed in the story completely, once I'd figured out the basics of who the characters were and what their general job was, I got completely lost between the 475 pages of intricate court intrigues and powerfully worded sentences.
CHARACTERS: 5 / 5
I've read books by Kiersten White before, but that was a long time ago and a completely different type of story. I loved her Paranormalcy-series a lot because she had one thing going for her most authors struggle with: a cast of authentic, realistic, and likable characters.
This has not changed. Kiersten White's biggest strength is creating characters that feel so real, you almost expect them to end up sitting next to you on the couch when you look up from the book. They are equal parts likable and flawed, with traits that help them, save them, make everything worse, hurt them - simply put, traits that real human beings possess.
Let's talk about LADA, for instance.
Vladislav Dracula, the Daughter of the Dragon - she is a force to be reckoned with. The idea of rewriting Vlad the Impaler as a girl is, in itself, a genius one - and Kiersten White executes it perfectly.
"Let her be strong. Let her be sly. And let her be ugly."
These words capture Lada's character in a nutshell - she is clever, a strategic and skilled fighter; she is fierce and often resorts to violence; and she is not beautiful. This was a component that I, personally, adored, solely because 99 % of bookish heroines are unbearably beautiful, even if they might not see it for themselves.
Lada, however, is not beautiful at all - she is admired because of her fierceness, her smart and quick responses, her truly intimidating attitude; but never for her beauty. There is no need for her to be beautiful, and she is valued, loved, and cared for nonetheless, without anyone ever reassuring her that "oh, Lada, but you are pretty" - her looks simply don't matter, which is a refreshing take.
Lada is not, however, my favorite character by a long shot.
She is clever, and violent, and fiercely protective of her younger brother Radu, but I did find it extremely difficult to like her at times. While I loved that Lada could kick ass on her own and was almost always the dominant force in her interactions with men, I detested how mean she could be. There was no need to treat Radu with all the harshness, sometimes even hostility, that she showed him more than once. She might have protected him, but she probably also caused a lot of psychological damage.
Another thing about her that didn't sit quite right with me is the fact that, while Lada is striving for independence and power, her entire life is still centered around men.
Her disdain for women is, though understandable due to her upbringing, another aspect I found very tiring. Lada looks down on all the women she meets, thinking them weak, docile, stupid, and boring. There is a not a single female in her vicinity whom she likes or is on friendly terms with.
I would very much like to see a female main character who doesn't hate all other girls and is still a badass just once - is that really too much to ask?
Lada is also an extremely selfish character, which is realistic, but not necessarily likable. Kiersten White managed to craft a female protagonist so intricate that it's really just circumstantial whether you like her or not, as it is with almost every real life person you meet. Overall, Lada is a great character, but sometimes you just want to kick her.
The prize for favorite character goes, without a doubt, to RADU - what a beautiful boy.
Radu is everything Lada is not: pretty, soft, and careful, bordering on timid; he's emotional and empathetic, cries easily and avoids pain. But he is also extremely smart, with a mind quick as Lada's daggers, and displays a certain ruthlessness when it comes to pulling secrets and trust from powerful people like water from a well.
While Lada fights with hands, teeth, and steel, Radu's battlefield is situated in the throne rooms and the homes of the rich and powerful, and his weapons are his words and his trust-worthy smile.
If you know me, you'll know that soft characters are literally my favorite thing in the world - I don't care for all the steel and armor, for characters that are dark and spitting venom; I care for those with kind hearts and warm eyes, those who make the world a little bit brighter.
Radu is such a character, so it wasn't difficult to see who would be my favorite.
But Kiersten White is a master at luring you into a false sense of peace and happiness before stabbing you in the back with plot twists that ruin everything, including your mascara.
One of these plot twists was the relationship between Lada and Mehmed.
I have not talked about MEHMED yet, but that's only because I started disliking him Mehmed is the son of Murad, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and he befriends Lada and Radu during the years they are being held hostage in Edirne to ensure their father's compliance. Their little trio is a beautiful depiction of real friendship that runs so deep you can feel yourself longing for something similar,
I would have loved for the characters to maintain their close bond even through all the hardships they experienced, and for once - just once - to have the gay character end up happy instead of heartbreakingly miserable, which directly impacts my next review point:
DIVERSITY: 4 / 5
I rooted for Radu and Mehmed so hard. A main gay character! And wonderful LGBTQ+ side characters, too! My heart hurt with happiness - and then Lada and Mehmed kissed.
Now, let's take a quick look at history:
Legend has it that Vlad the Impaler had a younger brother named Radu, widely known as Radu the Handsome. He was said to be extremely good-looking, and Vlad detested him. The Ottoman Empire did, in fact, take Vlad and Radu as prisoners - but Mehmed, the sultan's son, was said to fall extremely hard for Radu's pretty eyes. Historically, it is believed that Mehmed and Radu were both gay and became lovers.
There is no sign of this in Kiersten White's rewritten version of the story. While both Lada and Radu fall in love with Mehmed, he has eyes for only one of them - and it's not Radu.
That was the point in the novel that I found extremely upsetting. I had been rooting for Radu and Mehmed long before it was revealed that Radu was gay, and having your OTP crushed sucks. But this is about more than just my OTP.
This is about writing a historically gay character as straight.
My problem with it is this: there is very little LGBTQ+ representation in media as it is. Most characters are stereotypes, unhappy, or die within two minutes. Sure, the amount of representation has been increasing recently, but it's still quite little and often negative representation at that. There are a lot of historic figures who were probably LGBTQ+, but have been portrayed as straight later - queer erasure is rampant everywhere. And Kiersten White went right along with it.
When Lada and Mehmed kissed, I recognized the scene as very beautifully written, but it was kind of hard to focus on that when my heart was being ripped into a billion and a half pieces. At one point, I got so upset with the book that I had to put it down for a couple of days because Radu's suffering had me in a chokehold. Yes, it's always a good sign when you emotionally react to a book, but this time, my emotional reaction came from disappointment and anger - seeing the character who resembles you not get a happy ending is like a punch to the face. As is rewriting LGBTQ+ characters as straight, effectively erasing their sexuality.
I'm putting my hopes in the next two books; maybe Radu will turn out happy, after all. God knows he deserves it.
Other than that, the story is also quite diverse in the sense that it takes place in an unusual setting - the Ottoman Empire - thus portraying people of color, such as Mehmed, as the main characters. It also touches a lot on Islam, questioning your faith, and converting, which I found refreshing to read about; it was a novel experience, a topic I hadn't read about before, and fit into the story quite well.
WORLD BUILDING: 5 / 5
There's not much to say about Kiersten White's worldbuilding except that it is excellent.
Her exquisite descriptions and ability to throw in just enough detail made me feel like I was inside the book more than once. Two of my favorite scenes (Lada on top of the mountain, page 24, & Mehmed and Radu in the bathroom, page 155) relied heavily on setting and atmosphere, which White portrayed beautifully at all times:
"Her heart pounded as she looked down at the Arges, now a tiny stream, and the village, mere pebbles for homes. The sun crested the opposite peaks, falling directly on her. It turned the motes in the air to gold, and the mist into brilliant rainbow droplets. A spiky purple flower growing in the old foundation caught her eye. She plucked it, holding it to the light, then pressed it to her cheek."
Can't you just taste the mountain air, smell the purple flower, feel the sun warm the skin on your back when you read this? I most definitely can.
WRITING STYLE: 5 / 5
There's nothing I need to say about this other than: Kiersten White's style is like a comforting hug on some pages, like a punch to the guts the next. It is cold and ruthless as winter, soft and hopeful as spring, tense and scorching as summer, dreamy and dark as autumn. Phrasing-wise, this book is a masterpiece.
Just take a look at how the scene from above continues:
"A sort of rapture descended on her, a knowledge that this moment, this mountain, this sun, were designed for her. (...) It was Wallachia - her land, her mother -greeting her. This was how church was supposed to feel. She had never experienced the divine spirit within a church's walls, but on this peak, in this countryside, she felt peace and purpose and belonging. This was the Glory of God.
This was Wallachia.
This was hers."
I mean, I could say I wasn't tearing up a little at how beautiful Kiersten White's phrasing is, but I'd straight up be lying. There are so many moments in this story that made my chest ache because they were just so beautifully written.
For good measure, have a look at my all-time favorite scene from the entire book:
"Mehmed put a hand on his shoulder, the weight of it there both a comfort and a strange thrill. It made Radu feel real in a way he often struggled to. 'It will work itself out,' Mehmed said. (...) 'The last few weeks have changed my mind. I want this. I think I can be the sultan.' (...)
'I think,' Radu said, putting his own hand on Mehmed's shoulder, 'you will be the greatest sultan your people have ever seen.'
'Lada does not believe in me.' Mehmed's mouth twisted wryly. 'She believes in no one but herself.'
Radu shook his head, so aware of the space between them, the water connecting their bodies. He felt secure and happy and closer to Mehmed in this moment than he had ever felt to anyone. 'I believe in you enough for both of us.'"
This scene gives me goosebumps every time! The raw intensity of it, the tension, the gorgeous image Kiersten crafted - I would just love to paint this moment, but sadly, I'd butcher it. So I'll stick to writing reviews instead.
OVERALL RATING: 4 / 5
Other than the burning disappointment about Radu's fate and the slightly confusing beginning, I can earnestly say that I've enjoyed reading this book tremendously. It may be quite slow-paced, especially in the beginning and during some filler chapters, but it's slow like honey, not like a traffic jam. I did not mind the moderate pacing of the action, but rather found myself enjoying it.
Of course, I have fallen 101 % in love with Kiersten White's beautiful phrasing. Her sentences are intricate, with an earthy, colorful choice of words, and every letter arranged precisely where it should be. This beautiful style of writing falls a little flat during the fight and other action scenes, but since those weren't the focus of the story, it doesn't matter too much.
Furthermore, And I Darken touches on many important subjects, some more than others: sexual assault, the social roles and (nearly non-existent) value of women, the extreme desire of not wanting to be a woman because they are viewed as less. (Sadly, I do not have enough space left to dive into those aspects during this review.) Lada is a refreshing and relatable heroine, and many of those important subjects are brought up over the course of the novel's 475 pages.
I also absolutely adored the breaking of gender roles, which was executed flawlessly: Lada, the girl, as a vicious, sometimes cruel, fighter, with dirt in her mouth and fire in her eyes, and Radu, the boy, as a pretty, soft-spoken, emotional sweetheart who shies away from violence and coarse language.
It is safe to say that Kiersten White has written a novel unlike any I've read before, with rich language and richer characters. She evokes all kinds of emotions with her writing, and you feel for and with the characters throughout the entire story. Her novel does have some downsides, such as the confusing power structures and the slow pacing, but it has laid a solid foundation for the series.
I am excited to see what kind of castle White will build on it with the next two books, and I can whole-heartedly recommend And I Darken to anyone who loves intricate and complex stories that play a lot into intrigues and schemes, with highly likable characters and a fantastic, new setting.
Finishing this book left me with the burning desire to know more and the sweet, familiar chest ache of finishing a book that has been nothing short of extraordinary so far. It rekindled my love for reading YA from barely glowing embers to a small, homely fire, now flickering away in its hearth where there used to be only ashes and dust.
And yet, it wasn't quite 5-star-worthy for me. But let's take a closer look:
PLOT: 3 / 5
There were many things I loved about this book, and some that threw me off. Since I never read the blurb, I went into this completely unawares of what I was about to read. In most cases, this approach doesn't prove to be a problem at all, but I would not recommend it for AID.
First off it would be good to know that this is a retelling of Vlad the Impaler, who was a famous vaivode of Wallachia (a region in southeastern Europe, today also known as Romania.) Vlad the Impaler is better known as Vlad Dracul and served as inspiration for the famous Dracula by Bram Stoker. Vlad Dracul was infamous for killing enormous numbers of men through impaling, hence the fun nickname.
Now, if I had known this before reading the book, I would have probably been able to sit back, relax, and let myself be absorbed by the story. Because I didn't do my research, though, I spent the first eighty pages confused and desperately trying to figure out who was who.
There are a lot of books you can read without having any prior knowledge about anything, but "And I Darken" is not one of them.
It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out the power structures and titles, so if you want to save yourself some time and frustration, look up the political structures of Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire, ca. 1435, before you start reading. There is a glossary at the end of the book, explaining the most important characters and vocabulary, but if you're like me, you won't stumble across it until you've already read the entire book. If you don't know what words like beylerbey, boyar, Janissary, or vaivode mean, you're probably better off looking them up beforehand.
Another thing that surprised me was that AID follows a rather slow pace, picking up the story at the very beginning with our protagonist Lada's birth. That’s right: this is a retelling of a female Vlad Dracul, and it rocks.
In between time jumps, the reader gets to follow Lada and her brother Radu as they spend their childhood in Wallachia, before being torn away from home and brought to the Ottoman courts, a strange place filled with stranger people. For a good portion of the book, you just get to sit back and examine Lada and Radu figuring out the dynamics in this strange new world and their place in it - meaning: for the most part, this book feels like an introduction rather than an action sequence.
Thankfully, Kiersten White understands using plot twists expertly, throwing them in whenever the story threatens to grind to a screeching halt. There is always just enough suspense to keep you reading one more chapter.
Overall, And I Darken reads a little like a 400-page prologue, slowly easing the reader into its world and power dynamics. There's considerably less action than you'd find in another novel of the same genre, but it lays a solid foundation for the next two books. And even if it took me almost 200 pages to be absorbed in the story completely, once I'd figured out the basics of who the characters were and what their general job was, I got completely lost between the 475 pages of intricate court intrigues and powerfully worded sentences.
CHARACTERS: 5 / 5
I've read books by Kiersten White before, but that was a long time ago and a completely different type of story. I loved her Paranormalcy-series a lot because she had one thing going for her most authors struggle with: a cast of authentic, realistic, and likable characters.
This has not changed. Kiersten White's biggest strength is creating characters that feel so real, you almost expect them to end up sitting next to you on the couch when you look up from the book. They are equal parts likable and flawed, with traits that help them, save them, make everything worse, hurt them - simply put, traits that real human beings possess.
Let's talk about LADA, for instance.
Vladislav Dracula, the Daughter of the Dragon - she is a force to be reckoned with. The idea of rewriting Vlad the Impaler as a girl is, in itself, a genius one - and Kiersten White executes it perfectly.
"Let her be strong. Let her be sly. And let her be ugly."
These words capture Lada's character in a nutshell - she is clever, a strategic and skilled fighter; she is fierce and often resorts to violence; and she is not beautiful. This was a component that I, personally, adored, solely because 99 % of bookish heroines are unbearably beautiful, even if they might not see it for themselves.
Lada, however, is not beautiful at all - she is admired because of her fierceness, her smart and quick responses, her truly intimidating attitude; but never for her beauty. There is no need for her to be beautiful, and she is valued, loved, and cared for nonetheless, without anyone ever reassuring her that "oh, Lada, but you are pretty" - her looks simply don't matter, which is a refreshing take.
Lada is not, however, my favorite character by a long shot.
She is clever, and violent, and fiercely protective of her younger brother Radu, but I did find it extremely difficult to like her at times. While I loved that Lada could kick ass on her own and was almost always the dominant force in her interactions with men, I detested how mean she could be. There was no need to treat Radu with all the harshness, sometimes even hostility, that she showed him more than once. She might have protected him, but she probably also caused a lot of psychological damage.
Spoiler
Getting beat up while your sister watches and says repeatedly she doesn't care about what happens to you may be a strategic power move, but surely it’s going to fuck with your head a little.Another thing about her that didn't sit quite right with me is the fact that, while Lada is striving for independence and power, her entire life is still centered around men.
Spoiler
First, she craves her father's approval and love. Then she becomes the protector of her brother Radu. Lastly, she falls in love with Mehmed, changing her entire life to protect and serve the sultan. I would've liked her an awful lot better if she hadn't been so centered around the men in her life and maintained that casually cool demeanor.Her disdain for women is, though understandable due to her upbringing, another aspect I found very tiring. Lada looks down on all the women she meets, thinking them weak, docile, stupid, and boring. There is a not a single female in her vicinity whom she likes or is on friendly terms with.
I would very much like to see a female main character who doesn't hate all other girls and is still a badass just once - is that really too much to ask?
Lada is also an extremely selfish character, which is realistic, but not necessarily likable. Kiersten White managed to craft a female protagonist so intricate that it's really just circumstantial whether you like her or not, as it is with almost every real life person you meet. Overall, Lada is a great character, but sometimes you just want to kick her.
The prize for favorite character goes, without a doubt, to RADU - what a beautiful boy.
Radu is everything Lada is not: pretty, soft, and careful, bordering on timid; he's emotional and empathetic, cries easily and avoids pain. But he is also extremely smart, with a mind quick as Lada's daggers, and displays a certain ruthlessness when it comes to pulling secrets and trust from powerful people like water from a well.
While Lada fights with hands, teeth, and steel, Radu's battlefield is situated in the throne rooms and the homes of the rich and powerful, and his weapons are his words and his trust-worthy smile.
If you know me, you'll know that soft characters are literally my favorite thing in the world - I don't care for all the steel and armor, for characters that are dark and spitting venom; I care for those with kind hearts and warm eyes, those who make the world a little bit brighter.
Radu is such a character, so it wasn't difficult to see who would be my favorite.
Spoiler
There is another reason why I resonate so deeply with Radu: I have always demonstrated an uncanny ability of picking those characters as my favorites that later turn out to be LGBTQ+. And, yes, plot twist: Radu is gay, which I knew way before he did. He ends up falling in love with Mehmed, and there's a certain, beautifully worded bathroom scene that makes you think that maybe, Mehmed might be a little in love, too.But Kiersten White is a master at luring you into a false sense of peace and happiness before stabbing you in the back with plot twists that ruin everything, including your mascara.
One of these plot twists was the relationship between Lada and Mehmed.
I have not talked about MEHMED yet, but that's only because I started disliking him
Spoiler
once he began dating Lada.Spoiler
but then it all falls apart when both Lada and Radu fall in love with Mehmed.I would have loved for the characters to maintain their close bond even through all the hardships they experienced, and for once - just once - to have the gay character end up happy instead of heartbreakingly miserable, which directly impacts my next review point:
DIVERSITY: 4 / 5
Spoiler
My excitement at finding a gay narrator with an integral role in the story was literally off the charts. My favorite character! Similar to me! It felt like Christmas and every birthday you've ever had all together.I rooted for Radu and Mehmed so hard. A main gay character! And wonderful LGBTQ+ side characters, too! My heart hurt with happiness - and then Lada and Mehmed kissed.
Now, let's take a quick look at history:
Legend has it that Vlad the Impaler had a younger brother named Radu, widely known as Radu the Handsome. He was said to be extremely good-looking, and Vlad detested him. The Ottoman Empire did, in fact, take Vlad and Radu as prisoners - but Mehmed, the sultan's son, was said to fall extremely hard for Radu's pretty eyes. Historically, it is believed that Mehmed and Radu were both gay and became lovers.
There is no sign of this in Kiersten White's rewritten version of the story. While both Lada and Radu fall in love with Mehmed, he has eyes for only one of them - and it's not Radu.
That was the point in the novel that I found extremely upsetting. I had been rooting for Radu and Mehmed long before it was revealed that Radu was gay, and having your OTP crushed sucks. But this is about more than just my OTP.
This is about writing a historically gay character as straight.
My problem with it is this: there is very little LGBTQ+ representation in media as it is. Most characters are stereotypes, unhappy, or die within two minutes. Sure, the amount of representation has been increasing recently, but it's still quite little and often negative representation at that. There are a lot of historic figures who were probably LGBTQ+, but have been portrayed as straight later - queer erasure is rampant everywhere. And Kiersten White went right along with it.
When Lada and Mehmed kissed, I recognized the scene as very beautifully written, but it was kind of hard to focus on that when my heart was being ripped into a billion and a half pieces. At one point, I got so upset with the book that I had to put it down for a couple of days because Radu's suffering had me in a chokehold. Yes, it's always a good sign when you emotionally react to a book, but this time, my emotional reaction came from disappointment and anger - seeing the character who resembles you not get a happy ending is like a punch to the face. As is rewriting LGBTQ+ characters as straight, effectively erasing their sexuality.
I'm putting my hopes in the next two books; maybe Radu will turn out happy, after all. God knows he deserves it.
Other than that, the story is also quite diverse in the sense that it takes place in an unusual setting - the Ottoman Empire - thus portraying people of color, such as Mehmed, as the main characters. It also touches a lot on Islam, questioning your faith, and converting, which I found refreshing to read about; it was a novel experience, a topic I hadn't read about before, and fit into the story quite well.
WORLD BUILDING: 5 / 5
There's not much to say about Kiersten White's worldbuilding except that it is excellent.
Her exquisite descriptions and ability to throw in just enough detail made me feel like I was inside the book more than once. Two of my favorite scenes (Lada on top of the mountain, page 24, & Mehmed and Radu in the bathroom, page 155) relied heavily on setting and atmosphere, which White portrayed beautifully at all times:
"Her heart pounded as she looked down at the Arges, now a tiny stream, and the village, mere pebbles for homes. The sun crested the opposite peaks, falling directly on her. It turned the motes in the air to gold, and the mist into brilliant rainbow droplets. A spiky purple flower growing in the old foundation caught her eye. She plucked it, holding it to the light, then pressed it to her cheek."
Can't you just taste the mountain air, smell the purple flower, feel the sun warm the skin on your back when you read this? I most definitely can.
WRITING STYLE: 5 / 5
There's nothing I need to say about this other than: Kiersten White's style is like a comforting hug on some pages, like a punch to the guts the next. It is cold and ruthless as winter, soft and hopeful as spring, tense and scorching as summer, dreamy and dark as autumn. Phrasing-wise, this book is a masterpiece.
Just take a look at how the scene from above continues:
"A sort of rapture descended on her, a knowledge that this moment, this mountain, this sun, were designed for her. (...) It was Wallachia - her land, her mother -greeting her. This was how church was supposed to feel. She had never experienced the divine spirit within a church's walls, but on this peak, in this countryside, she felt peace and purpose and belonging. This was the Glory of God.
This was Wallachia.
This was hers."
I mean, I could say I wasn't tearing up a little at how beautiful Kiersten White's phrasing is, but I'd straight up be lying. There are so many moments in this story that made my chest ache because they were just so beautifully written.
For good measure, have a look at my all-time favorite scene from the entire book:
"Mehmed put a hand on his shoulder, the weight of it there both a comfort and a strange thrill. It made Radu feel real in a way he often struggled to. 'It will work itself out,' Mehmed said. (...) 'The last few weeks have changed my mind. I want this. I think I can be the sultan.' (...)
'I think,' Radu said, putting his own hand on Mehmed's shoulder, 'you will be the greatest sultan your people have ever seen.'
'Lada does not believe in me.' Mehmed's mouth twisted wryly. 'She believes in no one but herself.'
Radu shook his head, so aware of the space between them, the water connecting their bodies. He felt secure and happy and closer to Mehmed in this moment than he had ever felt to anyone. 'I believe in you enough for both of us.'"
This scene gives me goosebumps every time! The raw intensity of it, the tension, the gorgeous image Kiersten crafted - I would just love to paint this moment, but sadly, I'd butcher it. So I'll stick to writing reviews instead.
OVERALL RATING: 4 / 5
Other than the burning disappointment about Radu's fate and the slightly confusing beginning, I can earnestly say that I've enjoyed reading this book tremendously. It may be quite slow-paced, especially in the beginning and during some filler chapters, but it's slow like honey, not like a traffic jam. I did not mind the moderate pacing of the action, but rather found myself enjoying it.
Of course, I have fallen 101 % in love with Kiersten White's beautiful phrasing. Her sentences are intricate, with an earthy, colorful choice of words, and every letter arranged precisely where it should be. This beautiful style of writing falls a little flat during the fight and other action scenes, but since those weren't the focus of the story, it doesn't matter too much.
Furthermore, And I Darken touches on many important subjects, some more than others: sexual assault, the social roles and (nearly non-existent) value of women, the extreme desire of not wanting to be a woman because they are viewed as less. (Sadly, I do not have enough space left to dive into those aspects during this review.) Lada is a refreshing and relatable heroine, and many of those important subjects are brought up over the course of the novel's 475 pages.
I also absolutely adored the breaking of gender roles, which was executed flawlessly: Lada, the girl, as a vicious, sometimes cruel, fighter, with dirt in her mouth and fire in her eyes, and Radu, the boy, as a pretty, soft-spoken, emotional sweetheart who shies away from violence and coarse language.
It is safe to say that Kiersten White has written a novel unlike any I've read before, with rich language and richer characters. She evokes all kinds of emotions with her writing, and you feel for and with the characters throughout the entire story. Her novel does have some downsides, such as the confusing power structures and the slow pacing, but it has laid a solid foundation for the series.
I am excited to see what kind of castle White will build on it with the next two books, and I can whole-heartedly recommend And I Darken to anyone who loves intricate and complex stories that play a lot into intrigues and schemes, with highly likable characters and a fantastic, new setting.