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And I Darken Kiersten White Books

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And I Darken Kiersten White Books

I was just posting in a Historical Fiction group that the world needed more non-Western European historical fantasies. And guess what? Kiersten White's got a good one right here for you, folks.

Ottoman empire and the Draculas! If you liked Rae Dawn Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns or Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn or Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days you should definitely check out this series. (although it's not a Scheherezade retelling, but definitely non-Western European in focus)

Historically, Vlad Dracul and his brother, Radu the Handsome, spent time as child hostages under an Ottoman Sultan. In this book, White reimagines Vlad as a girl-- Lada Dragwlya-- who becomes an aggressive, fighting tomboy to get the attention first of her father and second to survive the Ottoman court.

Only this is a YA love story, albeit with excellent historical context and political details of the times, and the story is just as much about Lada's brother, Radu, and the Sultan's son, Mehmed. The three of them form a complicated emotional tangle of love, resentment, and fear. And the ever present danger Lada and Radu face due to their hostage status keeps you reading just as much as the question of how these three passionate and emotionally wounded people will manage to live with each other.

The press says "AND I DARKEN—the series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. " And while there's a bit of gory blood, a off-screen reference to Mehmed and his harem, there's nothing onscreen but some kissing a bit of heavy petting to keep it out of older YA hands. Definitely not as crazy as Game of Thrones, yet somehow more compelling because of its historical basis. I'm about to go get myself the sequel.


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And I Darken Kiersten White Books Reviews

Pleasantly surprised, though not at all what I was expecting it to be. I’ll be honest, I preordered this one for its beautiful cover and was hooked by the first few pages of the sample.

I love the idea of gender swapping Vlad for Lada. She’s ruthless as a child. However, as she gets older there’s a bit of a lull where her character starts to change because of a potential romance building. I think this tenderness takes away from the unlovable Lada, who the readers are hooked by in the beginning. I’m hoping book two brings back her fiery passion, the unrelenting princess–since, in the end, she’s decided to sacrifice the one thing that might have tamed her.

I didn’t enjoy Radu nearly as much as Lada, though I did appreciate the feelings he develops for a man close to him. I thought this conflict added great tension to the story and pushed Radu to be braver and stronger.

There’s nothing I didn’t like about the author’s writing style. However, there were times the pacing slows, and I skipped full paragraphs of drawn-out explanations or backstory, which I would have cut out completely.

Overall, the writing is fantastic, the story is unique, the title is badass and so is the main character. I’ll be purchasing the second book (and repurchasing this one since it’s full of sand and salt water from the beach).
Gender-swapped Vlad the Impaler. Do you need to know more? And I Darken is the story of Lada, a Princess of Wallachia who falls into the hands of the Ottoman Empire along with her brother. Held hostage to ensure cooperation they plan their escape to freedom.

This book was long. So long. Almost 500 pages. And you feel it. Fast paced? Not so much. This isn't a light paranormal YA that it might first appear to be. It is more along the lines of a dense historical, political drama. It probably took me six times longer to read it than other books of the same length because it dragged. Year pass, politics happen, and events unfold in slow motion. I thought that it was going to be incredibly gory as well. It is a Dracula retelling. There is violence but most of it is implied, and even the scenes of torture have a dispassionate tone that robs them of their horror.

I am a bit torn about Lada. I love that streak of vicious practicality. There are very few female characters who break things down the way that she does. She finds her ultimate long-term goal and is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to get to it. Deliberately. The betrayals and deaths aren't accidents that just happen to come about. She carefully plans them to meet her own ends needs. She is a bit like the proverbial wolf gnawing away at a leg to get free of a trap. The loss of the limb is painful and might cause the animal to bleed out, but all they see is the ultimate goal.

When reading a character like this, it is impossible to get away from "likability". Yes, that old foe of powerful women raises its head yet again. Lada is unlikable. There, I said it. I wouldn't want to be her friend, and she flirts along the edge of being an antihero. She isn't sympathetic. I don't care. Whatever she did, I found understandable, and I wanted her to succeed. I mean, I also want to get her some therapy because she is emotionally constipated, but that is just the teacher in me.

I love Radu. Radu was likable. In fact, he is so likable that Radu liking Lada in the early parts of the book is one of the few reasons for liking Lada. Radu uses this as his weapon. The ability to make other trust and love him becomes a blade in his hand. He used it to get what he needs. Information, influence, and loyalty. In his way, he is just as ruthless and cold-blooded as Lada. For example, at the beginning of the book, he is bullied and manages to get revenge after months of planning using a servant boy whom he befriends to manipulate. It turned out well for the serving boy, but Radu still manipulates him. I liked this because I think that often people who are soft and lovable do this unconsciously. We all use the tools we have available.

If you like historical fiction, antiheroes, and a unique setting then And I Darken should go on your TBR right this minute.
I was just posting in a Historical Fiction group that the world needed more non-Western European historical fantasies. And guess what? Kiersten White's got a good one right here for you, folks.

Ottoman empire and the Draculas! If you liked Rae Dawn Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns or Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn or Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days you should definitely check out this series. (although it's not a Scheherezade retelling, but definitely non-Western European in focus)

Historically, Vlad Dracul and his brother, Radu the Handsome, spent time as child hostages under an Ottoman Sultan. In this book, White reimagines Vlad as a girl-- Lada Dragwlya-- who becomes an aggressive, fighting tomboy to get the attention first of her father and second to survive the Ottoman court.

Only this is a YA love story, albeit with excellent historical context and political details of the times, and the story is just as much about Lada's brother, Radu, and the Sultan's son, Mehmed. The three of them form a complicated emotional tangle of love, resentment, and fear. And the ever present danger Lada and Radu face due to their hostage status keeps you reading just as much as the question of how these three passionate and emotionally wounded people will manage to live with each other.

The press says "AND I DARKEN—the series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. " And while there's a bit of gory blood, a off-screen reference to Mehmed and his harem, there's nothing onscreen but some kissing a bit of heavy petting to keep it out of older YA hands. Definitely not as crazy as Game of Thrones, yet somehow more compelling because of its historical basis. I'm about to go get myself the sequel.