And I Darken
The New York Times Bestseller! "Absolutely riveting." --Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds
This vividly rendered novel reads like HBO's Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Ambitious in scope and intimate in execution, the story's atmospheric setting is rife with political intrigue, with a deftly plotted narrative driven by fiercely passionate characters and a fearsome heroine. Fans of Victoria Aveyard's THE RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir's AN EMBER IN THE ASHES won't want to miss this visceral, immersive, and mesmerizing novel, the first in the And I Darken series. NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets. Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who's expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he's made a true friend--and Lada wonders if she's finally found someone worthy of her passion. But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against--and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken. "A dark and twisty fantasy . . . think Game of Thrones, but with teens."--Seventeen "Sinister, suspenseful, and unapologetically feminist."--Buzzfeed "Will completely spin you into another time and place."--Bustle "Takes no prisoners, offering up brutal, emotional historical fiction."--NPR.org An ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Selection
This vividly rendered novel reads like HBO's Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Ambitious in scope and intimate in execution, the story's atmospheric setting is rife with political intrigue, with a deftly plotted narrative driven by fiercely passionate characters and a fearsome heroine. Fans of Victoria Aveyard's THE RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir's AN EMBER IN THE ASHES won't want to miss this visceral, immersive, and mesmerizing novel, the first in the And I Darken series. NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets. Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who's expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he's made a true friend--and Lada wonders if she's finally found someone worthy of her passion. But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against--and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken. "A dark and twisty fantasy . . . think Game of Thrones, but with teens."--Seventeen "Sinister, suspenseful, and unapologetically feminist."--Buzzfeed "Will completely spin you into another time and place."--Bustle "Takes no prisoners, offering up brutal, emotional historical fiction."--NPR.org An ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Selection
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Community Reviews
I could not bring myself to finish this book. I tried to get into it but after 15 chapters I just kept feeling like I was forcing myself to continue. First of all, it's too fast paced in the beginning and the characters never seem to have any sort of development. I feel that there are better ways I write a story about a girl in the midst of a men controlled world where she doesn't threaten to kill every person or hurt them. May be a good book for others but I did not enjoy it.
So⦠the Plot?
So⦠I have some serious issues with this book because⦠the plot. Or rather I should say: âWhat plot?â Sadly, there wasnât one. Rather, this was a story following a girl and her brother from birth to their mid-teens, which⦠isnât quite what I wouldâve liked. For one, it doesnât offer any direction for the story and lacks the tension required to keep me interested and wanting to know what will happen next.
Second, so much was missing. Large chunks of time would be skipped and important events would just be mentioned and never explained. Not to mention, the scene/time jumps just felt very disconnected like getting snapshots of a personâs life and not really knowing whatâs going on in between. Thus, the story lacked continuity. :/
Characters
*sigh* What do I say about the characters? Do they grow? Maybe? Kind of? Some of them? I wish I could say that I cared about the characters in the story, but⦠two didnât change, the third did⦠and then reverted. Not to mention they just didnât seem like strong characters. They were very wishy-washy and that left the story unsupported, and I felt like their motivations werenât⦠believable.
*groan* Romance
Frankly, this story felt like more romance than actual plot, which I find sad. Even romances have better plots than this (not that read romance), but I know people who do. This story tried to throw in romance as motivation, purpose to live, the plot, the action, and well⦠everything. It was like the romance was extra heavy to make up for all the bald spots in other parts of the book and then still couldnât really do that. Really, quite disappointing.
Radu
Iâm sorry. I wanted to root for him, but itâs really hard to root for, or even care about, a character who has such little self-worth that they canât even stand up for themselves. I know he tried to play the role of the âspider,â learning everyoneâs secrets while appearing innocent (which he was, unfortunately), but⦠none of it ever seemed to actually make a difference, never took affect or changed anything. And his only motivation was pining for someone who will never love them back or even truly appreciate what they do for them. *shake my head*
So⦠I have some serious issues with this book because⦠the plot. Or rather I should say: âWhat plot?â Sadly, there wasnât one. Rather, this was a story following a girl and her brother from birth to their mid-teens, which⦠isnât quite what I wouldâve liked. For one, it doesnât offer any direction for the story and lacks the tension required to keep me interested and wanting to know what will happen next.
Second, so much was missing. Large chunks of time would be skipped and important events would just be mentioned and never explained. Not to mention, the scene/time jumps just felt very disconnected like getting snapshots of a personâs life and not really knowing whatâs going on in between. Thus, the story lacked continuity. :/
Characters
*sigh* What do I say about the characters? Do they grow? Maybe? Kind of? Some of them? I wish I could say that I cared about the characters in the story, but⦠two didnât change, the third did⦠and then reverted. Not to mention they just didnât seem like strong characters. They were very wishy-washy and that left the story unsupported, and I felt like their motivations werenât⦠believable.
*groan* Romance
Frankly, this story felt like more romance than actual plot, which I find sad. Even romances have better plots than this (not that read romance), but I know people who do. This story tried to throw in romance as motivation, purpose to live, the plot, the action, and well⦠everything. It was like the romance was extra heavy to make up for all the bald spots in other parts of the book and then still couldnât really do that. Really, quite disappointing.
Radu
Iâm sorry. I wanted to root for him, but itâs really hard to root for, or even care about, a character who has such little self-worth that they canât even stand up for themselves. I know he tried to play the role of the âspider,â learning everyoneâs secrets while appearing innocent (which he was, unfortunately), but⦠none of it ever seemed to actually make a difference, never took affect or changed anything. And his only motivation was pining for someone who will never love them back or even truly appreciate what they do for them. *shake my head*
For some reason I thought this was a FANTASY retelling of Vlad the Impaler. I dont know why that was in my head. I figured out there was no fantasy involved in the book but but was super confused about where Vlad was and why we were in the ottomon empire so much. It wasn't till I finished the book that I realized it was a gender-bent retelling and Lada was Vlad. I feel the confusion was entirly my own fault for going into the book with the wrong expectations. It was unexpected historical fiction. I liked the political intrigue and always enjoy that.
3.5 звезды - за длину
неровная книга. местами очень захватывающая, особенно в детстве героев, безумно их жаль. но ближе к концу начинаются провисы и пережевывание страданий. понятных, конечно, страданий, но книгу они интереснее не делают
вторую, впрочем, читать собираюсь. лада дракула - женская версия влада дракулы, obviously - отправилась захватывать валахию
а, и кстати. вот я совсем не понимаю, как можно сделать исторический ресеч - султаны мурад и мехмед, скандербег и осада круе, все балканские междусобойчики, но при этом так и не выяснить, что Ladislav это мужское имя, и девочку сделовало бы назвать Ladislava?
(про то, как яноша хуньяди назвали джон ладно уж, промолчу)
неровная книга. местами очень захватывающая, особенно в детстве героев, безумно их жаль. но ближе к концу начинаются провисы и пережевывание страданий. понятных, конечно, страданий, но книгу они интереснее не делают
вторую, впрочем, читать собираюсь. лада дракула - женская версия влада дракулы, obviously - отправилась захватывать валахию
а, и кстати. вот я совсем не понимаю, как можно сделать исторический ресеч - султаны мурад и мехмед, скандербег и осада круе, все балканские междусобойчики, но при этом так и не выяснить, что Ladislav это мужское имя, и девочку сделовало бы назвать Ladislava?
(про то, как яноша хуньяди назвали джон ладно уж, промолчу)
this was so interesting, i'm so in love with all the characters and getting to puzzle out their motivations and see how their relationships developed was just so cool! the setting was also fantastic and incredibly well researched which i loved. great book all around !!
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