Book Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White

So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice?

So, I was completely confused at the beginning of this novel due to me thinking it was a fantasy and a retelling of Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula). Which it is NOT! But it is so much better.

Book Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White

Rating:


Title & Author: And I Darken by Kiersten White
Genre: History, Romance
Release Date: June 28 2016
Series: The Conqueror’s Saga
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Synopsis

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, 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.

I give And I Darken by Kiersten White four out of five hearts. I loved the time period and the action was very interesting. I enjoyed it a lot and even though at first I was disappointed.

What I had heard about And I Darken was wrong. But it was a great novel. I have always been interested in the things that supposedly happened during the time period in those regions. Especially the impaling and what people later made of it to have it become Dracula.

Lada is a strong young woman and she goes so much. You will know why she gets to be a certain way and why she changes. You live with her through the years that span the novel. The same goes for Radu, but he is much weaker than his big sister. Which is an interesting idea and I loved that both these characters are so flawed.

I have no idea what to think of Mehmed he sometimes loves Lada and the next he shows nothing like it.

Religion seems to be a part of the story and I am not against writing about religion. But I do think Kiersten is taking a huge risk when using the Islam in this story. It is used in a very interesting way, but I do think there are people that might put the book away because of it. At first I noticed I started to judge the novel because of it, but in the end it was used as a way of giving Radu faith, if the story had been set elsewhere it could have been Christianity or somethings else. It is a way for Radu to grow stronger.

Overall I really like the story, it was very enjoyable and I do not see a reason why I should lower my rating just because I thought it was a different story then it was. But I also do not see a reason for making it higher. I do like it, but there are better books in this world.

Let me know what you thought of this book!
If you have any requests for which book I should talk about next, please let me know in the comments down below.

For now, let books enrich your life!

Goodreads
Author

Leave a Reply