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And I Darken

(The Conqueror's Saga #1)

Kiersten White (Goodreads Author)

3.83 · Rating details · 45,231 ratings · 7,941 reviews

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 swor ...more

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Kindle Edition, 498 pages

Published June 28th 2016 by Delacorte Press

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Jan 13, 2015 Emily May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, young-adult, 2016, arc, coverly-love

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?”

4 1/2 stars. This book is totally fucked up. In the best possible way.

Well, holy shit. Even with the positive reviews rolling in, that was completely unexpected. How do I begin to explain this vicious little nightmare of a book? All I know is: it's different to anything else I've read.

And I Darken is dark, gritty and compelling. It pulled me into its da ...more

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Jun 21, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Seven of my favorite Bookish Villains in one BookTube Video!

The Written Review

Rivetingly dark and heartbreakingly human.

the nurse offered her own prayer.
Let her be strong.
Let her be sly.
And let her be ugly.

Much like the nurse's prayer, Lada Dragwlya grew up single-minded, cruel and absolutely ruthless. Completely in contrast to her beautiful younger brother, Radu.

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that

...more

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Mar 24, 2015 Wendy Darling rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-publication, june, retellings-and-inspirations, to-acquire-hb, read-2016, alternate-history, rh, young-adult, heroines-butt-kicking, historical-fiction

4.5 stars I didn't believe all the high ratings, and now here I am with them.

A good example of why it's good to try authors again, btw. I'd read a couple of the author's earlier books and found them likable if a bit unmemorable, but there was absolutely no indication that one day she'd write a brutal book--or an uncompromising heroine--like this.

Vlad the Impaler re-imagined as an aggressive girl! Fantastic. ...more

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Sep 27, 2014 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was truly an epic book. There is a twist in this book, and trust me when I say that you will not see it coming.

It has a heroine who flaunts herself as the "anti-princess" and in that sense, the book does not disappoint. Lada - our "female Vlad the Impaler" hooked (impaled?) me from the start. Even as a child in the nursery, she was fierce.

Like her brother, Lada had big eyes, but hers were close-set, with arched bows that made her look perpetually cross. Her hair was a tangled mass, so da

...more

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Jul 25, 2016 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy-all, favorites, own

$1.99 on kindle right now! 6-26-17. As far as I know, it's US pricing

Re-Read 2017 I had to read this book again for the new book next week. I love it so freaking much! This time I listened to it on audio from Overdrive (It's now on my audible wishlist) The narrator, Fiona Hardingham did a wonderful job!

It was so nice to be back in Lada's world. She's just so tough but I did feel sorry for her with the love interest but it's extremely complicated. She lets her guard down a little in that area b ...more

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Jul 05, 2016 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult, reread, read-2016, read-2017

REREAD: Because when it comes to needing to read a sequel...do I remember the first book? HA. I know nothing, Jon Snow. But this is the kind of book that really grew on me the more I thought about it. Several things still bugged me with my reread, but truuuuly I love this story. <3 It is the finest of historical fiction and the characters have caught my heart.

This news just in: Radu is the most kind and precious and beautiful cinnamon roll of ever and also totally a cunning Slytherin. I call it. ...more

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Jul 29, 2016 Nat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: diverse-reads, arc

Ever since I read this particular quote taken from And I Darken, I've been enchanted:

“On our wedding night," she said, "I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.”

And also that beautiful cover didn't hurt.

This review contains *spoilers*.

A ...more

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Nov 27, 2015 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, arc, read-in-2016, young-adult

Ever heard of Vlad the Impaler? He had a reputation for cruelty throughout Europe. He took pleasure in torturing and killing his enemies with his most preferred method being impalement. He was also the inspiration for Dracula. Imagine an alternate history with Vlad the Impaler as a girl. This is our story.

And I Darken follows Lada’s life from the very beginning. We start in 1435 Transylvania with Vlad Dracul taking in the fact that his wife has given birth to a girl. Such a disgrace because sh Ever heard of Vlad the Impaler? He had a reputation for cruelty throughout Europe. He took pleasure in torturing and killing his enemies with his most preferred method being impalement. He was also the inspiration for Dracula. Imagine an alternate history with Vlad the Impaler as a girl. This is our story.

And I Darken follows Lada’s life from the very beginning. We start in 1435 Transylvania with Vlad Dracul taking in the fact that his wife has given birth to a girl. Such a disgrace because she cannot be an heir. A girl is of no worth unless you marry her off. A year later her brother Radu is born. We follow Lada through other’s eyes in the first few chapters until the book jumps to 1446. From here on forward..the book is set in the dual perspectives of Lada and Radu. It’s pretty straight forward.

Lada wants so badly to impress her father Vlad. She wants to prove that even though she is a female, she can be as badass and brutal as the rest of them. In fact, she can be more fierce, dangerous, cruel, strong, etc. than any boy. She’s constantly trying to prove her worth to her father. Even after he uses his children as pawns in a treaty sending them off to be raised in the Ottoman Empire bargaining with their lives.

Radu is pretty much the opposite of his sister - not what Vlad would want out of a son. He’s sensitive, emotional, delicate, but so so beautiful. He is constantly seeking Lada’s love and approval. Lada views him as weak, while she is the strong one. She has this hate for her brother, but also an undeniable love. Lada is torn with her feelings on Radu because she constantly needs to protect him yet can’t stand that he can’t do it himself. She envies him for being born with a penis, thus naturally having more power than she could ever possibly have. Lada and Radu's sibling relationship is incredibly complex. It is one of my favorite aspects of the novel. I am very curious to see how it plays out in the future.

One of the best things about And I Darken is how the themes of politics, religion, and sexuality are all weaved in throughout the plot. I enjoyed how these played such a large part in not only our story, but the characters. There was such a great deal of character development. Politics do play a much larger role in the story than I was originally expecting, but I think I should re-evaluate those expectations. I mean..this is a story telling an alternate history to a man who lived this sort of life..he and his brother were used as political bargaining chips and held in “captivity.” The traumatic experiences built up eventually leading to his ruling of Wallachia as a sadistic leader. How can you tell this story without all the intricate details that led to such an outcome? I am oh so excited to see how Lada continues to become a Vlad the Impaler that we recognize.

The story is completely original and unlike anything I’ve ever read. The writing is dark and brutal. The setting is beautifully written and historically accurate. I fell in love with the characters and their individual stories. For the first in a series, this was set up so well. My main fault is the story got slow for a good portion of the book. It started off fantastic and picked up at the end. There is a time when Lada and Radu are caught up in the whole Mehmed thing. I understand why it all went the way it did. I just wish it wasn’t slow for such a large portion of the story. Though I realize this allowed time for character and story development.

I am very excited to see how things play out for Lada, Radu, Mehmed, and Wallachia in the sequel. I’m curious how close to history Kiersten White plans on keeping The Conquerors Saga. If you like YA books that tell an alternate history and prefer your books on the darker side, I highly recommend you read this! ...more

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Dec 14, 2020 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-series

She sat beside his bed for a long while. Finally, she put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “You are mine.”

If you’re looking for a fast paced book with lots of action and historical accuracy you better turn around and leave this review, because I can guarantee that you won’t get either of those two things if you start to read “And I Darken”. If you’re looking for a slow paced and very character driven story that has quite a unique setting and lives and breathes intrigues and machinations... ...more

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Mar 18, 2018 lily ☁️ rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, historical, tolino, young-adult, book-series, first-in-series, reviewed

To résumé my experience with this book in seven words: it put me in a reading slump. I really wanted (and expected) to love it, but, oh well.

Here’s a list of all the things I did not do:

・Care about the historical context of this book, which, apparently, is also immensely insulting to the people whose history is being “reimagined”—and while I’m not one of them, the reasoning behind their outrage resonates with me all too well.

・Found the storyline intriguing. Excepting the first 30% of this bo ...more

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Mar 17, 2018 Sana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: literal-garbage, romance, young-adult, boring-af, i-dont-get-the-hype, sick-of-this-bitch, endless-pain, bf, shawty-so-bad

its been about three months since I've read this this and despite hating it, I'm still going to read the next book because I want the pain everyone feels reading this series!!! I still hope the next book will be better!!!! the only problem is that I literally remember nothing from this book. it's so forgetful, oops. 🤷🏻‍♀️

----
I want pain ;) and death ;) and feels ;) and all the good things everyone promises ;) otherwise you might find me attending my own funeral ;) because i'll be dead from the d ...more

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Oct 25, 2016 Elle (ellexamines) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff-high-fantasy, lgbtq, plot-twists, x-coverporn, favorite-characters, y-2016releases, she-did-that, gorgeous-writing, z-2016read, favorite-friendships

Listen. Listen. I adore this series. I love it in my soul. Buuuuuut this is a great example of a series where book one is a great setup but book two is where the payoff is. Even though I had some issues here, it should be noted that book two, Now I Rise, is one of my all-time favorite books, improving on every one of my issues with this book.. Top five-single-books-ever level. Feel free to drop on over to my review.

I admit that I loved this slightly more while reading it - I think time and medi ...more

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Jun 18, 2018 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Why, oh why, oh why, OH FUCKING WHY do English-speaking authors insist on using Slavic names, which they obviously keep fucking misusing????? Can anyoone please explain to me in a layman's terms what so chic or risque can there be about using names you don't know how to use? Have the editors gone extinct? Is there some grand conspiracy to keep me properly irritated? Why the blazing fads can they not get into their obviously thicker than average heads that a boy would be called Vladislav, Alexand ...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Yusra ✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, amazing, omg-gonna-read-a-million-times, beautiful-covers

here's a message to this book:

——
1st Read:

IT WAS SO GOOD I LOVED IT SO MUCH I HAVE NOTHING BUT AMAZING WORDS FOR THIS BOOK. I LOVED LADA, I LOVED SHE WAS UNPREDICTABLE AND I LOVE HOW SHE DEFIED EVERYTHING!!! IT WAS THE BEST HOLY ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Ben Alderson rated it liked it · review of another edition

First book of 2017 complete.
Really unique story and i did really enjoy it. Some parts were confusing but the majority was brilliant!

I thought there would be magic involved but it was not, still really good!

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Nov 23, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

in the interest of full transparency, this was not what i was expecting. not in the least. and i think its due to the fact this book is labelled as fantasy, which is misleading because there was no fantasy element to this story at all. its straight up historical fiction. this was about two siblings who befriend mehmed (the conquerer) and experience his early years as the sultan of the ottoman empire.

but the more i think about it, the more i actually enjoyed this? which surprises me because worl ...more

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Feb 20, 2017 Candace rated it really liked it

Shelves: listened-to-audio-version, dangerous-hero-themed-books-read, forbidden-romance, favorites, love-triangles, childhood-loves, hate-that-i-love-them, shocking-twists

'And I Darken' was the first book that I've ever read by Ms. Kiersten White, but it certainly won't be the last. The first book in 'The Conquerers' series, it managed to completely captivate me. I am both intrigued, enamored, and at times appalled, by these characters and the turbulent world that they occupy.

Lada Dragwlya is an unlikely heroine. She's unattractive, uncouth and at times, downright mean. She's everything her father had hoped for in a son, but got in his daughter. Her only redeemin 'And I Darken' was the first book that I've ever read by Ms. Kiersten White, but it certainly won't be the last. The first book in 'The Conquerers' series, it managed to completely captivate me. I am both intrigued, enamored, and at times appalled, by these characters and the turbulent world that they occupy.

Lada Dragwlya is an unlikely heroine. She's unattractive, uncouth and at times, downright mean. She's everything her father had hoped for in a son, but got in his daughter. Her only redeeming qualities are her love for her homeland, Wallachia, and her love for her younger brother, Radu.

By comparison, Radu is everything that Lada is not. He is soft-spoken and gentle, an utter disappointment to their father, the Prince of Wallachia. Immediately, Radu claimed a piece of my heart.

When their father trades Lada and Radu to the Sultan of Ottoman as pawns to guarantee his loyalty, they are left to fend for themselves in a hostile new world. Lada is determined to be strong and to plan for her eventual revenge on the Sultan and his countrymen. She refuses to show any weakness that might be used against her and Radu.

Unlike his sister, Radu soon takes to the ways of this new world. He never felt that he fit in in Wallachia and finds comfort in this new country. He is not resistant to the new teachings or the new religion, as Lada is.

After months living in the Ottoman Empire, Radu and Lada make an unlikely friend. Mehmed is the illegitimate son of the sultan. Before long, the three are inseparable. The line between friend and enemy blurs and loyalties are called into question.

From start to finish, I was completely captivated by this story. It has a little of everything. There's plenty of action and battle scenes. There's romance and angst. Kingdoms rise and are overthrown. The incredible highs are off-set by bitter betrayals.

I am completely and totally hooked on this story. It is the first book, in what I'm sue will prove to be an epic saga. The characters were certainly flawed, but that only made me love them more. As soon as the next book is released, I'll be diving in again. I was left with a lot of questions and I'll have to wait for the next book to get my answers.

I listened to the Audible version of this book and I thought that the narration was well done. I could easily distinguish between the characters and I thought the narrator did a great job of conveying the emotions and intensity. It was a fantastic audiobook choice for me.

Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com ...more

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Aug 08, 2016 Katerina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2017-reads, retellings

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?”

A gem of a book.
It was savage and brilliant, a bloody tale of politics laced with tainted relationships, betrayals and desire. For freedom, for power, for human touch. For greatness.

In And I Darken, Kiersten White travels through time to medieval Wallachia, a vassal state of the blooming Ottoman Empire. To the court of Vlad Dracul, the cruel fat ...more

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Jul 08, 2016 Helen 2.0 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: badass, brs-done, cover-candy, historical, love-triangle, 2016, new-adult, retelling, royalty, read-16

"It is the way of the world. You can be the aggressor, you can fight against crusaders on their own land, or you can stay at home and wait for them to come to you. And they would come. They would come with fire, with disease, with swords and blood and death. Weakness is an irresistible lure."

4.5 stars.

Lada made an awesome first impression, not everyone can claim to be a badass right from birth. She wasn't exactly relatable - most of the time I couldn't figure out what her motivations were - ...more

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Oct 17, 2017 Tweebs♥️ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

•full review posted now•

“On our wedding night," she said, "I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.”

I'm in the process of giving my grades up for adoption because I'm unfit to raise them myself.

Is there any possibility tha ...more

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Jan 15, 2016 Chantal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-reads-of-2016, published-2016, young-adult, fantasy, favourite-books, listened-on-audio, historical-fiction, read-in-2016

Dear Kiersten White,

Thank you for restoring my faith in the YA Fantasy genre. I’ve had bad luck with it this year and I really needed someone to show me that the genre wasn’t the problem, and I wasn’t the problem, but instead I was just reading the wrong books.

Thank you for making me feel so much. For filling me up to the brim with emotion. Love, hatred, happiness, despair, frustration, glee, anxiety, passion. I felt it all while reading And I Darken and I can’t remember the last time a book did Dear Kiersten White,

Thank you for restoring my faith in the YA Fantasy genre. I’ve had bad luck with it this year and I really needed someone to show me that the genre wasn’t the problem, and I wasn’t the problem, but instead I was just reading the wrong books.

Thank you for making me feel so much. For filling me up to the brim with emotion. Love, hatred, happiness, despair, frustration, glee, anxiety, passion. I felt it all while reading And I Darken and I can’t remember the last time a book did this to me.

Thank you for writing about a setting and time period that I’ve never seen before and thus gave this book an air of originality and doing it so excellently.

Thank you for not shying away from making your book all about politics. Thank you for making those political aspects easily accessible to anyone regardless of prior knowledge or reading experience, without ever trivializing it.

Thank you for all the fleshed-out, authentic characters, but most of all Lada. Thank you for Lada. Just that.

Thank you for the ending, which was exactly what I wanted to happen throughout the entire second half of the book, but wasn’t sure would.

Thank you for slowly killing me from the inside in the best possible way. You’ve probably put me in a book hangover for the rest of the year.

Thank you for giving me everything I never knew I wanted.

Sincerely,
Chantal

“I cannot afford to lose you, too"
"You cannot lose something you do not own. Take me with you”

It’s perhaps important for me to note that this book cannot strictly be considered “Fantasy”. There is no magic and it doesn’t even take place in a different world from our own. Instead, it’s an alternate history retelling, set in Eastern Europe during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. It is based on history, but not historically accurate. I say this, because if you go into it expecting a fast-paced, magic-filled world, you will be disappointed. It reads more like a YA historical fiction, than fantasy. Kiersten White took a real historical figure, Vlad the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia, and turned history on its head. What if this man, who has a reputation for cruelty and found pleasure in torturing and killing, was a girl? The premise is intriguing to say the least, but a lot could have gone wrong and I’m happy to say it didn’t.

The plot, which could easily have been boring and repetitive, was exciting and didn’t ever bore me. Not once. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put the book down, even if at times, I needed to take a break just to give my poor heart some time to deal with all the feelings. I love intricate political back-and-forths and character-driven stories and this book did both wonderfully. Kiersten White knows exactly how to create tension, when to resolve misunderstandings right before they become frustrating, when to switch POV and how to make a rather slow book not feel slow-paced.

How can I talk about the characters without melting into a little puddle of mush? In short, this cast of characters was one of the best I’ve ever come across. They were both great standing on their own, as well as their dynamics with others. All of them were fleshed-out and three-dimensional, thoroughly flawed yet lovable and at times so relatable it hurt. I went into the book expecting to like Lada (and she did turn out to be my favourite) but I also loved the other characters. Sweet Radu with his good but emotionally scarred soul, Mehmed who does so much wrong and I sometimes wanted to slap but I warmed to anyways, Nikolai who is just the best, and all the female characters of the court who taught Lada what it means to be a woman in their world and how to be powerful and that the two aren’t irreconcilable.

“Ugh," she muttered, tugging his hair. "You are so pretty. Like a delicate butterfly beneath my boot."
"Ugh, " he replied, pulling one of her own curls, which were thick and coarse. "You are so mad. Like a rabid hound that needs to be put down.”

The relationship between the two siblings was one of my favourite aspects of the novel. Their dynamics were done with such realism and honesty that it had me in awe. That wavering between affection, resentment and jealousy felt palpable and in many ways, their relationship was the driving force of the novel.

Lada herself was wonderful and one of my new favourite female characters. She is so fierce, so brutal, at times evil, but somehow she’s also incredibly relatable, something I did not expect. She’s a badass for sure but so much more than that. Her intelligence and calculating nature fascinated me and all I wanted was for her to be happy, to give her a hug and be her best friend. Lada blows other anti-heroines, like Adelina from The Young Elites, out of the water. She’s also a YA main character who isn’t pretty and yields that knowledge like a blade. Watching her fury unfold and seeing the fear, thirst and want behind it was utterly captivating.

The last time she was up here, she had been... staring up at the sky and dreaming of stars. Now, she looked down and plotted flames.

The dynamics between the characters were fabulous to read, though not always a pleasure. There is so much in this book: romance, friendship, sibling love and rivalry; it’s about power struggles and loyalty and the meaning of family. Feminism was clearly an important element but wasn’t ever over-the-top or lecturing and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that treated power and its importance (both on a personal and macro level) quite so well.

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?”

I applaud the author for her elaboration on religion and her respectful way of talking about Islam, Christianity and Atheism. The novel also contains unrequited love (and lots of it) a topic that I always want to see, but that I’ve found to be astonishingly sparse in YA literature.

The fact that the author managed to interweave all of this seamlessly, still has me in awe. The sheer relatability I felt while reading this whole book was amazing: I felt like I knew these characters and seeing them struggle with so many things that I struggle with daily (though on a completely different scope), made me feel understood and less lonely with my feelings.

Kiersten White’s writing was beautiful and a huge departure from her Paranormalcy series I read from her years ago. Quietly poetic without being purple and always effective and poignant.

To give you an idea of what to expect, I would probably compare And I Darken most closely to The Winner's Crime and The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski (also two of my favourites). If you loved that trilogy, I’m pretty sure you will love this one too. Otherwise, I know this book isn’t for everyone, as I can see people finding it dragging and slow-paced, but for me it worked perfectly and I full-heartedly recommend it.

I’m going to stop gushing now, just know this: I loved everything about this book and it will end up on my list of favourites for 2016 for sure.
...more

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Apr 21, 2016 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2016, everyone-loved-but-me, young-adult, netgalley

When I saw the premise for this story..A female anti-hero retelling of Vlad the Impaler..in a sort of Game of Thorns vibe..I was all set to start handing out some stars.

The book starts with Lada (Ladislav-but she will punch you in the face for calling her that) and her brother Radu growing up in Wallachia. Lada wants to impress her father Vlad so that she can prove that even though born female she is a force to be reckoned with. And she is..

Occasionally she informed her tutors when a to ...more

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Mar 10, 2016 Natalie Monroe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fearless-protagonists, he-s-so-bad-but-he-does-it-so-well, kick-ass-heroines, favorites, ripped-my-heart-out, bittersweet-ending, i-spy-something-pointy, mommy-why-is-the-villain-bad, creepy-yet-entertaining, my-inner-feminist-cries-with-joy

"She would never toss aside her country the way her father had. She would protect it.

A small sob threatened to break free. What could she do? She had no power.

Yet, she vowed. She had no power yet."

Can I get a high five for reached expectations? Bring it in, come on.

And I Darken is YA at its finest. There were times when I questioned if it should be classified as NA/Adult because the themes it deals with and the characters' thought processes get pretty dark. And then there's the history/world ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Kiki rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, awesome-ya, will-read-the-next-one, love-stinks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. EDIT: This seems incredibly random, and it is, so let's chalk it up to shower thoughts - but it's been niggling at me, especially as I contemplate picking up the second book.

I sincerely hope that someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but considering this is based on history, is it not...incredibly straightwashed? In history, Mehmed and Radu were lovers for years and years, and yet in this book, the author has actually gone out of her way to avoid this, by gender bending Vlad the Impaler and push ...more

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Jan 29, 2017 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-ebooks, owned-physical, diverse-reads, young-adult, historical, lgbtqiap

#1 And I Darken ★★★★★
#2 Now I Rise ★★★★★
#3 Bright We Burn ★★★☆☆

Update 12.28.17 → Don't mind me, just rewrote my entire review because rereading and dwelling on this book has changed my original opinion so drastically that it deserved better. 😍

"A dragon did not crawl on its belly in front of its enemies, begging for their help. A dragon did not vow to rid the world of infidels, and then invite them into its home. A dragon did not flee its land in the middle of the night like a criminal.

A drag

#1 And I Darken ★★★★★
#2 Now I Rise ★★★★★
#3 Bright We Burn ★★★☆☆

Update 12.28.17 → Don't mind me, just rewrote my entire review because rereading and dwelling on this book has changed my original opinion so drastically that it deserved better. 😍

"A dragon did not crawl on its belly in front of its enemies, begging for their help. A dragon did not vow to rid the world of infidels, and then invite them into its home. A dragon did not flee its land in the middle of the night like a criminal.

A dragon burned everything around herself until it was purified in ash."

Lada has the literal best character introduction you could hope for, in her wet nurse's prayer for her at her birth:

"Let her be strong.
Let her be sly.
And let her be ugly."

The nurse's prayers do not fall on deaf ears; Lada grows into an unruly, angry, and unattractive child who gets what she wants by force. On the contrary, her younger brother, Radu, gets what he wants with his beautiful cherubic face and sweet words. The siblings couldn't be any more different if they tried, so the alternating third-person perspectives make for an incredibly fascinating read.

The writing is beautiful, though there is a lot of slow development following the characters through their childhoods, and nothing of any real note occurs until they enter their teen years. We mostly just see a lot of Lada becoming set in her violent ways, while Radu continues to be the belle of the ball, rinse and repeat.

Once I hit the halfway mark, though, the action picked up immediately. There is so much political build-up and intrigue to keep you guessing, and the twists are wonderful. There is a love triangle, but I promise that it's unlike most love triangles you've read (maybe all of them), and absolutely blows the stereotype out of the water.

On one final note, there's something I want to touch on that I've seen in some other reviews: I've seen a handful of people say that they were disappointed in Lada, because they felt as though she lost her edge in the later chapters. I have to disagree with this, as her self-awareness and shame were more than enough to notate that she wasn't losing her values and priorities, so much as simply developing as a character and a young woman. As someone who loved her tyrannical behavior, I found her development to be... flawless, honestly. I adored Lada as a character; she is rude, demanding, and yet a fantastic leader. Kiersten White made no attempts to write a "likable" heroine, but that's precisely what made me love her so damn much. ...more

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Jun 22, 2018 Hamad rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018-reads, e-books, buddy-reads, dnf

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found@The Book Prescription

Her spine was steel. Her heart was armor. Her eyes were fire.

🌟 This book was listed by many as a Fantasy book and not pure Historical fiction. I know that historical fictions don’t work for me and I stopped reading them a long time ago. I have never seen a book in this genre getting this much hype so I thought that it must be special. Nothing was special about it and I don’t think it is a fantasy book at all.

🌟 I DNFed ...more

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May 14, 2017 Claudia Ramírez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, my-sons, exceeded-expectations, cover-love

I am pleasantly surprised by this one. Now I can't wait for the next book! And I ADORE Radu <3. He deserves everything that is beautiful in his life. ...more

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Nov 19, 2016 Chesca (thecrownedpages) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, favorites, books-i-highly-recommend, historical-fiction, favorite-female-protagonists, favorite-covers, qbc-2016-4th-quarter-historical-fic, fantasy, owned-books, feminism

FIVE THOUSAND STARS out of five
Highly-recommended. My new favorite.
A read for The Quarterly Book Club’s Fourth Quarter: Historical Fiction

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?”

This was my first time to read a book by this author and I will definitely check out her other works. Her writing is exceptionally exquisite. She was able to rebuild a long-gone world in my head and piqued my ...more

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Mar 17, 2018 may ➹ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2018, library, pov-female, disappointing, buddy-reads, boring, diverse, rep-lgbtqiap-mlm, historical-fiction, young-adult

it’s officially been 3 months since I finished this and I’m still wondering what there is to love about this book

// buddy read with raiasaons (please don’t blame me for the horrid spelling of raisins I’m actually very smart)

...more

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Jun 25, 2016 Ryan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: feels-trip, lgbt, july-tbr, unfinished-series, 3-star, read-in-2016, that-cover-though

3.5/5 stars

Edit: Looking back on this, I believe I need to edit some things. See, I posted this review when I was new to Goodreads, so I thought giving a book three stars would be considered "rude" (which I find kind of amusing now, considering some of my more...rant-y reviews). Thankfully, now I know that's not the case. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book. It did drag on a bit in some parts, and I may or may not have skimmed a few sections when things got boring, but I do love ...more

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About Kiersten White

Kiersten White

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Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for teens and young readers, including And I Darken, Now I Rise, Bright We Burn, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, and Slayer. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, where she perpetually lurks in the shadows. Visit Kiersten online at KierstenWhite.com and follow @KierstenWhite on Twitter.

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“On our wedding night," she said, "I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.” — 332 likes

“Her spine was steel. Her heart was armor. Her eyes were fire.” — 165 likes

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