And I Darken - Kiersten White
Synopsis
Lada, daughter to Vlad Dracul, Prince of Wallachia, is abandoned by her father in the Ottoman court to be held as ransom, along with her younger brother, Radu. Lada hates the Ottomans and patiently plots her vengeance. Radu, however, just wants a place to feel safe and call home. They become friends with the future Sultan, Mehmed. Together they form a strange triangle of friendship and love where their loyalty to their nation, and each other, is tested.
Review
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I've read and liked another one of Kiersten White's books and had high hopes for this one. The premise that the publisher gives is so interesting: Vlad the Impaler, but a girl, and her descent into being a ruthless, cruel killer.
But the book never got there. I felt like the entire book was just build up to the second book. I feel like everything that did happen in the book could have easily been condensed into a third of what it was. It was basically about Radu and Lada going to the Ottoman court and becoming best friends with the future Sultan, Mehmed. That is really what this book is about. Lada's desire to return home and reclaim her country is in the background, and only comes to the forefront in the last couple chapters.
There were a few action scenes where I thought, "FINALLY!", but ultimately.... It didn't do what I was hoping/expecting from the book. It took me almost a week to finish because it just went sooo slow.
The book is about Lada, a reimagined female version of Vlad. We're told she's cruel and vicious and we see that in the beginning of the book when she's younger, but as she grows older, I didn't see it. At all. She's clever and physically strong, but I didn't see the descent into darkness, that cold-bloodedness that the title and description hint at. If anything, I felt like she became much less ruthless. She pretty much sits around the entire book, knowing she should--and could--escape, and almost doing it, but staying because... she realizes she loves Mehmed. Yes, because of a dude. She also fights against the societal restrictions placed on her, simply because she is a woman, and fights to gain more power, but to me she came off more as a stubborn brat than a determined rebel.
Also, half the book is told from the perspective of her brother, Radu. There's a theme of sibling love and sacrifice for family, but I felt that it was a totally different narrative from what was promised in the description, and it was a distraction from what I wanted to read.
I will say, the writing was good: lush descriptions of the landscape, good quotable lines, intriguing and complicated character building, and you could tell that the author had thoroughly researched the history and culture of the time period. But the pacing dragged the whole book down and the focus of the plot threw it for me.
Overall, an interesting premise that isn't pulled off well. I was left feeling impatient, bored, and disappointed. I hope the sequel can do the story better, though I don't know if I'll read it.
Rating
I give this book 2 stars.
Details
Genre: YA
Language: No strong language.
Sex: Some kissing, no sex.
Violence: Descriptions of people being impaled, people being killed. Not super graphic, but present.
Synopsis
Lada, daughter to Vlad Dracul, Prince of Wallachia, is abandoned by her father in the Ottoman court to be held as ransom, along with her younger brother, Radu. Lada hates the Ottomans and patiently plots her vengeance. Radu, however, just wants a place to feel safe and call home. They become friends with the future Sultan, Mehmed. Together they form a strange triangle of friendship and love where their loyalty to their nation, and each other, is tested.
Review
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I've read and liked another one of Kiersten White's books and had high hopes for this one. The premise that the publisher gives is so interesting: Vlad the Impaler, but a girl, and her descent into being a ruthless, cruel killer.
But the book never got there. I felt like the entire book was just build up to the second book. I feel like everything that did happen in the book could have easily been condensed into a third of what it was. It was basically about Radu and Lada going to the Ottoman court and becoming best friends with the future Sultan, Mehmed. That is really what this book is about. Lada's desire to return home and reclaim her country is in the background, and only comes to the forefront in the last couple chapters.
There were a few action scenes where I thought, "FINALLY!", but ultimately.... It didn't do what I was hoping/expecting from the book. It took me almost a week to finish because it just went sooo slow.
The book is about Lada, a reimagined female version of Vlad. We're told she's cruel and vicious and we see that in the beginning of the book when she's younger, but as she grows older, I didn't see it. At all. She's clever and physically strong, but I didn't see the descent into darkness, that cold-bloodedness that the title and description hint at. If anything, I felt like she became much less ruthless. She pretty much sits around the entire book, knowing she should--and could--escape, and almost doing it, but staying because... she realizes she loves Mehmed. Yes, because of a dude. She also fights against the societal restrictions placed on her, simply because she is a woman, and fights to gain more power, but to me she came off more as a stubborn brat than a determined rebel.
Also, half the book is told from the perspective of her brother, Radu. There's a theme of sibling love and sacrifice for family, but I felt that it was a totally different narrative from what was promised in the description, and it was a distraction from what I wanted to read.
I will say, the writing was good: lush descriptions of the landscape, good quotable lines, intriguing and complicated character building, and you could tell that the author had thoroughly researched the history and culture of the time period. But the pacing dragged the whole book down and the focus of the plot threw it for me.
Overall, an interesting premise that isn't pulled off well. I was left feeling impatient, bored, and disappointed. I hope the sequel can do the story better, though I don't know if I'll read it.
Rating
I give this book 2 stars.
Details
Genre: YA
Language: No strong language.
Sex: Some kissing, no sex.
Violence: Descriptions of people being impaled, people being killed. Not super graphic, but present.
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