Review: And I Darken

And I Darken by Kiersten White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

She was a girl who wanted to do the same things the boys did and she didn't think it was fair for women to be treated like trash.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The basics... And I Darken is about two siblings -- Lada and Radu -- from the Draculi Dynasty. They were children of Vlad, the Prince of Wallacia. Eventually, due to "politics", the siblings ended up as 'prisoners' of a different kingdom. It is dark. It is bloody. It is scary awesome(?). We follow both Lada and Radu as they grow. The point of views interchange between chapters giving us the opportunity to see the story bloom through two completely different minded people.

I have to be honest, a year ago I started reading this and I had to put it down. One of the reasons was because it freaked me out that a toddler was running around with a knife and yelling ...'DIE YOU INFIDELS!' Cute but... scary. Also, there was some abusive scene with Lada's parents that made me cringe. Nothing sexual but painful. Maybe I am just a wimp. Then it hit me, this is a YA. Like, 'what the heck? This is a YA?'....
Anyways, after a while (an year later) I decided to read it. Mooosssttlllly, because is historical fiction with a big twist and I like stabby-stabby stuff so I gave it a try (again). Also, look at that cover. I literally pat the book like some wierdo when I first saw it at the bookstore. The cover: It's stabby, it's flowery, it's black and lavender... yesssss...

So continuing with the review...

I did enjoy reading this. One of the reasons why I gave it three stars was because, the story started when Radu and Lada were practically babes and the words and thoughts that Lada had during her early years were scary. I know she had some reasoning, but whoa. She spoke like she was 16 when she was like 8. lol.
I enjoyed the level of historical content in the novel. This story is based on the years of the Ottoman Empire and how every empire (big or small) were constantly fighting for land, power, and religion. The story also presented the 'power' of the harem - even though it was limited - the harem did have more influence than most people (including Lada) thought.
Moving Lada's violence aside, her story (to a point) was relatable. She was a girl who wanted to do the same things the boys did and she didn't think it was fair for women to be treated like trash. She also wanted to be loved and receive affection from the man that she had feelings for, but she also feared that if she succumb to her feelings, she would loose everything and become the property.
There were some parts of the book that were kind of slow, but short lived.
So, overall I did enjoy it. The ending was perfect for the next volume of the series so I am curious how Lada and Radu are holding up. All I have to say .. I hope there is less whining from leaders and future leaders and more doing!

I was given the opportunity by Netgalley to read book #2, so let's see what happens... lol


** READ THE FOLLOWING AT YOUR OWN RISK! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. STOP READING HERE. **

The following are my comments (rants) directed to some of the characters... because I am that "special."

Lada, Lada, Lada... *SMH* Mehmed asked you to tell him 'I am yours' ... big mistake. ( At least, I think it was!)

Radu... I love you man, but move on... dude, stop caring about the sultan there are other cute boys out there! Hello!

Mehmed. Oy! I have mixed fillings about you. I sometimes feel like you both hold down and praise Lada at the same time. Its like having someone constantly tell you that they are going to buy the book that you want and its in their amazon cart, but .... they never click 'purchase.'
Decide what the hell you want to do with her. Lada is powerful and capable of great things... deal with it. If you are hurt, go the harem and have someone lick your wounds.
And do you know about Radu? If so can you stop giving hope to the man if you are not interested, just sayin'

lol

** OK. YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES NOW. **



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