I thought this book was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more when I was younger. It does start off rather slow, so I almost didn't keep reading it and if I had something better to read I probably would have DNR'd this book. I'm glad I did finish it though because it was a nice book, but probably not one I'll reread.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

WOW. If you think you know Kiersten White, guess again! This is so different from other books of hers that I've read, but that's not a bad thing at all! An I Darken is dark, bloody, and exciting. Initially, I was a little concerned because the book didn't grab me right at the beginning and things moved a little slowly. But then! Then I was in it and I loved this wild ride. Lada is such a compelling character, with so much depth to her character. Oh, and she terrifies me. The setting was amazing and so vivid and well written. The ending was intense and had me itching for the second book immediately. I didn't love the love triangle (I never do), but other than that this was a very solid read that I'll be recommending to fantasy lovers!

I struggled through the book because it started out really slow. But I didn't give up and about 1/2 way through the pace picked up and it flowed a lot better. All in all I truly enjoyed the story line and look forward to continuing the series.

It is an interesting twist on an already interesting story. Just needed a little work on pacing at the beginning.

As someone who likes the less popular myths of the world, this book was amazing. I was completely gripped by female Vlad the Impailer, and how that gender role played into this. It was very unique, well written and engrossing. I am now a big fan of this author.

Sadly this book was archived before I could download to read it. It has been added to my TBR and I’ll keep an eye out for it again in the future or at my local library.

I thought this book was just alright. This was the first book I've read from Kiersten White and I wasn't a big fan. I liked Lada and how BA she was. But, it was kind of a slow and long read, and it took me a while to get into the story.

A great book with a great storyline. I loved the characters and the setting of the book. I would definitely recommend for others to read this book.

Slow, but a solid narrative voice in an interesting twist on a historical figure. Much better on audiobook, as it flows better. If you can get someone to pick this up and not be intimidated by the size, you're good to go!

I wasn't able to finish this book and ended up only getting 15% of this book read. I found the book to be far too violent for my taste. Also, the characters are too young for a large portion of this book to be considered a young adult novel. I am not a fan of these types of novels that have so much violence. Maybe it will be appealing to those that are.

I honestly could not get into this book. I tried. 68% in I needed to put it aside. I think it's just not for me. It was much slower than I would have liked. And the story line was not as convincing as I thought it would be.

And I Darken was an amazing story to read. It pulled me in instantly and I am very excited to read the sequel. The characters were vivid and the world dangerous, but enticing. The writing is gorgeous and Kiersten White did not disappoint.

Tumultuous historical fiction!
And I Darken by Kiersten White, book one of the Conqueror’s Saga tells the story of Lada (a female version of Vlad the Impaler) and her brother Radu, as well as Mehmed, who will become a great Conqueror. Lada was born with an intense and strong personality; this is the only way to catch the attention of her father. The only time she’s kind or shows weakness is in helping her younger brother. Their father wakes them before dawn and takes them to a different ruler’s home for protection, but he ends up leaving his children to receive an education. This education consists of cruelty along with their lessons. As Lada and her brother Radu grow, they each find their particular talents and tend to go their separate ways. Lada is outspoken, boisterous and skillful in fighting and Radu is quiet and personable and enjoys religion. I learned more about Islam because of this book and my appreciation of Islamic beliefs grew. The author used the historical information that she could find on two great leaders- Vlad the Impaler and Mehmed the Conqueror- to create this interesting series of intrigue, action and danger. I love when authors explain their process of creating their books and share the research they discovered. Kiersten White lists historical books of information on her subjects and also tells readers why she chose to make Vlad the Impaler a female character- Lada. Lada adds depth, drama, love, loyalty and intensity to the story. And I Darken is the beginning of the turmoil of The Conqueror’s Saga, 4 stars!

This was easily a great read for me. I found it flowed really well and there were no issues with the writing or plot that stood out to me. I'd happily read the second one and I am curious to see where the author goes with the character developments.

It was okay. I just couldn’t get into it. It was way too slow and there were parts i was not expecting at all. It wasn’t a horrible book, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Lada is a fierce heir to the throne of Wallachia... except that she is a girl and cannot inherent a thing that her younger, more docile brother, Radu, is entitled to. Once the siblings are shipped off to the Ottoman courts and befriend the son of the sultan, Mehmed, a love triangle unlike any other strengthens and severs the ties between people and their family, the countries they love, and those who hold their hearts.

AND I DARKEN is an alternate history, where Vlad (the Impaler) Dracula, is not a boy, but a girl, named Lada (P.S. There are no vampires in this book). From page one, Kiersten White had me absolutely hooked on this story. Lada is cruel, intelligent, and practically feral, but I totally loved her.

White follows the outline of history, but fills in the details with such an incredibly imaginative story. Lada and her brother Radu are taken by the Ottomans as prisoners, though they live a life of luxury and go mostly unchecked. There they mature and grow in completely different directions, Lada hating the Ottomans, and Radu finding himself drawn to their way of life. But they both find themselves falling for Mehmed, the son of the Sultan. The effect this has on their strange relationship is quite intense and intriguing. I love the way the story is told from both of their viewpoints so that you can really understand what's going on in their heads.

The romance is a slow-burn and filled with some serious issues, but it doesn't take center stage. This book is full of strategy and politics, family and relationships, and a decent amount of violence. The writing is phenomenal and I personally think it's the best book White has ever written. If you like history with a twist, political intrigue and a main character who's as likely to stab you as to kiss you, then I think you'll love AND I DARKEN. I know I did, and I can't wait to see how the next bit of history is twisted into story.

Sooooo long. I wish it didn't have that many perspectives, but whew, what a ride AND I DARKEN was!

I hate to say it, but I was so disappointed with this one. I had seen so many wonderful reviews, and so many other bloggers had been urging me to read it, yet it fell short of my expectations.

The first thing that really threw me off about the book was that the characters start out extremely young. This was completely unexpected for me since, as a YA book, I was expecting at least teenaged characters. At first, I was fine with this, but I quickly became frustrated that there wasn't a jump into the future where they've aged more. Almost half of the book follows the main characters from birth to age 13. While these years of the character's lives are most definitely relevant to the later half of the book and needed to be included, they were slow and boring to me. It took me almost double the amount of time to get through the first half as the second. Once I made it through that first half, the slow pacing was no longer an issue for me. I really love and respect intricately woven, carefully plotted books, which this one definitely is. 

But again -- these characters were my main source of problems. By the time the characters had aged to teens, I just didn't feel anything for them. Had I enjoyed the characters themselves, I feel like I would have been able to enjoy the story better as a whole. But, I had a horrible time trying to like these characters. Lada was fierce, powerful, and strong, but gave in so easily for Mehmed, who just didn't seem worth it. It's easy to say that I loved Lada much more as a peculiar, stubborn, headstrong child, than the Lada who grows into a young woman who starts making decisions based on her love for an unworthy man. While I liked Lada better toward the beginning of the book, the opposite was the case for me with Radu. He really grows into his skin the older he gets, cleverly learning how to navigate the politics of the court. But he still had moments when he was wimpy, self-pitying, and frankly quite annoying -- that is until Mehmed stole that role away from him. Ugh, Mehmed. He was pretentious, does nothing of worth, yet always wants to be in complete control. Somehow both Lada and Radu come to love and worship him, just because he treated them kindly as children. I couldn't find much else reasoning behind their loyalty to him. The secondary characters, Bogdan and Nicolae, were my favorites, providing breaths of fresh air away from the protagonists. They didn't get nearly enough of a role in the story, in my eyes!

Oh goodness, then there's the one-sided love triangle. This was actually the most interesting and unexpected, but pleasant, surprise in the whole book. While I hated Lada and Mehmed together, and don't think Radu and Mehmed would have made for a much better couple (mostly just because I really really dislike Mehmed as a character), I liked seeing Radu struggle with his sexuality and feelings in this time period. As couples go, I was really shipping Lada with either Nicolae or Bogdan!

What kept me reading was Kiersten White's writing and the political intrigue. This book is incredibly rich and detailed when describing the world. I was transported to Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire. It's also definitely a quotable book, that's for sure. There were so many parts of the book that were just stunning to read. Yet, it doesn't shy away from the realities of life at court in this time period and location. It's a brutal and violent book.

Seeing the carefully crafted strategies play out was wonderful, as were Lada's action scenes. My favorite Lada scenes were always when she was with the Janissaries, whether it be training or just their conversations. Radu's ability to win the love of his enemies was also great to see, especially after him struggling so much throughout the entire book. I did find myself rooting for things to work out for him so that he could find happiness.

I came for the promise of another fabulous historical fiction with an incredible reimagining of real-life figures but stayed for the gorgeous writing. Unfortunately, I just couldn't go all in for the characters. For those that don't like slower-paced books, I wouldn't recommend this one. But if you're in it for the long haul, I'd take the time and give it a try. And I Darken sets itself apart from White's other books, because her writing is definitely something special.

It took me far, far too long to become emotionally invested in this book (the thing is basically a brick), but I am now in a glass case of emotion rooting for my girl, Lada Dracul. I'll be honest and say that I hated the first half of this book. It was drier than the Sahara Desert, but once it hit the 50% mark, the pace seemed to pick up and things finally got interesting. Thank god.

And I Darken is a gender-swapping, historical retelling of the Prince of Wallachia, and I'm not a historian in any sense of the word but from what I've heard it seems pretty accurate (with its own embellishments for plot purposes of course).

If anyone walks into this thinking it's a fantasy. Stop right there! It's not. It's politics from beginning to end. With plenty of stabbing, murder and volatile characters (aka my three favourite things in a book). At times, it felt too politically heavy. You spent more time trying to remember who was who and why so and so hated someone else, that you sometimes get lost along the way and don't have a map to get back home. So to summarise: Everyone wants power. Your enemies are anyone and everyone. Trust no one.

Barring all of that, Lada Dracul is what really makes this book great. Vicious, headstrong and brilliantly complex, she does whatever the hell she wants and has no qualms about stabbing anyone that gets in her way. Basically, I loved her. The other main characters were pretty great too (you will def be invested in their outcomes by the end) but Lada was my fav. #GirlPower

All in all, don't let the slow burn of White's storytelling turn you away (or the fact that it's basically 500 pages long). Keep reading! It's a marathon, not a sprint.