Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for historical fiction so I’m ashamed to admit that this book has set on my TBR shelf for more than a year. And I Darken by Kiersten White is the first in an alternate history series that imagines Vlad the Impaler as a woman. Honestly just typing that makes me giddy. I was so excited to start this book. It’s an interesting concept to take one of history’s most feared men and make him a woman. I was more than a little curious to see how the author would pull it off while also staying true to what is known about the time period.

And I Darken follows Lada and Radu Draculesti from birth. Told in 3rd person limited, the story unfolds showing Lada’s cruel nature and Radu’s “angelic” grace. Personally I’m not a big fan of 3rd person POV, but it works well for this story and these characters. Lada is someone that you both pull for and shy away from. She is cruel, spiteful, and full of anger, yet she has her tender moments that make you realize she is someone who comes from extreme circumstances. Radu is naive, childlike, and the constant recipient of his sister’s torment. There are moments you feel sorry for him and others where you wonder how he could think such things about his own flesh and blood. He is a tortured character, always struggling to find the balance between right and wrong. The chapters alternate between the siblings, giving you a clear picture of who they are.

I was impressed with the amount of history the author manages to place in this book. Of course liberties are taken, they have to be with Lada being a girl, but for the most part the author keeps the history accurate. If you are unfamiliar with the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Vlad the Impaler, it’s an interesting read and gives a little background to this story. Lada and her brother are sold to the sultan by their father as payment to keep his throne in Wallachia. The two are only 12-ish when this happens and so they spend their formative years growing up in the sultan’s care. Knowing the danger they are in, it puts an edge of suspense to their growing up. Radu is innocent and follows all that is taught to him, while Lada resists, setting her sights on returning home at the first chance. Yet neither of them could have predicted Mehmed, the sultan’s son. Mehmed completes their circle. The siblings trust him and love him, yet do they really know him?

Overall, I was fascinated by Lada’s story as it played out on the pages. I was enraged for her and cheered her on with all her small rebellions. She is truly a feminist character in a time period where women were possessions. She insists that she is not. Radu broke my heart. He is such a tortured character, first by his sister and father and now by himself as he converts to Islam and makes choices he doesn’t quite understand. Seeing the characters grow from children to adults and all the trials they faced along the way made for an excellent read. If you enjoy historical fiction and political intrigue, I highly recommend it.

Now on to the sequel…

Well, here is a review that will be a bit embarrassing to write. How about I did not realize And I Darken was a gender flip about Vlad the Impaler until 5 minutes ago? Seriously. So I read the book over six months ago, and didn't really think it was anything amazing... apparently I completely missed a major detail to the story line.
(On a side note, I've been crazy busy with adult responsibilities so I do feel I get a slight pass on missing something so crucial.)


Now that I realize the error of my ways, things that were unclear make more sense. I can appreciate this story more. It doesn't really change my feelings about other aspects of the story line and the characters, but it helps redeem a few things. As one would expect from the author, the writing is well done and rich with descriptions. At times, I found myself skipping chunks of text because it was too rich, but then again I didn't really feel invested in this story. For whatever reason, I did not click with these characters. It was probably Radu. He got on my nerves. Actually, Mehmed bothered me too. I liked Lada though. Even though I realize now that I probably should not like Lada? And I Darken definitely gets all the gold stars for originality and having a unique setting, so that was much appreciated. Even if I will likely not continue reading the series.

This was a fantastic start to a great new young adult series i loved it and i cant wait to read the next book in this thrilling series

As I Darken was such a delightful fantasy full of fun characters and a great plot that made me want to keep reading. The story was detailed and the world building was incredible - I can't wait to read the next book!

This was a truly epic story. This story spans a lot of years and tells a sometimes brutal story. I was hooked by the book from almost the first page. I really couldn't get my mind to focus on anything besides this story until I had reached the end. It was a bigger story than I had expected with a lot of intricately woven layers. The characters were amazingly written and I found myself cheering for both Lada and Radu. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful book.

Lada is the daughter of Vlad and she is fierce. The book opens at her birth and even as a very young child, Lada is brutal when needed. Her brother, Radu, does not share the same trait. In every way that Lada is brave and fierce, Radu is sensitive and needs protection. Her father is force to leave both Lada and Radu in the Ottoman courts and they fear that they may never see Wallachia again.

By chance, Lada and Radu cross paths with Mehmed as children and from an unlikely friendship. Mehmed is third in line to the throne of the Ottoman empire, a throne he knows he will most likely never hold. He keeps Lada and Radu by his side largely because Lada will not treat him as anything but her equal.

I enjoyed the characters in this story. Going into the book, I thought I would fall in love with Lada. Who doesn't love a fierce female character that can hold her own? She isn't pretty but she is brave. I did like Lada a lot but I was more taken with her brother's character, Radu. I didn't realize that there would be as much of a focus on Radu in the story as there was. Radu really grew as a character over the course of the book and he was a character that I found I had a lot of respect for. He was really as resourceful as his sister and could be brave when it was necessary. Mehmed is a character that really left me with conflicting feelings since there were things I loved about him and other things I disliked.

The setting of the story was perfectly written. I really could envision this place filled with uncertainty and brutality. The descriptions of everything from the Head Gardeners duties to life in the harem really helped to bring this world to life. I thought that the descriptions of religion in the story was well done and I liked that it was an important part of some of the characters' lives.

I would highly recommend this book to others. The story really has so many great elements from the historical setting, great characters, political intrigue, and even a bit of romance. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this planned trilogy!

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Children's - Delacorte Press via NetGalley.

And I Darken is a gender swap retelling of Vlad the Impaler, who is thought to be the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  If you are not familiar with Vlad the Impaler, he was the ruler of Walachia (now Romania) during various times in the mid 1400s.  Vlad is best known for his torture of choice, which was to impale his enemies on stakes in the ground and leave them there to suffer a slow and painful death… Brutal right?  The moment I heard this was a Vlad retelling, my interest was immediately peaked.  Based on the research I did on Vlad the Impaler, White did a fantastic job with this retelling.  I think she really stayed true to many events in Vlad’s early life.

I really like how Lada was not the stereotypical YA female warrior.  What do I mean by this?  She wasn’t overwhelmingly beautiful and didn’t just pick up a sword and instantly knew how to use it.  A female lead who is average looking or even ugly as it is implied?  It is unheard of, especially in YA.  I loved the fact that Lada isn’t just naturally a bad ass, White actually shows us that Lada works for it by training hard.  It may just be me, but Lada reminded me a bit of the Disney character Mulan.  Because she is a woman, she finds that she must earn the respect of the other male warriors.  Lada achieves this by being very resourceful and creative in her fighting/war tactics.

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

A big criticism of this book is that the main character, Lada, goes through a personality change half way through the book.  Personally, I saw this change more as the fact that she was growing up… I also take into consideration that Lada was very much a product of her environment with her father, so once she was no longer in that environment, her disposition softened… at least that is my theory.

Family dynamics are a huge part of And I Darken.  Lada is shunned by her father simply because she was not born a boy.  She spends much of her childhood focusing on molding herself into someone who is worthy of her father’s love and respect, but it never comes.  Lada portrays herself as cold hearted and uncaring, but deep down she is just a girl who desperately wants her father’s approval.  I really enjoyed the brother-sister relationship between Lada and Radu throughout this book as well.  To me, it was very realistic in the sense that sibling relationships are sometimes very love-hate.  I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow and develop.  I grew up with 3 brothers, so I understand this dynamic very well.  I liked to torment my little brother, but I was also the first person to defend him if someone else tried to mess with him.

“If anyone is going to kill you, it will be me. Understand?”
Radu nodded, snuggling into her shoulder. “Will you protect me?
“Until the day I kill you.”

Speaking of Radu, he was such a wonderfully complex character.  While his sister uses her brawn, Radu uses his mind.  It was very interesting to see Radu develop from a “weakling” and watch him climb the social ladder into a position of power.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that religion, specifically Islam, was such a big part in Radu’s life.  While it is true that I am not a fan when religion in books feels “preachy,” White gives us just the right amount of religious undertones that felt more like it was enlightening the reader instead of pushy or preachy.

“You are wrong, Lada.  Belief is not weakness.  Faith is the greatest strength we have.”

*Side note: I may be in the minority here, but I am not on team Mehemed.  Mehemed is one of those people who want to have their cake and eat it too.  Mark my words, his greed will be the end of him.

The pacing of And I Darken is very much on the slower side, which suited me just fine, BUT if you are not a fan of books that unfold slowly, this may not be the book for you.   The majority of the “action” in this book comes in the form of political drama: plots to concur other kingdoms, overthrowing leaders, murdering heirs, etc. etc. If you are a fan of books or TV shows with lots of political intrigue (think Philippa Gregory books), I would recommend this book to you.

I have read review upon review of disappointed readers who said this was not the fantasy book that they were anticipating.  I am not sure why 955 people on Goodreads tagged this book as fantasy, but it is definitely historical fiction.  I repeat, this book is NOT fantasy.

And I Darken has lots of things going for it: a strong female main character, complex supporting characters, political drama, action, and a touch of romance.  There were a few annoyances, but nothing that hindered my enjoyment of the book.  I LOVED how things all panned out in the end.  Bravo White!  I look forward to the sequel, Now I Rise, which is expected to release on June 27, 2017.

*Big thanks to Random House Books for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry, I started this book but did not finish it, I just couldn't get into the story.

I think this is one of my new favourites ^^ Wooow.. I really loved this book and enjoyed reading it very much.

The main characters are amazingly well-build en developed and I loved how this story showed us the earlier years of Lada, Radu and Mehmet and read how they grew up. We got to know them through and through, from their hopes and dreams to their deepest regrets and sorrows.
At the end of the story Lada and Radu really got to me and.. so much emotions !!

Great world building too, with the different countries, religions, traditions, structure and strategies. And not only from one side, but it was all well-rounded and from different perspectives.
I found it very admirable how the author managed to tell us so much about this world without turning it into an info-dump. I never felt overwhelmed with information, but learned so much all the same !!

Damn, I really loved how this was so much in one novel. So much history, but also a lot about friendship, love, companionship and duty/loyalty. Just enough action to keep it exciting, but not to much to make it unrealistic. Just.. LOVED IT.

An amazing start to a new series, I can barely wait for the next one !!

I couldn't get through this one. It was very slow paced and I just couldn't keep up with the story. Ended up putting it down after only a few chapters.

A historical knockout by Kiersten White. Lada Dracul is the most fierce MC you will ever meet. This book has action, adventure, amazing characters and a incredible plot that will hook you from the beginning.

This book review is all about Lada and the immensity of my love for her.

I love this creature SO MUCH!

The angst and intensity of the love of young Lada for her father, her brother and her land is so enthralling. You can tell from the first pages Lada will take you on journey of passionate decisions.

How do I express how sublime this book is?????? Beautiful, rare, exotic, dark, smooth… like an onyx stone.

All cunning. All intrigue. All survival. As it was this historical period.

IT IS SOMETHING INDESCRIBABLE!

AND…

HAIL Kiersten’s writing, supreme writing of all writings.

I, who is about to die of wonder, SALUTE YOU!

Holy bloody empires … Kristen CAN WRITE!

Historical Fiction. A genre I NEVER pick and ALWAYS love when I read it. SMH!

I am not a religious person but I love reading and learning about religions. I find it fascinating how it shapes history. These were many history lessons I loved remembering…

And beside war, politics, alliances and betrayals, there is also a beautiful love story with the most fascinating and unique love triangle. [sighs]

What if Vlad the Impaler was a girl?

Lada is a ruthless girl sent with her delicate younger brother Radu from their homeland of Wallachia to be raised in the Ottoman Empire. Lada knows she and Radu have a target on their back, and she maintains a ruthless personality to ensure their survival.

When the siblings meet Mehmet, the sultan’s son, they soon befriend him, and Lada eventually becomes his lover. The trio fight to stay alive and gain power, Mehmet using his lineage, Lada her strength and fierceness and Radu his intelligence. But for Lada soon their is conflict, as the one she loves is also the sworn enemy of her homeland, that she loves and misses dearly.

So dark and so freaking good! Lada was such a bad ass I really enjoyed reading this!

Pub Date June 28th, 2016.

Wow. The last 10% of this book totally made up for the middle 50 - which lagged like no other. I'm not going to waste the space here giving a synopsis of the book, but I will say I loved the complex love/hate sibling relationship between Lada and Radu. Mehmed was really stupid and boring sometimes, just "meh" (no pun intended - HA!) and forgettable the rest of the time. Lada is my vicious, bloodthirsty Queen AND I LOVE HER!!! That said, entirely too much of this book is spent allowing the confusion of her weird-ass love triangle with Mehmed and Radu (who is whiny and selfish, versus Lada's VICIOUS and selfish nature - and in love with Mehmed who loves Lada, who is just confused). The politics and various alliances/enmities were really interesting. But I spent half the book wishing Lada would kick the shit out of Mehmed and go home to Wallachia. Overall, definitely unlike any YA I've read that I can remember as it goes from the birth to early adulthood of the characters. I genuinely liked most if it. From that ending, I'm hoping to love the next book!

I wasn't a huge fan, sadly. It started off a little too dark for me and I wasn't compelled to finish it. I'm usually one to push through and finish a book but I just couldn't and had to DNF it.

I may pick it up again some day though. The concept sounded very promising.

While I was interested in this one I was reminded of the The Historian. It's dense and hard to get through but worth it in the end. I'm not sure I'll buy it for my library even though Kiersten White is someone they like to read. With the historical feel and size I don't think I'll buy it unless someone asks for it.

Well I'm glad I finally got to this, considering I've had it since April. Oops. It took a long time to get good. It was unique, interesting and complicated, but at times slow paced and dry. It's like, a retelling of historical fiction with many liberties taken (which the author notes at the end) and lots of political stuff that made my eyes close. I didn't like any of the characters and then somewhere around the middle I was like oh my goodness let me squeeze you with my love. It was not typical and surprised me.

Two siblings are taken hostage by an empire in this young adult alternative historical novel.

Total honesty – this is nothing like Ms. White Paranormalcy series. Perhaps nothing like she has ever written before. Told between two points-of-view, Radu and Lada, it dealt with interesting issues such as faith, sex, politics, and homosexuality. Radu was well-written, and his character arch by far the best in the book. I always understood his motivations, and loved a certain “solution” he agrees to in the story to help a friend.

I had a hard time connecting to Lada. Lada is vicious in the beginning, rarely showing her affection to anyone. People are “things” to her, and she does not like sharing her things. She became more tolerable as the novel progressed, but my image of her had already tarnished. Considering half the story is written in her POV, I really needed to connect to her earlier in the story.

The love story was beyond frustrating. While I understood Radu’s love for Mehmed, I never quite understood Lada’s love. For both Lada and Radu to fall in love with him, I needed him to be irresistible.

Beautiful, yes, give me more. What a unique series. I was so happy to see a new take on a rarely told story

There are certain characters who break the mold of those that have come before. Those characters who go against the grain and what is typically expected. Kiersten White's Lada is one such character for many reasons. And I Darken, in many ways, also breaks the mold of what we expect from this genre and the events within it.

Women in Lada's time were meant to be seen and not heard. They were meant to be 'proper' ladies and wish to make good marriages. Lada would rather lead an army. Lada is vicious, ruthless, and intelligent. She has a keen eye for military strategy. She may be driven by the desire to prove her worth to her father, but her actions provide her pleasure as well. She is not interested in becoming a wife and mother. She sees her worth as residing elsewhere and strives to prove herself in a male dominated world. Lada's progression from dark to darker feels natural for her character, and Kiersten ensures that we know this character. We get inside her head and heart and she is one of the most fascinating, and well crafted characters I've come across this year.

Radu, and Mehmed are both equally compelling and fascinating. They are also both equally developed. Radu is the golden sun to Lada's wild shadow. He proves himself just as cunning, and just as intelligent as his sister but in vastly different ways. His skills are more subtle but equally as deadly. There is a stark contrast between the two siblings that manifests itself in many ways. Jealousy, bitterness, love and loyalty all get blurred and twisted. Mehmed is the beautiful boy who would be King. He has the weight of his kingdom on his shoulders, and the toll it takes on him is evident. He is a mess of contradictions that equates to a fascinsting character.

The 'toxic triangle' mentioned in the blurb should not put you off. This is not really a love triangle. At least not in the way we're used to them. If this is a triangle it is one that is open ended. This is unrequited feelings, and longing on one side, and passion and tension on the other. We have three people who love each other in various ways and that creates a complex web of perceived betrayal, desire, and heartbreak. There is also something unique in the typical triangle model of two guys and one girl being upended. We have one guy who is the object of desire and that creates a different dynamic.

You may have noticed I haven't said much about the plot of the novel. This is very much a character driven story where the action is secondary to the characters and their emotions. This is a slower paced read, and at times feels like a lengthy lead in to the heart of the story. It feels like a prologue simply because the events that happen within the pages mostly serve to set other things in motion. There are character driven moments that shine, but it feels like we've only scratched the surface of the plot. I wish the pacing was a little more even as certain parts of it read much slower than others.

A fierce main character who is driven by a desire to prove herself worthy dominates this story of politics, revenge, redemption, betrayal and love. Kiersten White has created an intriguing start to a series that I believe will fair better when looked at as a whole. If you're into well crafted characters, and slower paced reads this one definitely holds appeal.