The highly anticipated, mind-blowing New York Times bestselling sequel to Kiersten White’s New York Times bestseller, AND I DARKEN—the series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. A SISTER FILLED WITH RAGE Lada Dracul has no allies. No crown. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to … After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares cross her. She storms the countryside with her men, but brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed, the defiant Ottoman sultan, brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.
HER BROTHER CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Lada needs the support of her diplomatic younger brother, Radu. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. And for the first time in his life, when Lada asks him for help, he refuses . . . leading his sister to make the darkest of choices.
THE ULTIMATE POWER PLAY
Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, Radu knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, would Mehmed ever forgive him?
As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.
Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir’s A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT won’t want to miss this riveting and gorgeously written novel—the second in the And I Darken series.
★ “Gorgeous, rich, and rewarding.”—Booklist, starred review
★ ”Absolutely devastating in the best way.”—Kirkus, starred review
“A+, 5 knives.”—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling co-author of the STARBOUND and ILLUMINAE FILES trilogies
“Fierce, epic, and crazy fun.”—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of THE HAZEL WOOD
A Teen Choice Book Award nominee!
Praise for And I Darken:
“A dark jewel of a story, one that gleams with fierce, cunning characters—absolutely riveting.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Passenger
“A dark, gritty, and seriously badass epic that will have you dying for more . . . required reading for every feminist fantasy fan.” —BuzzFeed
“Evocative . . . this book takes no prisoners.” —NPR
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This is such an interesting series! I really enjoyed book two and it’s so fun to get lost in this vicious, carefully political world. While many of the rich, complex character dynamics and relationships that I’d loved so much in book one were missing in this one, I think Lada and Radu continue to be compelling narrators, and despite the gore and violence, I’m just so fascinated by their story.
Normally, I’m not a fan of historical fiction but these books have me asking for more. I couldn’t stop reading and or listening to this book.
There is a little time jump since we left everyone in the last book.
Everyone is split up and in different places with some of the same goals but yet different goals. Even though this book a big part of it had political and religious aspect it was soo much fun to read.
It is fast paced and full of action, betrayal and suspense, but it has a bit of everything else as well. There are a few twists that I really enjoyed.
Lada in this book is even stronger than before, but she also has plenty of vulnerable moments of course she only shows that to very few if anyone. I think what I enjoyed about Lada’s part the most was the friendship she had with her men. But also that she didn’t let anyone put her down and tell her she is less. There were a few moments I didn’t like about her but, but it was obvious she knew that too, just didn’t do anything about it.
Radu, he was not my favorite last book and still is not. While I liked him a lit more than last book he still was not my favorite. Often it annoyed ne that he came over as lovesick puppy which he really was anything he did was for love, it just depended on who. But on the happy note he did step up to the plate a bit more too and did some stuff and most of all protected the ones he cared about.
Nazira, I really enjoyed her a lot, she played a big role in this book when it came to Radu.
Mehmed. I had a real hate-love relationship with this guy this time around and to be honest even at the end I wasn’t sure if I could trust him.
Everyone in this book grew so much in one way or another. The end was sort of sad and I really just wanted more. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together and plays out.
Overall, this book is really hard for me to review but all I can say it that I really, really loved it and looking forward to reading the next.
I will rate 5 and will add it to my favorite shelve.
(I listen to the audio along site with the hardcover and I really enjoyed the audiobook a lot, it was very well narrated)
Wow, what a political, war-filled, Game-of-Thrones-like novel this was. Kiersten White definitely revamped this sequel so the focus was less on the characterization and more on the political-thriller side of things.
And although that does come with some cool story telling, I think that’s what made this book not as amazing as the first book.
Although I say over and over again that I like when shades of grey are incorporated into stories, I almost think this was too many shades of grey. Too much bad on each side that I didn’t even know who I was rooting for, which made it hard for me to really involve myself in this book.
In And I Darken, the characters are really what drove the story for me. I was fiercely in love with Lada, who was absolutely brutal and ambitious, but also held weakness in her heart for Mehmed and Radu. I loved Radu, who was much softer than Lada but balanced her, I loved how he saw the world and was so good with people and talking. I loved Mehmed, who craved something different, who loved both Lada and Radu for who they were and who made the best out of his situation.
I felt like those characters and those personalities were lost in this book. Lada lost almost all of her weaknesses, which turned her from someone who was ruthless to just someone was downright cruel. Radu was almost personality-less in all of this story, I believe 98% of his thoughts were Mehmed Mehmed Mehmed and then 1% Nazira and 1% Cyprian. Which became incredibly tedious to read. I feel like this could have done well for the story if at the end he was able to detach himself, so that we could see his character growth but the story ended with him right back at Mehmed’s side which made me feel like everything I read about his (already little) character growth was down the drain.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the characters were bad, I’m just disappointed because I honestly loved them so much in the first novel.
But let’s move on from this now and focus on the good. For one, Kiersten’s writing once again blows me out of my seat. No awkward sentences, perfect pacing, right amount of descriptions, perfect world building. I’m absolutely in love with White’s writing style.
And I also did like the plot of this story, the falling of Constantinople was thrilling to read, and watching Lada slowly claw her way to power was also enthralling.
I still love this series, I just wish White hadn’t lost the characterization within all the action. I can’t wait to read the next book, because I’m dying to see how Lada becomes the infamous Dracula, and I hope to see Radu break free from Mehmed and start a life of his own.
Kiersten White’s Now I Rise is an example of a sequel that wouldn’t work on its own, but as part of a series, makes for a strong second installment.
In the first book, And I Darken, we watched Lada and Radu, the point-of-view characters, navigate a challenging childhood in the 15th-century Ottoman Empire. Early on, they’re sold to the sultan by their father, the brutal king of Wallachia (part of historical Romania). Lada coped by training to be a warrior, Radu by learning to be a skilled politician. They also both befriended—and fell in love with—Mehmed, the heir to the Ottoman throne. This all happened largely in the same place (and plotline); even when they weren’t working together, which was often, Lada and Radu were rarely far from each other.
But in Now I Rise, Lada sets off to take the Wallachian throne for herself, while Radu stays with Mehmed, now the sultan, and helps him besiege Constantinople. The siblings send letters back and forth and think about each other often, but they never meet. Nor do their actions much affect the other.
If I hadn’t read And I Darken, this structure probably would have frustrated me. But because the earlier book did such excellent character development, I was fine with the parallel storylines. I already knew who Lada and Radu were, and wanted to see who they became.
It also helped that White provides thematic unity: Lada and Radu continue to struggle with their identities and the tension between desire and duty. Specifically, Lada wishes she were a man, Radu is ashamed of being gay, and both make sacrifices to pursue a greater goal. They respond to their dilemmas differently, but this common problem keeps their adventures from feeling too tangential.
My only real criticism is that things seemed a bit easy for Lada. While Radu is going through hell in Constantinople, his sister knocks off opposing Wallachian nobles left and right. I’m fine with her eventually succeeding, but her “rise” isn’t as satisfying as it could be, because it’s basically a straight line to the top.
I’m sure things will get hard for her again in Book Three, though, and I can’t wait to see how. White is crafting an epic historical fiction series. Don’t miss it.
(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)
This is such a great series!!! I love Radu and Lada’s characters. They are complex and written with depth. I have loved watching them develop and change over the course of these two books. I have experienced a myriad of emotions over their decisions. I cannot wait to see what happens with them in the final book.
Really love the second book in this serie. Could barely put it down.
This was epic… In this book Lada and Mehmed are risking it all in order to achieve their dreams, and of course since their dreams are so different…they are far from each other.
Radu loyal as always gives it all to help Mehmed to win the war and conquer Constantinople, but when he is confronted about the realities of war Radu starts to question his actions and realises that his enemies aren’t all bad.
No power could be achieve without sacrifice and no war could be won without blood… Could our heroes accept the price of their actions or will they be changed forever???
This is definitely a must read.
4.5
Lada is life.