And I Darken - Kiersten White

And I Darken

By Kiersten White

  • Release Date: 2016-06-28
  • Genre: Historical Fiction for Young Adults
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 79 Ratings

Description

The New York Times Bestseller!

“Absolutely riveting.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds

Imagine HBO’s Game of Thrones, but set in the mesmerizing world of the Ottoman Empire. This book sweeps you into a realm of political intrigue, fierce passion, and a heroine who won't back down. Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN or Sabaa Tahir’s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, won't want to miss this novel, the first in the And I Darken series.

"Evocative. . . . This book takes no prisoners." --NPR


NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken.

“A dark and twisty fantasy . . . think Game of Thrones, but with teens.”—Seventeen

“Sinister, suspenseful, and unapologetically feminist.”—Buzzfeed

“Will completely spin you into another time and place.”—Bustle

“Takes no prisoners, offering up brutal, emotional historical fiction.”—NPR.org

An ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Selection

Reviews

  • Ok book

    3
    By firstflight36
    This book was good, but then it wasn’t. It had no motive, and just kind of dwindled on. I liked the first half, but then nooo. I just had to end it because I got bored throughout the second half of the book.😔
  • Unexpectedly awesome

    4
    By Ellie. Gregg
    Who would of thought that a reimagining of vlad the impaler as a teenage girl would be so good? I’ve read previous works by this author and although I enjoyed them, the were pretty forgettable, making And I darken stand in a league of its own compared to them. I’m recommending this book to any fan of game of thrones, throne of glass or any series with kickass main characters and intricate plot lines.
  • Best book ever

    5
    By Hashes kakapos
    I loved the first book and couldn't wait for the second one. I love the feminist vibe
  • Mind-blowing

    5
    By Quiet guy 66
    I love the way that the author was able to craft such a brutal yet lovable character out of Lada. Her brutality and show of how things should really work when it comes down to political alignments and battles is amazing. Radu is also quite an intriguing character, whose critiscism over Lada, both positive and negative, help shape the character but balance the scales and see that his sister may be cold, but can still care. This story aligns everyone in a way in which the readers get different angles from the same event and slowly see the conflict get set in motion. It is definitely a must read. Especially since it tries to shape the aspects of the true historic characters by seeing how they would do in court, even though the author put a girl in the story instead of a boy, who was the true historic character. Really well written. Truly deserves five stars.
  • Check out my bookstagram @bookbutterfly_

    5
    By Lee lee468988654
    I heard about this book on Amazon in my recommendations and I read the synopsis. From then on I was intrigued. I downloaded a sample on my phone and read a couple pages and right then and there I knew, I had to stop everything I was reading and doing to go get this book and start reading it. The book starts when Lada and Radu were really young and gradually goes to when their older. I feel that Kiersten setting the book up like this was smart because instead of just rushing into the story, we get to know the characters and really care if anything happens to them. It's really weird because you know these characters as children, you see the choices they make,now that they are older,and how different they are from when they were young. This book is dark and gritty and it doesn't hold back and that's what I love about this book. There were moments in this book that made my heart stop. I recommend this book 100% !
  • Awesome remake of the Vlad Dracul story, a must read!

    5
    By yaratr
    This story captivated me right away! Even with tons of homework looming over my shoulders, I couldn't put this down! Lada is someone is like to be, fearless, strong, formidable even for her size, a leader, a person to respect. This book showed me valuable lessons on what it means to be free, deciding what one loves, and what one must sacrifice to keep what you love. This book is a piece of art and will be one of my top faves for the year.

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