My Rating: 4 out of 5
Read the summary here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27190614-and-i-darken
I have been on a historical fiction kick lately and this book did not disappoint. I think it was a brilliant idea for White to gender-bend Vlad the Impaler into Lada. It was a really run way to change up a historical figure that many people are familiar with. That being said, a lot of people (like myself) are not familiar with the story of Vlad, and this book laid important groundwork for the characters without getting in its own way. That is my BIGGEST problem with most historical fiction books, they try to cram in so much history that the story can get lost. I don’t want to read a history; I want to read a fictional book based on history.
Kiersten White’s writing is gorgeous. Both Lada and Radu’s perspectives were equally intriguing. Let’s face it, in most books with multiple POV’s there is always that one character that we skim over because we don’t really care about them. Well, this book is not like that. Radu and Lada are so different from each other that bouncing back and forth keep the story fresh and keeps it from getting stale. The way that each of them views the world and tackles the same events is really nice and interesting. And the way the both interact with Mehmed is so different from what you read in most YA books. Both Radu and Lada deal with Mehmed in their own unique ways and it’s refreshing to read.
The only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 out of 5 is because the time table is incredibly confusing. I honestly didn’t know how old any of the characters during this book. They go from being 5 to 7 to 13 to 17ish. I think anyway. Luckily, the book mainly focuses on them as older teens, which I appreciate. Because as much as I love these characters, it got annoying reading about them as 13 year olds. Not that it’s their fault, I mean 13 year olds are super annoying, so they were right on par.
This book is So. FREAKING. GOOD. Really, it is. And I Darken is the type of book that I would force everyone I know to read. Even if you don’t care about Vlad the Impaler, even if you aren’t a person who likes history. Anyone can go into this book and read for the story and be completely enthralled the entire time. That’s how amazing it is.
Spoiler Discussion (Unless you want me to ruin the book for you, stop reading)
There are only two Spoiler things I need to talk about. First, I feel so bad for Radu. He clearly loves Mehmed (I would go as far as saying more than Lada) and he can’t ever tell anyone. I just want to give him a big hug.
Secondly, I am so proud of Lada. She challenged gender stereotypes at every corner, even becoming a Janissary. And to see her with her group at the end, ready to take back Wallachia, I seriously teared up a little from pride. Even though I was partially mad at her for leaving precious Mehmed.
Brianna's Reviews 