“Absolutely riveting.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds
This vividly rendered novel reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Ambitious in scope and intimate in execution, the story’s atmospheric setting is rife with political intrigue, with a deftly plotted narrative driven by fiercely passionate characters and a fearsome heroine. Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir’s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES won’t want to miss this visceral, immersive, and mesmerizing novel, the first in the And I Darken series.
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 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new 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
I accidentally deleted my review? Pasting from what I have on Scintillating Reads.
Let me start off by saying that THIS IS THE GREATEST BOOK EVER. Some people might not agree with me on this. Those people are wrong.
And I Darken is the (very aptly named) story of Lada Dragwlya, the most Primary Slytherin* character I have ever read. Her fierce possessiveness over the people and places (although you can argue that she views Wallachia as a person as well as a place) she loves is … everything. Lada isn’t like me, nor is she someone I want to be, but she is herself- fierce, dark, and wonderful- and I love that.
Watching her interact with the people she loves, mainly Radu and Mehmed, is truly heart wrenching, because the people around her are not Slytherins (like, at all). Radu, for example, I would sort as a Hufflepuff Primary, Ravenclaw Secondary. Their relationship as they try to understand and help each other pulls at my heartstrings, and I cannot wait to see how it evolves as the series continues.
This review has been sitting in my drafts folder for almost a week because I was trying to be eloquent and articulate about how much I love this book and why, but after talking to several authors this weekend (thank you Barnes and Noble!), I’ve decided that the best way to review this book is to reiterate the most simple sentence:
THIS IS THE GREATEST BOOK EVER.
I expected to like this book when I started it (although I think everyone does that. I mean, why would you pick something up that you weren’t expecting to enjoy?), but what I did not expect was to be blown away by how amazing it is. I cannot possibly say it enough times, so for anyone in the back who missed it, AND I DARKEN IS THE GREATEST BOOK EVER.
What are you doing still reading this? Go pre-order your copy now so that you too can enjoy THE GREATEST BOOK EVER!!!
Well Wishes & Candy Fishes,
Kait
*The magical people over at Sorting Hat Chats uses a number of fantastic ways to sort people and characters into Hogwarts Houses.
