And I Darken by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
And I Darken is the perfect example of why you should never neglect your backlist!
Listen, I know it’s tough with new releases being shoved down your throat week after week; it can be extremely distracting. Trust, I get that.
With this being said, there are some real gems out there just lurking on your bookshelves. I hauled this beautiful baby in March of 2018. 2018!!!
I’m so glad I finally picked this up. I’m currently obsessed with the world White created within these pages and picked up the second book immediately upon finishing this one.
For those unaware, which I assume is practically everyone, this is the first book in my TBR-Haul Project.
Basically, I have a problem with buying a bunch of books that I never get around to reading. I’m sure many of you can relate. I finally decided enough was enough. It’s time to start putting a dent in that ever-growing stack.
In my Reading Journal, I have a page dedicated to each month’s hauled books. I am starting at the beginning, in March 2018, and selecting one book from each month until I get all the way to July 2022.
In total, if I cycle through once, there will be at least 52-books included in this project. That’s my goal. If it is successful, we’ll see if I want to continue with it.
Out of the unread books that I hauled in that first month of my recorded hauls, March of 2018, And I Darken still held the most interest for me. I’ve heard a lot about this series and it seems that many Readers with taste similar to my own have really enjoyed it.
I’m so glad I decided to start with this one. I feel like with it, I have set myself up for success with this project.
In this story we meet brother and sister pair, Lada and Radu, when they are just small children. From there we get insight into some formative moments of their lives as they move towards their teenage years.
Lada is the older of the two and has a fierce personality. I absolutely adore her determination and unstoppable desire for independence.
Radu, the baby of the family, is soft and sweet, but he’s extremely smart and is frequently underestimated by strangers. In a society that awards strength, quick violence and skill on the battlefield, Radu doesn’t quite fit in with his contemporaries.
When they were young, their father moved them from their homeland of Wallachia into the heart of the Ottoman Empire, eventually abandoning them there.
Lada’s heart has always, will always, belong to Wallachia however, and she dreams of returning and claiming her birthright of power. She despises the Ottomans and all they have subjected her people to.
For Radu’s part, he feels like he’s found a home in the Empire. A place where he feels safe. He converts to Islam and makes friends.
Chief among their special friends is Mehmed, the lonely son of the sultan. In him, Radu feels like he has finally found acceptance, and Lada is intrigued enough by him to not hate him. That’s saying something for Lada.
Together the three form a very complicated web amongst them. There are secret desires, pining and plotting happening from all sides. It’s intriguing as heck.
I loved all of the political maneuvering in this and the backdrop of the Ottoman Empire was refreshing, exciting and beautifully done.
I also grew very attached to the characters. Lada, I admire and cherish for her dynamism and strong-will. Radu, I love and appreciate for his kind soul and sweet, quiet strength.
While the two had the same upbringing, it’s clear that the two are now set on different paths. Even though they love one another so much, their desires may never mesh. It seems one will always have to sacrifice what they want in order to keep peace between them.
This left off in such an interesting place. You can tell it is building towards an epic showdown. As I mentioned above, I have already started the second book in the series, Now I Rise, and enjoying it just as much.
Overall, I think you can tell that I am living for this story right now. I’m so excited to see what other backlist titles I will love just as much.
If you have been putting this one off for years, like I had, and love YA Political Fantasy stories with complicated familial relationships and lush historical settings, you should absolutely pick this one up and give it a go!