Monday, August 8, 2016
"And I Darken: The Conquerors Saga #1" by Kiersten White (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)
Visit Kiersten White's Website Here
OVERVIEW: 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, 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.
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, 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.
FORMAT: And I Darken is the first book in a
new YA alternative historical fiction. The novel takes place between 1435 and
1146 (give or take a few years) and Ottoman Empire. Instead of a male Vlad the
Impaler, we have Lada the Impaler.
And I Darken stands at 475 pages and is told from the points of
view of Lada and Radu. It was published on June 28, 2016 by Delacorte Press.
ANALYSIS: Originally,
I was attracted to And I Darken because it was being promoted as a new dark YA
fantasy series that takes place during a time period that is often overlooked
when it comes to YA literature. Alas, things aren't always what they seem.
And I Darken isn't fantasy in the typical magic, epic fantasy
genre and this is where I feel there is the potential for disappointment. And I
Darken is historical fiction, but an alternate version of it. Instead
of having Vlad the Impaler be male, we are given an alternate universe where it
is Lada the Impaler – a female.
The fact And I Darken is historical fiction
isn't bad, but it was a bit deceptive to refer to it as a strict fantasy
series. At one point there was a comparison to Game of Thrones, which this is
far from GoT. It has royal politics and conspiracy theories, but there is very
little to compare it to as it is strictly alternate historical fiction.
Once my disappointment that this wasn't a fantasy book was overcome,
I was able to fully immerse myself in the book and enjoy the story.
There are a lot of things to enjoy about And I
Darken. It is gritty (one of the grittier YA novels out there at the
moment), the setting is unique, a strong intriguing female lead, and strong
writing. Unfortunately, for every strength with the novel there is a weakness
that draws it back.
The writing in And I Darken is strong. It is
detailed and you can tell just how much research, time and effort went into it
on the part of Kiersten White. But strong writing doesn't make up for the
extremely sluggish pace of the novel.
I easily read 40-50% of the book and was surprised by how
little actually happened. A lot of time is spent on developing the land,
explaining political standpoints, talking about conspiracies, and debating what
should and shouldn't happen. This just weighed the book down because it was all
take and very little action.
The pacing of the novel was a huge issue and then came the
dreaded love triangle. Our main character Lada is falling for Mehmed, the
future sultan. At the same time Lada's brother is developing strong feeling for
Mehmed too.
Once the love triangle aspect was introduced, the characters
in the novel became obsessed with Mehmed. Every chapter – though it felt like
every page - was filled with longing and one of the characters (either Lada or
Radu) obsessing over Mehmed.
Before the huge fight between the siblings over Mehmed, the
two would literally gather together to obsess over what Mehmed was doing, where
he was, what he was thinking. Once the siblings had a falling out and they were
much older, it was just separate chapters of Mehmed obsession.
I understand the point of developing a love interest, but it
felt excessive. There was so much more going on in the book that could have
been developed, but we were stuck with Mehmed, Mehmed, Mehmed.
Another issue I struggled with while reading And I
Darken was character attachment. When I first started reading, I
thought I might be able to really enjoy reading about Lada. While she wasn't
overly likeable, she was someone I thought I'd really become attached to and
want to follow her story. That was until the story kept continuing.
Lada, while described as this horrible, brutal person,
wasn't really all that brutal or all that ruthless. Her kill count was
extremely low – maybe 4 and each one was done to save someone else. For most of
the book, Lada whined about her position, claimed she had no power to do
anything, and walked around looking for others to pity her while saying she
didn't want pity. She never really took charge and did anything, just sort of
went with the flow. It was extremely disappointing.
The other characters just fell flat. The only one who came
close to being interesting, for me, was Mehmed and that was only because
everyone seemed so obsessed with him and I kept trying to figure out why. He
also had a mysterious vibe to him, which made him interesting.
There is one part of the novel that needs to be brought up,
as it could be a huge issue for some readers. Due to the time period this novel
took place and the geographical setting, there is considerable time spent in
the novel talking about Islam as one of the main characters – Radu – goes through
a religious journey that involves converting to Islam.
The entire book isn't a religious textbook, but there are a
lot more details than most novels provide. It didn't bother me too much, but
the considerable amount of time devoted to religion and debating about religion
(even Christianity) could definitely prove problematic to some readers.
While it might seem like I didn't enjoy And I Darken that wasn't
really the case. I was a bit indifferent to it. It was a strong book and I
really enjoyed the political aspect of it, but the brooding, love triangles,
and constant self-pity attitude of Lada got to be too much.
Overall, And I Darken is a great book if you
are looking for a grittier YA historical fiction novel about a time/period that
isn't always covered. If you like political intrigue and the whole behind the
scenes whispering and plotting that occurs with politics, and of course if you
are okay with a love triangle and teenage puppy love/obsession then this is the
book for you. If you want action/adventure and a fast paced book, this might
not be the book for you.
12:00 AM | 
Posted by
Cindy |
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2 comments:
Hmm. Sounds like interesting. I would have been bummed going in thinking fantasy too. But sounds like it's good in it's own way. Thank you!
Yes. I understand why publishers and marketing people advertise things a certain way but if a book is no where near it, it shouldn't be done. I don't think they realize how badly it can destroy a peron's experience with the book.
There is some debate about whether alternative historical fiction is fantasy or historical fiction. So I guess its murky waters there, but still... saying fantasy makes me think magic and dragons and magical creatures.