For some reason all of my netgalley data vanished. I originally reviewed this on Amazon on


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Adventure, Politics, and Some Great Plotting

Love this book. It will probably be my favorite YA of 2016. And why? Because the characters were not repeats of the tropes that have become so hackneyed that I have more or less given up on YA. The heroine is a true bad***. She's also not gorgeous or given to accepting what society of her time --or ours-- want young women to be.

This probably means that this book won't be for every one. It most likely, for example, won't appeal to younger readers or any reader really who wants everyone in the story, but mean Bad-Guy, to be pretty and nice, and fighting for Justice and Truth.

For example, if you found DIVERGENT to be a satisfying and well thought out book, you might not like AND I DARKEN, a book that has a lot more in common with GAME OF THRONES than your typical girl-meets-boys: both boys are hot but one has an edgy, dangerous side while the other is a goody-goody. No special snowflakes in Kiersten White's storyline.

Besides the fact that the main character had anger issues, I loved that the secondary characters were so well rounded. They had their own lives and their own problems that weaved in and out of the story. I also liked that the history of the region, while tweaked and manipulated, didn't break from the harsh reality of the times. Consequently there is violence (off stage) and politics used to good effect.

RECOMMEND. If you are looking for something different in the YA adventure category, check this out. Particularly look into reading this book if you like alt-history fantasy adventure. I don't see this book as really being watered down enough to qualify as YA. It's gritty enough to qualify for for other categories.

I thought this book was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more when I was younger. It does start off rather slow, so I almost didn't keep reading it and if I had something better to read I probably would have DNR'd this book. I'm glad I did finish it though because it was a nice book, but probably not one I'll reread.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

WOW. If you think you know Kiersten White, guess again! This is so different from other books of hers that I've read, but that's not a bad thing at all! An I Darken is dark, bloody, and exciting. Initially, I was a little concerned because the book didn't grab me right at the beginning and things moved a little slowly. But then! Then I was in it and I loved this wild ride. Lada is such a compelling character, with so much depth to her character. Oh, and she terrifies me. The setting was amazing and so vivid and well written. The ending was intense and had me itching for the second book immediately. I didn't love the love triangle (I never do), but other than that this was a very solid read that I'll be recommending to fantasy lovers!

I struggled through the book because it started out really slow. But I didn't give up and about 1/2 way through the pace picked up and it flowed a lot better. All in all I truly enjoyed the story line and look forward to continuing the series.

It is an interesting twist on an already interesting story. Just needed a little work on pacing at the beginning.

As someone who likes the less popular myths of the world, this book was amazing. I was completely gripped by female Vlad the Impailer, and how that gender role played into this. It was very unique, well written and engrossing. I am now a big fan of this author.

Sadly this book was archived before I could download to read it. It has been added to my TBR and I’ll keep an eye out for it again in the future or at my local library.

I thought this book was just alright. This was the first book I've read from Kiersten White and I wasn't a big fan. I liked Lada and how BA she was. But, it was kind of a slow and long read, and it took me a while to get into the story.

Slow, but a solid narrative voice in an interesting twist on a historical figure. Much better on audiobook, as it flows better. If you can get someone to pick this up and not be intimidated by the size, you're good to go!

I honestly could not get into this book. I tried. 68% in I needed to put it aside. I think it's just not for me. It was much slower than I would have liked. And the story line was not as convincing as I thought it would be.

And I Darken was an amazing story to read. It pulled me in instantly and I am very excited to read the sequel. The characters were vivid and the world dangerous, but enticing. The writing is gorgeous and Kiersten White did not disappoint.

Tumultuous historical fiction!
And I Darken by Kiersten White, book one of the Conqueror’s Saga tells the story of Lada (a female version of Vlad the Impaler) and her brother Radu, as well as Mehmed, who will become a great Conqueror. Lada was born with an intense and strong personality; this is the only way to catch the attention of her father. The only time she’s kind or shows weakness is in helping her younger brother. Their father wakes them before dawn and takes them to a different ruler’s home for protection, but he ends up leaving his children to receive an education. This education consists of cruelty along with their lessons. As Lada and her brother Radu grow, they each find their particular talents and tend to go their separate ways. Lada is outspoken, boisterous and skillful in fighting and Radu is quiet and personable and enjoys religion. I learned more about Islam because of this book and my appreciation of Islamic beliefs grew. The author used the historical information that she could find on two great leaders- Vlad the Impaler and Mehmed the Conqueror- to create this interesting series of intrigue, action and danger. I love when authors explain their process of creating their books and share the research they discovered. Kiersten White lists historical books of information on her subjects and also tells readers why she chose to make Vlad the Impaler a female character- Lada. Lada adds depth, drama, love, loyalty and intensity to the story. And I Darken is the beginning of the turmoil of The Conqueror’s Saga, 4 stars!

This was easily a great read for me. I found it flowed really well and there were no issues with the writing or plot that stood out to me. I'd happily read the second one and I am curious to see where the author goes with the character developments.

It was okay. I just couldn’t get into it. It was way too slow and there were parts i was not expecting at all. It wasn’t a horrible book, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

AND I DARKEN is an alternate history, where Vlad (the Impaler) Dracula, is not a boy, but a girl, named Lada (P.S. There are no vampires in this book). From page one, Kiersten White had me absolutely hooked on this story. Lada is cruel, intelligent, and practically feral, but I totally loved her.

White follows the outline of history, but fills in the details with such an incredibly imaginative story. Lada and her brother Radu are taken by the Ottomans as prisoners, though they live a life of luxury and go mostly unchecked. There they mature and grow in completely different directions, Lada hating the Ottomans, and Radu finding himself drawn to their way of life. But they both find themselves falling for Mehmed, the son of the Sultan. The effect this has on their strange relationship is quite intense and intriguing. I love the way the story is told from both of their viewpoints so that you can really understand what's going on in their heads.

The romance is a slow-burn and filled with some serious issues, but it doesn't take center stage. This book is full of strategy and politics, family and relationships, and a decent amount of violence. The writing is phenomenal and I personally think it's the best book White has ever written. If you like history with a twist, political intrigue and a main character who's as likely to stab you as to kiss you, then I think you'll love AND I DARKEN. I know I did, and I can't wait to see how the next bit of history is twisted into story.

Sooooo long. I wish it didn't have that many perspectives, but whew, what a ride AND I DARKEN was!

It took me far, far too long to become emotionally invested in this book (the thing is basically a brick), but I am now in a glass case of emotion rooting for my girl, Lada Dracul. I'll be honest and say that I hated the first half of this book. It was drier than the Sahara Desert, but once it hit the 50% mark, the pace seemed to pick up and things finally got interesting. Thank god.

And I Darken is a gender-swapping, historical retelling of the Prince of Wallachia, and I'm not a historian in any sense of the word but from what I've heard it seems pretty accurate (with its own embellishments for plot purposes of course).

If anyone walks into this thinking it's a fantasy. Stop right there! It's not. It's politics from beginning to end. With plenty of stabbing, murder and volatile characters (aka my three favourite things in a book). At times, it felt too politically heavy. You spent more time trying to remember who was who and why so and so hated someone else, that you sometimes get lost along the way and don't have a map to get back home. So to summarise: Everyone wants power. Your enemies are anyone and everyone. Trust no one.

Barring all of that, Lada Dracul is what really makes this book great. Vicious, headstrong and brilliantly complex, she does whatever the hell she wants and has no qualms about stabbing anyone that gets in her way. Basically, I loved her. The other main characters were pretty great too (you will def be invested in their outcomes by the end) but Lada was my fav. #GirlPower

All in all, don't let the slow burn of White's storytelling turn you away (or the fact that it's basically 500 pages long). Keep reading! It's a marathon, not a sprint.

I DNFed this at 11% in July 2017 and reviewed it then. I read this as an arc, and as always, this is my honest opinion. I read this as part of my arc catch up challenge over on Twitter.

I went a little out of order with this book, because I haven’t finished the other arc I’m currently reading, but I needed to read something on my phone to kill time so why not.

However, I had a feeling I would DNF this, so I’m not surprised I’m writing a DNF review.

I can talk about the bit I read which takes place over the growing up of Lada and Radu, which I technically skimmed through because it wasn’t holding my attention.

This was not my cup of tea. I didn’t like the narrative and subsequently skimmed over it. It feels word heavy and like you’re stuck paragraphs before you can move on. I noticed this when I tried to read The Chaos of Stars and I think White’s writing style is not for me.

Lada feels so forcedly brutal that I couldn’t take her seriously. She’s supposed to be bloody and savage, but she came off as over the top and ridiculous.

The concept is interesting, and Dracula is one of my favorite novels, but this whole story didn’t work for me. I wasn’t bored per se, but I wasn’t too intrigued either.

**2.5 Out Of 5 Stars**
Lada has wanted nothing more than to make her father proud and rule her people in Wallachia, but instead she finds herself and her younger brother Radu abandoned to the Ottomans, basically political prisoners. The siblings end up befriending a boy, just to find out that he is a prince of their enemies, but maybe they don't have to be enemies... In a world full of politics and war strategies, a young girl and boy must find their places.

I went into this story with the highest of expectations because I love Kiersten White as an author and as a person, the cover is so gorgeous (my favorite book cover of 2016) and the idea of a female Vlad the Impaler filled me with (dark) joy. I may have set myself up for failure because this story was not even a little bit like I thought or hoped it would be. Keep in mind that I have a lot of friends that LOVED this book and counted down the days until they could read book 2, but I struggled here.

I wanted an action-adventure type story, but instead I got a book that was a very slow political historical novel. The first half of the VERY thick book dealt with the siblings growing up, skipping through the years to show the kind of negligent abuse they dealt with, which sure, it played a role in shaping them, but I was super bored. I kept putting down the book and reading more exciting stories and then picking the book back up because I am compelled to finish every book I read. In this situation that worked out, because the second half had a lot more action than the first, but it was still really slow political actions and super depressing. I had no idea that these were real people in history, just with some creative spin on it, until after I read the book so if you are a history fan this might be right up your alley- I am not a history seeker, so I was only moderately interested in any of it.

I respected the beejezus out of Lada, I thought she was capable, skilled, shrewd, loyal, and would make the best leader her people could have ever have hoped for. She went against the grain and trained hard as a soldier, being able to hold her own against most men. My favorite part of the book was when a high ranking very feminine woman accused her of wanting to be a man and Lada told her she was wrong, she was happy being a woman she just wanted to be the strongest, best version of herself. If that is not girl power (especially in a time where women basically did not exist) I don't know what is. But here is the thing, I did not necessarily like her. She was my favorite person in the book, but that is not necessarily an endorsement.

The other two main characters were Radu (who I actively despised) and Mehmed which I attempted to ignore. Radu was a big whiny cry baby, wearing his emotions on his sleeve and needing others to help him, and I just wanted him to go away. As he got older he became more interesting to me and his character was great at smoozing and politics, but then he went and betrayed Lada when she needed him most, and I totally wrote him off. Lada would have, and consistently did, so much to help Radu, and he didn't care because his loyalty was to another, who really just used him. Which brings me to Mehmed, who felt more like an idea than an actual person to me. Sure he was a prince, soon to be in power, but he did not feel fleshed out and I could have cared less about anything pertaining to him. The whole love triangle in the story was super awkward, and I wanted to cheer when Lada refused to be second to someone else's power.

I heard book two has more exciting things happen so I may pick it up to read, I am still conflicted on that idea though. This book was not for me, but I love the author, and I am sure others will really enjoy this kind of story.
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Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for historical fiction so I’m ashamed to admit that this book has set on my TBR shelf for more than a year. And I Darken by Kiersten White is the first in an alternate history series that imagines Vlad the Impaler as a woman. Honestly just typing that makes me giddy. I was so excited to start this book. It’s an interesting concept to take one of history’s most feared men and make him a woman. I was more than a little curious to see how the author would pull it off while also staying true to what is known about the time period.

And I Darken follows Lada and Radu Draculesti from birth. Told in 3rd person limited, the story unfolds showing Lada’s cruel nature and Radu’s “angelic” grace. Personally I’m not a big fan of 3rd person POV, but it works well for this story and these characters. Lada is someone that you both pull for and shy away from. She is cruel, spiteful, and full of anger, yet she has her tender moments that make you realize she is someone who comes from extreme circumstances. Radu is naive, childlike, and the constant recipient of his sister’s torment. There are moments you feel sorry for him and others where you wonder how he could think such things about his own flesh and blood. He is a tortured character, always struggling to find the balance between right and wrong. The chapters alternate between the siblings, giving you a clear picture of who they are.

I was impressed with the amount of history the author manages to place in this book. Of course liberties are taken, they have to be with Lada being a girl, but for the most part the author keeps the history accurate. If you are unfamiliar with the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Vlad the Impaler, it’s an interesting read and gives a little background to this story. Lada and her brother are sold to the sultan by their father as payment to keep his throne in Wallachia. The two are only 12-ish when this happens and so they spend their formative years growing up in the sultan’s care. Knowing the danger they are in, it puts an edge of suspense to their growing up. Radu is innocent and follows all that is taught to him, while Lada resists, setting her sights on returning home at the first chance. Yet neither of them could have predicted Mehmed, the sultan’s son. Mehmed completes their circle. The siblings trust him and love him, yet do they really know him?

Overall, I was fascinated by Lada’s story as it played out on the pages. I was enraged for her and cheered her on with all her small rebellions. She is truly a feminist character in a time period where women were possessions. She insists that she is not. Radu broke my heart. He is such a tortured character, first by his sister and father and now by himself as he converts to Islam and makes choices he doesn’t quite understand. Seeing the characters grow from children to adults and all the trials they faced along the way made for an excellent read. If you enjoy historical fiction and political intrigue, I highly recommend it.

Now on to the sequel…