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A review by readwithmeemz
And I Darken by Kiersten White
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I would like to thank the Chapters/Indigo Young Adult Trade Team for giving me an advanced reading copy of this book.
I originally requested it only because I read the description and saw that the love interest was a Muslim, and I'm all about diverse representation... However, I absolutely fell in LOVE with this book. It's marketed as Game of Thrones for teens - which is weirdly an accurate description. Reading the editor's description at the beginning of the book, I learnt that Kiersten White was inspired by the idea of Vlad the Impaler as a woman... And it was an AMAZING idea.
Lada is incredibly fierce and strong and ruthless, and UGLY, and I LOVE her. Radu, her brother, is soft and sweet, and weak and vulnerable. I really loved reading from both their perspectives. This book touched on sexuality and desire and weakness and strength, and betrayal and love in all its ways. I loved so much about this book - its reverant description of Islam was great to hear, because it explained it and described it in a positive light. It was also a really cool take on historical fiction - I love learning about the Ottoman Empire, and having just come back from a trip to Turkey - it was great to learn about Byzantine and Ottoman history, as well as a bit of history about Constantinople (aka Istanbul).
I loved this book's take on femininity and womanhood. I loved Lada's struggle with accepting that she is a woman, feeling powerless, and coming to terms with the ways women (who were often oppressed) would use their womanhood as strength, and take power where and how they could get it. I loved that Lada was 'ugly' and not in that way that 'she didn't know how pretty she was'. She's kind of a psychopath (which is amazing because I love anti-heroes, and I love villains).
I also loved that the book focused so much on the complicated relationship between Lada and Radu as siblings.
This is one of my favourite books I've read in a long time, and I would definitely recommend it.
EDIT: Just found out that it's the first book in a series, and I don't think I love that - but it was kind of expected.
I would like to thank the Chapters/Indigo Young Adult Trade Team for giving me an advanced reading copy of this book.
I originally requested it only because I read the description and saw that the love interest was a Muslim, and I'm all about diverse representation... However, I absolutely fell in LOVE with this book. It's marketed as Game of Thrones for teens - which is weirdly an accurate description. Reading the editor's description at the beginning of the book, I learnt that Kiersten White was inspired by the idea of Vlad the Impaler as a woman... And it was an AMAZING idea.
Lada is incredibly fierce and strong and ruthless, and UGLY, and I LOVE her. Radu, her brother, is soft and sweet, and weak and vulnerable. I really loved reading from both their perspectives. This book touched on sexuality and desire and weakness and strength, and betrayal and love in all its ways. I loved so much about this book - its reverant description of Islam was great to hear, because it explained it and described it in a positive light. It was also a really cool take on historical fiction - I love learning about the Ottoman Empire, and having just come back from a trip to Turkey - it was great to learn about Byzantine and Ottoman history, as well as a bit of history about Constantinople (aka Istanbul).
I loved this book's take on femininity and womanhood. I loved Lada's struggle with accepting that she is a woman, feeling powerless, and coming to terms with the ways women (who were often oppressed) would use their womanhood as strength, and take power where and how they could get it. I loved that Lada was 'ugly' and not in that way that 'she didn't know how pretty she was'. She's kind of a psychopath (which is amazing because I love anti-heroes, and I love villains).
I also loved that the book focused so much on the complicated relationship between Lada and Radu as siblings.
This is one of my favourite books I've read in a long time, and I would definitely recommend it.
EDIT: Just found out that it's the first book in a series, and I don't think I love that - but it was kind of expected.