NOW I RISE BY KIERSTEN WHITE {review}

Hardcover, 496 pages

Published June 27th 2017 by Delacorte Press

Rating: ★★★★★

Wow. Just wow. I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Now I Rise since the moment I finished And I Darken last year. It didn't disappoint, if anything it improved upon its predecessor and exceeded my expectations.

In The Conquerer's Saga Kiersten White takes on the very end of the Byzantine Empire with the fall of Constantinople and changing power in eastern Europe, but with her own twists. Here Vlad Dracul is a young woman named Lada, one of two main characters. The other is Radu, Lada's younger brother.

White gives Lada all the room she needs to be ruthless, brutal and yet also sympathetic. Her wildness cannot be tamed, her desire for Wallachia cannot be quenched, and she will kill or destroy anyone who attempts to part her from either. In a sea of very samey protagonists, Lada stands out; there is nothing she won't sacrifice to rule Wallachia, no brutality too far. Her love affair with Mehmed stagnates too as love falls to the steely strength of their twin ambitions.

Lada's younger brother Radu is a study in contrasts. Though by now he is no stranger to killing battles, Radu remains the clever, soft-hearted boy he once was. His love for Mehmed, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, brings him to Constantinople as a spy. Luckily, Nazira, our beautiful secret lesbian princess and Radu's wife, comes with him. Nazira is a breath of fresh air, for Radu as well as for the reader. She's deeply intelligent, both socially and emotionally, and is a bit like sunshine, really. In Nazira Radu has a friend, one that he can be completely honest with as she knows all his secrets and shares her own with him as well. There are moments where the friendship and affection between them is so strong and pure that you can't help but be protective of them both.

AND I DARKEN BY KIERSTEN WHITE {review}

Hardcover, 475 pages

Published June 28th 2016 by Delacorte Press
Rating: ★★★★★

Where do I start with this book? I loved it. It was rich, vibrant and beautiful in so many ways.

The story is told in alternating chapters by brother and sister, Radu and Lada. Due to weak rule of their father, Radu and Lada are traded to the Ottoman Empire in exchange the safety of their home country of Wallachia. This worked particularly well as Lada and Radu were both full-bodied characters, their voices crisp and distinct, even as young children.

Radu and Lada accidentally meet the Sultan's third son, a young boy their age, and befriend him. From there the book truly starts. There is so much between the three of them that it's hard to label it a 'love triangle' as the relationships between Radu, Lada and Mehmed change and grow as the novel progresses. It is never boring or tedious because the love shared by the three of them is complex, complicated and sometimes very dark.

Lada is a brilliant protagonist. She's vicious, clever and passionate; her personality is almost too much to be contained. It is made clear to the reader early on that she is not like the 'ordinary' people who wish to live and love - Lada belongs to Wallachia. Her country is her first and only true love. She's fascinating to read. Radu, on the other hand, is sensitive and intelligent. He's a great counterpoint to Lada's calculated brutality and also fascinating to read. His homosexuality, rumoured historically, is explicit in the book. I loved that.

I just absolutely devoured the entire book. The language is rich and beautiful, the characters full and complex, and the story was delicious. It follows history a lot closer than other YA historical fiction but plays around just enough.