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Ross (3284 KP) rated House of Sacrifice in Books
Aug 14, 2019
Style over substance in a long grind of a conclusion
* I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *
Anna Smith Spark broke onto the scene with The Court of Broken Knives (which always annoyed me because the place in the book is named the Court of the Broken Knife), a truly dark and gritty fantasy tale mixing magic, ambition, political intrigue and good old fashion hacking limbs off with blunted swords. Her narrative tone made her debut stand out, being much more lyrical and poetic than the rest of the genre. While this took time to get used to, it added to the immersion of the story and made the reader feel like they were experiencing the conflict themselves. The lyrical prose added to the underlying story. This continued into the second book, where Marith's journey to taking over/destroying the world continued, as did the turmoil in the heart of the empire.
Here, however, the story seems to have been put on the back-burner in favour of more literary prose. A whole lot of not a lot happens. While a large chunk of this is in favour of some character development, it is laboured and a real slog. I hated the first quarter of the book, and while I could see that what little was happening would be important in telling Marith's story, it really did take forever and was so utterly rammed home that I found it frustrating. So much so that I had to put the book aside so that my mood didn't ruin my family holiday.
The book serves as something of a conclusion to the trilogy with a lot of wrongs righted and paths ended. However, so much of it is simply gratuitous war for the sake of war (which I get as part of Marith's character but I grasped that after the first couple of unnecessary towns were razed).
However, with less of import happening, the reader starts to focus on the world-building, and I certainly started to realise how little of the "magic" in the world was explained or even described. So many instances of "shadowbeasts" just appearing and I cannot remember them being introduced in any detail at all. I really couldn't remember what was so special about Marith after all.
And the ending was so much of a damp squib I just had to laugh. After everything Marith had been through, for that to be the ending was ludicrous. While I appreciated the circularity of it, I didn't like it.
A disappointing case of style over substance in this dragged out ending to a series that could easily have squeezed into two book.
Anna Smith Spark broke onto the scene with The Court of Broken Knives (which always annoyed me because the place in the book is named the Court of the Broken Knife), a truly dark and gritty fantasy tale mixing magic, ambition, political intrigue and good old fashion hacking limbs off with blunted swords. Her narrative tone made her debut stand out, being much more lyrical and poetic than the rest of the genre. While this took time to get used to, it added to the immersion of the story and made the reader feel like they were experiencing the conflict themselves. The lyrical prose added to the underlying story. This continued into the second book, where Marith's journey to taking over/destroying the world continued, as did the turmoil in the heart of the empire.
Here, however, the story seems to have been put on the back-burner in favour of more literary prose. A whole lot of not a lot happens. While a large chunk of this is in favour of some character development, it is laboured and a real slog. I hated the first quarter of the book, and while I could see that what little was happening would be important in telling Marith's story, it really did take forever and was so utterly rammed home that I found it frustrating. So much so that I had to put the book aside so that my mood didn't ruin my family holiday.
The book serves as something of a conclusion to the trilogy with a lot of wrongs righted and paths ended. However, so much of it is simply gratuitous war for the sake of war (which I get as part of Marith's character but I grasped that after the first couple of unnecessary towns were razed).
However, with less of import happening, the reader starts to focus on the world-building, and I certainly started to realise how little of the "magic" in the world was explained or even described. So many instances of "shadowbeasts" just appearing and I cannot remember them being introduced in any detail at all. I really couldn't remember what was so special about Marith after all.
And the ending was so much of a damp squib I just had to laugh. After everything Marith had been through, for that to be the ending was ludicrous. While I appreciated the circularity of it, I didn't like it.
A disappointing case of style over substance in this dragged out ending to a series that could easily have squeezed into two book.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Waking Land (The Waking Land, #1) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The blurb of this novel tells pretty much all the necessary information. Elanna was kept away from her parents for fourteen years, in a different country, with a different culture and different way of living. She always wanted to be a botanist, because she loved plants. She was accused of King’s murder, so the only chance she had was to run. While on the run, she finds out, that she has a great gift and she supposed to be the one, who leads her country to independence.
This book has a great variety of characters to choose from. I loved their bravery and strong personalities. My favourite ones were El and Jahan. I loved their kindness and all the adventures which they had together in this novel. El is a very confused young woman, who is trying to make the right choice, even though it breaks her heart. She is emotionally torn between two countries who are at war because she has ties with both of them, it is hard for her to make the decisions, and this whole process was very interesting to watch for me.
I liked the plot of this book, but I found some of the parts quite repetitive. There is quite a bit of action going on in this novel, so that was what kept me going. I liked the adventure parts of it, filled with some really lovely and subtle romance. I think that author used her love for music and nature really well in this novel, I loved the overall setting of this book. It has some sex and violence in this novel, but it is not overwhelming, and I am really great full to the author, for keeping this novel quite elegant, when it used to come to violence.
The writing style is pleasant to read, but I don’t understand, why fantasy books have such complicated names in them. For me, it makes these books more difficult to read and it doesn’t add any charm at all. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into smaller chunks, so it was quite easy to read it. I really liked the ending of this book, I think it rounded up the story really nicely, and there will be a second part published this year, so I am quite curious to see what it has to offer. So, to conclude, I think this book has all the right attributes necessary for this type of novel, it has magic, brave heroine who is kind and sweet, political disputes and the right amount of romance. Please do give this book a try and I hope you will enjoy it 🙂
This book has a great variety of characters to choose from. I loved their bravery and strong personalities. My favourite ones were El and Jahan. I loved their kindness and all the adventures which they had together in this novel. El is a very confused young woman, who is trying to make the right choice, even though it breaks her heart. She is emotionally torn between two countries who are at war because she has ties with both of them, it is hard for her to make the decisions, and this whole process was very interesting to watch for me.
I liked the plot of this book, but I found some of the parts quite repetitive. There is quite a bit of action going on in this novel, so that was what kept me going. I liked the adventure parts of it, filled with some really lovely and subtle romance. I think that author used her love for music and nature really well in this novel, I loved the overall setting of this book. It has some sex and violence in this novel, but it is not overwhelming, and I am really great full to the author, for keeping this novel quite elegant, when it used to come to violence.
The writing style is pleasant to read, but I don’t understand, why fantasy books have such complicated names in them. For me, it makes these books more difficult to read and it doesn’t add any charm at all. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into smaller chunks, so it was quite easy to read it. I really liked the ending of this book, I think it rounded up the story really nicely, and there will be a second part published this year, so I am quite curious to see what it has to offer. So, to conclude, I think this book has all the right attributes necessary for this type of novel, it has magic, brave heroine who is kind and sweet, political disputes and the right amount of romance. Please do give this book a try and I hope you will enjoy it 🙂
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Protector in Books
Jun 12, 2019
Girl Doesn’t Take Her Mate’s Crap in this YA Fantasy Romance Novel
Contains spoilers, click to show
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Word Count: 86,170
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Faith thought she was a normal human girl. Then she turned 18 and started developing abilities. Around the same time, a mysterious girl named Belle showed up and explained to Faith that she was really a Halfling, who belonged to an alien planet. Not only that, but she had the powerful ability of Forewarning, a skill that was highly coveted, especially by the Loverias and the Wincrests, two rival royal families on the brink of going to war with each other. Things get even more complicated when Faith forms a mated bond with Prince Davio Loveria– right before finding out her long-absent father is Prince Alexo Wincrest, Davio’s sworn enemy.
Caught in an impending war on a foreign planet, Faith must think and learn fast to keep herself from becoming a political pawn while also keeping her family safe.
Faith is a fucking badass and I love her. She acts like a teenaged girl, with all the angst and drama that comes with it, but at the same times she’s smart, and she won’t take shit, especially not from Davio. I love how resourceful she is and how quickly she’s able to adapt to a foreign planet with different cultures and abilities. But at the same time, she’s not a Mary Sue. She does have issues with learning the culture and controlling her abilities. She also doesn’t deal well with having her world turned upside down but her reactions aren’t unrealistic and they make me love her that much more.
Davio, however, is a piece of shit. I knocked off a star just because he exists. He’s a pompous brat with less maturity and poise than a two-year-old. When he finally accepts that he’s mated to Faith, he shows his “love” by controlling her and ordering her around. He doesn’t let her be alone because she needs to be protected. He demands that she either be with him or one of his bodyguards at all time, effectively keeping her a prisoner. This is supposedly because she has Forewarning, which makes her likely to get kidnapped or killed. I would have an easier time believing that if she had ever gotten attacked in the book. But the only people who attack her are Davio’s own bodyguards. No one else gives a shit.
He also loves ordering her around. He’ll order her to get showered and dressed in two minutes. He also orders her to betray her father. Davio is actually shocked when Faith won’t give him intimate secrets about how to take down her father. He accuses her of being a traitor when she refuses to be part of any plan that will get her father killed or kidnapped.
Davio hates Faith’s father for being from the wrong country, he always thinks he’s right, and he’s controlling to boot. He’s basically teenaged Trump.
Davio is the biggest problem in the book. Almost everything else I enjoyed. I loved the world building and how the mated bond was portrayed. Even though Faith and Davio were connected through the bond and couldn’t be apart very long without feeling anxious and depressed, they weren’t brainwashed by it. They still didn’t trust or even love each other for most of the book and they could identify what feelings were real and what was from the bond. It’s rare when a book can have soulmates without having insta-love, but Protector pulled it off.
I’m still confused by Faith’s parents, however. Faith’s mother raised her by herself on Earth after getting abandoned by Alexo. But when he shows up eighteen years later and has a brief conversation with her, she’s completely willing to travel to a foreign planet, be banned from going back to Earth. She also needs to pretend to be his wife despite hating him for abandoning her. I honestly have no idea why but that might get explained in later books.
Word Count: 86,170
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Faith thought she was a normal human girl. Then she turned 18 and started developing abilities. Around the same time, a mysterious girl named Belle showed up and explained to Faith that she was really a Halfling, who belonged to an alien planet. Not only that, but she had the powerful ability of Forewarning, a skill that was highly coveted, especially by the Loverias and the Wincrests, two rival royal families on the brink of going to war with each other. Things get even more complicated when Faith forms a mated bond with Prince Davio Loveria– right before finding out her long-absent father is Prince Alexo Wincrest, Davio’s sworn enemy.
Caught in an impending war on a foreign planet, Faith must think and learn fast to keep herself from becoming a political pawn while also keeping her family safe.
Faith is a fucking badass and I love her. She acts like a teenaged girl, with all the angst and drama that comes with it, but at the same times she’s smart, and she won’t take shit, especially not from Davio. I love how resourceful she is and how quickly she’s able to adapt to a foreign planet with different cultures and abilities. But at the same time, she’s not a Mary Sue. She does have issues with learning the culture and controlling her abilities. She also doesn’t deal well with having her world turned upside down but her reactions aren’t unrealistic and they make me love her that much more.
Davio, however, is a piece of shit. I knocked off a star just because he exists. He’s a pompous brat with less maturity and poise than a two-year-old. When he finally accepts that he’s mated to Faith, he shows his “love” by controlling her and ordering her around. He doesn’t let her be alone because she needs to be protected. He demands that she either be with him or one of his bodyguards at all time, effectively keeping her a prisoner. This is supposedly because she has Forewarning, which makes her likely to get kidnapped or killed. I would have an easier time believing that if she had ever gotten attacked in the book. But the only people who attack her are Davio’s own bodyguards. No one else gives a shit.
He also loves ordering her around. He’ll order her to get showered and dressed in two minutes. He also orders her to betray her father. Davio is actually shocked when Faith won’t give him intimate secrets about how to take down her father. He accuses her of being a traitor when she refuses to be part of any plan that will get her father killed or kidnapped.
Davio hates Faith’s father for being from the wrong country, he always thinks he’s right, and he’s controlling to boot. He’s basically teenaged Trump.
Davio is the biggest problem in the book. Almost everything else I enjoyed. I loved the world building and how the mated bond was portrayed. Even though Faith and Davio were connected through the bond and couldn’t be apart very long without feeling anxious and depressed, they weren’t brainwashed by it. They still didn’t trust or even love each other for most of the book and they could identify what feelings were real and what was from the bond. It’s rare when a book can have soulmates without having insta-love, but Protector pulled it off.
I’m still confused by Faith’s parents, however. Faith’s mother raised her by herself on Earth after getting abandoned by Alexo. But when he shows up eighteen years later and has a brief conversation with her, she’s completely willing to travel to a foreign planet, be banned from going back to Earth. She also needs to pretend to be his wife despite hating him for abandoning her. I honestly have no idea why but that might get explained in later books.
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Blood Oath (Nathaniel Cade #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Blood Oath is an interesting and fairly refreshing variation on the vampire riff. Most of the current tales give us a suave, sexy predator who mesmerizes his or her prey, leaving humans pining for their presence. They might even fall in love with a human. Nathaniel Cade, however, refers to humans as food, saying, "Would you have sex with a cow?" That makes much more sense to me. It's a good thing he isn't interested, either, as the typical reaction people have to encountering him is utter panic, often involving the loss of bladder control.
Cade is definitely a predator, though - an extremely effective one. Farnsworth attempts to explain his abilities scientifically, rather than mystically (I'd classify this book as science fiction if I had to choose a genre, whereas most books featuring vampires and similar creatures are fantasy or horror). The same is true of the enenies he faces.
While I'm not generally interested in socio-political thrillers (which is what this book was, other than a story about a vampire who works for the president), I did enjoy the fresh take on an old trope. While I normally groan when I see the first book from a new author billed as the beginning of a series (do publishers even buy single books any more?), I'm somewhat pleased this time. I do wish they'd been a little more careful with the name of the series (The President's Vampire), as there's another book with the same name: [b:The President's Vampire: Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America|690096|The President's Vampire Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America|Robert Damon Schneck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177264074s/690096.jpg|676444] by [a:Robert Damon Schneck|368998|Robert Damon Schneck|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]. Then again, if Farnsworth's book or series takes off, I suppose there's a chance that sales of Schneck's will as well. I'm sure he wouldn't complain about that at all. I've put it on my to-read list, after all.
I hope to talk my partner, Sam, into reading <i>Blood Oath</i>. If I do, it'll be fairly miraculous, as I don't recall him anything with dragons or werewolves in it other than ([a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205261964p2/10746.jpg]'s Dresden Files) for most of the time that I've known him (12 years as of this writing). After his years at White Wolf, I think many books seem more than slightly derivative. He also did so much research before working on books he wrote for them (like [b:The Book of Nod|416122|The Book of Nod|Sam Chupp|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223664741s/416122.jpg|405290]) that he got a little burned out on certain subjects. Farnsworth's approach really is different enough that I think he might give it a chance. Will you?
Cade is definitely a predator, though - an extremely effective one. Farnsworth attempts to explain his abilities scientifically, rather than mystically (I'd classify this book as science fiction if I had to choose a genre, whereas most books featuring vampires and similar creatures are fantasy or horror). The same is true of the enenies he faces.
While I'm not generally interested in socio-political thrillers (which is what this book was, other than a story about a vampire who works for the president), I did enjoy the fresh take on an old trope. While I normally groan when I see the first book from a new author billed as the beginning of a series (do publishers even buy single books any more?), I'm somewhat pleased this time. I do wish they'd been a little more careful with the name of the series (The President's Vampire), as there's another book with the same name: [b:The President's Vampire: Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America|690096|The President's Vampire Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America|Robert Damon Schneck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177264074s/690096.jpg|676444] by [a:Robert Damon Schneck|368998|Robert Damon Schneck|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]. Then again, if Farnsworth's book or series takes off, I suppose there's a chance that sales of Schneck's will as well. I'm sure he wouldn't complain about that at all. I've put it on my to-read list, after all.
I hope to talk my partner, Sam, into reading <i>Blood Oath</i>. If I do, it'll be fairly miraculous, as I don't recall him anything with dragons or werewolves in it other than ([a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205261964p2/10746.jpg]'s Dresden Files) for most of the time that I've known him (12 years as of this writing). After his years at White Wolf, I think many books seem more than slightly derivative. He also did so much research before working on books he wrote for them (like [b:The Book of Nod|416122|The Book of Nod|Sam Chupp|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223664741s/416122.jpg|405290]) that he got a little burned out on certain subjects. Farnsworth's approach really is different enough that I think he might give it a chance. Will you?
RAVENMARK: Scourge of Estellion
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50% OFF FOR WWDC! Experience the award-winning wargame, Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion, where epic...
Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition
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Twilight Imperium (Fourth Edition) is a game of galactic conquest in which three to six players take...
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Siege and Storm in Books
Jan 23, 2020
I have completely mixed feelings about Leigh Bardugo's <i>Shadow and Bone trilogy.</i> So mixed, I was scared of reading <i>Siege and Storm</i>, despite the fact the librarian pretty much promised the entire series gets better by the book.
The second book in the <i>Grisha Trilogy</i> is certainly better than <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-shadow-and-bone-by-leigh-bardugo/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shadow and Bone</a></i> – whereas Alina Starkov (aka Sun Summoner) was overly mopey for a good part of the first book (to the point where I started calling her Mopey), Alina is less mopey this time around. A fantastic turnaround, because I don't think I can handle Starkov being mopey for two books. Instead, our fabulous Sun Summoner "Saint" is a little more... overconfident. Spunky (but that's what I've always like about Alina). And definitely in control of the situation, even if it's not in her favor and there are unpleasant rumors about her floating among the Grisha and everyone else.
But even though Alina is in control of the situation for the most part, there's somehow not a love triangle, but a love <i>square</i> surrounding Saint Sun Summoner.
Boy #1 (Mal): My least favorite corner, Mal wasn't a terrible character back in <i>Shadow and Bone</i> – I actually liked Mal a little. I particularly liked his interactions and dialogue with Alina. In the sequel though... he turns into Adrian Ivashkov 1.0 (HOPEFULLY 1.0).
Boy #2 (Darkling): I shipped Alina and the Darkling back in book one... until the end. The Darkling doesn't grace us readers in <i>Siege and Storm</i> as much as he does in <i>Shadow and Bone,</i> but he's really just that one desperate dude with the way he constantly tells Alina that there's no else like them and that they "belong together."
Boy #3 (Nikolai): My third least favorite corner (aka my favorite corner), despite the fact Nikolai is probably going to end up as one of my favorite characters in the entire trilogy after I read <i>Ruin and Rising</i>. Nikolai's two things: arrogant and adorable. Arrogant because seeing as he's royalty, he'll obviously have a big head of sorts (but not too big). Adorable because of his conversations and dialogue with Alina – I pretty much ship them... even if Nikolai probably likes her for political purposes.
The world building, as it was in the first, is spectacular – Imperial Russia spectacularized into fantasy. The concept is phenomenal and a fantastic pitch – even though I have mixed feelings about the entire series altogether, the <i>Grisha Trilogy</i> definitely deserves the hype and praise.
The trilogy so far is essentially Alina running, getting caught, and running again (with attacks and whatnot in between) – if that's the case for the first and second book, I'm definitely scared of reading the last book now. It could go extremely ugly – down the rabbit hole – or extremely well – mind = blown.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-siege-and-storm-by-leigh-bardugo/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
The second book in the <i>Grisha Trilogy</i> is certainly better than <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-shadow-and-bone-by-leigh-bardugo/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shadow and Bone</a></i> – whereas Alina Starkov (aka Sun Summoner) was overly mopey for a good part of the first book (to the point where I started calling her Mopey), Alina is less mopey this time around. A fantastic turnaround, because I don't think I can handle Starkov being mopey for two books. Instead, our fabulous Sun Summoner "Saint" is a little more... overconfident. Spunky (but that's what I've always like about Alina). And definitely in control of the situation, even if it's not in her favor and there are unpleasant rumors about her floating among the Grisha and everyone else.
But even though Alina is in control of the situation for the most part, there's somehow not a love triangle, but a love <i>square</i> surrounding Saint Sun Summoner.
Boy #1 (Mal): My least favorite corner, Mal wasn't a terrible character back in <i>Shadow and Bone</i> – I actually liked Mal a little. I particularly liked his interactions and dialogue with Alina. In the sequel though... he turns into Adrian Ivashkov 1.0 (HOPEFULLY 1.0).
Boy #2 (Darkling): I shipped Alina and the Darkling back in book one... until the end. The Darkling doesn't grace us readers in <i>Siege and Storm</i> as much as he does in <i>Shadow and Bone,</i> but he's really just that one desperate dude with the way he constantly tells Alina that there's no else like them and that they "belong together."
Boy #3 (Nikolai): My third least favorite corner (aka my favorite corner), despite the fact Nikolai is probably going to end up as one of my favorite characters in the entire trilogy after I read <i>Ruin and Rising</i>. Nikolai's two things: arrogant and adorable. Arrogant because seeing as he's royalty, he'll obviously have a big head of sorts (but not too big). Adorable because of his conversations and dialogue with Alina – I pretty much ship them... even if Nikolai probably likes her for political purposes.
The world building, as it was in the first, is spectacular – Imperial Russia spectacularized into fantasy. The concept is phenomenal and a fantastic pitch – even though I have mixed feelings about the entire series altogether, the <i>Grisha Trilogy</i> definitely deserves the hype and praise.
The trilogy so far is essentially Alina running, getting caught, and running again (with attacks and whatnot in between) – if that's the case for the first and second book, I'm definitely scared of reading the last book now. It could go extremely ugly – down the rabbit hole – or extremely well – mind = blown.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-siege-and-storm-by-leigh-bardugo/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
The Man Who Walked Through Walls
Marcel Ayme, Sophie Lewis and Yann Kebbi
Book
A collection of funny and fantastical short stories, Marcel Ayme's The Man Who Walked through Walls...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
And I Darken</i> is the first book in a brand new saga, <i>The Conquerors</i>, by bestselling author Kiersten White. Aimed at young adults, it is set at the time of the Ottoman Empire, providing a brief historical lesson as well as an entertaining story.
Inspired by Vlad the Impaler, the tale begins in Transylvania, 1453 with the birth of Lada, a daughter for the ruler of Wallachia, Vlad Dracula (no relation to the vampire). Despite the expectation that women are quiet, docile and mere possessions, Lada grows up with a vicious temper, as wild and fierce as a boar, unlike her younger brother, Radu, who is very cautious by nature. The siblings, caught up in their father’s politics, are sent away to another city. Lada however cannot be tamed, and is quick to insult or physically assault anyone who tries to put her in her place, even her new friend who so happens to be in line to become sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
As the children grow up they begin to involve themselves in the running of the empire, providing advice and companionship to the new sultan. Both Lada and Radu experience strong feelings for their friend, which they try to suppress - Radu, because it is improper (for that time period), and Lada, because she wants to be a strong, independent warrior with the same rights as all men.
<i>And I Darken</i> is extremely political but not in the same vein as politics today. Back in the 1400s, constitutional disagreements lead directly to wars, usually caused by the greed of the ever-expanding empire. Whilst these events are taking place, the true story line surfaces, exploring three very strong relationships. Despite Lada’s façade she is a young woman who cares deeply but does not let her feelings get in the way of achieving greatness. Jealousies and misunderstandings challenge the bonds between friends and siblings, resulting in a cliffhanger to encourage the read to eagerly await the next installment.
Although based on true events, <i>And I Darken</i> is mostly a fantasy. Lada has the characteristics and behaviour of Vlad the Impaler, something that would not have been possible at the time for a woman, but other than references to various battles, there are no other correlations.
The relationships focused on in the narrative can be frustrating at times, and it is easy to become annoyed at the key characters’ actions. Often I felt like giving up on the book, as I was not interesting in the gruesome fighting scenes, and not particularly keen on either Lada or Radu. Although I can admire Lada for her strengths and aspirations and agree that she is right to want more in her life as a woman, I found her malicious behavior difficult to respect.
Overall, <i>And I Darken</i> is a bold attempt by Kiersten White to combine history, romance and young adult fiction, particularly as the characters who would be considered teenagers today, were deemed adults during that time period, resulting in them being much more mature than many of today’s readers. This series is suitable for male and female readers alike as it contains an equal measure of bloody action and budding romance. Sadly, despite my high hopes, this book was not for me.
And I Darken</i> is the first book in a brand new saga, <i>The Conquerors</i>, by bestselling author Kiersten White. Aimed at young adults, it is set at the time of the Ottoman Empire, providing a brief historical lesson as well as an entertaining story.
Inspired by Vlad the Impaler, the tale begins in Transylvania, 1453 with the birth of Lada, a daughter for the ruler of Wallachia, Vlad Dracula (no relation to the vampire). Despite the expectation that women are quiet, docile and mere possessions, Lada grows up with a vicious temper, as wild and fierce as a boar, unlike her younger brother, Radu, who is very cautious by nature. The siblings, caught up in their father’s politics, are sent away to another city. Lada however cannot be tamed, and is quick to insult or physically assault anyone who tries to put her in her place, even her new friend who so happens to be in line to become sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
As the children grow up they begin to involve themselves in the running of the empire, providing advice and companionship to the new sultan. Both Lada and Radu experience strong feelings for their friend, which they try to suppress - Radu, because it is improper (for that time period), and Lada, because she wants to be a strong, independent warrior with the same rights as all men.
<i>And I Darken</i> is extremely political but not in the same vein as politics today. Back in the 1400s, constitutional disagreements lead directly to wars, usually caused by the greed of the ever-expanding empire. Whilst these events are taking place, the true story line surfaces, exploring three very strong relationships. Despite Lada’s façade she is a young woman who cares deeply but does not let her feelings get in the way of achieving greatness. Jealousies and misunderstandings challenge the bonds between friends and siblings, resulting in a cliffhanger to encourage the read to eagerly await the next installment.
Although based on true events, <i>And I Darken</i> is mostly a fantasy. Lada has the characteristics and behaviour of Vlad the Impaler, something that would not have been possible at the time for a woman, but other than references to various battles, there are no other correlations.
The relationships focused on in the narrative can be frustrating at times, and it is easy to become annoyed at the key characters’ actions. Often I felt like giving up on the book, as I was not interesting in the gruesome fighting scenes, and not particularly keen on either Lada or Radu. Although I can admire Lada for her strengths and aspirations and agree that she is right to want more in her life as a woman, I found her malicious behavior difficult to respect.
Overall, <i>And I Darken</i> is a bold attempt by Kiersten White to combine history, romance and young adult fiction, particularly as the characters who would be considered teenagers today, were deemed adults during that time period, resulting in them being much more mature than many of today’s readers. This series is suitable for male and female readers alike as it contains an equal measure of bloody action and budding romance. Sadly, despite my high hopes, this book was not for me.
Louise (64 KP) rated And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) in Books
Jul 2, 2018
First I would like to say a massive thank you to Goodreads as I won myself a copy on one of their giveaways( Aren’t they great!)
And I Darken is a new Historical fiction/Re-telling of Vlad the Impaler but gender swapped. Goodreads have it listed as being a fantasy, but there is no magic or any paranormal goings on whatsoever…glad we got that cleared up.
Our story follows Ladislav (Lada) and Radu Dragwyla the descendants of Vlad Dracul, Prince of Wallachia. Vlad is a vile human being and uses his own children for bargaining with the Ottoman Empire, there lives are at risk if he does not keep to the treaties terms. Living in the Ottoman Empire is risky for Lada and Radu, Lada could easily be married off to some suitor for allegiance or killed whichever is easier for the Sultan. Running the grounds they bump into a young boy the same age as them, only to find that he is the Sultan’s son Mehmed. Mehmed is a lonely boy with only his tutors for company so he befriends them both and shares all his education and time with them, which in turn takes them out of the spotlight.
Lada is a very strong character, she is a force to be reckoned with. She is brutal,fierce and just a total badass throughout the book. Being born a woman is one almighty struggle to be taken seriously in the 1400’s. She knows that she is the rightful heir of Wallachia at the young age of 11. She wants to impress her father with her fighting skills and there is a point when she thinks she has, but the only thoughts her father has is marrying her off to a suitor and being a dutiful wife. Lada is very family orientated and has a very unique relationship with her brother Radu but she will never show any emotion as this is a sign of weakness and she is perceived as a cold-hearted bitch.
Radu was always a disappointment to his father, weak,cowardly and clinging to his nursemaids side infuriated Vlad. Radu was the more emotional of siblings, even though he was not great at fighting he had a devious and cunning mind that made him equally as dangerous as Lada.
My feelings towards the characters changed a lot throughout the book at first I thought Lada was just a psychotic child but realised she is trying to prove herself as being fierce. Radu he was very sweet throughout the book and always wanted his sister to just open up and tell him she loved him and for him to tell her his secrets and feelings. The main point is that they are flawed and this is what makes characters great.
Mehmed just annoyed me and he got in the way of Lada’s plans.
The book does contain romance, a love triangle where no one expresses their love for anyone as they are too scared of the consequences or that it will stop them from their goals in life. So the romance is frustrating to say the least.
This book has a lot of political intrigue,so be prepared for wars,treaties,soldiers and their ranks. This is Historical fiction but as in the author’s notes at the end it is not accurate and a lot is made up. Religion is also touched upon, mostly Islam with Christianity but it’s not too in your face or info dumping. The book is nearly 500 pages long! I felt it could have been shorter. I enjoyed the relationship between Radu and Lada,it was a very different set-up from what we are used to. This did take me a little longer to read as in places it was very slow and I found myself getting bored.
This book covers themes such as sibling rivalry, relationships, families, romance, feminism, sexism and politics
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476160834l/22817331.jpg"; width="120" height="180"/>
Now I Rise is the second installment of the And I Darken saga which is due to be released in June 2017 which I will be reading as I am interested in what is going to happen next with Lada.
Overall I rated this 3.5 out of 5 stars
And I Darken is a new Historical fiction/Re-telling of Vlad the Impaler but gender swapped. Goodreads have it listed as being a fantasy, but there is no magic or any paranormal goings on whatsoever…glad we got that cleared up.
Our story follows Ladislav (Lada) and Radu Dragwyla the descendants of Vlad Dracul, Prince of Wallachia. Vlad is a vile human being and uses his own children for bargaining with the Ottoman Empire, there lives are at risk if he does not keep to the treaties terms. Living in the Ottoman Empire is risky for Lada and Radu, Lada could easily be married off to some suitor for allegiance or killed whichever is easier for the Sultan. Running the grounds they bump into a young boy the same age as them, only to find that he is the Sultan’s son Mehmed. Mehmed is a lonely boy with only his tutors for company so he befriends them both and shares all his education and time with them, which in turn takes them out of the spotlight.
Lada is a very strong character, she is a force to be reckoned with. She is brutal,fierce and just a total badass throughout the book. Being born a woman is one almighty struggle to be taken seriously in the 1400’s. She knows that she is the rightful heir of Wallachia at the young age of 11. She wants to impress her father with her fighting skills and there is a point when she thinks she has, but the only thoughts her father has is marrying her off to a suitor and being a dutiful wife. Lada is very family orientated and has a very unique relationship with her brother Radu but she will never show any emotion as this is a sign of weakness and she is perceived as a cold-hearted bitch.
Radu was always a disappointment to his father, weak,cowardly and clinging to his nursemaids side infuriated Vlad. Radu was the more emotional of siblings, even though he was not great at fighting he had a devious and cunning mind that made him equally as dangerous as Lada.
My feelings towards the characters changed a lot throughout the book at first I thought Lada was just a psychotic child but realised she is trying to prove herself as being fierce. Radu he was very sweet throughout the book and always wanted his sister to just open up and tell him she loved him and for him to tell her his secrets and feelings. The main point is that they are flawed and this is what makes characters great.
Mehmed just annoyed me and he got in the way of Lada’s plans.
The book does contain romance, a love triangle where no one expresses their love for anyone as they are too scared of the consequences or that it will stop them from their goals in life. So the romance is frustrating to say the least.
This book has a lot of political intrigue,so be prepared for wars,treaties,soldiers and their ranks. This is Historical fiction but as in the author’s notes at the end it is not accurate and a lot is made up. Religion is also touched upon, mostly Islam with Christianity but it’s not too in your face or info dumping. The book is nearly 500 pages long! I felt it could have been shorter. I enjoyed the relationship between Radu and Lada,it was a very different set-up from what we are used to. This did take me a little longer to read as in places it was very slow and I found myself getting bored.
This book covers themes such as sibling rivalry, relationships, families, romance, feminism, sexism and politics
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476160834l/22817331.jpg"; width="120" height="180"/>
Now I Rise is the second installment of the And I Darken saga which is due to be released in June 2017 which I will be reading as I am interested in what is going to happen next with Lada.
Overall I rated this 3.5 out of 5 stars