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aforestofbooks 's review for:
And I Darken
by Kiersten White
3.75/5 stars
I don't even know where to begin. This book definitely got me out of my reading slump and introduced me to a whole time period in history that I knew barely anything about! But I have so many conflicted feelings that it makes it hard to rate this properly.
This book falls under historical fiction, not fantasy. I knew that going in, but I wasn't expecting to fall in love with the plot so much. I haven't read a lot of historical fantasy in a while, so this was a very pleasant surprise. All I knew going in was that it took place during the Ottoman Empire, and all I knew about that period was some of the more famous pirates during the time (thanks to the pirates course I took last semester). After reading this book, I just wanted to devour everything to do with the Ottomans! I'm literally Jon Snow cause I know nothing about this period of history, and considering that it's an important part in the history of Islam, I should probably read up on this immediately!
I know for some people the little info dumps about the history, politics, and wars going on during this time period might have been boring, but I was literally entranced. I'm obsessed with anything to do with political intrigue. It's definitely something I'd write about if I ever wrote a book. So reading And I Darken felt like doing research, but in the most amazing way possible!
The story can definitely be a bit slow. And that's one of the reasons why I didn't rate this book a 4 stars. While it grabbed me from the start, everything started to slow down after a bit and I actually went a couple days without picking up the book. The thing with political intrigue is that it's something that needs a build up and it takes time and patience. And I Darken did well in that, but it did become a bit tedious waiting for something big to happen.
I wanted to dedicate a portion of this review to this book's portrayal of Islam. I actually didn't know how much of Islam would be mentioned in this book going in, so I was really surprised once Lada and Radu finally arrived in Edirne. I think Kiersten White did a really good job showing the contrasting feelings towards Islam (and the Ottoman Empire in general) through Lada and Radu. Being Muslim, some of the things Lada said kind of bothered me, but then I'm biased of course. But it was counterbalanced with Radu really well and his experience of Islam. Considering the time period, I think Kiersten White did well showing the varying opinions of different people within the Ottoman Empire. Obviously not everyone was happy, but some were. And Lada's reasons and hatred towards Islam and the Ottoman Empire were justifiable and made sense to me, just like Radu's feeling of peace and inclusion within the religion of Islam also resonated with me.
Radu's faith though really hit a spot in my cold heart. His belief and trust in God, his connection with God through prayer, really made me envy him. It definitely made me think about my relationship with God and I love when books make you ponder about your own life. One of my favourite characters has to be Kumal. His devotion, loyalty, and faith made me wish he was my mentor irl. I want to see more of him in the second book hopefully!
The reason this book didn't get a higher rating (besides being a bit slow) was mostly because of the characters. I've realized that I'm the kind of reader who prefers characters who are mostly good. I love a good villain too, as long as he/she is 90% bad and 10% somewhat redeemable. The problem with And I Darken was that there wasn't a clear contrast between the good and the bad. And I guess that was what Kiersten White was trying to get at: that some people go to whatever lengths in order to succeed or have their way, and sometimes they cross that line and do things that are terrible.
Lada annoyed me. I honestly couldn't decide what to think of her. I started off hating her, then I was like "oh wait, she isn't all that bad", but then she would do something horrible and I'd hate her again, and it just bugged me throughout the book. I think she's an excellent and very unique character (she did give me a lot of Jorg of Ancrath vibes), but she's also a frustrating character to love. She does so many horrible things to Radu, that I honestly don't think I could ever really like her. I know she means well and wants to protect him, but reading the parts where Radu would cringe and wait for her to punch him made me sick to the stomach. It's abuse at the worst level and I'm not sure if I even like their "brother-sister" relationship. I understand the importance of family and blood, but it just made me uncomfortable.
What I did love about Lada was her constant struggle straddling the world of men and the world of women. She didn't feel like she belonged in either one and she had a hard time accepting women and their role in society (or what they chose as their role in society). I loved how strong and intelligent she was. She could stand up for herself, and yet she was smart when it came towards battle tactics and strategy. She gave me a lot of Tamora Pierce vibes (but then again I'm obsessed, so I might be the only one). But she definitely felt like Alanna or Kel, as they both struggled to make a place for themselves in a world where women don't exactly play more prominent roles in the military or government.
Radu was a character that I pretty much pitied for the whole book. While I admired his faith, his story is just sad. From the way he was treated by his father, Mircea, Lada, and Bogdan, to everything else that happened...it was kind of depressing. It honestly made me not like Lada even more, and since she narrates 50% of the book, that made it a bit difficult to like the book overall. Radu grew up in an environment where he could never use his skills to his advantage because he was overlooked and ignored. Seeing him make a place besides Mehmed as a spy was just heartbreakingly beautiful. I loved every second of it and it made me so happy. But seeing Lada shocked at what Radu could do and feeling jealous because he was good at something she wasn't made me mad...though I guess that's really Lada acting in character.
Mehmed was a really interesting character. His constant struggle between doing what was expected of him and what he wanted felt realistic to what anyone his age would experience if they were suddenly thrust onto a throne.
The end definitely left quite a few questions unanswered, but it makes me excited to pick up the next book at some point!
I don't even know where to begin. This book definitely got me out of my reading slump and introduced me to a whole time period in history that I knew barely anything about! But I have so many conflicted feelings that it makes it hard to rate this properly.
This book falls under historical fiction, not fantasy. I knew that going in, but I wasn't expecting to fall in love with the plot so much. I haven't read a lot of historical fantasy in a while, so this was a very pleasant surprise. All I knew going in was that it took place during the Ottoman Empire, and all I knew about that period was some of the more famous pirates during the time (thanks to the pirates course I took last semester). After reading this book, I just wanted to devour everything to do with the Ottomans! I'm literally Jon Snow cause I know nothing about this period of history, and considering that it's an important part in the history of Islam, I should probably read up on this immediately!
I know for some people the little info dumps about the history, politics, and wars going on during this time period might have been boring, but I was literally entranced. I'm obsessed with anything to do with political intrigue. It's definitely something I'd write about if I ever wrote a book. So reading And I Darken felt like doing research, but in the most amazing way possible!
The story can definitely be a bit slow. And that's one of the reasons why I didn't rate this book a 4 stars. While it grabbed me from the start, everything started to slow down after a bit and I actually went a couple days without picking up the book. The thing with political intrigue is that it's something that needs a build up and it takes time and patience. And I Darken did well in that, but it did become a bit tedious waiting for something big to happen.
I wanted to dedicate a portion of this review to this book's portrayal of Islam. I actually didn't know how much of Islam would be mentioned in this book going in, so I was really surprised once Lada and Radu finally arrived in Edirne. I think Kiersten White did a really good job showing the contrasting feelings towards Islam (and the Ottoman Empire in general) through Lada and Radu. Being Muslim, some of the things Lada said kind of bothered me, but then I'm biased of course. But it was counterbalanced with Radu really well and his experience of Islam. Considering the time period, I think Kiersten White did well showing the varying opinions of different people within the Ottoman Empire. Obviously not everyone was happy, but some were. And Lada's reasons and hatred towards Islam and the Ottoman Empire were justifiable and made sense to me, just like Radu's feeling of peace and inclusion within the religion of Islam also resonated with me.
Radu's faith though really hit a spot in my cold heart. His belief and trust in God, his connection with God through prayer, really made me envy him. It definitely made me think about my relationship with God and I love when books make you ponder about your own life. One of my favourite characters has to be Kumal. His devotion, loyalty, and faith made me wish he was my mentor irl. I want to see more of him in the second book hopefully!
The reason this book didn't get a higher rating (besides being a bit slow) was mostly because of the characters. I've realized that I'm the kind of reader who prefers characters who are mostly good. I love a good villain too, as long as he/she is 90% bad and 10% somewhat redeemable. The problem with And I Darken was that there wasn't a clear contrast between the good and the bad. And I guess that was what Kiersten White was trying to get at: that some people go to whatever lengths in order to succeed or have their way, and sometimes they cross that line and do things that are terrible.
Lada annoyed me. I honestly couldn't decide what to think of her. I started off hating her, then I was like "oh wait, she isn't all that bad", but then she would do something horrible and I'd hate her again, and it just bugged me throughout the book. I think she's an excellent and very unique character (she did give me a lot of Jorg of Ancrath vibes), but she's also a frustrating character to love. She does so many horrible things to Radu, that I honestly don't think I could ever really like her. I know she means well and wants to protect him, but reading the parts where Radu would cringe and wait for her to punch him made me sick to the stomach. It's abuse at the worst level and I'm not sure if I even like their "brother-sister" relationship. I understand the importance of family and blood, but it just made me uncomfortable.
What I did love about Lada was her constant struggle straddling the world of men and the world of women. She didn't feel like she belonged in either one and she had a hard time accepting women and their role in society (or what they chose as their role in society). I loved how strong and intelligent she was. She could stand up for herself, and yet she was smart when it came towards battle tactics and strategy. She gave me a lot of Tamora Pierce vibes (but then again I'm obsessed, so I might be the only one). But she definitely felt like Alanna or Kel, as they both struggled to make a place for themselves in a world where women don't exactly play more prominent roles in the military or government.
Radu was a character that I pretty much pitied for the whole book. While I admired his faith, his story is just sad. From the way he was treated by his father, Mircea, Lada, and Bogdan, to everything else that happened...it was kind of depressing. It honestly made me not like Lada even more, and since she narrates 50% of the book, that made it a bit difficult to like the book overall. Radu grew up in an environment where he could never use his skills to his advantage because he was overlooked and ignored. Seeing him make a place besides Mehmed as a spy was just heartbreakingly beautiful. I loved every second of it and it made me so happy. But seeing Lada shocked at what Radu could do and feeling jealous because he was good at something she wasn't made me mad...though I guess that's really Lada acting in character.
Mehmed was a really interesting character. His constant struggle between doing what was expected of him and what he wanted felt realistic to what anyone his age would experience if they were suddenly thrust onto a throne.
Spoiler
I really did like his relationship with Lada. It wasn't instalove, or maybe it was for him, but it did take Lada time to come around. Though I'm not sure if it would have ended well, like Lada pointed out near the end. I think Mehmed's love for Lada would end up keeping her more of a prisoner than she already was. It was hard seeing her come to understand that, but it's the truth. I'm not sure what else to say about Mehmed. He's a hard character to figure out. He had only eyes for Lada, and like Lada said, I don't think he'd ever see Radu in the way Radu sees Mehmed. I read in another review that Radu deserves better, and I honestly think he does.The end definitely left quite a few questions unanswered, but it makes me excited to pick up the next book at some point!