And I Darken

And I Darken is a beautiful book. Historical fiction at it’s best. A book you can sink into and forget who you are and where you live. Dark at times, with a rich deeply layered plot and well-developed characters. Intrigue, espionage, treason, murder, betrayal, loyalty and lies interspersed with love and swords.

Soul food.

. . . And that is why you become a dealer of death. You feed death as many people as you can to keep it full and content so its eye stays off you. . . 

But… why is there always a but?… I don’t really understand what Lada was trying to do throughout the story…  The book implies every now and again that she wants to go home and rule, but it feels as if this is forgotten for the majority of the book while she tries to prove she is as good as any boy. Radu, on the other hand, is my favourite character in the book. Complex. He is sensitive, thoughtful and kind but also sly and cunning.

. . . Lada’s skin was too tight. There was not enough to contain everything she needed it to. It stretched and itched, phantom sensations crawling across her neck, muscles twitching in desperation. . .

I love how Kiersten White incorporates Islam in a positive way. There is far too much hate in the world and books promoting tolerance are few and far between.

Don’t miss this book, you’ll live to regret it.

Recommended age: 14+

Title: And I Darken
Series: The Conquerors Saga #1
Author: Kiersten White
Publication Date: 28 June 2016
Publisher: Random House
Source: ARC
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NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL.

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.    — Abstract from Goodreads.com

The fact that I received a free advanced copy of this book does not influence my policy to write an honest review.