Book Review: And I Darken

It is beyond me how this book has not become incredibly popular in the two years that is has been published. And I Darken by Kiersten White is one of those contemporary novels that somehow managed to avoid the general YA tropes and delve into a deeper meaning and a deeper examination of historical connections.

I am cautious with labeling this book as YA since it tells the tale of Lada since she was born and up to the point where she grows up, an age of around 18-20. In addition, the story is historical fiction with some almost fantasy elements to it. There are no fairies and there is no magic, but there is a dragon.

To sum up the plot, this is the story of a princess. However, this is no ordinary princess. Ladislav Dracul is brutal. She is cunning and there is nothing traditionally princess-like about her. Due to political stresses, Lada and Radu, her younger and kinder brother, are wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts. There is a struggle between Lada and Radu, but they both find ways to survive. They are special and pawns in a political game and a warfare-ridden land.

I love a novel that mixes history with fiction in a way that doesn’t seem forced or riddled with deus-ex-machina. The story of Lada is something of a Vlad the Impaler retelling. She is ruthless and cunning. She knows how to bend her body with the wind and how to kill a man with just one hit. Radu is the polar opposite of the two: a gentle and caring soul. He knows how to disarm people with words and how to make them want to follow his will. Everything changes for them when they meet Mehmed, son of the Ottoman Sultan. The novel delivered an interesting, intricate and captivating plot. There is not a moment in which the book gets boring.

The characters are extremely tridimensional. Lada has many layers that become evident as the story progresses. Radu is a character with intense depth. The supporting characters add even more depth to the plot. The narration is from a third person perspective that switches between centering on Lada and Radu. The narration is effortlessly beautiful. There are no overly decorated sentences. Just like Lada’s knives, every combination of letters serves a purpose. The narrative fluctuates from exposition to quick-paced battle.

You will end up feeling compassion for every character. You will ache for Lada and her struggle to be recognized as more than a pawn to be married off, and you will cry for Radu and his intense sensitivity. I swear you will fall in love with this fierce heroine. She is unlike any female lead I have ever encountered.

Rating: 5 Stars

header credit