And I Darken
By: Kiersten White
Website: http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/
Release Date: June 28th, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: The Conqueror's Saga
Rating:

I’m not going to lie to everyone – sometimes I do judge books by their cover. When I saw this cover in particular I was drawn in by the dagger and flower petals. I’m also a sucker for simple titles.

In the time of the Ottoman Empire we follow the story of Lada and Radu, princess and prince of Wallachia as they are taken from their home and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman Courts (as part of a deal between the empires). To everyone’s surprise these two outsiders become close friends with Mehmed, the son of the Ottoman sultan.

This book was simply put- amazing. While it may not have been perfect in every way the connection between the three main characters, their personalities and the challenges facing each of them completely enthralled me.

Seeing this characters go through their own lives was a whirlwind of emotion and I felt connected to each one of them. I cheered for Lada when she was smart and cunning, adored Radu for his kindness and felt for Mehmed when he expressed concern over what is expected of him and whether or not he could do it.

There was not a single point in this book where the pace dropped for me or I wasn’t interested. There were times where they are talking about war strategies or court politics which I know isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if the story is interesting enough I don’t mind these parts.

“He is magnificent,” Radu whispered.
“He is the end of us,” Lada answered.

I decided after finishing book one in this series that I needed a break from the genre and I jumped back into my crime novels. I’m hoping to go back to the rest of the series soon, I just have a giant TBR pile to tackle first and I’m working towards hitting my yearly goal. May not get back to The Conqueror’s Saga this year but it is at the top of my list for 2021.