kappareads's review against another edition
4.0
As evident in how I read half the book in one day, it really picked up near the end. I did enjoy the beginning, but it was more touch and go. The end and the entire battle for Constantinople was the most engrossing and I'd actually get a bit annoyed when it was Lada's sections. I'm considering giving this a 3.5 stars, but either way, I overall enjoyed the book.
And as in the first book, Radu's chapters just held my interest more. I do feel part of the reason why I like his sections is that it isn't excessive, violent homophobia. It's clearly there, but it's not as violent as we've seen in other queer historical fiction.
Definitely reading the final book.
And as in the first book, Radu's chapters just held my interest more. I do feel part of the reason why I like his sections is that it isn't excessive, violent homophobia. It's clearly there, but it's not as violent as we've seen in other queer historical fiction.
Definitely reading the final book.
juliterario's review against another edition
4.0
- SIN SPOILERS -
Así que... "Now I Rise". <3
Si tuviera que elegir entre "And I Darken" y esta continuación, me quedo con "And I Darken". Vimos todo lo que teníamos que ver en esta secuela, sí, pero eso no hace que me guste más que el primer libro. "And I Darken" me voló la mente. Así de simple jajaj. Fue justo lo que quería ver en la literatura juvenil y adoré cada segundo de ese libro. Y aún pienso eso.
"Now I Rise" no fue una buena secuela. ¿Me gustó? SI. ¿Lo leería de nuevo? Si. ¿Merece las 4 estrellas que le di? SIIII. (Ya les diré por qué.) Pero no me parece que este libro haya hecho un buen rol como CONTINUACIÓN. Como secuela. Siempre nos advierten de este tipo de libro. Siempre se espera que superen al primero y lamento decir que "Now I Rise" no lo hace. En ningún momento baja su ritmo o afloja su preciosa calidad, pero el problema fue que no la elevó tampoco. Se mantuvo al ritmo de "And I Darken": con personajes hermosos y TAN reales, con unas construcciones y evoluciones que se han ganado lugar entre mis favoritas; con una ambientación de oro, una escritura magnífica y una historia que releería 500 veces. Pero "Now I Rise" no fue mejor que "And I Darken". Al menos no para mí.
Es un excelente libro. Retoma la historia de Lada y Radu perfectamente y continúa la historia muy bien. Giros inesperados, personajes que te atrapan y te hacen ver el mundo de forma diferente, un mundo ficticio tan real y a la vez de papel... "Now I Rise" y "And I Darken" son libros brillantes, y se merecen las estrellas que les he dado, en mi opinión. Pero esperaba que esta secuela evolucionara... Que me dejara sin palabras y tuviera mucho más que el libro anterior. Y no fue así.
Pero no me malinterpreten. TIENES QUE LEER ESTOS LIBROS YA MISMO !!!!!!!!
Así que... "Now I Rise". <3
Si tuviera que elegir entre "And I Darken" y esta continuación, me quedo con "And I Darken". Vimos todo lo que teníamos que ver en esta secuela, sí, pero eso no hace que me guste más que el primer libro. "And I Darken" me voló la mente. Así de simple jajaj. Fue justo lo que quería ver en la literatura juvenil y adoré cada segundo de ese libro. Y aún pienso eso.
"Now I Rise" no fue una buena secuela. ¿Me gustó? SI. ¿Lo leería de nuevo? Si. ¿Merece las 4 estrellas que le di? SIIII. (Ya les diré por qué.) Pero no me parece que este libro haya hecho un buen rol como CONTINUACIÓN. Como secuela. Siempre nos advierten de este tipo de libro. Siempre se espera que superen al primero y lamento decir que "Now I Rise" no lo hace. En ningún momento baja su ritmo o afloja su preciosa calidad, pero el problema fue que no la elevó tampoco. Se mantuvo al ritmo de "And I Darken": con personajes hermosos y TAN reales, con unas construcciones y evoluciones que se han ganado lugar entre mis favoritas; con una ambientación de oro, una escritura magnífica y una historia que releería 500 veces. Pero "Now I Rise" no fue mejor que "And I Darken". Al menos no para mí.
Es un excelente libro. Retoma la historia de Lada y Radu perfectamente y continúa la historia muy bien. Giros inesperados, personajes que te atrapan y te hacen ver el mundo de forma diferente, un mundo ficticio tan real y a la vez de papel... "Now I Rise" y "And I Darken" son libros brillantes, y se merecen las estrellas que les he dado, en mi opinión. Pero esperaba que esta secuela evolucionara... Que me dejara sin palabras y tuviera mucho más que el libro anterior. Y no fue así.
Pero no me malinterpreten. TIENES QUE LEER ESTOS LIBROS YA MISMO !!!!!!!!
nyatsushiro's review against another edition
4.0
This book gave me a glimpse of the iniquity man would do in war --or rather what they have to, and it is horrifying as it is commendable.
but to be honest half of the time it gets repetitive seemingly mundane, thus 4 stars.
but to be honest half of the time it gets repetitive seemingly mundane, thus 4 stars.
unicorn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Now I Rise took me on a fantastic trip through history and various countries, following Lada in her quest for power - on her own.
Now I Rise is one of my favorite 2017 releases! There, now that's out of the way, you have been warned that this review might not be as coherent as it could be, because I'm so happy about this book I just want to say : "Run and buy it! Then shut yourself in somewhere to read it!" That's how good it is! Lada has grown up quite a bit, but now, she's without Radu and Mehmed, and while she definitely wanted to have allies, they were not the best choice for her to win back Wallachia. And she soon realizes that while her men believe in her and her abilities, other people only see her as a woman, who should not necessarily lead an army to take back what she believes is hers. The beginning of the story shows the continuation from the first book, but Lada ends up leaving with her own fighters, rather than staying with Mehmed and Radu.
There is a strong sense of right and wrong in Now I Rise, and while Lada sometimes skirts the line between them, she is one who fights for women. She is absolutely horrified when she sees how some women are treated on her lands, and she has a strong need to make their lives better, safer, and give them some power back as well. This is definitely not something that would be common in the 15th century, but it sure does mesh with Lada and how she acted from I first met her in And I Darken. Lada is ruthless, just like the men who surround her - but because she is a woman, most of them completely underestimate her, and that is one of her strengths. Because she understands that their underestimating her can be used to her advantage. And she continues to see the threads of power and kinship that string people together. She also has the ability to see where such strings might be weaker, and thus knows exactly where to strike and when.
The historical aspects in Now I Rise are amazing, even if White doesn't follow them in every way. I love how the wars based on religions are explained - and those same reasons are used today in the real world. Infidels on both sides, where the Christians and the Muslims believe that theirs is the one true religion. Using armies to get the point across, to become more powerful and bring turmoil and hunger to the enemy. There is also a sense of Lada growing here, not only physically, but emotionally, she has become more mature. And she definitely sometimes has to fight against her own body in order to move forward with her plans for the future.
Written in third person, past tense, the narration follows Lada more than Radu or Mehmed in Now I Rise. We do get more than simple glimpses of them, though, especially Radu has an important role. With a wide cast of characters, and several battles to fight, there is a lot of action as well as a complex plot where political alliances are made and broken rather quickly.
She knew now that nothing she could do would ever be enough. Unless she could grow a penis, which did not seem likely. Nor particularly desirable.
Mehmed had tried to read her poetry before, and she always stopped him. It was a waste of words and breath. Who had ever looked with lust upon a gazelle?
He sat on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling in the void beneath him. It echoed the one that had opened up inside of him. He felt close to falling - or to flying. He did not know which it would be, but had no doubt time would tell.
Now I Rise took me on a fantastic trip through history and various countries, following Lada in her quest for power - on her own.
Now I Rise is one of my favorite 2017 releases! There, now that's out of the way, you have been warned that this review might not be as coherent as it could be, because I'm so happy about this book I just want to say : "Run and buy it! Then shut yourself in somewhere to read it!" That's how good it is! Lada has grown up quite a bit, but now, she's without Radu and Mehmed, and while she definitely wanted to have allies, they were not the best choice for her to win back Wallachia. And she soon realizes that while her men believe in her and her abilities, other people only see her as a woman, who should not necessarily lead an army to take back what she believes is hers. The beginning of the story shows the continuation from the first book, but Lada ends up leaving with her own fighters, rather than staying with Mehmed and Radu.
There is a strong sense of right and wrong in Now I Rise, and while Lada sometimes skirts the line between them, she is one who fights for women. She is absolutely horrified when she sees how some women are treated on her lands, and she has a strong need to make their lives better, safer, and give them some power back as well. This is definitely not something that would be common in the 15th century, but it sure does mesh with Lada and how she acted from I first met her in And I Darken. Lada is ruthless, just like the men who surround her - but because she is a woman, most of them completely underestimate her, and that is one of her strengths. Because she understands that their underestimating her can be used to her advantage. And she continues to see the threads of power and kinship that string people together. She also has the ability to see where such strings might be weaker, and thus knows exactly where to strike and when.
The historical aspects in Now I Rise are amazing, even if White doesn't follow them in every way. I love how the wars based on religions are explained - and those same reasons are used today in the real world. Infidels on both sides, where the Christians and the Muslims believe that theirs is the one true religion. Using armies to get the point across, to become more powerful and bring turmoil and hunger to the enemy. There is also a sense of Lada growing here, not only physically, but emotionally, she has become more mature. And she definitely sometimes has to fight against her own body in order to move forward with her plans for the future.
Written in third person, past tense, the narration follows Lada more than Radu or Mehmed in Now I Rise. We do get more than simple glimpses of them, though, especially Radu has an important role. With a wide cast of characters, and several battles to fight, there is a lot of action as well as a complex plot where political alliances are made and broken rather quickly.
She knew now that nothing she could do would ever be enough. Unless she could grow a penis, which did not seem likely. Nor particularly desirable.
Mehmed had tried to read her poetry before, and she always stopped him. It was a waste of words and breath. Who had ever looked with lust upon a gazelle?
He sat on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling in the void beneath him. It echoed the one that had opened up inside of him. He felt close to falling - or to flying. He did not know which it would be, but had no doubt time would tell.
roseybot's review against another edition
4.0
I will say this: this series is not light hearted, it is not gentle, it's a tragedy.
But man, Lada is cool.
Also I love Radu and want him to be happy -- HOW HARD WOULD IT BE?
But man, Lada is cool.
Also I love Radu and want him to be happy -- HOW HARD WOULD IT BE?
heco1206's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sarahjolioli's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
manu71005's review against another edition
5.0
SO GOOD!!!!!!!!
OMG, this was such a great book, which was actually a surprise considering that some of my BFF's rated it 1 star. And I was like... WHAT? Because they were mainly saying how boring it was. And I was like man... I kinda understand the reason behind what they are saying, but from my point of view, the whole thing was amazing. Now the bad points (very tiny points), for real why the hell did you do that?
Now for the good things was the development of the characters. I know many people hated Radu (i actually didn't but...) his development was amazing, in the beginning, I was so annoyed with Radu, I just wanted to jump in the book and scream to Radu to WAKE UP. But by the end, I was asking for more chapters with him. He understood that he wasn't controlled by what he loves and that he deserves better (my little baby).
And Lada... Lada is a whole new level of YA female main character. Forget about other Ya female heroes. Lada is ten times (or a hundred) more savage than any girl I ever read about. She knows what she wants and she is so unapologetic about it. (YASSS GIRL). Another important character is Mehmed, and I have a difficult relationship with him because I hate him and I'm also I'm proud of him. And finally Cyprian... baby forgive me... Cyprian was the most beautiful character in this book. Meanwhile, all the other characters wanted to conquer something Cyprian was falling in love... I love you Cyprian you deserve better and I hope you are doing better. (I'll protect you, baby)
Finally, just read this is incredible
OMG, this was such a great book, which was actually a surprise considering that some of my BFF's rated it 1 star. And I was like... WHAT? Because they were mainly saying how boring it was. And I was like man... I kinda understand the reason behind what they are saying, but from my point of view, the whole thing was amazing. Now the bad points (very tiny points), for real why the hell did you do that?
Now for the good things was the development of the characters. I know many people hated Radu (i actually didn't but...) his development was amazing, in the beginning, I was so annoyed with Radu, I just wanted to jump in the book and scream to Radu to WAKE UP. But by the end, I was asking for more chapters with him. He understood that he wasn't controlled by what he loves and that he deserves better (my little baby).
And Lada... Lada is a whole new level of YA female main character. Forget about other Ya female heroes. Lada is ten times (or a hundred) more savage than any girl I ever read about. She knows what she wants and she is so unapologetic about it. (YASSS GIRL). Another important character is Mehmed, and I have a difficult relationship with him because I hate him and I'm also I'm proud of him. And finally Cyprian... baby forgive me... Cyprian was the most beautiful character in this book. Meanwhile, all the other characters wanted to conquer something Cyprian was falling in love... I love you Cyprian you deserve better and I hope you are doing better. (I'll protect you, baby)
Finally, just read this is incredible
xoiaey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0