Reviews with content warning for Violence - And I Darken

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

And I Darken by Kiersten White

20 reviews

megancortez's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Read the author's note at the end of the book because it will make the entire story make a lot more sense.

I found the story to be intriguing, entertaining, and honestly awe striking at times. But it suffered from too fast a pace and too underdeveloped communication. As the reader, you are jolted constantly, vascilating between Lada and Radu. Radu experiences strong character development over the roughly 20 year span of the novel. Lada, on the other hand, comes across less like a slowly disintegrating psychopath and more as a poorly written "angsty female character" whose whole personality is defiance, contrarianism, and internalized misogyny.

I can somewhat understand the development of her violence and hatred, but it feels less like a development and more like a drawn out acceptance of how awful of a human being she is when she was essentially born with a savor for the suffering of other people and hardly a noble bone in her body. Her entire personality is a violation of the Geneva Convention and weirdly enough, she can't pass the Bechtel test.

All in all, I enjoyed MUCH of this novel and its intense action as well as its slippery political intrigues! I cannot rate it any higher, unfortunately, on account of the massive disappointment that is Lada's character "arc".

Thinly veiled spoiler: Vlad Dracul is a red herring...

Content Warnings

lunaviolet's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional

That was a lot. The complex sibling dynamics, the parental abandonment, the closeted gay yearning for a straight man, the powerlessness of being a women in a society that limits what you can do… it was a lot. But it was really good. I felt engaged the whole time. I just wish they talked to each other. There was so much sorrow and such little relief because these characters just refused to talk to each other or talk through anything with anyone else. It made sense for their characters why they wouldn’t, but for the love of god, talk.

Mehmed was annoying. By the end of the book I was like

can you please shut up and disappear? The other two would have been so much happier without him there bogging down the story. He was just sooo annoying!

I don’t understand why this is listed as a fantasy? There was no fantastical elements to this story. Like at all. The story didn’t need fantastical elements, it was complete even without them. But then why is this book listed as fantasy? It was purely historical fiction.

Speaking of tags, this book needs to have the lgbtq+ tag on it bc there was a LOT of gay people and gay feelings.

No one does unrequited love quite like a gay person in love with a straight person. And by that I mean, over 80% of this boy’s thoughts were about how he wants so badly to be this asshole’s gay lover but he can’t.

Content Warnings

marzandme's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

4riareads's review against another edition

2.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

kassidyreads's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

mhino1000's review against another edition

3.5

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

alba_marie's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

3.5 stars

"When do borders ever stay as they are? Our own people were driven from the east, fleeing destruction. They saw cities and walls, and they wanted that. So they took them. If they had not taken them, they would have died. And someone else would have come and taken them instead."

This quote pretty much sums up this book and the sentiments within held by all of the characters. Me want something so me take something. Its like all of the despicable people in the book never got past 5 years old.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I love Romania (after all, I chose to spend my honeymood there!) and have a fascination with Vlad Tepes, and the Dracula legend his legacy inspired.

I wanted to.

But I really didn't. I struggled to care about Lada. I couldn't give two sh*ts about Mehmed - I have pretty much zero respect for the raiding Ottomans. Radu was the least despicable character but he was just so whimpering and selfish... Well they were all so selfish while thinking they were so noble it was aggravating.

The childhood first half of the book was slow and hard to get into. I can't remember half the stuff that happened because it just wasn't memorable.

The second half really picked up and I flew through it in a couple of days. But though the second half was closer to 4 stars, the first half was closer to 2 stars, so I've settled somewhere I the middle.

I don't know if I will continue the series. Halfway through, it would have been a flat out no. But by the end, I was a little more invested....

I didn't realise how much of the book would be set in the Ottoman Empire, a part of history that holds no interest for me. I also mistakenly thought that when people said "female dracula" (Which I was like cool!), they meant that the book was about Elizabeth Bathory, a nobleman and prolific female serial killer, who is sometimes called a sort of female version of Dracula. I didn't realise it was a book where Vlad exists.... but is weak and pointless and his daughter is the real Tepes legacy. Meh.

Anyway, the book has high ratings and I can see why! It just didn't meet my expectations. Apparently book 2 is better and its worth holding out, so we'll see

Content Warnings

inkandpaperandbook's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice?

This book was brutal. But really. In the best sense of the word. This book has torn my soul, my heart, and turn my life a three hundred and sixty degrees around. Originally, I never planned to read historical novels, but now I am here and I am proof that vows can be very broken for good. I will probably continue this habit in the future because I learn a lot from it. This book has been on TBR for almost a full year until I took the courage to read it. I admit it honestly; I saw it so long ago that I didn't even know what it was or how it got there. But before yesterday I glanced at it and its content and cover were quite enchanting, so I started it.

But evaluation of the book; Cover your eyes and shut your ears, let your instincts end you, as do Lada.

———————————————————

In fact, we see Lada's life

as she dies in the last part

. At the beginning of the story, we may be present at Lada's birth, Vlad (yes, Vlad, who is pulling into the stake), of course, deeply despises his daughter and wife, who has just survived the birth. Basically, I could have killed him for treating Lada and Radu's mother like an animal. A girl child was not good for anything but allies to build marriage. Lada would have to do the same if the she didn't take things in her hand. Lada grows up without the love of her parents, but she has her nanny, and her useless brother Radu - who always gets in trouble - and of course Bogdan (whom I hate for no reason). After gaining little attention from his father, she begins to spread her future, which does not fit into marriage to anyone. I could simply scream with joy when we finally got a protagonist who is not only self-sufficient, but not at all interested in men unless she has some benefits. After Bodgan was taken to the Ottoman Empire and Hunyadi broke into Wallachia, it seems they lost everything. This is the case for years until their father sells them to the Ottoman Empire to maintain peace. Due to his upbringing and the apparent lack of love, Lada becomes a cruel, cunning and fearless Amazon, but in the Ottoman Empire She is tamed but not lost. You can take your dragon's teeth out and it doesn't seem so frightening anymore, but you realize that you can still blow fire, which is damn hurt.

Otherwise, I couldn't like Radu as much as his sister and there is a simple reason; The love triangle that no one needed. Mehmed is about the same age as them, so he makes friends with them. He is the Sultan's third son to a slave mother, so he has no chance of becoming a ruler, so he is not taught it. Essentially, the first half of the book revolves around their friendship. They live and behave as children - though Lada is a little more mature. The latter further develops her combat skills and coaches with the Janissaries because she (unlike Radu) has not forgotten that they are only prisoners and not guests. Although they have both fiercely defending Mehmed from the beginning, he's lost his throne after his father's retirement because of them.

The following chapters (about 200 pages) is take place in the future, where they are "adults" or at least approaching it. The teenager Lada is desperately trying to break out of the role she has assigned and not head over. I really like in her character that she has no break point. There is always a point when the protagonist breaks and falls in, gives up. But she doesn't. She is moving forward as a huge dragon, ignoring who is in her way and what the consequences will be.

Radu is one of the Sultan's confidants and becomes a good friend, so much so that he becomes a commander. Unlike Lada, he also converts to Muslim faith. Honestly, I like the writer not turned the two religions and did not accidentally disappear any of them, both of them retaining good habits, leaving both beliefs attractive to the reader.

Radu is not the only LGBTQ+ character, since his wife - this is an arranged marriage - is also a lesbian. Soulmates are not always lover and they fully present this. I really like the little part they were in. In principle, they will get more roles in the following sections, which I am very pleased about. Both sibling are in love with Mehmed, but Lada alone catches his attention. Although their love does not last long and is weak enough still wonderful.

I don't really want to mention side characters, but Mara (!) - she was part of the Sultan's harem and princess of serbia - is one of my favorite characters and barely got a real role. Over the years, she has forged a weapon from her body and has obtained her freedom without violence. She is a believer in common sense and always deeply believes that she will return home, just like Lada. Although she does not have much power in the harem, she becomes one of the good friends - or ally - of the dragon's daughter over time.

At the end of the book, Lada is made a choice, either her home or her love, but she chooses what has always been more important to her; Wallachia. While Radu stays with Mehmed to occupy Constantinople.

I'll tell you the truth, no matter how much I liked the characters, the story, the time, and the turns were somehow not impressed so down. The plot went well, though the beginning was very slow and groaning, but it could still be followed despite the time jumps.

Content Warnings

drlove2018's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Lots of palace intrigue tropes and internalized homophobia, but the two main characters are vivid and their relationship is well-crafted

Content Warnings

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