Julia's Big Blog of Books: Review: And I Darken (Kiersten White)

Well, it's almost midnight and I just finished this one. I had to get out of bed to write this review because I am s h o o k.

This book is under 500 pages, but it is dense anyway. It was not a quick four-hour binge-athon. I didn't discover the quick dictionary of the Turkish terms in the back of the book until I made it to the end of the book (the curse of ebooks!), so words like bey and pasha and iskar took a while to make sense in context.

The Good:

I would consider the first 100 pages (more!) of this one to fall under the definition of 'backstory'. Around page 50 I was getting annoyed, but when I decided to stop being annoyed, I really enjoyed the stories of childhood. Lada and Radu were much clearer characters thanks to this devotion to detail.
The dual perspective narrative really worked here. Lada and Radu both have enough problems and redeeming qualities that I was equally irritated and invested in both of their fates (ok, Lada's more, but only slightly). I tend to like one perspective better than another but White developed a very good rhythm and narrative where the switching perspectives seemed to be the only way to do it.
YA fantasy? Eh, maybe. This is a well-researched historical fiction novel that takes no liberties at all with the mystical or mythical. The scant hints of faith-based lore are enough to make me feel better about there not being magic as we imagine it in the world, because everything is so complicated as-is.
I really respect Mehmed.

The Bad:

Um...I think as I was reading reviews of this one, someone said the romance was minor? That is NOT the case at all. It's a little love-triangle-y, but not in a way that causes eye rolling. Just a little pity.
Everyone's a little *too* human. I have no idea who to root for the most and it pains me.
I can't figure out the global context and wish I had more background on the history surrounding these events! But if I look it up that might spoil the series so I'll just be a little clueless.

Loved it:

Lada and Radu are a fantastic portrayal of a sibling relationship. At the end of the day, you will probably choose your siblings. But you have to give them hell first.