Sweets, I Darken

Hola Sweeties! Paige here!

So today I wanted to review a recent YA favorite/Newby! It's called And I Darken and
let me tell you I wish I can darken it from my mind. Okay so that's a little bit of an overstatement, but I can't help it.

This book is about...

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

What I thought

This book was good in the sense that I was able to read it at least up to Chapter 15, which was roughly about 45% through. The writing was beautiful in a way, but at the same time, there was nothing really "special" about it. In fact, I was kind of thinking after a while that it was pretty boring. I was thinking to myself, "What's the whole point of the plot". By the time I got to 45% I seriously didn't really get a lot of the terms or what the heck I was reading or why I was even reading it. I mean it was interesting enough, but the story itself was flat, uninteresting.

One thing that bothered me up to this point was the characters. They were great to some extent, character sustenance wise, but they weren't exactly enjoyable. From the summary I thought that the book was going to be similar to Throne of Glass series, but it wasn't. It was far from it! I though Lada was going to be a strong character who was warrior-like, the way Celaena was in Throne of Glass. She wasn't and it burned me up! I was seething because instead of a strong character, I feel like I read about a girl who liked to bully people and sure was "streetsmart" to an extent, but she wasn't using any of her abilities for good. She was very selfish character who looked down on people and was constantly judging others. Where Calaena was rough around the edges, she eventually showed that she had a heart and cared about people, even though she was raised to be the opposite. These are the types of characters that I enjoy to read about, and I though Lada was going to be the same way. Although I understood some of her actions, like her need to not be repressed and married off to a man not of her choice, and who already has wives, I feel like this was understated. Also everything else she did was really rude and obnoxious. It wasn't strength or power.

The only character I can say that I truly felt was respect worthy was probably the little brother. I liked how Radu was respectful and was empathetic, the complete opposite to his sister. I just hated how people treated him and I hated that the author did really make his character more noticeable. Even when it was from his point of view none of his characteristics shined. They were dulled thanks to his sister who was mentioned constantly. I just wish that he stood out more since both Lada and Radu were considered protagonists.

My Overall Thoughts - Slash - Rating

I cannot give this book higher than a 2 star guys. I mean really, I just can't. I didn't like it, I felt that the characters could have been more well rounded and given a better purpose. I felt that they could've also had deeper Personality traits and characteristics. Ones that made them more diverse. Something that made me love them. I was waiting for a character development that never came and that really bites at me. I LOVE character development more than anything in the world of stories. Especially, when you start off hating a character (not too much) and then end up loving them and wanting MORE!

The story itself could've had more development too. I did like the way the author explained the setting and the world the story took place in, but halfway through I was bored. There was no sustenance there either. It was all politics and confusing things that moved too fast. Like Boyous .... I think that's what they were called. Anyways, although the author explained what that meant, I was still in the last scene and by then I was kind of like what the fudge is going on right now.

This is why I must give this book a 2 star. It doesn't mean you guys won't like it, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Still, there were plenty of others who LOVED this book! So please don't be discouraged by my low ratings or DNFs. They are just out there to inform and hopefully you guys can comment on what you guys thought about And I Darken. This would be great for YA lovers and people who like characters that you read from their childhood to their present selves. :) Alright over and out Sweeties! And have a GREAT weekend!

~ P

P.S. By the way, I just wanted to note that I am trying to use a new style of blogging. I want to know what you guys think? Is it making my blog too long? Or should I keep it up? Thanks for keeping up with my blog sweeties! Hope to have more for you soon!