"And I Darken" by Kiersten White

Unlike some of my other reviews, this one will be brief. And I Darken is a new YA fantasy novel by Kiersten White (officially releasing today in the United States). The setting is the 15th century Ottoman Empire (before the fall of Constantinople), and the main character is the female version of Vlad the Impaler (who famously inspired the character of Dracula).

What I liked about the book:
I loved the historical context and the vivid descriptions of culture and every day life in the Ottoman Empire. I also really liked Radu's character (he is the younger brother of the main character Lada). In addition, White did a very good job describing the treatment of women during the Ottoman rule, the politics and even war tactics of the day.

What disappointed me:
I did not connect at all to the main female character. Lada from the very first pages is presented as ugly, ferocious, senselessly violent and cruel. She appears to care for her brother, yet she never shows her love for him even in private. She acts cold or cruel towards pretty much everyone and yet, everyone seems to adore and respect her. She appears to win this respect based on brutal force alone and perhaps some knack for military strategy. I did not like her character and frankly, in some parts of the book, she was boring and predictable.

What I take away from this book:
New YA releases are increasingly disappointing. I am mildly curious about the rest of the story (two more books will be coming our way). However, I am not sure I will be picking up the sequels.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My rating is 3 out of 5 stars: worth reading if you are interested in this historical period.