by Kiersten White
Book: The Darken Trilogy #1
Publisher: Delacoret Press
Pub Date: June 2016
Genre: Young Adult
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads Amazon
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, who’s expected to rule a nation, 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.
My Review: Kiersten is one of my go to authors. Every book she writes, I must have. So naturally I jumped at the chance to get this ARC.
Anywho...Lada is a princess. Lovely, kind, and everything you'd expect. Oh except for the fact that she's now a brutal princess. She wasn't always like that, things were better. Once I learned of her story, I couldn't help but feel for her and have an understating.
So Lada and her brother Radu, play the game. Do what they need to, while also finding a way to get revenge. They want nothing than to go back home, take back what is theirs, and go back to a life they once knew. Lada is the rightful heir of Wallachia, she will get her home back, show them what a real ruler is and destroy the Ottomans. Because when you hear what the Ottomans did, well you'd want them gone in a heartbeat as well.
But then you have a toxic triangle. Lada, Radu, and Mehmed. This can make or break the plan. Radu needs to not consider this place home, its not where they belong. Mehmed and Lada may have to hide whatever they may have. They belong to two different lands. They can't do anything, if they want any plan to work.
I can't even begin to tell you how on point the details are. The world building was done so well, you can tell a lot of time had gone into this. The characters are easy to like or hate. I loved this book and already want to read the next one!
My Rating:
✪✪✪✪✪
