This book flip-flopped so much for me that I just can't see myself finishing the series. It started out so well. 2 siblings, a distant father, a faraway land, tons of mystery, history and the possibility of dark, interesting characters. The 2 siblings are 'given' to the Ottoman Empire in order to insure peace between their countries. Lada and Radu end up befriending the Sultan's son. The 3 become a close knit triangle against the danger that threatens the future of the Empire. Lada and Radu end up in love with the future Sultan and the 2 of them go to great lengths to secure his rule, happiness and future. Again, the beginning was crazy interesting, so much going on and then it just crawled through the middle. I was speed reading it, trying to not put it down, knowing if I did I wouldn't pick it up again. I loved the themes and the history, but only sort-of liked the characters and definitely didn't like the slowness of the plot.
Thanks Netgalley for providing a galley in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks Netgalley for providing a galley in exchange for an honest review.
I have really enjoyed White's previous series and was excited to see a new fantasy series by her. This was a good start to a new fantasy trilogy by White. I liked that this is a historical retelling about Vlad the Impaler, but in this case Vlad is actually a woman. Parts of the story lag a bit, but overall I thought it was an interesting and engaging read.
Lada is cruel from a young age but not without her reasons and honor. It was interesting to watch her struggle between being the strong warrior she wanted to be and her love for the enemy's son Mehmed. Lada's younger brother Radu has always been gentle and engages easily with people despite how cruel his siblings are to him. In the beginning the two are basically polar opposites, but as the story progresses you see that they do have certain similarities to their personalities.
I enjoyed that the story was set during the Ottoman Empire; this was an intriguing setting and an interesting time in history. It provided a wonderful lush backdrop for this story.
This is one of those stories where you just know things are going to get bad, very bad, as things progress. The story has a very ominous tension to it; part of it is because you know how Vlad the Impaler ended up being and you can just see how things are going wrong for Lada and how very precarious her emotional state is.
Overall I really enjoyed this story; I liked the setting and the characters. I did think that the pacing was a bit off at points and that the story lagged in some areas. It ended up being an intriguing read though and I plan on reading future books in this series.
Lada is cruel from a young age but not without her reasons and honor. It was interesting to watch her struggle between being the strong warrior she wanted to be and her love for the enemy's son Mehmed. Lada's younger brother Radu has always been gentle and engages easily with people despite how cruel his siblings are to him. In the beginning the two are basically polar opposites, but as the story progresses you see that they do have certain similarities to their personalities.
I enjoyed that the story was set during the Ottoman Empire; this was an intriguing setting and an interesting time in history. It provided a wonderful lush backdrop for this story.
This is one of those stories where you just know things are going to get bad, very bad, as things progress. The story has a very ominous tension to it; part of it is because you know how Vlad the Impaler ended up being and you can just see how things are going wrong for Lada and how very precarious her emotional state is.
Overall I really enjoyed this story; I liked the setting and the characters. I did think that the pacing was a bit off at points and that the story lagged in some areas. It ended up being an intriguing read though and I plan on reading future books in this series.
