And I Darken (Full Trilogy)

This Post is Spoiler Free!

And I Darken

Oh my goodness. And I Darken by Kiersten White. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I don’t even know how to explain what I’m feeling right now. I don’t even know what I am feeling. This book is amazing! I won’t lie, it was daunting at the beginning, but it was so artfully crafted that whenever I picked it up, I didn’t want to put it down. Seriously. I have no idea how on EARTH Kiersten White managed to put this together, but I’m amazed. She has definitely made it onto my “Favorite Authors” list!

Seriously, my mind is a mess right now. At first, I loved the book because of the writing. Yeah, the characters were decent and the story was interesting, but I wasn’t fully invested in them? I was a bit curious about what was happening next, but truly only loved the way White crafted each sentence and scene and setting. That all changed about a third (ish) of the way through the book. I think. I’m not entirely sure when it happened. 

But it definitely happened. I was deeply invested with every facet of the book, and oh the investment only grew. And for good reason! The character development is incredible. Over the course of the book, you truly get to see the strengths and weaknesses of the two main characters develop, and it was both beautiful and fascinating to watch. And stressful. The trials these characters go through had me panicking for at least a third of the book! (Seriously though, I’m reading this with a friend, and most of my messages to her are me keysmashing or panicking in all caps.)

I know there is more to say, but I’m too stuck on the characters and the dichotomy between the two. They are so… oh man. So amazing. It was super interesting, though, because the story was told from both of their points of view, alternating every chapter, so you really got to see the differences in the way they think as well as the similarities! The best part was that even though the POV shifted, it was all told in third person, so while their voices were different, the overall sense of storytelling was unified. I don’t know. It was just so well done.

Everything about this book was so well done. I feel like I’m straight-up fangirling right now, and it’s just word vomit on the page, but AHH! I LOVE THIS BOOK! I seriously can’t wait to read the next in the series (but… I’m also horribly nervous…). Wish me luck!

Now I Rise

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! 

Okay so I’m starting this review off much like I had for the first in this trilogy. Once again, I have no idea what to feel or how to think. Honestly, I’m not sure how much what I write now will differ from what I wrote above. The things that I loved about Now I Rise were the same things I loved about And I Darken. The writing is absolutely incredible, especially with the content it covers, and I was just as invested (or even more so) in the stories of the two main characters.

There was obviously more character growth, and it was so interesting to witness. The way they handle themselves throughout the struggles that they face… ah man… it was just so intense. My heart broke many times over, literally almost every (or every other) chapter. I think I was slightly more invested in Radu’s story than Lada’s, but at the same time I wasn’t? I don’t know. It’s all super conflicting. Everything about this book and this series is conflicting, and I think that’s the way it’s meant to be.

Anyways, I read all 459 pages in the span of two sittings, so that should tell you how enthralling this book was. The whole series is considered Alternate History, which is a sub-genre of both Historical Fiction and Fantasy. If you know me, you know I don’t usually read Historical Fiction, but regularly read Fantasy, so this Alternate History genre is kind of fascinating to me. However, I don’t know if I like the genre itself, or the tasteful way in which Kiersten White presents it. In any case, I loved Now I Rise, and I’m both excited and nervous to read the third and final book in this trilogy. 

Bright We Burn

Wow. Okay. What a brilliant end to an incredible series. Much like the first two books, I was in love with the writing style the entire time, and I was just… my heart… ow… This book made me feel so many things, and watching how each of the characters grew and changed and burned was emotional. For how dark and brutal the entire series was (and literally how stressed every single chapter made me), the ending was strangely peaceful and beautiful. I had been so worried throughout the entire book, worried that the ending would fall short of the legacy that the rest of the book cultivated, but all of my fears were eased.

It was perfect. The perfect ending for this trilogy. I don’t want to drag this out, since I will just say the exact same things I said above, so I’ll leave you with this…

If you want to read something that is masterfully written and makes you feel incredibly conflicting emotions in relation to love, duty, religion, emotion, strength, and peace, pick this trilogy up. You won’t regret it.

My Next Read:

Fahrenheit 415 by Rad Bradbury