An interesting take on an infamous historical figure. Can Lada hold her own and take back her homeland? She will do anything in her power to save her people, even if it means going against the ones she loves, or killing thousands.

Let me just preface this by saying - THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST.
That's saying something because I absolutely loved the first one. And, much like the first one, this one took me entirely by surprise. When I first stepped into the world of Lada and Radu, it wasn't what I expected and I absolutely delighted in reading something new. The characters, while staying true to themselves from the first book, have grown and developed in so many ways. The story and world grew, the history unfurled, and the stakes were great.

If you liked the first book, pick this one up! If you didn't like the first book, pick this book up anyway! White's daring take on Vlad the Impaler will leave you breathless and begging for more!

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title or series, after reading book 1 in the series, and the fact that the title has been archived.

Lada Dracul is one of my favourite characters of all time. She's just incredible and such a complex protagonist. Now I Rise was somehow even better than And I Darken. It's fast-paced and engaging, gripping the reader from start to finish. I love the wonderful writing style and can't wait for the final book.

Loved it! So atmospheric and wonderfully written and researched. Definitely one of the best books of the year!!

I’m unconvinced we’ll ever see the day when society as a whole accepts a woman with unbridled ambition and focused determination. And by this I mean the kind of drive that is almost without other effective emotional ties. The kind of need for something that pushes a person to forgo the things that most individuals consider important.

It’s quite alright for a male figure to have these kinds of single minded qualities. But a woman almost has to sacrifice her femininity and respect as a matriarch to get there.

Lada from Kiersten White’s ‘As I Darken’ and more recently ‘Now I Rise’ has made me think about this at some length and I’m not entirely sure I can voice it accurately, but just roll with me.

Lada is ferocious. She’s driven. She has a goal and biology be damned she’s gonna make it happen. Riling against expected behaviours and appearance for her gender, she has a serious battle on her hands. On the one hand she builds a reputation that precedes her. But on the other that same reputations causes her to lose out in certain aspects of her life.

Displays of female ferocity and aggression in the animal kingdom are impressive and can determine the alpha of a pack of hyenas. However, the hormonal implications of pulling that off have probably done nothing but harm an argument like this.

Without getting too graphic, female hyenas at the top of the social ladder can produce increased amounts of androgen to help their offspring become more aggressive straight out of the gate. And speaking of the gate…

…that boost of androgen cause her clitoris to enlarge to up to seven inches long from which she also gives birth.

Yep. In order to be top dog she grows a penis.

Lada thinks that she would have had it easier if she had been born male and she’s not wrong. But she probably wouldn’t have developed the same unwavering determination and passion for a far reaching cause.

Any form of oppression forces you to either submit or overcome. We all know which path Lada chose.

Does that mean she’s more man than woman? No. Has she lost her femininity? Definitely not. She’s a passionate, sexual and feeling person. She has subtlety in action and form that would rival any fan dance or tea ceremony.

I wonder if this direct (and stereotypically male) personality makes Lada difficult for some readers to connect with her.

I’m addicted to her. On a very basic level she’s trying to traverse the space between what she “should” do and what she “wants” to do and I think that we can all of us understand that feeling.

‘The Conquerers Saga’ is just going from strength to strength. Kiersten White is an absolute boss and has created such an intelligent and intricate series that I would urge anyone to get on board with. Read it, enjoy it, then come back to me. I wanna hear your thoughts.

Much better than the first book!! Can't wait for the last one!

Although I don't think that I am necessarily in love with this series, Now I rise was a significant step up from And I Darken for me. The stakes are raised and we really see Lada and Radu grow into themselves. Their allegiances are repeatedly questioned and my favourite trait of theirs is revealed: they make mistakes- big ones. These are characters that feel very real- well, I guess they are. It constantly blows my mind that the events in this series are based on real historical events. Now I Rise sees an introduction of many new characters along with the return of some favourites from the previous novel but Cyprian is definitely my favourite new addition. I was seriously hoping for a Radu and Cyprian to admit to their feelings for each other but turns out they were a little busy. I really changed my opinion of Mehmed in this book. In my mind, he turned from a flawed teen trying to prove he was born for the throne to a vicious and manipulative man who has just got used to playing a game and use people as pawns. It was frustrating and frankly sad that Mehmed had managed to pit the siblings against each other and they couldn't see that they needed each other until it was too late. I am definitely interested in seeing what happens in the final instalment and how White concludes the trilogy.

This is the second instalment in the much-loved And I Darken series. The book is set primarily in the dual perspectives of Lada and Radu, daughter and son of the renowned Vlad Dragwyla, prince of Wallachia, during the nineteenth century. They spent their childhood used as political bargaining chips and lived as wards to the sultan of bordering lands. Now Lada wants what is rightfully hers. Wallachia.

I adored this book due to Lada's character. She was feisty and fiercesome, stubborn and spirited, troubled and troublesome. She gave a new insight to the historical female, which has so often painted all of its females as wilting roses and distressed damsels. She is the antithesis of this expected role. Much to the horror of many of the males that surround her.

I adored how White allowed Lada to become every bit as bloodthirsty and brutal as her father. I also appreciated how she allowed her brother, Radu, to become every bit as delicate as his sister was expected to be. Both were determination to betray what was expected from their genders and to overcome every obstacle in their opposing rise in strength and notoriety. These stereotypical gender roles were turned on their hand and what resulted were two endearing and authentic individuals, set in a well-written and well-structured satire, exploring dense themes and overcoming many gender and genre defining stereotypes. The additional exploration of Radu's sexuality and the implications it would have in his time and in his position also accounted to make this thoroughly intriguing, enlightening, and thought-provoking reading

My only point of discord with this book was the confusion over places and people, which came from the density of plot and the time between my reading of the two books. This was quickly forgotten however, as I was re-absorbed into this world and all the blood-soaked action and political intrigue entailed.

I liked the first book, but I seriously LOVE this one. Why? Well, the characters are more developed, the world building is even more amazing and after starting the first chapter I was unable to stop reading. I was pulled into the history of Lada and Radu, and seeing how everything unfurled was so great. I hold my breath every time Lada attacked a village, trying to take what was rightfully hers. I was sad for Radu, every time he laid eyes on .... I was simply involved in the story and I highly recommend the book to everyone. This series is so worth giving a try! I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK!

Lada Dracul is desperate for the throne and the crown she believes is hers. After already failing to seize it in the past, she’s angry. She storms the countryside with the few men who follow her and terrorises anyone she comes across. She has no allies, no strategic positioning, and she is no good with politics, which is a stark reminder of her separation from her brother, Radu. Lada is desperate for her brother’s skills, but Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople, to be his inside man when he decides to take the city.

Last year when I read And I Darken, I absolutely adored it. I love Lada’s ferocity and brutality and Radu’s patience and intelligence. The book itself was full of political intrigue and strategy, action and thrilling fight and battle scenes. I can say that Now I Rise was also pretty damn great in the same way, but there were some aspects and comments that I really disliked.

I often see this trilogy and Lada being described as ‘feminist’, which really bugs me. It is definitely not a book I’d recommend for people looking for a feminist read. Yes, Lada is a warrior. She is strong, determined, powerful, and well developed. But she consistently puts down other women for their choices or lack of agency or their femininity. She doesn’t lift or support other women, and she never really learns from it. She always assumes other women are incapable of fighting etc, and she is different from other women.


‘But she would absolutely begrudge her mother the failure to empower herself. Running and abandoning those who needed her was the weakest, lowest thing possible’.
Trigger warning for rape and sexual assault, but Lada even victim blames. She get’s called out, but I still feel like she never really learned from it. After Lada realises that a group of women had been raped, she states:


‘”These lands are a waste of your time.”
Lada felt anger rising within. “Why?”
“I told you, we have no men.”
‘”No. Why did you let this happen? Why did all you let this happen?”
The girls face purpled with rage. “Let it happen? What choice did we have? We give ourselves or our families starve. What choice is there in that?”
These quotes, along with others, just made me believe that Lada has such disdain for women whose agency and power have been stripped from them, or who don’t outright fight with violence etc. It was also something I noticed in And I Darken as well. There were also no other main female characters, just supporting ones, which was also disappointing. I also disliked how she viewed her romantic/sexual partners, at one point she stated she ‘owned’ Bogdan, her childhood friend who has stayed loyal all these years, and she took advantage of his affection, and when she decided she wanted to sleep with him, she stated:

“You would do anything for me.” It was not a question. He looked at her as though she had taken the time to inform him the sky was blue. “Yes.” “Come with me.” She stood and walked into her tent. Bogdan followed. It was much more efficient than Daciana’s methods. And if she did not feel the same with Bogdan as with Mehmed, if the spark and the fire and the need were not overwhelming, Bogdan was as he had always been: loyal and serviceable’…’Bogdan felt more for her than she did for him. She had always accepted it as natural, good even. He belonged to her, but she did not belong to him.’
I did enjoy elements though as well. I enjoyed Radu, he saved this book for me at times. He is kind, calm, patient, calculated and charming. He does also contrast well with Lada’s brutality and anger. I enjoyed Radu and the conflict he had with loyalties and faith. It was interesting. He was put in a very uncomfortable predicament, wishing to serve the Ottoman empire, Mehmed, and stay loyal to his Muslim brothers, but he had trouble betraying the trust of his new friend and letting innocent people die.

So, ultimately, I am very conflicted about this book, because I did enjoy it. I did enjoy Lada’s ambitions and ruthlessness, I enjoyed the plot, politics and strategy that took place. But there were some unhealthy and problematic actions that I couldn’t overlook.

Kiersten White has beaten the second book lull. With a lot of series I have read you find that the second book is sometimes a ‘filler’ or it just not as good as it’s predecessor – This is not the case for ‘Now I Rise’, this book was darker, brutal and action packed.

I am not going to go into too much detail with this book as I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Lada is off to Wallachia with her men, she is has having a pretty hard time of convincing people to back her as being prince and then she has to contend with assassins trying to kill her. Lada’s loyal army will do anything for her, they fight for her and then follow her when she starts taking revenge on anyone that gets in her way of the throne.

Radu is still as loyal as ever to Mehmed and fantasizes that one day he will look at him the way he did Lada. He will do anything for Mehmed even if that means becoming a pawn and risking his and Nazira’s lives.

There were some great characters in this book, Nazira (Radu’s wife) she was smart, funny, had a political head on her but foremost she really truly cared for Radu. She had this warmth about her that was very much-needed as a lot of the book is dark and gritty.

Hunyadi, we hear of him a little in ‘And I Darken’ but we really get to see him in this book and though he is depicted as some awful killer that murdered Vlad Dracul and his son, we find there is more to this man and reasoning behind his motives.

This installment is much darker, bloodier and Lada is even more badass than before. I preferred this book so much more than the first one. The first book was obviously setting the scene and giving us the back story to each of their lives and this one was jammed packed with action. There is such great character development, I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars

The second book in this series that takes gender swapping to the extreme! Vlad the impaler is transformed into Lada, given away as a child, tortured and raised in the Ottoman Empire. Lada burns for revenge on those who betrayed her and her brother Radu but more than anything she is determined to take back her birthright and be crowned Prince of Wallachia . To do all this she left behind the two men that she loves, Radu and the Sultan Mehmed. Yet with those she trusts by her side Lada will stop at nothing to prove her strength and so begins her journey through deceit, lies and outright treachery. Blood and fire will be Lada's constant companion!
Lest you think this book is just about Lada I should hastily inform you that it alternates giving insights into both Lada's and Radu's situations. There's an uneasy triangle here as Radu is also in love with Mehmed but it's a secretive forbidden emotion. Lada believes she needs Radu but he refuses her and instead finds himself acting as a spy in Constantinople the jewel that Mehmed is determined to claim. Here Radu discovers that death will forever change him as he sees those who are good men fall through pride and blind obsession.
Oo this was good! The surviving Dracul siblings are so very different and yet at heart both refuse to stand by and see the innocent abused. I loved that the author has clearly done her homework and has worked the historical facts into what is a piece of fiction. Both these characters change as this book progresses and they both experience personal growth. It's never going to be easy making a bloodthirsty character likeable but I did understand and emphasise with Lada. No she's not always right but she never shies away from doing what she feels needs to be done.
The lynchpin is clearly Mehmed and he's a mercurial, manipulative , deceitful character. As happily a lot of this book is from Radu's point of view we get to experience what the true cost of loving Mehmed really means. Yet there's no doubt Mehmed is a born leader of men, it's his destiny to shine but as Radu realises the cost is always high. The siblings might be on different paths but there is obviously going to be a showdown in the next book and I for one cannot wait.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

When I requested this book, I wasn't aware of the fact that it was the second book of a series. I still read the book though, and I truly did enjoy it. I can see the potential of the story and I love the storyline and the characters. I do, however, feel like I should have read the first part to get more acquainted with the world and the overall feel of the book. Still, I'll give it four stars since I liked it and want to read the first and the last book in the series too.

A ruthless, bloodthirsty, fifteenth-century what-might-have-been saga about a genderbent Vlad the Impaler may be an unlikely choice of subject for young adult fiction, but it's certainly an eye-catching one. After the success of trilogy opener And I Darken - it went straight to number four on the NYT bestseller list - Kiersten White is back for more of Lada Dracul's vicious clambering toward the throne. Sweeping and dark, it's a sequel that commands the reader's attention.

Told in alternating perspectives, the stories which take Lada and Radu to opposite fringes of the Ottoman empire are equally compelling. A busy, action-packed plot is driven by Lada's ambition in the lawless wilds of Wallachia and Radu's activities as a double agent for Mehmed - the sultan who does not return his feelings - in Constantinople. White's writing style is closer to functional than illustrative, with some unnecessary intrusions from modern terms (e.g. 'block' for a street) but it does the trick. There are even flashes of flair. The book isn't perfect - it can be too dark and it very much bears the hallmarks of a the middle book in a trilogy rather than a story which can stand on its own - but it's an engrossing read.

An expanded version of this review will appear on my blog closer to publication.

I love love love this series. It actually scares me how much I love Lada's character despite her viciousness.

The novel follows two storyline. Lada's and Radu's. I would say that in Now I Rise Lada's story with slightly less engaging than in And I Darken but I think her character development makes up for it. Despite being as vicious and bloodthirsty as always, she seems to appreciate Radu's skills more and her ability to understand others and their motives also improves through the course of the novel.

Radu is as cunning and intelligent as ever. His storyline focuses on his conflicting emotions as he is sent behind enemy lines to spy on Mehmed's behalf. His eyes are opened in this novel and his love for Mehmed is not as blind.

I really enjoyed this novel, it was the highlight of my week when I read it. I cannot wait for the next novel in the series.

NOW I RISE is dark, sophisticated YA at its best. I loved the beginning of the series and adored the latest instalment of Lada and Radu`s journey. Separated and facing their own horrific trials, I loved seeing the sibling`s realise that despite their stark differences the distance separating them illuminated their true feelings for each other.
White`s writing is atmospheric and razor-sharp. I devoured her latest offering and will despair until the final instalment.

"She was not a lady. She was a dragon and this whole country would know it before the end."

* * * *
4 / 5

And I Darken was one of my favourite reads of 2016 and, as such, I had very high hopes for Now I Rise. Whilst it is an excellent book with two excellent and engaging main characters, Lada and Radu, I found Radu's sections to be longer and less interesting than Lada's. The book suffered a touch from "middle book syndrome", but overall I absolutely enjoyed this. Also the cover (US edition, I think) is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen.

"She thought that she would be enough. She knew now that nothing she could do would ever be enough. She had only these sharp men and sharp knives and sharp dreams, and no way to make use of any of them."

We pick up the narrative with Lada having left Radu and Mehmed to return to Wallachia with her recently freed Wallachian Janissaries. Radu remained in Edirne, having infiltrated the inner circle of Halil Pasha who is secretly allied to Constantinople, to spy on behalf of Mehmed who is now the Sultan. Mehmed is consumed by the desire to fulfil a prophecy, for the Ottoman empire to retake Constantinople which is currently held by Christians after a Crusade.

Lada Dracul wants to be Prince of Wallachia. For some reason, none of boyars or powerful men she meets will support her claim. So Lada and her men take up arms with Hunyadi of Hungary, the man who was responsible for the deaths of her father and older brother, Mircea. I loved the interactions between Lada and Hunyadi, and between Lada and her close-knit group of men: Bogdan, Petru, Nicolae, Stephen. They are friends, brothers-in-arms, and the only ones who take Lada, the Dragon of Wallachia, seriously. Her arc is purely about claiming the throne, and I definitely preferred her chapter's to Radu's.

"The world will destroy her in the end. Too much spark leads to explosions."

Lada is even more brutal than before. She kills. She orders her men to kill. She has sex. She liberates the downtrodden and assassinates and murders whoever stands in her way. And it is still not enough. As a character, Lada is very close to my heart; she is not a man and she does not want to be one. But she wants the power of a man because the power of a woman is tied to the power of a man: a husband, a lover, a father. Lada Dracul picks up a knife, binds her chest, washes the blood from her underwear, and goes as a woman, as a soldier, to claim her throne. As a character, I am inspired and disgusted by her, I am impressed and I pity her, and I applaud White for writing such a lovable, hateful, dynamic and interesting character.

Radu, on the other hand, is playing a political game of another nature. Married to Nazira, who is in love with her maid, loves Mehmed who loves his sister and uses Radu's love to manipulate him. All very complicated. Radu's arc is about politics, loyalty, love, and religion, and it is, like Radu, a more tender and slow-paced journey. When Mehmed asks Radu to go to Constantinople, to act as a spy and to attempt to disrupt their war effort, he goes reluctantly, Nazira in tow, with the ambassador, Cyprian who is a wonderful new character, to pledge allegiance to the imaginatively named Constantine. Whilst I did enjoy his chapters, I thought they were a bit slow and there was entirely too much focus throughout the whole book on Constantinople.

"His duties to God. His duties to the Ottoman Empire. His duties to Mehmed."

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Radu and Nazira. She takes to the role of a spy like a duck to water, fishing information out of the wives of the army officers, and acting the role of the devoted and passionate wife in front of Cyprian. They are so caring together and Nazira speaks only sense to Radu about Mehmed, who is frankly quite unlikeable in this book. I have a lot of sympathy for Radu, who has had his heart broken and abused by Mehmed, who is still full of loyalty for the Ottoman empire but cannot bring himself to murder Constantine, who is by all accounts a good man. Gone is the burning passion for Jihad, for the claiming of the city. Radu has seen the reality of war and he is not fond of it, unlike his conquering sister.

The writing was superb. A lot of the time I thought White's wording was beautiful and I liberally used the highlighter feature on my Kindle. I think it was better, more mature perhaps, than in And I Darken. Now I Rise does still suffer from a few peculiar writing choices - this is clearly an older teen or even adult book, judging by the amount of violence, pillaging, and rape going on, but White still uses some "childish" language. For example, Lada has sex a couple of times. The word "sex" is never used, however, (I just checked using the search function) it's always "down there" or some other weird vague terminology. It bugged me a little, but was the only writing complaint I have.

"We saw everything that was not ours and we hungered."

Overall, I am so pleased I got to read an ARC of Now I Rise and I recommend it to everyone that has read And I Darken, and the entire series to anyone who has not read either book. Lada and Radu are such refreshing, novel, and heartfelt characters and I cannot wait to read more of them.

So when I first read And I Darken, I wasn't really sure how to rate it. I could not put it down, I ate up every word, I loved all the characters. But at the same time, the story had infuriated me. This can be in any case where you find a character that makes bad decisions. I didn't like where things were going, and even though I had fallen in love with everything else, I still gave it four stars out of bitterness.

But this time? This time I could not do it.

Who am I kidding? Giving this series four stars when it takes all of my attention and forces me to keep the book open? No, I don't know why I was holding myself back just because the decisions of one character was pissing me off. To make the one star drop even more unnecessary, the character with the bad decisions is my FAVOURITE character, so he can make as many bad decisions as he wants; I'm still gonna love him. Even if I am suuuuper disappointed in his actions.

Now I Rise continues from And I Darken, the story of Lada and Radu Dracul, the children of a weak king whose land is taken from him as they are taken to be raised by Sultan Murad in the Ottoman Empire. In the second installation, they have parted ways as Radu become the right hand man of newly appointed Sultan Mehmed II and Lada gathers together and army to take back the kingdom that is rightfully hers.

I am in no way a history buff. I barely listened in history class and gave it up at fourteen as quickly as I could, but I'm definitely starting to find a new found love of historical fiction, especially ones that actually take from historical events rather that just have a court with women in pretty dresses and romance drama. While this story is not wholly accurate and still called fiction, it's still really hard to not google 'Constantinople' and not spoil myself. I had an idea of what would happen, but it's nice to know that my lack of history knowledge is finally paying off.

I love Radu and Lada in so many different ways. First there's Lada, a headstrong, rage-fueled solider who is mot definitely going to become a tyrant. She's blood thirsty and cruel but also incredible. I would not cross her, and I want her to succeed so badly. Then there's Radu, my sweet summer child, the softest man in the Ottoman Empire who just wants love and appreciation and honestly? Now I Rise we finally get to see him as a protector of people who love him just as much as he loves them. I've never been infatuated with someone before, and it's clear that the events from the first novel are still deeply ingrained with Radu...hence earlier when I talked about a fave character making bad decisions. I love him, but sometimes I just wanna bang his head against the wall. YOU HAVE LOVE, RIGHT THERE READY FOR YOU. But what I do know that un-loving someone is hard, and I really hope book three turns out the way I want it too, without looking at Wikipedia impatiently.

I could never decide whose story I liked best because I loved them in different ways. I loved Lada's story; her soldiers who are loyal but also have the best banter, her cruelness and determination, the way she does not understand other women and yet they are of utmost importance to her, her realization that allies may not be allies at all.

I loved Radu's story; his loyalty slowly break away from Mehmed, his realization that good and evil are not black and white, his innocence shattering. NAZIRA AND CYRIAN TOO. What powerhouses.

If you've been umming and ahhhing about And I Darken, please give it a go. And if you're still on the fence afterwards, then know that this will be the book that will get you utterly obsessed with this trilogy.