Now I Rise

Kiersten White

Jun 2017 · And I Darken Book 2 · Sold by Delacorte Press

About this ebook

The highly anticipated, mind-blowing New York Times bestselling sequel to Kiersten White’s New York Times bestseller, AND I DARKEN—the series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. 
 
A SISTER FILLED WITH RAGE
Lada Dracul has no allies. No crown. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares cross her. She storms the countryside with her men, but brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed, the defiant Ottoman sultan, brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

HER BROTHER CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Lada needs the support of her diplomatic younger brother, Radu. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. And for the first time in his life, when Lada asks him for help, he refuses . . . leading his sister to make the darkest of choices.

THE ULTIMATE POWER PLAY
Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, Radu knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, would Mehmed ever forgive him? 

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost. 

Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN and Sabaa Tahir’s A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT won’t want to miss this riveting and gorgeously written novel—the second in the And I Darken series.


★ "Gorgeous, rich, and rewarding."—Booklist, starred review

★ "Absolutely devastating in the best way."—Kirkus, starred review

“A+, 5 knives.”—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling co-author of the STARBOUND and ILLUMINAE FILES trilogies
 
“Fierce, epic, and crazy fun.”—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of THE HAZEL WOOD

A Teen Choice Book Award nominee!


Praise for And I Darken:
 
“A dark jewel of a story, one that gleams with fierce, cunning characters—absolutely riveting.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Passenger
 
“A dark, gritty, and seriously badass epic that will have you dying for more . . . required reading for every feminist fantasy fan.” —BuzzFeed
 
“Evocative . . . this book takes no prisoners.” —NPR

Ratings and reviews

Now I Rise is of epic proportions, both in the size of the book and the amount of plot developments and character arcs in the book. While the story still continues in the alternate POV chapter style with Lada and Radu, we now see two different stories playing out. Lada is heading over to Wallachia's capital to claim the throne for herself, and declare herself Prince. In Edirne, Radu is Mehmed's silent right-hand man, who is still devotedly in love with him and his cause. Mehmed has set his eyes on Constantinople and much of Radu's story arc in this book concerns the fall of Constantinople in the hands of the Ottoman empire. (I do not consider this a spoiler, because historical fiction). Lada's main story arc in this book is finding out how far she will go to get Wallachia - how many people (that are not of her homeland) she will readily betray to achieve the title of Prince. Her motivation, while can be seen as a thirst of power, is more patriotic in nature. She does not want to see her country suffer at the hands of others, and wants to fix it. But you know what they say about roads leading to hell. She makes an unlikely alliance with a man she thought she hated, and grows to respect him. She kills innocents in her path to clear the way to her goal. What I am saying is, she is a morally grey anti-hero, who in history has been immortalized as a villain. So yeah, her development and the way she interacts with the people closest to her are not exactly healthy. Still, she has her loyal Janissary force, and most of all, Bogdan who is in love with her (and she knows it) and would do anything for her. (*weeps for the parallel between Bogdan and Radu*) Furthermore, even though she rejects her femininity (mostly because it is a disadvantage to her), it is not like she wants to be a man either. She gets further infuriated when everyone who meets her only sees her as an object to marry to get power, a vision that they soon regret when she dispels it with the masterful use of her knife. All she wants is to be treated as equal as any man, and in that there lies the feminism of her cause. She is cruel, yes, (I mean, she just kills anyone who doesn't agree with her) but she is also kind to those who deserve it, and my goodness, she is wonderfully complex and I am a little scared knowing what is to happen to her story. Radu, meanwhile, has a pretty significant story arc in this book. His belief in Mehmed's cause and his love are challenged when he is sent as a spy to Constantinople. Earlier seeing everything as a political machination which served the cause,he soon begin to learn that some prices are too much to bear. His stay in Constantinople, seeing the horrors and brutality of war and conquest with his own eyes, he starts to realize what the kingdom of men will do. He starts having doubts about his mission, on whose side he is really on and who deserves his loyalty and the city of Constantinople. He fights as much for Constantinople as he does against it, and ultimately he realizes how the people are the one who lose in war between kings. His faith in his religion is unwavering, but his love for Mehmed gets shaken by the things he goes through. I cannot mention Radu's arc while also mentioning Nazira. She is the best wife friend Radu could have, and honestly have a more healthy relationship than most of the romantic ones in this book. Their continued love and support for each other is truly beautiful, and the best part of the book. On a technical aspect, the book is pretty lengthy, yes, but I wasn't bored for even a single page. Even with Lada's mostly constant arc of moving towards the throne, this novel was an engaging creature. It is written with skill, and I can't even begin to get into how much parallels the author draws between the characters or how she contrasts Lada's and Radu's arcs. In all, a wonderfully crafted sequel that went beyond expectations and delivered an epic story that has me fearing and craving the third book.

Just finished, wow, what a crazy ride. Each chapter alternates perspective between Radu and Lada. Honestly Lada's is the more captivating, Radu's is full of sadness. The only qualm I have is the table of contents isnt set up with the chapter titles, which are dates in Lada and Radu's timelines. Events dont happen concurrently, skipping back and forth sometimes months at a time, which can be confusing. I didnt want to pay so much for the next book but I need to find out what happens next!

I liked Ladas but I strongly disliked Radus story

About the author

KIERSTEN WHITE is the New York Times bestselling author of the And I Darken and Paranormalcy series, and many more novels. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, which, in spite of its perfection, spurs her to dream of faraway places and even further away times.
 
kierstenwhite.com
Follow Kiersten at @kierstenwhite on Twitter and @authorkierstenwhite on Instagram.