Synopsis: Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. 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 to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed 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.
What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. 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. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will 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.
Review: I enjoyed Now I Rise much more than And I Darken. First off, we get to see Radu and Lada go through experiences without each other. This helps us to see them as individuals, not just as a pair. This also allows us to see what they think about each other. They both do a lot of reflecting throughout this story about love, loss, family, and culture. On top of that, we get to meet Nazira who is my favorite character. She understands Radu on a very personal level. I loved seeing the companionship between her and Radu. We also get to see a new side of Mehmed which changes how Radu and Lada both see him.
As far as the story goes, there were still some weird pacing moments. I think part of this had to do with chapters changing from "mid-April" or "mid-May" to more specific dates like "May 3-8." I don't think that's an actual date range from the book, but that's the gist. I just wish it had been one or the other. Lada, and her attitude towards being feminine, still frustrated me. That being said, we did get to see her utilize being a female to get an advantage. I would be interested to see if this continues into the last book. One of my favorite things about this book is that we get to see the consequences of choices that are made. This goes along with us seeing Mehmed in a new light. His friendship with both Radu and Lada both shift and it was interesting to see how Mehmed's choices affect Radu and Lada.
Enjoyable second book and I'm excited to see how everything wraps up.
4 howls
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