And I Darken

And I Darken is a fictional retelling of the rise of Vlad the Impaler - except, in White's thrilling take on it, Vlad isn't Vlad but Lady Lada.

And I Darken follows Lada as she and her younger brother Radu are wrenched from their homeland and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts. When Lada and gentle Radu meet and befriend Mehmed, the son of the Ottoman Sultan, their lives converge in unexpected ways that will strain the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

And I Darken takes place in a fascinating time in history, and the book is worth reading for the sumptuous historical details alone. The political intrigue and complex character relationships are wonderfully done. Cunning, ambitious and vicious Lada is truly an anti-heroine to root for.