Bright We Burn (And I Darken) Paperback – May 7, 2019

When I started this book I felt very clear of one thing: There is no way Mehmed, Radu, and Lada would make it all out alive.It was also obvious that Lada would not take kindly to being told how to rebuild HER Wallachia.I will say that my initial conviction was, in a way, true. But I won't spoil you (those will be below the jump).Bright We Burn was everything the ending to a complex, deeply woven fantasy should be. It also saw all the characters finally being true to themselves. Lada was always true to herself, but Radu denied himself certain things because he was blindsided by his love for Mehmed, and Mehmed, even though he awarded Wallachia to Lada, was not happy by the way she was ruling and was ready and willing to go to war, as it seemed the son of Murad was always in the mindset for.Early in the novel, we learn from some peasants about Prince Lada and how she is perceived -- and everyone in Wallachia, minus the boyars -- are starting to experience prosperity in the way Lada intended.This was extremely fulfilling, right from the beginning, to see that she was able to do what she set out to do. That her gut instincts were leading her people to a better tomorrow. And she was doing what no prince had done before, yet she was a WOMAN. Once again, the feminist tone could not possibly be ignored.It also sees Radu finally choose HIMSELF over Mehmed in so many ways, which was so incredibly refreshing. To me, he'd gotten a little annoying, but seeing him finally take a stand or some things was really satisfying.I gave this final installment 5 HEARTS because I felt it successfully wrapped up the story and each character's story line.Here's where it gets spoilery ...From the beginning of the book (and really the end of Now I Rise), Mehmed has requested an audience with Lada, which she denies by killing all the Janissaries Mehmed sent to deliver the message and escort her and sends them back in boxes. Next, when Lada is expecting a visit from Radu, she instead finds herself face to face with Kumal Pasha, who she has long harbored a grudge against, as she sees him as a wedge between her and Radu. So she murders him.All the while Radu is off in Bursa -- he has finally heard from someone that Nazira is there and that she is safe after only just escaping the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans.After her actions, Mehmed and Radu have no choice but to fight Lada with the intent of reinstalling one of the Danesti brothers to the throne. While Lada's men and her clever trickery send him through a landscape of pitfalls and problems at every turn, seriously delaying their trip to Tirgoviste, they do eventually arrive to find the palace empty. Lada and her people -- all of them, soldiers, families, peasants, are all at the fortress in the mountain.But none of this happens before Lada, like a moth to a flame, finds Mehmed again and they sleep together. They negotiate the terms of a treaty, but Lada rethinks it and nearly kill Mehmed in the process -- and Radu nearly kills Lada.Not long after she and her people make it to the fortress, she is captured by Matthias, King of Hungary, who imprisons her and puts her nurse to work in the kitchen. Luckily, Stefan has been posing as a cleaning worker, and after nearly four months, she escapes, and discovers that she is with Mehmed's child -- though she couldn't been 100% sure until after she was born, since she was sleeping with Bogdan, too.Together, Radu eventually finds a way to end the war and install first, himself as prince, but then, eventually reinstating Lada. And when she gives birth, she gives the baby to Radu, Nazira, Fatima, and Cyprian, Radu's husband-to-be.I think the most satisfying part of this book was that Radu finally found love -- true love, not one-sided love.I do wish we got to see more of Lada's daughter as she was growing up. The prologue was too little, too fast for me.But despite that, I still give this novel 5 HEARTS!

This has been a phenomenal series. I love that it did not have an ending all wrapped up neatly in a bow with sunshine and roses for everyone. The characters have been amazing and complex. The writing is very well done. I loved that Radu loves Mehmed and Lada for who they were and accepted them for who they were whole growing and figuring out who he was and ultimately what he wanted from his life. I thought this was a perfect ending.

He's running out of room for all his books but he probably gets at least 5 a month. But I'm glad he loves to read.

I was not familiar with this author before picking up the first book in this trilogy in a thrift store, but I couldn't resist a Vlad the Impaler retelling that casts him as a bloodthirsty young woman. The pace of the first book kept me pushing forward because ultimately it read more as a traditional YA love triangle romance that didn't really spark my interest.Then the first book ended, and I instantly had to pick up the last two and read them in a whirlwind. The politics were realistic and brutal. The scenes of war maneuvering were just gasp-inducing, and the more I read the more I began to love some characters and hate others when my initial impressions were the opposite. In the end, Radu had my heart more than any other character. Lada was a badass that I began to love very fiercely, and Mehmed morphed into someone who was very difficult to respect or admire at all.I have recommended this series to so. many. people. I wish I could erase my memory to reread this series fresh to experience the emotions all over again.I hope that Kiersten White writes more books like this one. Her earlier work doesn't really interest me that much, but I love this brutal direction she is going in. Just incredible writing!

This was an EXCELLENT end to an amazing trilogy of books. To be honest, it was also my favorite in the series. Lots of action, some twists and turns, and most importantly, the bittersweet conclusion of Radu's, Lada's and Mehmed's stories. The story closely follows Radu and Lada with Mehmed taking a backseat role, which was very appropriate for the story. Lada especially shines in this book, and she and Radu take center stage as both hero and villain alike. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just reiterate that this book does the series justice and puts a very satisfying end to everything.

I love the story line of the books great read

This was a dark book, but filled with richness that left me a little sad it’s over. Or maybe it’s just the sadness of life choices and what they will bring about. The bookIs filled with brilliant and deep characters, and a plot that is complex and satisfying. Great end to a series!

If you kept reading this trilogy, it means you liked it. You will love the epilogue, it is the best ending for such a great retelling!

Faz muito tempo que eu não escrevo uma resenha realmente pequena, mas acho que essa será assim. Eu amo essa trilogia, amo a ideia da Lada no lugar do Vlad, amo todo o desenvolvimento dos personagens e como eles acabaram tão eles quanto no começo, só evoluídos. Amo a consistência humana, fraca e forte deles, como são previsíveis até quando surpreendem. Amo como a autora se manteve fiel à história real do Vlad (durante algumas partes desse livro, achei que não ia incluir certas coisas, mas incluiu!), ao mesmo tempo que conseguiu criar cenas e momentos únicos. Eu realmente amo essa trilogia e posso dizer que o final foi ideal para ela. Então, se você gostou dos outros dois livros, vai gostar desse.Só um detalhe aqui: no final do segundo, a promessa para muita luta nesse ficou clara e me deixou extremamente ansiosa. Por sorte (ou azar), eu tive que esperar mais de um ano para ler esse daqui, talvez tivesse me decepcionado caso contrário. Não que não tenha luta, não que não tenha guerras e que a Lada não se mostre cada vez mais brilhante, brutal e implacável (raramente tenho a chance de usar essa palavra tão apropriada para comerciais de filmes na televisão). Tem tudo isso aqui, mas a escrita e o desenvolvimento de tudo é muito realista e em momento algum chega a um único pico absurdo de ação e revelações.Além disso, como é tão costume com livros de ficção histórica (ainda que alternativa), não tem como esperar um final completamente diferente do que realmente aconteceu, mesmo eu querendo muito. Acabou bem como eu imaginava, feliz e infelizmente. Ainda bem que, depois de ter me feito sofrer com a Lada em tantas questões, a parte na qual a autora teve mais liberdade para explorar como queria, ela fez questão de usar direitinho e me deixar satisfeita e completa no final.Ainda acho que esses não são livros para quaisquer pessoas. A Lada claramente não vai agradar todo mundo (ainda que eu a ame, muitas vezes me senti extremamente desconfortável com seus métodos violentos) e o Radu, que sofreu muito para chegar onde estava nesse livro, ainda não consegue mudar completamente para outra pessoa (a evolução dele é linda, mas tenho que admitir que o livro em que ele realmente brilhou foi no segundo. Foi lá que ele realmente cresceu e evoluiu). Sem contar com o Mehmed, que eu detesto desde o primeiro livro e fiquei revirando meus olhos para não querer bater no livro e ver se ele sentia. Imagino também que a coragem da autora para descrever a brutalidade de algumas cenas não vá agradar todo mundo. Mas quem tiver gostado dos anteriores não vai se arrepender de ler esse final.É triste ter que terminar essa trilogia, mas fico tão feliz de chegar ao epílogo desse último livro e poder ter certeza de que nada desandou e que ainda existem livros ótimos no mundo. Como a Lada, em compensação, não existe mais ninguém.

This series is amazing top to bottom. My poor roommate has been getting updates on how much I love it with the release of all the books (and each time I had forgotten I’d told him about the last one but he was able to put it together). I love the plot, love the characters, love the difficult decisions they have to make, and more than anything I love that they all win and fail based on their choices and the skills/traits they have. There’s no deus ex machina here. I cannot recommend this series enough.

I absolutely loved this last installment in the series... it didn't undersell what Lada (as a female historical Dracula) did, but managed to play it so, that I never lost sympathy for her. Which didn't mean I did not like the guys who were standing opposite her, because especially Radu was an amazing character and sympathetic as well, and I love how that played out. This book is going to leave a book hangover...

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