Bright We Burn

by Kiersten White Narrated by Fiona Hardingham

Overview

The tumultuous, edge-of-your-seat conclusion to the New York Times bestselling AND I DARKEN series--the epic saga that reads like Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Who will live? Who will die? And who will rule triumphant?

Haunted by the sacrifices he made in Constantinople, Radu is called back to the new capital. Mehmed is building an empire, becoming the sultan his people need. But Mehmed has a secret: as emperor, he is more powerful than ever . . . and desperately lonely. Does this mean Radu can finally have more with Mehmed . . . and would he even want it?

Lada's rule of absolute justice has created a Wallachia free of crime. But Lada won't rest until everyone knows that her country's borders are inviolable. Determined to send a message of defiance, she has the bodies of Mehmed's peace envoy delivered to him, leaving Radu and Mehmed with no choice. If Lada is allowed to continue, only death will prosper. They must go to war against the girl prince.

But Mehmed knows that he loves her. He understands her. She must lose to him so he can keep her safe. Radu alone fears that they are underestimating his sister's indomitable will. Only by destroying everything that came before--including her relationships--can Lada truly build the country she wants.

Claim the throne. Demand the crown. Rule the world.

"Rich . . . A worthy end to a powerful saga." --Booklist

"Exciting, complex, and faithful to the feelings that drive human beings in love and conflict. . . . Highly recommended." --SLJ

"An intense, engrossing read." --Kirkus


PRAISE FOR NOW I RISE:

"Gorgeous, rich, and rewarding." --Booklist, Starred Review

"Absolutely devastating in the best way." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"A+, 5 knives." --Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling coauthor of the STARBOUND and ILLUMINAE FILES trilogies

"Fierce, epic, and crazy fun." --Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood


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

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"White takes excellent advantage of the rich setting, exploring through historical people and cultures the timeless issues of faith and religions, love, the importance of geography, and the complex intersections of each as boundaries conflict."—VOYA, starred review

"Politics, battle strategy, and betrayals thrill, . . . An intense, engrossing read that never loses sight of its passionate characters' humanity, especially when they're at their worst." —Kirkus

"White has crafted a conclusion to this epic story that is exciting, complex, and faithful to the feelings that drive human beings in love and conflict. . . . Though this is the final work in a trilogy, the characters continue to develop and deepen. The ending is satisfying, plausible, and not without hope." —SLJ

"White balances tender moments with vicious acts of war, and Radu’s sensitivity is a worthy foil for the violent excesses that are Lada’s defining character trait. . . . A worthy end to a powerful saga." —Booklist 

Praise for Now I Rise:

★ "Gorgeous, rich, and rewarding."—Booklist, starred review
★ "Absolutely devastating in the best way." —Kirkus, starred review
"Lush and ominous."—SLJ
“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
“Kiersten White is a genius.”—Justine Larbalestier, author of MY SISTER ROSA and LIAR

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 
“Kiersten White at her absolute best.” —Cynthia Hand, New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly series
“I loved every twisty, bloody moment of it!” —Rachel Hawkins, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author 
“As richly complex and glittering as the Ottoman Empire itself.” —Robin LaFevers, New York Times bestselling author of the His Fair Assassin series
“Meticulously detailed but compulsively readable, this is a story I could not put down.” —Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe series
★ “Ambitious in scope and concept . . . breathtakingly good.” —School Library Journal, Starred review
★ “[A] complex concoction of love, war, politics, homosexuality, religion, loyalty, and friendship.” —Booklist, Starred review
“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

School Library Journal

05/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Lada Dracul is ruling as the prince of Wallachia. Lada's brother Radu has returned to Edirne, but the sultan Mehmed summons him back to Constantinople when Lada balks at Ottoman control. When Lada attacks the sultan's troops and kills his emissaries, Radu and his brother-in-law Kumal are sent to Wallachia to kidnap Lada and force her under Mehmed's authority. A full-scale invasion of Wallachia by the Ottoman army ensues. As Mehmed, Radu, and their soldiers advance through the wilderness, they discover crops burned, water sources poisoned, and peasants working as human weapons. Lada resolves to kill the sultan, but she is betrayed and the plot fails. The Ottoman forces retreat, but Mehmed leaves Radu to support the new prince of Wallachia. Lada flees to her mountain fortress. Radu, Mehmed, and Lada rush toward a final test of loyalties that will change the course of their lives and the face of Eastern Europe. White has crafted a conclusion to this epic story that is exciting, complex, and faithful to the feelings that drive human beings in love and conflict. The details in this historical epic are copious, but White keeps a steady, exciting pace. Though this is the final work in a trilogy, the characters continue to develop and deepen. The ending is satisfying, plausible, and not without hope. VERDICT Highly recommended for all high school collections.—Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior College, Brenham, TX

Kirkus Reviews

2018-04-10
In 1454, conflict between the once-inseparable Lada, Radu, and Mehmed comes to its inevitable bloody fruition.Prince Lada Dracul consolidates her power to stand against the Ottoman Empire's demand that Wallachia return to being a vassal state. She does this both by stirring up trouble in other states and by her usual brutal violence—so brutal that Sultan Mehmed, busy rebuilding newly-conquered Constantinople, must respond. Meanwhile, Radu struggles with his part in Constantinople's fall and his guilt over Nazira and Cyprian, who vanished after sailing away. To bring Lada to heel, Mehmed sends Radu to capture her so they can negotiate; Lada also plans to kidnap Radu, viewing him as fundamentally hers. Neither gets what they want. The subsequent invasion features force that is massive on Mehmed's part and depraved on Lada's. Mehmed may have the money and numbers (compared to Lada's shaky alliances), but Lada is clever, terrifying, and has cultivated a near-worship among the peasants whose lots she's improved—even as she turns her country into a giant deathtrap. Politics, battle strategy, and betrayals thrill, while the toxic dynamic keeps the focus on the intrinsically linked trio. Most characters are Central or Eastern European or Turkish; Islam has a positive portrayal, as do same-sex relationships.An intense, engrossing read that never loses sight of its passionate characters' humanity, especially when they're at their worst. (map, dramatis personae, glossary, author's note) (Historical fiction. 15-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169441277
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	07/10/2018
Series:	And I Darken Series , #3
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

1454, Wallachia

Lada Dracul had cut through blood and bones to get the castle.

That did not mean she wanted to spend time in it. It was a relief to escape the capital. She understood the need for a seat of power, but she hated that it was Tirgoviste. She could not sleep in those stone rooms, empty and yet still crowded with the ghosts of all the princes who had come before her.

With too far to go before reaching Nicolae, Lada planned to camp for the night. Solitude was increasingly precious--and yet another resource she was sorely lacking. But a tiny village tucked away from the frosted road beckoned her. During one of the last summers before she and Radu were traded to the Ottomans, they had traveled this same path with their father. It had been one of the happiest seasons of her life. Though it was winter now, nostalgia and melancholy slowed her until she decided to stay.

Outside the village, she spent a few frigid minutes changing into clothes more standard than her usual selection of black trousers and tunics. They were noteworthy enough that she risked being recognized. She put on skirts and a blouse--but with mail underneath. Always that. To the untrained eye, there was nothing to mark her as prince.

She found lodging in a stone cottage. Because there was not enough planting land for boyars to bother with here, the peasants could own small patches of it. Not enough to prosper, but enough to survive. An older woman seated Lada by the fire with bread and stew as soon as coins had exchanged hands. The woman had a daughter, a small thing wearing much-patched and too-large clothes.

They also had a cat, who, in spite of Lada’s utter indifference to the creature, insisted on rubbing against her leg and purring. The little girl sat almost as close. “Her name is Prince,” the girl said, reaching down to scratch the cat’s ears.

Lada raised an eyebrow. “That is an odd name for a female cat.”

The girl grinned, showing all the childhood gaps among her teeth. “But princes can be girls now, too.”

“Ah, yes.” Lada tried not to smile. “Tell me, what do you think of our new prince?”

“I have never seen her. But I want to! I think she must be the prettiest girl alive.”

Lada snorted at the same time as the girl’s mother. The woman sat down in a chair across from Lada. “I have heard she is nothing to look at. A blessing. Perhaps it can keep her out of a marriage.”

“Oh?” Lada stirred her stew. “You do not think she should get married?”

The woman leaned forward intently. “You came here by yourself. A woman? Traveling alone? A year ago such a thing would have been impossible. This last harvest we were able to take our crops to Tirgoviste without paying robbers’ fees every league along the road. We made two times again as much money as we ever have. And my sister no longer has to teach her boys to pretend to be stupid to avoid being taken for the sultan’s accursed Janissary troops.”

Lada nodded as though hesitant to agree. “But the prince killed all those boyars. I hear she is depraved.”

The woman huffed, waving a hand. “What did the boyars ever do for us? She had her reasons. I heard--” She leaned forward so quickly and with such animation half her stew spilled, unnoticed. “I heard she is giving land to anyone. Can you imagine? No family name, no boyar line. She gives it to those who deserve it. So I hope she never marries. I hope she lives to be a hundred years old, breathing fire and drinking the blood of our enemies.”

The little girl grabbed the cat, settling it on her lap. “Did you hear the story of the golden goblet?” she asked, eyes bright and shining.

Lada smiled. “Tell me.”

And so Lada heard new stories about herself, from her own people. They were exaggerated and stretched, but they were based on things she had actually done. The ways she had improved her country for her people.

Lada slept well that night.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Bright We Burn"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Kiersten White.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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