Bright We Burn (And I Darken) Hardcover – 10 Jul 2018

After once being its most-trusted protector, Lada is now the biggest threat to the Ottoman empire. She has proven that Wallachia is free, and its people don't need ruling sultans ever again, they only need their dragon.I read all three books in this trilogy in quick succession, so forgive me if I mess up on what plotline is in which book. I couldn't put them down! I loved following Lada's story, even as she forges down some very dark paths. After all, she is not a hero, she is a dragon.In Bright We Burn, Lada has established herself as Prince of Wallachia, without any aid. Every ally has betrayed her and broken their promises, so she had to forge a new path to the throne. Lada is now very much the people's prince. As much damage and death she has wrought, perhaps the biggest change is the fire she has created in the commonfolk of Wallachia. They are no longer downtrodden slaves to the boyars and ruling classes, just because that is the way it always has been. They now see their own worth, and see how they can earn a different future for themselves and their families. That is a revolution that will never truly be stamped out.As such, Lada is now the biggest threat to the Ottoman empire. She refuses to acknowledge that they are in charge, and refuses payments or providing Wallachian men for the sultan's armies. Mehmed has to make an example of her, otherwise other countries might follow and rebel.Mehmed and Lada are a perfect match, they are intense and unyielding. If they were on the same side they would be undefeatable. Unfortunately, fighting against each other means the death of thousands, because these two rulers will never bend, so everyone else must break.Rada, on the other hand, is all about compromise. He is the sole person who can try and temper the actions of Mehmed and his sister. He can charm the old ruling class, and forge peace for this new Wallachia. And he definitely has his work cut out for him.Rada's narratives were always softer, offering some light relief to a book filled with violence and death. It was lovely to see him finally getting the man he deserved, and establishing a somewhat unusual family dynamic, with his wife and her wife.I really enjoyed this series, and I can't wait to read more from Kiersten White!

A masterful ending to a powerful trilogy. White doesn't shy away from the complexities of Lada's character, rightly so, and this does not always make for comfortable reading. This, however, is the book's strength.

Love this series

An epic end to this trilogy. Made me tear up and is easily the best book i've read so far this year.

Present for sister. This is a great book to read guys

Love YA books. This fails because I didn’t find one character to invest myself in

I cannot stress how good an ending this is to the series. Kiersten White is one of my favourite authors--I'd read her shopping list, to be honest.In this epic end to the sequel, Lada pushes Radu and Mehmed to breaking point. She has Wallachia, she is prince, but she will never stop coveting freedom in its entirety. She refuses to send tribute to the Ottoman Empire, refuses to see her people amongst its Jannissaries, and will stop at nothing to keep Wallachia's borders from being threatened. When Mehmed brings a sizeable force to put her in her place, Lada darkly demonstrates how quickly her people have come to love her, how she has embraced Wallachia and it has embraced her. But everything comes at a cost, and whilst Radu is gathering people to him, Lada is quickly losing hers. As the battle rages, Lada must face the consequences for her heart's desire.I was sad to see the end of this novel because it meant the end to a series I had invested my heart in. I cannot stress enough how beautifully done the love triangle was between Mehmed, Lada and Radu, and just how generally beautiful White's words are. Despite this, this is probably the darkest book in the series. Lada goes deeply into herself and, having already earned a reputation, lives up to it and more. She becomes the impaler she was always going to be, and the novel doesn't shy away from the details of it. I didn't find this to be distasteful in any way, in fact I quite enjoyed it! Lada's darkness and Radu's lightness are contrasted so sharply against each other it makes the novel what it is. There is so much more I could say about this series and how unbelievably amazing it is, but Amazon reviews are meant to be short and snappy so here's my final words: READ IT! READ THEM ALL!