Sunny's Reviews > Now I Rise

“No one will be more brutal than me. No one will be more ruthless. And I will never stop fighting.”

Lada could slowly torture me and then proceed to kill me and I would probably find it to be an honor. Because that chick, despite having very questionable morals, is one strong kick-ass woman.

Now I Rise continues right after the events of And I Darken. Lada is slowly making her way back to Wallachia to claim it as hers. Radu is working as a spy for Mehmed to begin the fall of Constantinople. While the first book focused on the the creations of Lada and Radu’s characterizations, this novel took all their qualities and learned abilities, and put them into action.

Radu became so much more in this book. He wasn’t just the boy that everyone picked on. He wasn’t just the boy who was in love with someone who didn’t return those feelings. Radu became a fighter. He was definitely slower at getting there compared to Lada, but he got there nonetheless. Sometimes he got so angsty it made my heart bleed. While Lada is unapologetically ruthless and doesn’t think twice when murdering someone for her own gain, Radu is more intent on gaining success with better morals. His was constantly at war with himself. A part of his brain knew he had to help Mehmed succeed, even if it meant allowing innocent people to die. But another part of his brain wanted to help the enemy, the enemies he slowly grew fond of. My heart constantly broke for him.

Lada has grown to be my favorite protagonist in all of YA. It’s probably because an author finally decided to write a female anti-hero instead the typical male one. You know when you pick up those repetitive YA fantasy/dystopian books where the author likes to praise and glorify the main character like they’re the best thing to exist on this planet. (I’m mainly talking about you Throne of Glass. I’m sorry but Aelin would’ve been better as an anti-hero than the white savior she was written out to me (sorry not sorry)). Well Lada is not written as such. She make very questionable decisions. She’s brutal and ruthless. Everyone knows it. Even the author knows it. But Kiersten White doesn’t try to make her the hero. She isn’t desperately trying to convince us that Lada is a selfless savior. She allows her readers to discover their own feelings about her characters instead of forcing them on us.

“The world will destroy her in the end. Too much spark leads to explosions. But your sister will destroy as much as she can before she goes out. She will go down in flames and blood.”

If you thought Lada’s character was insane in And I Darken, just wait till you get a taste of her in this one. Whether you like her or not as a person, it’s no question that she’s a great character. It’s not easy for a woman to be a leader in a time when they weren’t taken seriously for a position such as hers. Just reading about they way she navigates through her obstacles was absolutely enthralling.

Mehmed is such an enigma to me. I don’t even know how to feel about him. The way he treated Lada instantly made me dislike him in book 1. I also feel like it’s easier for me to hate him because we see him through Lada’s and Radu’s perspective only. I wish we had gotten a few chapters strictly for Mehmed. I want to know what exactly is going through his mind. I want to know how far he is willing to go to do the things he needs to do. And if it comes to it, is he willing to let Radu and Lada suffer for his own gain? I’m hoping he gets more character development in Bright We Burn. I need more from him.

Now I Rise ends in such a way that makes you wonder how the next book could possibly end you. So excuse me while I go figure out how I’m going to pick up the final installment without shaking.