From Goodreads: "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."

Thank you to Delacorte Press and Rockstar Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review! All opinions are my own.

This was an absolutely fantastic conclusion to the And I Darken trilogy! It had all of the aspects of the first two books that I loved and just...wow. Bright We Burn blew me away and I am now 1000% sure that I've found one of my new insta-read authors in Kiersten White.

Plot:
Bright We Burn picks up right where Now I Rise left off and it kept me hooked from the very first page until the last. This is one of the darkest YA trilogies that I've ever read and it was everything I ever wanted from a book series. I love everything about it. There's villainous Lada, sweet Radu, blood and gore, political intrigue, death, destruction, battles, backstabbing, and so much more! I could seriously go on and on about how much is packed into this series and how wonderfully executed it all is. I love historical fiction books and this one is no exception. Bright We Burn exceeded any expectations I could have had for this finale. Like, my expectation was about sky/cloud level and the reality was more like...all the way to Pluto. It was so descriptive and flowed beautifully and was also absolutely terrifying at the same time because I wasn't sure how I would feel at the end. But it was amazingly fantastically splendid and every other positive word that I can think of to describe this book.

Characters:
Lada is one of my favorite characters of all time. Ever. Forever. She's so brutal and unforgiving and, well, crazy if I'm being honest. But it's her insanity that makes me love her even more. Her love for Wallachia, the one thing that she's always believed in and has vowed to take back is unwavering. She radiates power, strength, and pride in her home. No matter how many times she is knocked down or pushed around, she comes back one thousand times stronger and more terrifying. As a female in this world, she's looked down on and believed to be nothing- but she proves everyone wrong every single time. Lada is a terror on two feet, but she also shows rare moments of vulnerability. Of course, after those moments she then does something that reminds you just how vicious and pretty much dead inside she is! I couldn't get enough of her character and Bright We Burn just solidified my love for her even more. She's definitely an unlikable character, but she's written so well that there just ends up being something about her that you can't help but love.

Radu is a sweetheart and basically the complete opposite of Lada. He's clever, like Lada, but he's so much softer than she is (which is totally okay!). His character arc gave me life and, just like Lada, I couldn't get enough of him. I appreciated the differences between the two characters and how they were very much present throughout the book. There were so many times that Radu could have made choices that would have made him like his sister, but instead, he chose to be different and kind. He learns that you don't have to be brutal or a warrior to be brave and I just lived for his development throughout this book. Did I mention that I love these two siblings? Because I love these two siblings.

If I could say one thing about this trilogy and its characters, it's that it perfectly shows you that girls don't have to be delicate and covered in pink and boys don't have to be tough and mean. It's okay for girls to be brutal and vicious and covered in blood. It's okay for boys to be soft and sweet and smart. Typical gender stereotypes are broken and bent in this trilogy and it's so wonderful to see characters that aren't what you would expect them to be.

Writing:
Kiersten White's writing is absolutely phenomenal. She has a way with words that completely and totally captures your attention and makes you never want to leave her books. The world that she has created is so expansive and great and I genuinely felt that I was there in every scene, experiencing what was happening firsthand. These characters are some of the most well-developed people that I've ever read about and they feel like real people to me. You can tell that she did her research into the history that she's writing about and that she genuinely loves what she's created. She took the story of Vlad the Impaler and turned it on its head in the best way possible. I can't imagine how much of herself she put into this book, this trilogy, but you can feel it with every word she wrote.

This book is filled with lyrical writing, beautiful and precious characters, and a very satisfying ending to an unforgettable trilogy. If you're worried about how the series will end, fear not! Bright We Burn is everything you could have asked for and then some.

Get Bright We Burn here!

The book re-imagines Mary Shelley’s Gothic 1818 horror novel from the point of view of Elizabeth, a girl who is taken in by the Frankenstein family to be a companion for their son, the volatile and mysterious Victor. Publication is set for fall 2018, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein.

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations. But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!) Or does she? Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly. But then, privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The strange and disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea. It’s up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer’s horrifying finale.

Bright We Burn (The Conqueror's Saga #3) by Kiersten White

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. 

Danica planned to use beauty, blackmail, and a glittering drug to control her own fate. Her escape from the twisted world of the Palace of Versailles was perfectly orchestrated and paid for. Or so she thought. Betrayed by the man who had promised her freedom, Dani is now married to the murderous King. It's a terrifying position to be in...and yet it's oddly intoxicating. Power may be an even stronger drug than Glitter--a drug Dani can't resist, in the form of secrets, manipulation, and sabotage. In her new position at the head of the court, Dani must ask herself who she really is. Can she use her newfound power to secure her real love, Saber's freedom and a chance at a life together outside the palace? Or is being Queen too addictive to give up?

A genderbent Beowulf re-imagining in which four mercenary girls chase glory and honor by battling a monster that's been terrorizing a nearby earldom.

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes. The king's three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm's only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted. Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for.