Now I Rise

Now I Rise

by Kiersten White

5 out of 5

Synopsis
She had chosen to leave them as an act of strength.

Lada is a princess without a kingdom. Her bid to seize her rightful crown ended in disaster.

She would never return to them in weakness.

Radu sacrificed so much for his coveted position in his friend Mehmed's court. But what he wants in return, Mehmed cannot give.

She had thought the throne was hers for the taking.

Their individual ambitions will force the three to make tough choices: faith or love; family or friend; duty or desire ...

She had thought that she would be enough.

Once the decision is made, there can be no going back.


Review
Radu has chosen to follow Mehmed and his dream to take Constantinople. Lada has chosen their homeland of Wallachia. Both have impossible tasks in front of them.

I really enjoyed the first book, and I finally treated myself to paperbacks of the whole trilogy. So, please excuse me if there is any crossover of content that is in the other books, because I've been tearing through all three in one go, and it's a bit of a blur!

We jump in about 6 months after the end of the first book.
Lada has tried to reclaim her throne, but she is being blocked by short-sighted boyars and other men in power, who can't see past her being a girl. They cannot see beyond their traditions and dismiss her. 
She can no longer rely on her brother, and Mehmed's promises are empty.
Lada finally finds an ally in Hunyadi, the Hungarian general she has admired for years.
I was completely hooked, following her frustrations with the men (and women) that constantly demand that she conform, that she should adopt dresses and a meek attitude to placate the men around her.
Naturally, Lada is strongly opposed to this. I loved watching her pull apart the old world to forge a new, fairer one. She is utterly brutal.

Meanwhile, Radu begins to feel like his friendship with Mehmed is getting strained. Mehmed is playing his part as Sultan, remaining professional and distant at most times, and let's not forget that Radu is still hopelessly in love with him.
Radu gets to prove his usefulness when Mehmed sends him to Constantinople as a spy, to break the city from within, just as his army will lay siege to the walls.
Radu goes willingly, but the theory of spying for the good of the empire does not match up to having to live with the people he is betraying.
The distance helps Radu come to terms with his unrequited love for Mehmed - not to mention, a little help from a certain Cyprian.

At the end, because of Lada and Mehmed's complete inability to compromise, it's clear that the three of them will be brought together again.

Time for the final part!


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