YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

25% (view spoiler)[ I'm liking this book even though it's only about Lada and Radu's childhood so far. I thought that it would be about the main characters as teenagers but they're only like, 13 years old right now.
So what's the point of this book? I feel like nothing's happened so far except for they've been sent away from Wallachia for whatever reason and now they're kind of doing nothing. Hopefully it picks up soon. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 1 - 17: (view spoiler)[I feel sorry for Radu :( kids are so mean. Also wtf Lada is horrible. And her father is worse. I like their friendship with Mehmed though. (hide spoiler)]

Astrid wrote: "
25% I'm liking this book even though it's only about Lada and Radu's childhood so far. I thought that it would be about the main characters as teenagers but they'..."

Yeah I feel the same

Chapter 30 - 50%
(view spoiler)[Wow, there is a LOT of buildup in this book. I'm hoping something really exciting happens towards the end because the author seems to be building up to something, but I can't guess what.
I liked the events that happened so far in the story. I can't believe that Mehmed is a father already. Isn't he like 14 years old at this point? And it seems like Lada and Radu are both crushing on Mehmed. Someone's heart is getting broken soon I bet. (hide spoiler)]

I'll be jumping in for the second book either tomorrow or Monday!

Chapter 42 - 75%
(view spoiler)[I'm enjoying this book so far even though I think it's slow. I'm not sure if I like Mehmed as a character or not. He seems to be ambiguous personality-wise.
I'm excited to see what happens to Lada with Mehmed. I'm worried about what's going to happen to Radu though, since his love seems to be unrequited. (hide spoiler)]

100%
(view spoiler)[That ending was pretty good. I loved the last line of the book! I was surprised that Lada was stabbed, but I knew she would survive it. I'm also surprised that Lada left both Mehmed and Radu behind to go to Wallachia, but that's what made the ending worthwhile to me. Can't wait to read Now I Rise next. (hide spoiler)]

Just read the first 2 in this series and am loving it so far! I just joined this group today, so I'm not entirely sure how these work but am I able to chat along with this and jump in on the buddy reading when you guys start the 3rd book?

Chapters 18 - 26 (view spoiler)[ Wow, so Mehmed is now the heir of the Ottoman empire. And, what?? He has a child? I did not see that coming. I feel this is a bit slow-paced but interesting enough. (hide spoiler)]

Nina wrote: "Just read the first 2 in this series and am loving it so far! I just joined this group today, so I'm not entirely sure how these work but am I able to chat along with this and jump in on the buddy ..."

Sure! Go ahead ^^
I might not be able to get to the 3rd book until the end of the month but y'all can read the books at your own pace :)

Up to chapter 10 (view spoiler)[ Lada is such an interesting character. Is she nice or compassionate? No, but she's so refreshing. It's different to have such a vicious character in YA. Poor Radu is treated so badly. (hide spoiler)]

Up to chapter 20 (view spoiler)[ Mehmed is a cutie. Lada is so untrusting and vicious, but Radu is naive and far too trusting. I feel like Mehmed is a happy medium. The historical aspect of this with the Ottoman empire is really interesting. (hide spoiler)]

Up to chapter 30 (view spoiler)[ Radu is gay? I'm surprised I didn't see the hints earlier! I fully ship Lada and Mehmed. I can't believe he has a child though. (hide spoiler)]

Up to chapter 45 (view spoiler)[ I kind of love Radu and Lazar-ideal scenario is Radu falls in love with Lazar and Mehmed and Lada marry but Lada is still badass commander of armies. Radu is getting colder-how he dealt with Salih and how he spies for Mehmed. Lada's legion are hilarious, I love their banter. (hide spoiler)]

Done! I loved this. (view spoiler)[ So, my Lazar/Radu ship sank hard! I'm hoping that this doesn't turn into a Lada/Boghdan romance because he seems like an ass. I'm here for a Lada prince, but I'm also here for Lada/Mehmed-what do I do?? (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 27 - 42: (view spoiler)[So this is definitely an interesting love triangle. Radu loves Mehmed, Mehmed loves Lada, and Lada loves Wallachia. I feel bad for Radu, he breaks my heart :(
I loved Lada saying “You cannot lose something you do not own.” YAS girl! (hide spoiler)]

✨Skye✨ wrote: "
Up to chapter 45 [spoilers removed]"

I love your ideal scenario!

✨Skye✨ wrote: "Done! I loved this. [spoilers removed]"

I loved that quote so much I made a shirt with it XD

End thoughts: (view spoiler)[Radu really irritated me for most of the first book. I found him whiny and so singularly focused on being noticed by Mehmed. Whenever he was with him, I couldn't stand Radu. However, I did enjoy the aspects of him finding solace in Islam and his struggles in reconciling his feelings with society's opinion and religious teachings. I thought his relationships with Kumal and Nazira were great.

Lada on the other hand, I had all the heart eye emojis for. I loved her ferocity, viciousness, and admittedly a smidge of psychopathy. Her brief romantic interlude with Mehmed had me concerned that her character was going to be compromised and softened but the ending saved the day. I could talk all day about how much I loved Lada's character. I just think she was so interesting and unique for a female lead. She is not having anyone's shit and I am 1,000% here for it.

Even all the "side" characters were so complex and well written. Mara, Huma, Nazira, Kumal, even Lazar and Ilyas. All of them. So good. I love this book so damn much. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[I enjoyed reading this! I appreciated that it's not your usual history fiction with your usual characters. I’m interested in the story of Wallachia and I found Lada, Radu and Mehmed to be very compelling characters. At first it felt a bit slow paced but I loved the end. And also that Radu chose to save Lada over Mehmed! That was unexpected. Can’t wait to read the second installment :D (hide spoiler)]

Nina wrote: "✨Skye✨ wrote: "Done! I loved this. [spoilers removed]"

I loved that quote so much I made a shirt with it XD

End thoughts: Radu really irritated me for most of the first book. I found him whiny a..."

Omg! I loved that quote too :)
And yeah I agree about the characters. (view spoiler)[I didn't like Lada at the beginning but ended up loving her. (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch. 10 (view spoiler)[ In the first book, I didn't really like the slow start, but I find that I'm appreciating the slowly developing plot. Since there is so much going on, politically and romantically, the rising tension makes for an amazing read. Even though Lada isn't the prince of Wallachia, she has allied herself with Hunyadi and I don't know how I feel about it. I mean he's an ally, but he murdered her father and brother too...also Radu needs to stop pining over Mehmed and stop being so self-conscious about everything. Grow some skin, dude (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch 25 (view spoiler)[ I thought this was a YA novel, but clearly not. There were some explicit scenes in this that I wasn't expecting...Mehmed is a horrible person and acts like he knows what's best for everyone, but can't even make a good decision without consulting Radu. Also the fact that he played with Radu's feelings and knew how he felt was just wrong and not fair. It would have been better for Mehmed to talk to Radu about it and be upfront rather than use Radu as a pawn. I hope Lada takes back her throne and Radu deserts Mehmed. But the Radu and Nazira friendship is amazing and one of the high points for me in the novel (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch 32 (view spoiler)[ THE SIEGE OF CONSTANTINOPLE HAS BEGUN! Things are finally starting to pick up, but I am sick of Radu's loyalty. I mean it's great that he's doing his job and working in the teachings of his beloved prophet and also Mehmed, Radu's morality is coming into serious question and I keep asking myself how much is he willing to do for a man who takes advantage of his emotions...I feel bad for him, but the whole potential romance with Cyprian is something I am here for. Nazira is my girl and I love her. She does her job as a wife and support for Radu, but she is also in a position of power and works with Radu as an equal on the downfall of Constantinople (hide spoiler)]

Up to 45 (view spoiler)[ I literally sucked into this story and can't stop reading. I really want Cyprian and Radu to get together and I hope Cyprian doesn't die after half the city fell on his head. Mehmed needs to die or get a reality check, but Lada finally reclaimed her throne and is making the city a lot safer, which is great...but she's the female Vlad the Impaler, so that means disaster is just around the corner. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ OH.MY.GOSH. So Lada murdered all the boyars because someone killed Petru (really sad about this because I loved him) and she is really getting into her brutal, merciless personality. Nicolae is hesitant to listen to her because he doesn't want to kill the children of the boyars and I feel like the Janissaries will turn against her because she is asking them to go against their morals. Like they are all about justice, but not like this. Constantinople has fallen and I HATE THAT RADU HAS NO BACKBONE. Even though he knows Mehmed has been playing him and using him, Radu still chooses him over everyone else and if the last two chapters said anything about the relationship between him and Lada, the two are gonna meet on the field of battle and it's not gonna end well. Radu needs to listen to Nazira because she is smart and knows that Radu is acting like an idiot, but he is resistant to logic and reason, so I don't know... Mehmed's power is gonna get to him too... (hide spoiler)]

I will probably start Bright We Burn sometime next week, but what do you guys think of this story? It took some time for me to get into, but like now that I'm in, it's great.

Started this a lot later than expected, but better late than never!
Ch 1-10 (view spoiler)[ I love Lada as prince. She is doing what hundreds of men never did. People love leaders who deliver and follow through with their promises (hide spoiler)]

Ch 20-22 (view spoiler)[ I'm not surprised Stefan was payed to kill Lada, but I'm glad he didn't kill her. Talk about loyalty right? But like Nicloae getting shot is not okay for my poor heart (hide spoiler)]

Ch 40 (view spoiler)[ NICOLAE. KUMAL. I'm not over it. Ugh why does the author do this to me!??! But on a positive note, I am here for Radu and Cyprian's relationship and then Fatima and Nazira. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ The ending shook me. Lada had Mehmed's baby, named her Theodora and gave her to Nazira&Fatima and Radu&Cyprian. I'm glad Mehmed also got to see his daughter even if she didn't know who he was and that the two couples are living happily ever after together. Lada is dead and it feels like the end of an era. Such a good story! (hide spoiler)]