Sex scenes occur a few times but really are “fade to black” with no detail. It’s possible White also downplayed Lada’s cruelty in comparison with the real Vlad Dracul I’m not sure, however, so it would be interesting to read up a bit on the history now (White provides some references for readers in the first book, And I Darken). White deliberately made Lada unattractive and not at all possessed of many “feminine” qualities it was an opportunity to show that women’s personalities can vary widely and they don’t have to be put into a small box. But it was an interesting exploration of the world of a woman in a time that allowed females little power, at least outright or without many concessions. I still didn’t enjoy it I guess I just didn’t love the characters enough to make me care too much about what happened to them. I did appreciate reading the conclusion to a story I followed in two previous books. And what about Radu’s feelings for Mehmed? Will he ever have those feelings returned? And if so, would he want to act on them? Radu and Mehmed know Lada so well and fear that the war that must happen will destroy her, if not end in her death. Wallachia is home and ever will be for her. But he finally has Mehmed to himself Lada will never return to Mehmed’s side, no matter how powerful he could make her there. He is struggling with the aftermath of Mehmed’s bloody takeover of Constantinople and the part he played in it. Radu is living as a bey in Mehmed’s empire.

But she still has to contend with Mehmed, the Ottoman sultan, who despite his love for her cannot just let her kill his envoys (which she does …) and declare utter independence from being a vassal state under his rule. Many of her people are fiercely devoted to her, for the way she has nearly eradicated crime, fought for the masses and gotten rid of the elites.

Lada is settled in to her home country, the place she loves and has given everything for. Bright We Burn is the conclusion to Kiersten White’s YA series about Lada Dracul, a fictional female version of Vlad Dracul, the Wallachian prince who has gone down in history for his bloodthirstiness and tendency to impale people.

Bright we burn kiersten white