Mittelalterlich

A prince of a kingdom. Arrogant. Unkind. Unfit for the throne.For the first time, an aging king sees what his son has become. It is then that he makes a choice. For the good of his kingdom, his son will not rule...unless he marries the girl of his father's choice. The king, having set the condition in his own mind, set off across the kingdom to find a worthy bride.

"You should be grateful, my girl. You have no dowry, and I am doing everything I can to get you settled. You are hardly any man's dream." Alina's brother, Milos, pulled his face into a perfect copy of Aunt Marci's sour expression, primly pursing his mouth. He had got her querulous tone just right. I pinched my lips together, trying not to laugh. But it was true; Aunt Marci had already introduced me to several suitors. So far I had managed to decline their suits politely.Maybe Alina's aunt was right. How could she possibly hope to become a musician, a trobairitz, as impoverished as she was and without the status of a good marriage?But fourteen-year-old Alina refuses to accept the oppressing life her strict aunt wants to impose upon her. When the perfect opportunity comes along for her to escape, she and her brother embark on a journey through the Byzantine Empire all the way to Jerusalem.Alina soon finds herself embroiled in the political intrigue of noble courts as she fights to realize her dream of becoming a female troubadour.

The second novel in the And I Darken series that reads like HBO’s Game of Thrones . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire--"absolutely devastating in the best way" (Kirkus, starred review) by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.<BR><BR>“A+, 5 knives.”—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods<BR><BR>“Fierce, epic, and crazy fun.”—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood <BR> <BR>A SISTER FILLED WITH RAGE<BR>Lada Dracul has no allies. No crown. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares cross her. She storms the countryside with her men, but brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed, the defiant Ottoman sultan, brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her. <BR><BR>HER BROTHER CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS<BR>Lada needs the support of her diplomatic younger brother, Radu. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. And for the first time in his life, when Lada asks him for help, he refuses . . . leading his sister to make the darkest of choices. <BR><BR>THE ULTIMATE POWER PLAY<BR>Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, Radu knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, would Mehmed ever forgive him? <BR><BR>As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost. <BR><BR><BR>★ "Gorgeous, rich, and rewarding."—Booklist, starred review<BR><BR>A Teen Choice Book Award nominee!<BR><BR><BR>Praise for And I Darken:<BR> <BR>“A dark jewel of a story, one that gleams with fierce, cunning characters—absolutely riveting.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lore<BR> <BR>“A dark, gritty, and seriously badass epic that will have you dying for more . . . required reading for every feminist fantasy fan.” —BuzzFeed<BR> <BR>“Evocative . . . this book takes no prisoners.” —NPR

The New York Times Bestseller!<BR><BR>“Absolutely riveting.” —Alexandra Bracken, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds<BR><BR>Imagine HBO’s Game of Thrones, but set in the mesmerizing world of the Ottoman Empire. This book sweeps you into a realm of political intrigue, fierce passion, and a heroine who won't back down. Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN or Sabaa Tahir’s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, won't want to miss this novel, the first in the And I Darken series.<BR><BR>"Evocative. . . . This book takes no prisoners." --NPR<BR><BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken.<BR><BR>“A dark and twisty fantasy . . . think Game of Thrones, but with teens.”—Seventeen<BR><BR> “Sinister, suspenseful, and unapologetically feminist.”—Buzzfeed<BR><BR> “Will completely spin you into another time and place.”—Bustle<BR><BR> “Takes no prisoners, offering up brutal, emotional historical fiction.”—NPR.org<BR><BR>An ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Selection