Thankyou to Netgalley and Pushkin Press | Pushkin Children's Books for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest opinion.

It had been a long time since i read the first book in this series however when i started this book it all came back to me very quickly. It was so fun and well paced and i loved the banter between the two main characters- the commentary on the role of woman in society was done really well. Very easy read and would definitely recommend!

Dnf at 65%

Struggled once I got the middle of this book. Before hand I would have said it was a solid 4 stars but at the middle everything seemed to stall and I couldn’t carry on.

The Darkness Within Us is a fun, fast paced fantasy story! I‘ve read other books by Tricia Levenseller and one of the things i‘d always enjoyed most is her writing. That’s because it’s so easy to get into, the world building is always very easy to understand and i am always entertained from the first page on. And all this was the case here too! I found it super interesting to read about our main character Chrysantha, since she and the main character in The Shadows Between Us - her sister - are not on the best terms. She is a typical strong female main character who knows what she wants! The love story was very fun to read about aswell! My only problem was, that it lost my interest a little bit around halfway through the book, and I kept forgetting some of the things that had already happened, because i think i was a bit bored. But after that little low, i was very invested again! If you are looking for a fun little romantasy then look no further!

Please don't hate me, but I'd struggled through this book. Like, enormously. Like, I've almost dropped it twice for good and this is an ARC. I've never dnfed an ARC.

To be frank, it's even hard for me to pinpoint things that I enjoyed. Maybe some of the choices made by the MCs were pretty good. But other than that, it kinda went downhill for me. And this is from a girl who picked The Shadow between Us as my favourite book of the year. So... Yeah. Me is very disappointed.

In this case, I think the thing that bothered me the most is the formulaic and inorganic some of the scenes in this book. The lack of chemistry. The unbearable, non-understandable MCs. It just felt empty for me. There were no one to root for in this book, either a villain or the good guys. It feels very monotone in colour.

However, that could only be my case. You could possibly enjoy this more than I did. Heck, even I have some questionable taste in the past. All in all, this is a dud for me. But I'm still going to pick up the next book from this author. I'm feeling something better from her in the future. Maybe something in a different fantasy world from this one?

P.s. I was given a free ARC copy of this book through Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was not a fan of The Shadow Between Us but, I've enjoyed every other book of the author's and wanted to give this series another chance. Now I know that am not the right audience for this series. I enjoyed this book more than the first for some reason.
The story follows Chrysantha, Alessandra's sister who wants to be independent and not be dominated by men or suppressed by what is expected of a woman. At 19, she marries an old lonely dying Duke to inherit everything of his after his death. Just when she starts getting comfortable, an estranged grandson of the Duke comes claiming all the wealth rightfully belongs to him. Meanwhile her sister Alessandra has married the Shadow King and become Queen achieving everything Chrysantha ever wanted. How she deals with the new complication, whether or not she'll get what she wants is the rest of the story.
Chrysantha had a decent story arc having so much opportunity to live up to her potential. Her deviousness is something to look forward to. Societal expectations, inequality, oppression were portrayed perfectly. Whereas anybody can get away with anything if the King and Queen says so, Romance was lacking and sibling relationship was problematic to say the least. Overall this could be enjoyed if read without considering logic or reasoning.

I distinctly remember loving the first book (that was basically a standalone at the time), but that was years ago. Unfortunately I don't like this one as much. Maybe I just got older and wiser, but everything felt a little flat to me this time around. It might be just me because most people seem to prefer this one over the first book..

Book review 📚
The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another masterpiece from Levenseller! I am in utter love with The Shadows Between Us series, and its very rare for book 2 to be better than book 1 but it really is! It really makes no difference in the order you read them, but I prefer to stick with chronological in this case.

In this book we follow Chrysantha, who is sister to Alessandra (book 1). The two sisters are completely opposite to each other in most aspects except for the fact they are both seriously determined! Chrysantha is strong willed and knows exactly what she wants from her life and future. The writing behind her character is very well written and the imagery set is amazing.

Overall this a fun and really enjoyable fantasy with some fantastic descriptions throughout and a nice easy read.

"A manor to run. And a Duke to get rid off."

The writing will always become my favorite, her storytelling always smooth and easy to recognize. This author always create interesting female main characters and make them realistic. I never think I would love another Stathos girl until know Chrysantha.

The plot kinda predictable, it is actually pretty standard trope at historical romance. But the story mixed it with interesting characters and paranormal bits. The romance is totally under YA corridor. But I love every second of it. The banter is smart and hilarious. Their chemistry is well earn and the tension is built well from first moment our MC meet. The physical attraction kinda insta but what we can expect from standalone with limited pages?
Oh I love when Stathos girls met and regain their strength together.
This book is a big surprise and unexpected sequel from a standalone I really like, but I totally appreciate and love it in the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Press from Pushkin Children's Books for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting  release date: 18 July 2024

Sorry for the late review, I was dealing with some health issues, and I'm finally catching up on all my books and reviews! I love Tricia's writing and this book was great! I remember loving the first book in this world so much, I love these morally Grey main characters she writes. This book was fast paced with an interesting plot full of twists and romance! I look forward to reading more of Tricia's books!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

Although The Shadows Between Us regins superior in my book, this follow-up was really enjoyable!

I liked Chrysantha, she was a very complelling protagonist, and I really was rooting for her. Eryx was not my favorite MMC, he was a massive jerk for a lot of the book, and seemed very okay with ruining a lot of innocent people's lives so didn't love that.

I did think the reconcilliation between Chrysantha and Alessandra was a bit textbook therapy mediation but sure, didn't bother me that much. The plot itself was engrossing, and the romance was done well.

Overall, an engaging, fun, dark follow-up to a really excellent first novel. If you liked The Shadows Between Us, I would give this a go, but know that Alessandra and Kallias will probably still reign supreme for you.

Four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this arc! I was desperate to read Chrysantha’s story after reading the first book in this duet, and it did not disappoint. I loved the plot of this book, the character development and the whole premise of the book. The FMC was so strong willed and so determined to get what she deserved, and I love how she didn’t want to live up to the expectations of society and her sister. I highly recommend this book if you want an easy fantasy with a strong FMC!

Tropes
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
- Touch Her and Die
- Loathe to Lovers

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Darkness Within Us is a young adult fantasy in which we follow Chrysantha Stathos, Alessandra's sister (whom we followed in book 1, The Shadows Between Us), as she becomes a duchess only to discover that a man is claiming to be the new duke and the grandson of her late husband.

I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about this book, but here is a little bit of a backstory first: I read book 1 in French and did not really like it. I thought it was due to the French translation, so I decided to read Tricia Levenseller's books in English. I read Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen and loved those books. But now…
I really enjoyed the mystery about the newcomer's identity and whether he was truly meant to be the new duke or not and I was actually invested in this side of the story. But I did not like the female main character, and I just feel like she is a badly 19th century portrayed girl (not sure about the time period here, sorry), if this even makes sense. She is immature, all about feminine rage and only cares about money, and yes, we all want to be rich and famous, but it should not be such a dominant character trait. I appreciated the male main character, Eryx, and his whole part of the story. I wish Chrystantha were not as mean as she was towards him, because I could have enjoyed the romance between them if that were the case, because it felt kind of forced.

I recommend this book to you if you loved the Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco or The Last Finestra series by Emily Thiede!

I really loved Tricia Levenseller's THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US, with it’s courtly politics and backstabbing, and a completely morally-grey female lead. I was really excited to hear about THE DARKNESS WITHIN US, but wary, since the first book was a complete story that really didn’t need expanded upon. THE DARKNESS WITHIN US is a great companion novel. You could read it first, without really taking away from the first book, but it’s best enjoyed after, as it expands the world just enough to feel relevant, while standing as its own story.
It's a simpler story in many ways, but fantastic for all that, and I read the whole book in a single afternoon.
The story very much centres Chrysantha – her thoughts and experiences and problems – and I thought she was a fantastic character. She’s very different personality-wise from her sister, Alessandra (the lead in The Shadows Between Us), and with very different goals in life but every bit as determined and ruthless when it comes to achieving them. As well as Chrysantha herself, I really loved the secondary characters – her household staff/ friends – and the manor house setting.
The romance was perhaps a bit of a forgone conclusion, but I did really enjoy the journey.
An excellent novel, every bit as good as the first. I’d possibly say I even preferred this one, although I’d have loved it to be just a touch longer.

I wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately, I couldn't really get into it. While I liked The Shadows Between Us, I was unconvinced by Crysantha and Erix's story. Neither the 'enemies' nor the 'lovers' aspect felt convincing to me—there was no real tension or chemistry. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and I especially didn't like Crysantha, who comes across as superior to everyone else while lacking maturity and judgment.

The pacing also felt off, making the relationship development seem unnatural. The third-act conflict was predictable and, frankly, a bit ridiculous. The dynamic between the two sisters was disappointing as well; their relationship changed abruptly, which felt unrealistic. The political elements were superficial and lacked logic, especially when it came to changing laws.

However, I did appreciate the feminist and empowering aspects of the story. It's clear that these are women who want to make a difference and change their circumstances.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this early!

I loved the first book in the series and was looking forward to this one, and seeing it on NetGalley I jumped at the chance.
I originally thought it would follow on, but instead, it follows the marriage of convenience for Chrysantha and her sister, but her old husband just won't give in and die like she wants! When he eventually does pass away, a family relative crawls out of the woodwork, causing further issues for Chrysantha, and now she finds herself having to live with another man she doesn't like... or does she really

Tricia Levenseller is basically an autoread author for me at this point because i've enjoyed everything of hers I've read & The Darkness Within Us was no exception.
Chrysantha was a character that intrigued me in The Shadows Between Us & it was so great to finally get a look into her pink loving, cunning & clever (albeit morally grey) mind. I loved that all she wanted was the means & the agency to live alone in her pretty pink house, with her books and servants & enjoy casual liaisons as a woman in a society that expects her to be the demure, subservient & naive girl she initially portrays herself to be. I thought there was great chemistry between her and Eryx & I enjoyed that this book had elements of mystery & reverse 'my fair lady' shenanigans as well as fantasy & romance. Overall this was an easy & enjoyable read & I had a lot of fun diving back into the world of Naxos.

This is a fun, enjoyable YA fantasy. The follows Chystantha, the sister of the main character in the previous book, as she plots to hold on to her inheritance and consequently her freedom. The storyline is entertaining and although I wasn't completely gripped I enjoyed slowly reading this book and spending time with these characters. If you are looking for an easy to read fantasy then this is one I'd recommend!

This was, simply, a really fun read. Some part of me wishes she’d stayed alone, or ended up with whats his name with the child - Nico - but overall this was a fun read. Nice to see Alessandras wedding too

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

The most enjoyable YA read in a while.

I loved the first book and this was great too. I love female MC and her attitude to getting ahead, also the pure nonsense of it all sometimes was just good fun.

Not high brow, no epic world building, but a good time.

Tricia Levenseller does it again, another amazing edition to her collection of enemies to lovers fantasy romance.
This book was everything I needed to get me out of my reading slump.
The female lead is riddled with trust issues an being controlled by the men in society making her a spicy, sarcastic and powerful lead, a woman who knows what she wants and plays the game to get it! a great portrayal of feminism is conveyed in these pages.
The male lead goes from dislikable to likeable with ease and the two characters give lots of energy together.
I found it so difficult to put down and enjoyed every second of this read much like the books that came before it.
you won't find much spice in this book as a fade to black but the relationship build up was well paced for me and the journey took twists and turns that although weren't unexpected we fun for the ride.
would highly recommend to fans of enemies to lovers