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

this was such a SLAY
it was quite slow for the first half but i just love chrysantha so much, she's such a queen!!
i love how confident she was with her sexuality and how innocent eryx was 😭

Endlich wieder in die Welt von the Shadows between us eintauchen können. Darauf habe ich lange gewartet. Damals schon habe ich das Buch gerade so verschlungen und so auch hier. Die Geschichte von Chrysantha und Eryx ist genauso spannend und genauso gut durchdacht wie die im ersten Band. Ich mochte den Aspekt wie schlau Chrysantha ist und wie sie sich jahrelang verstellt hat. Auch die Annäherung der beiden Schwestern mochte ich sehr. Ein komplett gelungener Band, den ich bestimmt wieder lesen werde.

Thank You Netgalley, Pushkin Press, and Tricia Levenseller for the digital ARC copy of The Darkness Within Us which is book 2 in the series. I decided to wait for the Audio to come out because I enjoy tandem reading and the I have the Audiobook from the first book. I must admit this book was more enjoyable reading with my eyes as the narrator makes Crysantha a bit to whiney for my taste. The story is told in first and second person. I believe there are more books to come with hopefully more of the sisters together as Alessandra only made cameos. Crysantha is a lot smarter than she appears and we find out just how much. I do think the first book was better, but this book was also good.

To begin with, this is a very pleasant read. An easy, fun to read tale.

Having read the first book, I kinda knew what to expect from the book and it didn’t disappoint.

I highly liked the main female character, Chrysantha, and her internal struggles although kind of juvenile, they really resonate with my feminist side. The banter between the two characters is really refreshing and making the read even more enjoyable.

The plot wasn’t mind blowing to be honest and in a lot of parts was preductable, but it was entertaining and it didn’t feel to undermine the experience.

Finally, the writing I believe could have been better. Maybe this part of why the plot felt a lot flat, plain. It felt a bit, almost to say, inexperienced. With so many great books in the genre, I cannot but to compare with other reads and unfortunately it falls short. I would definitely suggest other books if I was asked, but I wouldn’t deter anyone from reading it either.

The story and plot of this novel had a lot of potential, for the most part this was executed well and made for a light, easy read. I really enjoyed Tricia's writing style and would check out more of her work in the future, especially now knowing there is another book in this 'series'.
Unfortunately I struggled with the pacing of the book, the ending felt rushed and incomplete which was a shame as other parts of the story seemed to drag.

I usually love morally grey characters, but I like them to be oblivious. Chrys came across as very naïve and aware of her faults, using them in a way that benefitted her, not caring who was hurt in the process. She is also a very hypocritical character, not holding herself to the same standards as others. I could not connect with her for this reason.

'I truly am a terrible person, and I smile at the thought of it' ???? This whole line felt very juvenile to me as did a lot of the internal monologue of our main character.

Eyrx on the other hand, was very intriguing, his mystery and allure transcended the page and I found myself enjoying the parts he was present for the most. The tension between Eryx and Chrys was certainly done well, they had chemistry off the charts and this was an enemies to lovers trope done right.

This is definitely a book about female power, mystery and fighting for what you want. If that sounds intriguing to you and you're a lover of YA then check this book out!

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

This is my first read by thus author and I really enjoyed it. The only reason this didn't rate higher is because I was left wanting more. More plot. More romance. More spice. More character development.

However, I really enjoyed the overall plot. The romance was pleasant to read and I liked the main characters. There was a good balance of story and romance too.

adored this just as much as the first one. i missed this world astronomically and to have and read this book was so much fun, it was truly unputdownable and i will forever and always love this world, these characters, and will be a longtime supporter of miss tricia levenseller!!

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think Tricia Levenseller is great, her writing is smooth it flows well and her characters are always so full of sass and this book did NOT disappoint. I loved the slow burn romance and the sass of Chrysanthia and Alessandra even though you don't get much of Alessandra in this book, she wasn't absolutely necessary for you to understand the plot, but was a nice undercurrent.

I liked seeing Chrysanthia's dark side pretty early on in the book and really loved the feminist themes throughout this book. It was really interesting how these were incorporated into the storyline and explaining the anger that has built up to create the characters.

I loved Eryx, I thought he was the monster we all didn't know we needed. I loved the fade to black moments. All in all it was a really great book, the only reason it didn't get 5 stars for me is because the build up was delightfully slow but then the ending sprung up on us quickly and was all over a lot quicker than I'd have liked. However, a truly wonderful instalment of this book.

Chrysantha Stathos thought she had won against her younger sister Alessandra. She married a rich old duke who will die soon – although he is taking his sweet time – leaving her wealthy and free to do whatever she wants. And then her sister announces her wedding to the Shadow King. Luckily, Chrysantha is finally rid of the odious duke and Alessandra may be the future queen, but Chrysantha is now free and happy at her country mansion with her books and her friends. Also, she has every intention of making a memorable appearance at the royal wedding, probably on the arm of a handsome young man. And then Eryx arrives. He claims to be the old man’s grandson and heir and the current duke, but Chrysantha is convinced that he is hiding something. And she’s determined to find out what it is and to get rid of him, too.

I read The Shadow Between Us a few years ago and I loved how ruthless and determined Alessandra was. And Chrysantha is the same. In fact, despite their rivalry, the two sisters are quite similar. All her life, Chrysantha has pretended to be someone she was not: invisible, underestimated, men noticed her only for her beauty, never for her brain. But all this time, she’s been plotting for her independence and she has no intention to give it up for a young big man, no matter how handsome and charming he is.

The Darkness Within Us is an intriguing and entertaining read. You don’t need to have read The Shadow Between Us to enjoy it, but I highly recommend them both as they feature two strong female protagonists who stop at nothing to get what they want, including murder!

Seeing the overall feedback on this title has me gutted that I cannot get myself to continue. I’m finding myself having to DNF this book purely due to the main character herself.

As a woman who has been objectified, undermined and assaulted in a society ruled by men I had truly hoped to see her regard her fellow woman much better than I have seen her display. Her own sister, of all people. I feel for Chrysantha and the horrible experiences that she has endured to secure her social standing, wealth and (soon to be) happiness. However I couldn’t go further when she heavily implied that her sister is undeserving of her newfound happiness purely because she has not experienced the same hardships as she. Basing your worth and deserving of happiness should not be dictated on if you’ve “suffered enough” from the hands of men as a woman.

And when Chrysantha hears the news of the new laws being enforced by Alessandra which actively sets out to better a woman’s place in society and help pull them out of a man’s influence… her only thought is her own anger and bitterness. She actively undermines her sister’s new role and commitment to bettering a woman’s place in society, which in turn would help better her own.

I want to believe that these feelings of anger and resentment are all a part of Chrysantha’s journey as a character, but ultimately I cannot bring myself to continue based on what little I have seen.

I was obsessed with the Shadows Between Us, and was desperate for a sequel. So when I heard about The Darkness Within Us, I was so excited for it. It did not disappoint!