Amazing! I came into this one with high expectations after The Shadows Between Us and was really hoping not to be let down. And I was not! I didn’t even know if TSBU needed a sequel, but it did, and it was this one. Chrysantha was an amazing heroine and I loved her inner world and the way she wanted to build her life. I wish I could read this again for the first time—I couldn’t put it down and read it way too fast!

You know you enjoyed a book when you’re sad it’s over even a couple days later.

I really really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to know Chrysantha’s story from her own point of view and learning that she wasn’t what we expected!

I thought it was a beautiful story of opening up to another person and allowing them to see your flaws and receiving complete acceptance in return.

Eryx and Chrysantha’s dynamic of rivals to lovers was so fun and entertaining. I loved it!

4 stars

The Darkness Within Us is a companion to The Shadows Between Us, but you don’t need to have read the first book to understand this one (thank God, because it’s been a year since I read book 1 and remember very little from it). It stars Chrysantha, who is Alessandra’s sister if you’ve read book 1, who, by the age of nineteen, is set on her way to become a wealthy duchess. All she needs is for the old duke she married to die for her plan to work… until it doesn’t.

Not only is her sister married to the Shadow King, the most powerful man in the world, but the duke’s grandson also shows up to inherit everything Chrysantha has worked to gain.

I am an absolute sucker for enemies to lovers, and this one was amazingggg. Both Chrysantha and Eryx grew on me as the story progressed and their relationship grew closer. Tricia Levenseller’s FMCs are always so fierce, independent, and witty, and Chrysantha is no exception right from the beginning.

There were a few parts where I found myself skimming a little, but overall, this was a fantastic read and an amazing continuation to this world.

I really enjoyed this book! I actually think I might like this one even more than the first, which is not typical for me. I love when a series focuses on other characters past book 1, and especially when the book gives a new perspective to a character who may not have been as important or well liked. This book does that very well! I particularly thought the enemies to lovers trope was also well done in this book. I am surprised I haven't seen this series take off yet! I am a big fan and really enjoyed this ARC. Thanks so much to the author and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group! I will be posting about this one and book 1 on both my book instagram @/briellesbookshelves and on my GoodReads page.

Chrysantha is about to have everything she dreamed of. She’s feigned stupidity for years while garnering the favor of her father. She only has to wait for her sick and elderly husband to die and she’ll truly be free. Surely nothing will stand in her way.

Read if you like: YA fantasy, YA fantasy romance, slow burn to steamy moments, rivals to lovers, morally gray characters (both of them), long term plots, courtly intrigue and scandals, dark secrets, and two characters who will do anything to survive.

For seven long years Chrysantha has played dumb. She used her simpleton reputation as a way to gain information from those who would never suspect her and then played everyone around her- shaping their decisions with her carefully laid plans. She’s secured a marriage with an incredibly wealthy, incredibly old Duke who has no known relatives. And as soon as he dies, she inherits a fortune and her very first taste of freedom. Chrysantha is living the dream until she finds out that her younger sister is going to marry the Shadow King, dulling her sisterly victory. But she maintains her sanity by relishing in widowed bliss, until an heir arrives out of obscurity at the estate. Now she must be rid of this pretend Duke no matter the cost. She must ignore his handsome face and unnatural essence and uncover all the dark secrets he carries.

This book is super fun! First of all, you don’t really need to do any rereading of The Shadows Between Us as this book picks up right after the end of the first and the sisters are separated and only correspond to irritate the other. So, all the happenings in the first book are mostly unknown to Chrysantha.

This is all about the plight of a woman who knows that her only use to her family is the price received at her wedding and the personal and political connections that could be gained from that union. And she takes this knowledge and plays a long game to ensure she comes out in the best possible scenario. You are gonna get a whole lot of girl power moments wrapped up in a regency era flair- with zero historical accuracy. This is another delightful book that cares not for recreating the past but rather a familiar environment with all the creative freedom of fantasy. A perfect set up for all their morally gray schemes.

This is a rivals-to-lovers romance that’s oh-so-delicious! I truly love their banter and the way they must reluctantly work together. We have a lot of opposites going on and it’s delightful. For a YA book we get a fair amount of steamy moments on page while the rest will have to live on in our imaginations. I had a lot of fun digging into this tale of a wickedly clever woman and her quest for happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley, FeirceReads, and Tricia Levenseller for a copy of this book for review.

The Darkness Within Us is book two in The Shadows Between Us series by Tricia Levenseller.
Tricia Levenseller does NOT disappoint with this one!
The first chapter was the best opening to a book I’ve ever read. You will be sucked in and won’t want to stop.
The writing is utterly incredible! These characters had a hold on me like nothing I’ve seen before!
The Darkness Within Us is a deliciously dark and captivating tale with a heart pumping romance.

Thank You NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved watching Chrysantha trying to fight for her right to just exist. Not only exist but be in charge of her life and how she is going to live it. Eryx is a lovely addition. His cranky mysterious ways just add to the story in a way that sucks you in. The romance in this book is well played and timed perfectly. It makes sense and is enjoyable to the reader. I truly enjoyed this story and am looking forward to recommending it to patrons. I also enjoyed that while this is a second book, I didn't have to read the first one to enjoy this one.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel and Friends, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC!

I liked this installment more than the first which is very rare. Chrysantha who is a badass wanting to live her life. She’s sick of answering to other people and wants freedom to do what she wants and who she wants😉

She marries some old ass Duke, murders his ass, and then takes all the spoils…well she tries. In comes Eryx who is the grandchild of the late Duke and he rips everything Chrysantha has worked for away from her. The banter was incredible and both our main characters were very headstrong and driven. Great read!

Title: The Darkness Within Us
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Chrysantha Stathos has won.

By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has gathered important secrets, earned her father’s constant care, and become a wealthy duchess—all by age nineteen. Now, she is only one elderly, dying duke away from having all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.

Turns out her little sister somehow snatched the true victory away from her: Alessandra is wedding the Shadow King, the most powerful man in the world. Meanwhile, after the death of Chrysantha’s no-good, lecherous husband, a man claiming to be the duke’s estranged grandson turns up to inherit everything that should be hers.

Chrysantha is enraged. There is no way that she’s going to let some man take everything from her. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive and alluring with mysterious powers… No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

I loved the revolution Chrysantha’s sister seemed to be leading for women’s rights in this, although the relationship between the sisters was pretty terrible. Chrysantha was a good character: I loved her determination, her wit, and her absolute refusal to lose. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers arc between her and Eryx, and I never quite figured out what was going on with him before the reveal.

Tricia Levenseller is from Oregon. The Darkness Within Us is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s in exchange for an honest review.)

🤍Thank you @netgalley for the earc of this one!🤍

Also, a moment for this Fairyloot edition because I’m still not over those edges.

I absolutely loved The Shadows Between Us and was so excited for this one!

It was bingeable, fast-paced, and witty! I was hooked from chapter one. However, this book just ended up not being for me in terms of the characters. A bummer for sure :(

But, because I think that this book will find its audience, here are a few things to expect!
• enemies to lovers
• I got some great regency vibes
• sister relationship
• a mystery

★ ★ ★.5/5
Steam: fade to black
TW: dm for details

Thank you Tricia Levenseller & Netgalley, for the e-arc. All opinions are my own, and I am leaving them voluntarily.

Ever since reading The Shadows Between Us, I was CRAVING Chrysantha's book!

You'd enjoy this if you like:
-Redemption Arc
-Enemies to Lovers
-Shadows hehe
-Forced Proximity

Not going to lie, the beginning of this book was a little hard for me to get into. I felt like Chrysantha was just so... me me me, the whole time. HOWEVER, I totally do get why she felt this way.

I really enjoyed the banter between the FMC and MMC, and loved the cameos from Alessandra & the Shadow King! Also loved that Alessandra & Chrysantha were able to mend their relationship.

The Darkness Within Us - ARC - @tricialevenseller
Release date: July 9th

This was my first book by Tricia Levenseller and WOW, I absolutely loved it! I couldn’t wait to get home from work and continue to read this!

If you love:
YA fantasy
True Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Delicious tension — reminded me of OUABH
Shadow Daddy
A smart FMC

Go grab this book July 9th!

Her other book The Shadow Between Us is already on my Amazon wish list as well as the physical copy of this one because l loved this book so much!

#thedarknesswithinus #yafantasy #yafantasybooks #fantasybooks #enemiestolovers #shadowdaddy #booklover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #macmillanchildrensbooks #macmillanchildrenspublishinggroup #netgalley #netgalleyreads #arc #arcbooks

If you love clever and cunning morally gray MCs, this book is for you! I loved watching Chrysantha's true nature be revealed in this book.
The romance was spot on and the world building was fantastic (as I've come to expect from a Tricia Levenseller book). I will definitely be recommending this one!

*Thanks to NetGalley for the arc, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller is the second book in ‘The shadows between us’ duology, and it follows Chrysantha, the older sister of Alessandra, as she seeks to find and make her way in the world. We already have a preconceived image of Chrysantha, being beautiful, selfish, and vapid, but this story, from her perspective, allows us more insight into who she is as a person, and why she acts the way that she does.
I enjoyed the banter between the MC and her love interest, her fight to be acknowledged in society and her altruism. This book clearly shows that there are many sides to a story.
I would recommend this fun read if you are into romance with a drizzle of fantasy, found family and reconciliation.

Well, she’s done it again. I was absolutely enthralled by this novel, like I was by The Shadows Between Us. I can’t say that I liked the FMC much, she was a bit deceptive, but then that’s part of the point. I will say that the competition and general hate between sisters got a bit old, like come on, sibling rivalry is a bit over rated…you both got what you wanted, so move on. I’m glad I was able to immerse myself in this world again. Levenseller’s writing is magnificent and allows the story to unfold at its leisure.

I was hesitant to read about Chrysantha’s story at first, but Levenseller did a great job at redeeming this character as well as evolving the world that is The Darkness Between Us. And I’m incredibly grateful to receive an ARC of this book! I loved how digestible this book was in terms of fantasy, as well as the fact that the author touched on important topics such as gender roles and abuse. I’ll continue to read anything that Levenseller writes.

Really enjoyed this companion book to the shadow between us. Loved the enemies to lovers, banter, slow burn and morally gray FMC and MMC.. Loved finally seeing a relationship develop between the two sisters. Devoured the book in under 24 hours!

I always enjoy this author's books and this companion to the 1st book in this series was no exception. I liked the main character, she was strong and independent and played with societies rules of how a woman should behave to get the life she wanted. She was pretty determined and fierce in getting what she wanted from life which I respected even though some of her methods were a bit far out there sometimes. The books I have read from this author are all featuring strong young women and I like that ferocity she writes into them. I also just have such a fun time reading them, they are always fast paced and exciting plotlines. I would definitely recommend this one if you like an enemies to lovers slow burn with a sprinkling of fantasy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in this series was so fun. Couldn’t put it down. This fell flat in every way. I wanted to love it. Kept reading in hopes it would get better. But I didn’t buy the romance and the ending lacked the passion I expected. Meh. Glad it was a quick read.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley (THANK YOU) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Every single time I think I'm kind of over YA fantasy books, Tricia Levenseller comes out with one that pulls me right back in. She is magical that way, I guess, I don't make the rules. Truly, I have become incredibly picky with the genre in general, but wow, she blows me away every time! This is not a direct sequel to The Shadows Between Us , but rather a companion following Chrysantha. That said, there are spoilers for the first book, so you should really read that first. And a lot of fun callbacks. So just read them in order, yeah?

Anyway, this has everything I have come to expect from one of Tricia's books: humor, high stakes, great messages, incredible friendships and romances, fabulous banter, and just an overall enjoyable reading experience. There were a few things that maybe felt a wee bit easy in terms of resolution, but I can't fault it too much, because the rest was just really enjoyable. I was also so glad to see the sisterly relationship that was touched upon in the first book become more prominent in this one. Also, there is a pretty serious enemies-t0-lovers situation, and those are fun! I was also very here for the strong feminist messages throughout.

Bottom Line: Another fun, entertaining, engaging fantasy from Tricia Levenseller reminds me why I always read whatever she writes.