It was so fun being back in this world - I think I liked this one even more than the first! Levenseller absolutely delivered with these new characters!

Chrysantha Stathos, a nineteen-year-old duchess who has cunningly amassed wealth and secrets by feigning a naïve persona, is poised to claim ultimate freedom and fortune upon the death of her elderly husband. However, her plans are thwarted when an attractive man claiming to be the duke's grandson arrives to inherit everything. Determined and enraged, Chrysantha is resolved to eliminate Eryx Demos and reclaim what she believes is rightfully hers.

A Darkness within Us is technically book 2 in the series The Shadows Between Us but it is an interconnected standalone and you don’t have to read book one. Although I would recommend you do because it is also very good. However, I loved this second book even more. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is fantastic and does all of the characters justice. It was such an entertaining listen that I found it difficult to not listen to it all in one sitting.

I was so surprised how from the very beginning I was completely enthralled with the book. The banter was amazing and it made the payoff in this enemies to lovers book so much sweeter.

I highly recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Very entertaining but slightly campy at times; the lines about how he's hot cause he's a monster had me laughing outright. The audiobook narration was well done.

5 ⭐️
2 🌶️

The Darkness Within Us is pitched as a YA fantasy novel, but I would say it's more NA considering some of the topics and content. The only thing I would consider to be YA about this novel is just the character's ages. I read this one as an audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job, she did a very great job with storytelling.

This is my first Tricia Levenseller book, although I do own a lot more they are just sitting in my tbr, but this was an incredible first introduction to her work. I could not be more pleased with what book I started off reading.

I really enjoyed the mindset of the main character and that her mind was darker than other FMC's I am used to reading. If you enjoy spitfire FMC's that know what they want and take it, you will love this one. Chrysantha has a way of showing appreciation to those she feels are deserving, and on another hand absolutely ripping into others.

📖 Rivals (slightly enemyish, but like also not really IMO) to Lovers
📖 New Adult
📖 Regency Era
📖 Fantasy
📖 Great Banter
📖 Scheming

Content Warnings to note:
Death, violence, mentions of SA, misogyny, classism, gaslighting, poisoning, unwanted advances, forced marriage, murder, sexism, prostitution

3.75 ⭐️

I did enjoy this book more than book 1, it was just sort of uneventful for me. I was a little bored to be honest.
The special edition covers make this series worth buying in my opinion.
I think the YA classification is spot on.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the arc audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delight! After being glued to Levenseller’s companion to this release, <i>The Shadows Between Us</i>, I was both impressed and disappointed by it. While it held me in rapt attention and had a borderline satirical tone that drew more than a few chuckles out of me, the world building and magic system were vague. The political exploits were flimsy and lacked any grounding in reality. I also was offput by the fact that the love interest was a colonizer king. To enjoy the first installment of this companion series, however, I had to cover my ears (I listened on audio) during all the parts that made the book fall apart for me. It was a fun time if you can do it that way.

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<i>The Darkness Within Us</i> is a different beast entirely (badum tsss…iykyk). Chrysantha’s role in Alessandra’s novel was that of a dim-witted slut-shaming sister. Levenseller backpedals on all of that characterization here. Instead, Chrysantha is playing a part, pretending to be a fool so men will let their guards down around her and she can maneuver them to her liking. Even the slut-shaming was retconned; Levenseller has Chrysantha confess internally that she defamed Alessandra so much in the first novel to keep her at arms’ length. On the one hand, this backpedaling was a bit off-putting because it came across as a hamfisted way for Levenseller to keep writing in this world with an existing character, since all other female side characters had their HEAs wrapped up in the first book with a pretty bow. On the other hand, it was necessary for us to stomach Chrysantha as a main character, considering the feminist themes in all of Levenseller’s books. So this, I could let slide.

This semi-sequel also attempts to allay any ill will toward the first book’s handling of colonialism. It is made clear that the Shadow King’s wars to expand his kingdom made him many enemies. This was not something adequately explored in the first novel and I appreciated what small scraps of criticism Levenseller could dole out in Kallias’s direction. Unfortunately, since Alessandra and Chrysantha are sisters, and Kallias is the love interest from the first book, no real headway is made in acceptably exploring the obvious negative impact of colonialism. Instead, it is continually glossed over in the text. Cue the Joey Tribbiani covering his ears GIF, except, this time, it’s Levenseller doing the ear plugging toward her own work.

My last gripe with this novel lies in the fact that it is basically a redux of the first one, with just a new coat of paint slapped on. Girl kills man she’s romantically involved with. Said scheming girl’s goals are at odds with another scheming boy’s. Girl deceives him and attempts to win him over with her beauty and charm in order to get what she wants from him. Girl also plots to kill boy. Girl’s schemes come to light and girl races against the clock to save boy from certain death. Couple confesses their true feelings for one another and gets together. Fin.

It was kind of frustrating to see this novel go down such a similar narrative path as the first one. I kept wanting it to stand on its own, and kept waiting for Levenseller to prove she isn’t just a one-trick pony in this particular fantasy world. Sure, there were things that were different: Chrysantha wasn’t openly trying to seduce Eryx until the second half of the novel. The two also took a hate-to-love path to romance, while Alessandra and Kallias relied on fake dating to forge that path. There was enough newness here for me to enjoy the ride, but still enough sameness for it to chafe.

All critiques aside, this was just so much fun, and honestly was a massive improvement on the first novel. Levenseller’s writing feels more mature here, and Chrysantha as a heroine is strong, clever, and entertaining. I laughed out loud multiple times. Her men-roasting skills were top notch and her unimpressed, deadpan assessment of the idiotic antics Eryx and his friends got up to was an absolute riot. I also loved the feminist themes introduced here. It was so gratifying to see Eryx humbled as he grew to understand what Chrysantha has gone through as a woman in their society. While it was frustrating to not see much political nuance (I’m side-eyeing Alessandra’s edicts that magically erased centuries of misogyny overnight), following characters that aren’t involved in politics made it easier to ignore those issues.

Lastly, Caitlin Davies’s narration was mixed. She had excellent delivery and comedic timing, and absolutely nailed Chrysantha’s voice. However, the formal speech sounded awkward when spoken aloud by her, and I wasn’t sure if that was an issue with her narration or just the writing itself. I also didn’t like her male voice for the love interest. With the audiobook for this one, your mileage may vary.

<b>OVERALL RATING:</b> 4 stars.

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

“You make me want to claim the whole world and gift it to you on a silver platter”

A perfect enemies-to-lovers book for the girls who love a boy with a tail! Great bickering and banter with lots of scheming and plotting.

I never thought this book would get a sequel but I am so happy it did. Chrysantha and Alessandra are two sides of the same coin, both trying to kill ugly and powerful men.
I never thought I would like Chrysantha but she truly is an inspiration. Marrying an old man for the money and completely redoing his mansion is every girl's dream.

I am obsessed with the fact that Eryx has a tail. What a man! We will need to see more bookmen with tails in the fantasy genre.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although the feel of this book was not my usual type of read, the story building was interesting. My only complaint is that the MMC was boring compared to the MMC from book 1. I still recommend this book as an entertaining read.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this. The narrator, Caitlin Davies, is stellar, extremely pleasant to listen to. I read this as a standalone having never read the first book about Alessandra and Kallias, but I did not feel like it was necessary for the purpose of this book to do so. Chrysantha is a very fun character. I've gathered she was unpopular in the first book with readers, but from the beginning of this book, she shines. I felt like maybe she denies her attraction to her uninvited house guest a bit too long to be believable, but I still enjoyed this book very much.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced copy to review.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review.

Narrator: 5 Stars
Story 3 Stars

I really can't believe I requested this after giving the Shadows between Us a 2.5 but here we go.

Which for the most part I enjoyed this more than Shadows even tho I was so close to DNFED it.

This is set around the same time as the Events of Shadows but can pretty much be read as a Stand Alone or a Companion Piece. If you don't want to be spoiled with some events of Shadows, you can read Shadows first then this but it's not needed to understand this because certain things will get explained. This is not a direct sequel to Shadows. 

The Darkness Within Us is dealing with Chrysantha Santos aka Alessandra Sister which if you read Shadows was only mentioned in letters to Alessandra.

Chrysantha played the role of an airhead for seven years to get married to a duke who is actually a smart woman but her perception of her little sister is all wrong.

Chry is married to a duke at 19 which she gained the full Dukedom ( title, land ,and money)  when the Duked died but lost it when his “ Grandson”  Eryx Demos came back to claim it for him and want her gone.

I almost DNFED this at 13% if it was for the Chry and Eryx interaction at breakfast which saved it for me and made me give it a chance. Before that scene it was looking really shaky for me because I didn’t like Chry at all.

The banter between the two is really the backbone of this book and what keeps this book fun and funny. I saw another reviewer say this but think of  The Princess Diaries Two which did give me those vibes. It also surprisingly gives me Beauty and the Beast vibes if you are familiar with the OG BATB story and not the Disney Version.

I didn’t like Chry at first because I felt she was very hypocritical towards her sister  but she calls herself out on it towards the middle of the book. I do like the fact she does care about her servants to the point she gave them raises and felt like they were family towards here. Also the fact that she was smart as hell that she was figuring out things way before the private investigator aka the person she paid to figure out things for her.

Eryx Demos for the most part was pretty good for a love interest and a character since his banter was Chry is what kept the book fun. At first he was an asshole then you realized he was a tortured soul like most of them are.

There is still really no World Building like in Shadows. Like I said in Shadows, Naxos is Victorian England. Nothing groundbreaking about it.

The Magical System still doesn’t make no lick of sense.

The plot is simple and nothing convoluted which is why the pacing is pretty fast in this. It also feels rushed towards the end and everything is wrapped up in a nice bow as always.

Some side characters of flat with the expectation of two or three you will care about.

No one really faces any consequences of their actions. I mean it’s a body count but no one seems to care about that at all.

There is feminism in this story like just in Shadows but if I get into the logistics of it this will turn into an essay.  It just feels really shallow. 

I have to remind myself that Chry and Eryx are 19 and 18 years old because both of them feel like they are in their 20’s just like Alessandra and Kallias did in Shadows.  Like this supposed to be upper YA but could have benefited being NA because the Author tightropes the line between YA and NA.

All and All Like this one better than Shadows because I didn't take it as seriously as Shadows.  

Recommend this if you want something low stakes,  Enemies to Lovers, Witty banter, some feminism, don’t really care about world building ,plot, and magical system,  some steam and romantic tension.

Chrysantha Stathos Seems like the snobby self righteous girl who will do anything to get what she wants. Though the whole book I was rooting for Eryx Demosto win in the pissing math of a battle between the two of them on who was rightfully the owner of the estate. Ian’s the end it was a love hate relationship. Chrysantha Didn’t seem to care the Eryx was a werewolf and people were trying to kill him.

3.5-Stars

The Darkness Within Us was s a thrilling and fast-paced read, with prose that is both accessible and engaging. One of its standout features is its intriguing premise, with characters who actually fit the morally grey archetype. As always, Levenseller excels in crafting unapologetic and authentic an fierce female characters, with Chrysantha emerging as an absolute tyrannical force. TDWU is full of unexpected twists and turns, and really showcases TC's adeptness at fantastic world-building. The book was also refreshing with taking the time to developed our MCs emotional intimacy and building to the more (and limited) physical moments.

However, the ending may feel a tad too neatly (and quickly) resolved, and there are occasional lulls in pacing throughout the book. While I'm absolutely obsessed with Chrysantha, Eryx was a little too derivative of every other dark-haired, handsome, and secretive romantasy love-interest (Casteel, Azriel, Xaden, etc) for me to really care about him. The Darkness Within Us was a great palate cleanser read that delivered a fun, but unimpactful story.

This is the second book of The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. It says it can be read as a stand alone, but I don’t think you would be able to really grasp the relationships, the big twists, or character development without reading the first.

I was actually very surprised by this book, and think that I liked it better than The Shadows Between Us. I liked Chrysantha, our FMC, and her plotting and scheming a lot more and thought overall she was an easy character to root for.

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was how quickly the big ending conflict started and wrapped up, it felt very fast where as the drama in the beginning felt long and had the tension building the entire book.

4/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC!

Big thanks to Netgalley and Tricia Levenseller for the audio ARC in exchange for a review.

This is the second in the series and from the perspective of the sister.

I've read a few of Tricia's books and I felt like this was fairly tame compared to the others. There was domestic abuse, misogyny in abundance and violence, but the main focous was on how Chrysantha felt and how she struggled to become independent. Not that I'm complaining, it was a good read.

It was hard to like Chrysantha for more than most of the book. I understand why she was written the way she was, her ploy to be thought of as an idiot and her plans to marry rich and become independent, she's meant to be seen as taking back her power, maybe creating her own. But she comes off as whiny, shallow, and impulsive, rather than the smart, driven character she's supposed to be.

I'm ALL for the less than straight edge MC. I want the vengeance and power hungry rage that comes from being wronged. I think Chrysantha's character misses the mark a bit.
I'm giving 4 stars - I enjoyed the book, and the idea behind the characters. It would have been 5 had she not been so whiny.

AHhhHhh!! Another smash hit romantasy by Tricia Levenseller! Just like 'The Shadows Between Us', this book promises to be another sensation in the genre. I quickly found myself immersed back in Levenseller's captivating world and writing style.

Deliciously mischievous, it was refreshing to delve deeper into Chrysantha's character and uncover her true essence. Her instantly likable personality compelled me to root for her as the story unfolded. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic added an extra layer of intrigue, weaving the plot together seamlessly. I relished discovering Chrysantha's penchant for revenge and her unwavering determination to prioritize her own desires, without diminishing those around her—except, of course, her sister and Eryx. Exploring Eryx's character evoked both delight and fervent curiosity, mirroring Chrysantha's complex emotions towards him.

Similar to 'The Shadows Between Us', 'The Darkness Within Us' delves into explicit themes, particularly focusing on women's sexuality. While it's empowering to see female characters express themselves freely, the explicit nature of these themes might be overwhelming for younger readers, especially considering these are YA novels featuring mature protagonists.

The audiobook was perfection! Highly recommend that format to consume this book.

"NOTE: It's been years since I read "The Shadows Between Us," so I quickly reread it to jump into "The Darkness Within Us," and I was happy to see that you don't really have to. This is a good way to enter the world Levenseller has set up without feeling confused by not having read the first book in this series. However, I do think that if you read this one first, you would be greatly disappointed by Chrysantha's actions in the previous book. All of this is quickly explained in TDWU, adding a delicious layer to the character's personality.

Absolutely looooooved this book!

Chrysantha (a very young woman) is finally free when her very old and abusive husband (the duke) finally passes away. Free to enjoy life and be her true self. Nothing can get in the way of her happiness.. that is … not until HE shows up. Ericks is the grandson of chrysantha’s late husband. From the very beginning he has been a mystery. No one knew the late duke had a grandson. Theres a darkness to him. Is he the true heir or a con artist ? It’s a mystery that Chysantha is going to solve no matter what! She just needs to ignore the strange butterflies she feels whenever she looks deep into his color changing eyes. And possibly ignore the way he looks incredibly handsome in those glasses he wears.

The intense passion the fmc and mmc had for each other was everything I needed. It was an enemies to lovers and a slooow burn but boy was it worth it!
From the very beginning this book peaked my interest and as it continued, I became obsessed and invested! Would definitely recommend this book!!

This was a good companion to the first book! I think I’m not totally in love with this duology/story so it didn’t really hit right for me personally. But the audio was great and captivating so I was entertained enough at least.

I have preordered this book before I knew anything about it because of the pretty stenciled edges and cover. I am really glad I judged a book by its cover in this instance, it was so much better than I expected!
I had a little difficulty with the very beginning, but then it grabbed me, pulled me in, and would not let go. Since I had never read anything by this author I didn’t have any preconceived notions in any way. Yes, now I will go back and read “The shadows between us”
The audio version was excellent, and I enjoyed the banter between Chrysantha and Eryx. I am so excited to get this pretty hard back now!

Tricia Levenseller is a master at creating fast paced, romance-fantasy, featuring strong female leads. In this companion to "The Darkness Between Us," readers follow Alessandra's sister. It was a quick and fun read. I do question rating this as a "teen" book. While there is nothing explicit, sex is a large part of the book - for example Chrysantha engaging male prostitutes. With the main characters being 21, I just felt that it doesn't quite fit in the teen genre. Overall, an solid "new adult" read.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

In this companion book to The Shadows Between Us, Chrysantha becomes the main character. Rather than being the naive, innocent, and somewhat dumb character that the previous book made her out to be, in this story she is cunning, deceptive, and on a mission. She has spent the past seven years playing a part so that she can become a wealthy independent duchess, however her whole plan is shattered when an unknown man steps in to take away her inheritance, title, and independence. For 3/4ths of the book, I was entertained and loving the strong female character, however towards the end, it lost me. Still, if you enjoyed the first book, you'll more than likely enjoy this one as well.