The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
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Web ID: 18496956Morally gray...hero?
It's tough to route for a morally gray character who overcomes her unfortunate circumstances in all the wrong ways. And yet, I found myself still hoping things would work out for her. And maybe I was supposed to be annoyed by her enemy...and yet, I felt myself intrigued by that mysterious character, too. That's what good writing can do to readers.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Absolutely DELICIOUS
I read The Shadows Between us a couple of years ago (devoured the book in one sitting) and had no clue that there was another set in the same world. This book, like my title says, is absolutely delicious. Tricia Levenseller has perfected the ability to write a story that completely engrosses you. I could not put this book down. It was funny, clever, romantic and at times stressful. All the emotions you want from a romantasy. I truly loved it and am counting down the second until her adult debut!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
THE Feminist Romantasy we all NEED
5 Stars This book was SO SO GOOD. I genuinely forgot how much I loved this world and how quickly I get sucked into Levenseller’s writing. Just like Shadows Between Us, the pacing moves quickly, and the story grips you from the first scene. I love that both books are stand alone romantsy stories but are about two different sisters so you get that familiarity of characters without having had to read the other book. But as a treat, it was so much fun to see the Shadow King and his Queen several times in this story. Our main characters in The Darkness Within Us were A DELIGHT. Chrysantha is tired of being a pawn in men’s lives and just wants freedom. She has worked so hard to position herself to finance her life and live freely only to have that carefully executed plan go to crap when Eryx shows up. He is the heir to Chrysantha’s late husband’s estate. The heir she didn’t know existed. The heir that has secrets that she will use to gain her freedom again. Problem is……as she learns Eyrx’s secrets, she realizes they have a lot in common. I couldn’t put the book down and hated to see it end. It was incredible and I can’t wait to reread it one day. I also read via audio and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Slow burn enemies to lovers
I absolutely loved The Shadows Between Us and I feel like this book came out of nowhere and I was so excited to get back into this universe. I was not a fan of Crysantha at all, so it took me a bit to get into the story. She was just so self centered and ruthless, so it was a bit tough to be in her head and she frustrated me from beginning to end. Still, I truly understood her motivations about wanting true freedom, so even when I wanted to shake her, I couldn’t argue that she had a point. I loved the conflict and relationship between her and Eryx. Their uneasy truces and constant battling of each other was fun and entertaining. I loved watching it unfold. I ended up loving how to story progressed and how it all came together, but I have to admit that I was kind of aggravated by Crysantha quite often, so I definitely didn’t enjoy it was much as the first book or in the same way, but it was good! I do recommend this book and I think fans of slowburn enemies to lovers will love it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enemies to lovers with forced proximity!
Genuinely one of the best books I have read this year! Let me just say that this book had me kicking my feet and giggling throughout the whole thing. The two love interests in this book really just live to rile each other up and truly just make the other's lives as miserable as possible for a lot of this book. It's a true enemy to lovers with forced proximity! The romance and bantering were truly amazing in this book and just the sassiness of their interactions was so much fun! I really loved this main character and just how much of a girly girl she is, all while also being manipulative and a genius who is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. She is a strong female character who can also be feminine and make her whole bedroom pink if she wants. I loved this twist on a strong female character and found it so relatable and empowering. There were also so many endearing relationships between characters in this book such as friendships and sisterly bonds, and it showed how having these can be life-changing but also difficult. Truly I loved almost every side character in this book, and they had the cutest little arcs ever. Overall this was such an amazing and addicting read, and easily a five-star read. If I had to list five books as my favorite books of the year then this book would be on that list! Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Childrens Publishing Group for allowing me the chance to read and review this book <3
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Morally gray excellence!
If you like morally gray characters, this is a series for you! Now we get Chrysantha’s story. Her plans are all falling into place. Except…someone shows up to put a kink in them. And the sparks fly! The banter is hilarious. As are the side-kicks. Enemies to lovers. Touch her and un-alive.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity
Rating: 4.25 Throughout the first book, Alessandra’s older sister, Chrysantha was mentioned sporadically, but now we got her story, and she wasn’t anything like the innocent, simpleton she portrayed herself to be. Similar to how Alessandra was cunning and able to plan and execute her plans flawlessly, Chrysantha was equally just like her little sister. Chrysantha had always played the long game of marrying an old Duke, awaiting the day he would pass, and she would inherit his dukedom, land, money, and be free to do as she pleased. When Chrysantha’s freedom was just as she always hoped, suddenly she met a man claiming to be the heir to her deceased husband?! In Chrysantha’s eyes she wasn’t going to allow anyone to take all that she had worked hard for, even if the supposed young man was mysterious and handsome, she wouldn’t allow another man to control her life. Alessandra will always be my favorite with her cunning ways, but wow Chrysantha was just as much of a baddie like her little sister! Chrysantha was the type of young woman who took into account, everything. With marriage prospects, she bided her time to find the perfect one that would fit her needs in terms of wealth, status, and no heirs so she would inherit everything. In the first book, Chrysantha was mentioned in passing, but from Alessandra and everyone else’s perspectives, they saw Chrysantha as a simpleton who was easily influenced. Things were much more than they seemed as Chrysantha manipulated and planned for her future. I don’t necessarily like how she acted towards Alessandra, but the more the book got into her own story, I started to side with her a lot, and I grew to be more fascinated by her. Chrysantha was a strong female lead, and even with her own goals of attaining wealth, and freedom, she was very kind to those who worked in her household which I really liked. Chrysantha was determined to keep her freedom and title, and all that she worked for, but with the arrival of, Eryx things got a bit more complicated for her. When a mysterious, rugged man comes claiming to be the heir to Chrysantha’s deceased husband, it seemed like Eryx Demos was going to be the new duke. Eryx was a mysterious man who at first glance seemed like maybe he wasn’t actually the man he said he was because, as far as Chrysantha knew, her husband didn’t have any children, grandchildren, basically nobody to inherit the dukedom which is why she went through with the marriage. Once Eryx came into the household, it was clear that he and Chrysantha didn’t like each other at all. Between arguments, snarky comments, and the occasional imagination of taking out each other, Eryx and Chrysantha were truly enemies at odds with each other. Once the story progressed, I started to notice some subtle hints that not only was Eryx mysterious, but he wasn’t entirely normal as one imagined. Eryx was clearly hiding something, and the more Chrysantha tried uncovering his secrets, she also noticed more unusual things about him that made her wonder, who was Eryx, and what was he hiding?? If you love the enemies to lovers trope, omg you will LOVE this book! Chrysantha by herself was always a clever, cunning, and strong woman, but when she was up against Eryx, she did not like whatsoever! The way Eryx and Chrysantha got on each other nerves was like fire and ice, they didn’t get along, and majority of the time they just hurled insults at each other. Suffice it to say, I was really enjoying the enemies to lovers trope in this book! Not only was there the antagonistic animosity between Chrysantha and Eryx, but later on that gave way to some equally heated tension that OOOOO was great! One thing that actually surprised me was seeing Alessandra and Chrysantha’s relationship change. Before this book, I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to like Chrysantha, especially with the way Alessandra had a complicated relationship with her. Once the story focused on who Chrysantha truly was, I actually liked her, and thought she was so clever with how she went about everything. The only thing I was still unsure about was the relationship between the two sisters, and how they always had animosity between each other. Once Chrysantha and Alessandra started talking again, and being honest for the first time with one another was when I saw the distinct change in their dynamic. Little by little, I got to see Chrysantha and Alessandra actually open up to each other, and by the end of the book, they were truly sisters, and were there for each other. This book not only had a happy ending for Chrysantha in her love life, but also seeing her and Alessandra start over on a lovely note was great. Overall, I enjoyed Chrysantha’s story and how much she was methodically with everything she did. Say what you will, but you gotta give major props to Chrysantha for fooling people for seven years into making everyone believe she was a simpleton, someone nobody would think they were a potential threat. Chrysantha was a strong female lead, and seeing her over the course of the story illustrated how she grew, and ultimately found herself finding her equal in the last person she expected, Eryx. Eryx was an interesting character from the start with his mysterious past, and unusual behavior. Once I got to see underneath the mask that Eryx donned, it was something I wasn’t expecting, but I also really liked! Eryx and Chrysantha’s enemies to lovers dynamic really was addictive, entertaining, and full of tension that built up marvelously! Towards the end, things got even more interesting, and by the end, it all wrapped up in a happy ending for Chrysantha and Eryx. Definitely would recommend this book if you want an enemies to lovers romance, a strong female lead, and forced proximity!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun Romantasy with a strong FMC and Enemies to Lov
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 overall Spice: 🌶️.5 (YA novel) This was my fourth book by this author and it’s one of her better books! I found the FMC, Chrysantha, to be a little cringy at first, but she ended up growing on me throughout the book. I LOVED that she runs a smutty book club. It was such a fun, minor detail that made me like her so much more. I wish we had more background information, but I never read book 1 of the series. I assume I’m missing some backstory and info about Chrysantha and her sister. Eryx is a likeable MMC, but we also never find out his motivation for certain things (I’m trying to be vague to avoid spoilers). I did really enjoy the enemies to lovers perspective of this book. Overall, this one was cute but it could’ve been a novella instead of a novel. Thank you to Netgallery for the electronic advanced copy of this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com