Week 12 Reviews: The Shadows Between Us, The Darkness Within Us

From Goodreads:

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King's power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she's going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra's not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

From Goodreads:

Chrysantha Stathos has won.

By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has become a wealthy duchess. And, once her elderly husband dies, she will have all the freedom, money, and safety she's ever wanted.

Or so she thought.

A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha's lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face.

Chrysantha decides that the only thing to do is upstage Alessandra at her own wedding. And as for this grandson, he has to go. Never mind that he's extremely handsome and secretive with mysterious powers . . . No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

My first review of The Shadows Between Us
My Review:
I loved reading these books! I loved The Shadows Between Us the first time, and I loved it again, and The Darkness Within Us was just incredible! I loved being back in this world, and to get both sisters' stories was just so great! I couldn't get enought! 

Reading The Shadows Between Us was so great, I've been meaning to reread it since I first read it. Now that we have a sequel, of course this was the perfect timing! Alessandra is not afraid to be herself, but she has to be careful to get around the rules of the land, which are more aligned for the males. Watching her with Kallias, who enjoyed who she was, was just great! I loved watching her fall in love, and change her plans to keep him alive, because their plotting together was just *chef's kiss*.

Chrysanthia is both very different, but very similar to Alessandra. She kept her brilliance and plotting hidden, so she could control her future, and she almost had it-if not for this wayward step-grandson coming in and mucking up her future.

I loved the pair of them, who are both so at odds, and kept getting in one another's way. That he actually listened to her concerns about why she didn't want to marry again, and the reasons behind that and spending time together, helping one another, yeah, I just loved it! And oh, where the story went, that was just so great to read! 

I had a fantastic time reading these books and I can't wait to read more by Tricia Levenseller! 

Author: Tricia Levenseller

Series: The Shadows Between Us #1, 2
First Read: February 25th, 2020

Read: March 17th, 18th, 2024
Source: Own, NetGalley
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Books, and The Darkness Within Us is a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, Macmillan Audio
Published: February 25th 2020

Expected Publication: July 9th 2024

The Shadows Between Us:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

The Darkness Within Us:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars