Sexy, feminist page-turner of a dark romantic fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Characters have passionate sex, clothes ripped off, with the actual act not described. After putting in an order for contraception, Chrysantha hires a series of male prostitutes whom she "samples" at her estate and buys presents for, deciding that mistresses aren't just for male nobles. While there's some description of kissing and one lover "seeing to [her] needs three times before he lets himself get lost" -- it never gets graphic. Chrysantha often mentions that her sister slept with lots of men before she married and rather enjoyed calling her a trollop.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
One gory scene with men killed in a room with guns, knives, swords, and fists with some description of someone decapitated, a skull crushed. A knife wound gets stitched without anesthesia. A man smothered to death by a pillow, another poisoned. A 65-year-old physically assaults his 19-year-old wife and calls her property. Stories of war with men shot and injured. Talk of men disappearing and killed and the disposal of bodies.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Poses the question of what freedom really means for women and how hard it is to attain; even if laws change granting more freedoms, society's roles and expectations for women still hold firm. A reminder to work at sibling relationships, even if it's sometimes difficult.
Positive Role Models
a little
Chrysantha makes it clear that she wants freedom as a dowager duchess and is courageous and persistent in her pursuit of it. On the plus side, she's meticulous in the care of her staff and her property and refuses to conform to outdated ideas of women, right down to a woman's sexuality. On the negative side, she's ruthless to keep what's hers and murders for it. This ruthlessness is a big part of the attraction between her and Eryx, who also murders without caring or consequences.
Diverse Representations
a little
Chrysantha aims to run her own estate at a time when women were expected to marry and be obedient. Main characters are White, but two minor characters are described as Black: Sandros, a favored male prostitute and Ilias Tomaras, the investigator. Some minor characters also identify as LGBTQ: two maids are lesbians and Petrie is bisexual. A book group reads a story about two male lovers and there's a discussion of female nobles who prefer female prostitutes.
Some insight into the running of an estate and how property transfers after a landowner's death to family members through wills and an upholding of a country's laws.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Darkness Within Us is a companion fantasy romance to The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. You don't have to read The Shadows Between Us to understand this story, but it helps in a few scenes when they go to the king's court. This book is even more sexually charged than its predecessor, but in the service of social points about female sexuality and power that are worth contemplating. Chrysantha is a widowed duchess at 19 who was groped, bruised, and belittled by her 65-year-old husband before he died. After she places an order for contraception, she hires a series of male prostitutes. Descriptions of her sessions are minimal, and so is a description of sex with the other main character -- though it's obviously passionate because there's ripped clothing involved. The story gets gory in one scene where a group of men are killed with a skull crushed and a beheading. Other violence includes a wound stitched without anesthesia, a man smothered to death by a pillow, and a poisoning. There's a little wine drinking and swearing doesn't go beyond the use of "s--t" under duress. Chrysantha is ruthless and cunning, but also admirably courageous in her pursuit of freedom to live how she pleases in a world designed for men.
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What's the Story?
In THE DARKNESS WITHIN US, 19-year-old Chrysantha has set up her whole life to gain the freedom she so desires. She marries a 65-year-old duke on his deathbed and just needs to wait out his cruelty until he finally dies and gives her everything he owns. Waiting is hard, though, so Chrysantha smothers him with a pillow in a fit of rage after he gropes her one too many times. Now she's ready to have her best life, especially since her sister Alessandra, betrothed to the king, rescinded the order for women to mourn in private for a year. So Chrysantha busies herself by updating the estate, getting to know the servants, and sampling lovers from a brothel. But just when she finally has everything she could want, a mysterious man bursts into her home, holds her at gunpoint, and demands to know what she's doing in his estate.
Romance fans who like a sprinkling of fantasy and a dark edge to the characters won't be able to put down this sultry tale of a sharp-tongued murdering duchess. Chrysantha is a force of nature, so relentless in her quest for freedom that you have to admire her, even if she smothered her creepy old husband to achieve her dreams. But when the main character of a book with so much pink on the cover declares she is swearing off love and already has everything she wants, of course a crass man has to come in and ruin everything, in the most dangerously sexy way possible. Eryx is just what women in fantasy tales love to hate and hate that they love -- full of secrets, pig-headed, bad dresser (but fixable), and possibly not entirely human. Will Chrysantha kill him before she falls for him, that's the question. The tension between them is fantastic, mostly owing to the whip-smart dialogue. And only once, at a brothel, are we thrown into a scene with the lovelorn enemies where the conflict feels unnatural and forced. Other sultry scenes fit the overall story better, especially because Eryx's supernatural secrets are coming out at the same time. Another thing to appreciate is The Darkness Within Us' feminist angle. We see even a strong character like Chrysantha stumble in a man's world. When she conquers the sexist forces working against her just as she gives into her feelings, it makes the ending so much more satisfying.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Chrysantha's "mistresses" in The Darkness Within Us. In Chapter 3 she describes all the particular considerations she has to make as a woman before she visits a brothel designed for female nobles. What are these considerations? Is this too much sex talk for a teen romance or just the right amount because of the points readers are left to consider?
How does Chrysantha show courage and perseverance in her pursuit of the life she wants? In what ways -- even beyond killing her husband -- is she not such an admirable character? Do you like to root for her anyway?
What is Chrysantha's relationship with her sister Alessandra like? How does it change during the course of the book? If you have a sibling, are you competitive with them? How had your relationship evolved over the years?
Available on:
Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
July 9, 2024
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Carrie R. Wheadon
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