The Darkness Within

I just finished reading The Darkness Within by Kelly Hashway.  It is the second book in The Monster Within series.  Samantha Thompson is now going by Samantha “Sam” Smith.  She is living with her boyfriend, Ethan Anderson.   After dying of cancer Ethan had the evil Nora bring Sam back to life.  Her parents do not know that she is alive and Ethan could not live without her (I am not sure where his parents think he is or if he ran away), so they have changed their last names and changed towns.  They are a part of a coven with Shannon and Dylan.  Dylan is their coven leader.  They are working magic one night one they are attacked by something green.  Well, everyone but Ethan is attacked.  Ethan was in some kind of trance.  When there is another problem, they figure out that something is wrong with Ethan’s magic.  Ethan’s magic came from Nora who used dark magic.  The gang sets out to find Mirabella who helped Dylan with his dark magic (in previous book). 

The four of them also find out that they are not the only witches at the school.  It will surprise them who shares their gift.  Will Sam, Ethan, Dylan, and Shannon allow these new witches to help or will they take off on their own seeking help?  Someone is also disrupting their efforts to get to Mirabella.  Who is behind the sabotage?

I give The Darkness Within 3 out of 5 stars.  The basic story line is good, but it needs work.  There is a lot of the normal teenage angst, going off half-cocked, forgetting about responsibilities (like work and schoolwork), and making out at inappropriate times.  You would think that Sam, Dylan, and Ethan would be more responsible since they are living on their own (without parents or guardians) and try to stay under the unobtrusive (stay under the radar).  The opposite is true in this book.  This book has great possibilities.  I read The Darkness Within without reading the previous book in the serious, The Monster Within.  Most things are explained throughout the book, but I think reading the first book would be very beneficial.  The Darkness Within can easily be read within a couple of hours.

I received a complimentary copy of The Darkness Within from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The review and opinions expressed are my own.

How was your weekend?  I hope it was relaxing and enjoyable (though I am sure you had to do laundry, run errands, and other household chores that we wish they would invent an inexpensive robot to do).  It is raining right now here in Dunedin, Florida (again).  I will say that it beats the heat!  Have a relaxing evening and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader