Darkness Deceives

Darkness Deceives is the second book in Katie May’s and Loxley Savage’s Afterworld Academy series and the story continue with Hadley and her quadruplet’s fight against the Darkness that is attacking the souls of the Academy and stealing their essences. Except now, Hadley herself has become possessed by the Darkness and now the guys must embark on a fight to get her back. But are they ready for the secrets and truths that will be revealed piece by piece? Can they handle the truth of what it is that they will learn about Hadley herself and the very thing that has taken her? There is a darker evil at the Academy…and it’s out for revenge.

Darkness Deceives has been a long time coming for its follow up to Katie May and Loxley Savage’s first book in this series. The prologue in this book helps remind readers of what last transpired in the first book, and then shifts forward into the storyline as a whole as readers find out that Hadley has no idea as to what is transpiring “outside.” Piece by piece the story comes together as Hadley begins to realize that something isn’t quite right. The guys are scrambling to find her and figure out exactly what has happened to her so that they can free her from the Darkness. The story that is embedded in this story is what truly pulls me along. The authors fascinated me with the backstory that is woven into this book that elevates it as a whole. It’s an unexpected twist after unexpected twist that makes you crave to know the truth of it all.

This story is both beautiful and tragic as it is revealed page by page. The authors show us that there is more than meets the eye and that not everything is what it seems. I loved it! I love the misdirection in a couple of scenes as well. The authors have a surprise twist that catches me off guard but seems like I should have seen it on a level. LOL! I love that the authors keep me guessing though when they drop subtle hints here and there as well.

As promised, this book has several steamy scenes mixed in. I’ll admit that I felt that one scene was a bit out of place, and then I expected the brothers to come and interrupt it as well. LOL! I appreciate that the authors clearly state in the foreword that this book does have mentions of cancer sprinkled here and there, so if cancer is an upsetting subject for you then I recommend that you skip reading this book.

My only issues with this book are pretty much…the guys themselves. Since it’s been awhile since the first book was published I struggled to remember who was who in the quad. I kept getting them mixed up. My biggest mix up was Karston and Preston. I kept thinking that clumsy Preston is the ghost and Karston is the reaper. It just seems to suit them better in my opinion, so I had to shrug when I realized who was actually whom. Then when Hadley is trying to explain some things to them they snap at her and are all huffy. I didn’t like it because I felt like they were taking their frustrations out on her when she’s the one who’s been dealing with this twist the most out of all of them. It creates a stressor in the group, but ultimately doesn’t/isn’t allowed to fully play out.

All in all, I am rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. There isn’t much to dislike about this book. The storyline is engaging and I love all of the backstory and revelation that we get with the characters and from the authors. If you have read the first book and enjoyed it then I highly recommend you grab this book and dive in.