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Darkly #2
Deadly: A Darkly Mystery
Not yet published
Expected 16 Feb 27Grace Kelly glamour meets The Inheritance Games stakes in this glittering young adult mystery where puzzles, romance and danger shimmer. A sequel to the national bestseller DARKLY.
Months after the haunting events of Darkly, Dia is chasing light—Paris, old friends, maybe even closure. But when her old crush Poe vanishes without a trace, her search leads to his ransacked apartment, a stolen Louisiana Veda ghost game, and whispers of a decades-old murder at a legendary Riviera hotel.
As secrets swirl beneath the surface of luxury, Dia finds herself drawn into a mystery that blurs the line between myth and truth. The deeper she goes, the more she the stolen game isn’t just haunted—it’s hiding something. And someone doesn’t want it found.
The twisted mechanics of the Darkly empire have been set in motion again. But this time it is unfolding against a panorama of evil and conspiracy vaster than Dia ever imagined.
Welcome back to the world of Darkly. Where the past is a puzzle, the present is a trap, and the only way out is to play.
Months after the haunting events of Darkly, Dia is chasing light—Paris, old friends, maybe even closure. But when her old crush Poe vanishes without a trace, her search leads to his ransacked apartment, a stolen Louisiana Veda ghost game, and whispers of a decades-old murder at a legendary Riviera hotel.
As secrets swirl beneath the surface of luxury, Dia finds herself drawn into a mystery that blurs the line between myth and truth. The deeper she goes, the more she the stolen game isn’t just haunted—it’s hiding something. And someone doesn’t want it found.
The twisted mechanics of the Darkly empire have been set in motion again. But this time it is unfolding against a panorama of evil and conspiracy vaster than Dia ever imagined.
Welcome back to the world of Darkly. Where the past is a puzzle, the present is a trap, and the only way out is to play.
432 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 16, 2027
About the author
Marisha Pessl
7 books4,514 followersMarisha Pessl is the New York Times bestselling author of Night Film, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, and various YA thrillers including the Darkly series, currently in development with Jamie Lee Curtis and Blumhouse. She lives in New York with her husband and three daughters.
Instagram: @marishapessl
Facebook: facebook.com/MarishaPesslOfficial
Instagram: @marishapessl
Facebook: facebook.com/MarishaPesslOfficial
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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July 3, 2026YES I KNEW THERE WOULD BE A SEQUEL!!! :D
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My Darkly obsession clearly wasn’t finished, because the moment I had the chance to jump back into this world, I didn’t even pretend to resist. I grabbed it and dove straight in.
Returning to Arcadia, Poe, the Darkly universe, its sinister games, outrageous wealth, glamorous locations, hidden histories, and that delicious sense that absolutely nobody is telling the whole truth felt like meeting an old obsession again. And honestly, I was ready for another five-star, mind-bending ride.
Was it as spectacular as the first book? No. For me, Darkly was one of those rare YA mysteries that felt almost impossible to put down—impeccably constructed, hypnotic, atmospheric, and completely addictive. This sequel didn't quite reach that same level.
I think my biggest issue was that everything felt a little too fast. There is SO much happening: Poe disappears, Arcadia follows the trail to France, a mysterious game resurfaces, an old murder starts connecting unexpected dots, the Darkly empire once again casts its enormous shadow, and suddenly we are running from one revelation to another. I wanted more time to sit inside the mystery, investigate the clues alongside Arcadia, and let some of those deliciously suspicious characters breathe.
The French Riviera setting brings an entirely different flavor to the Darkly universe. Give me glamorous hotels, old scandals, mysterious murders, eccentric wealthy people, secret games, dangerous puzzles, and characters who may or may not be completely insane, and I am absolutely seated. The whole thing has that delicious Grace Kelly glamour meets deadly game-night chaos energy, and I loved wandering through it.
I also have to admit that my emotional attachment to these characters did a lot of heavy lifting. Even when the plotting felt rushed or some pieces didn't have quite enough room to develop, I genuinely cared about what happened to them. I wanted Arcadia to find Poe. I wanted answers. I wanted the gang back together. And apparently I wanted to be dragged through another ridiculous, dangerous Darkly game because here we are. 😂
There were moments when I wished the story trusted its own mystery a little more instead of racing toward the next big reveal. But the twists, danger, conspiracies, games, and sheer imaginative madness kept me entertained enough that I couldn't exactly complain while I was frantically turning pages.
So, no, this wasn't the immaculate five-star experience its predecessor was for me. But did I have fun? Absolutely. Did I still get completely caught up in the Darkly machinery? Yep. Do I want more from this universe? Greedy reader says YES.
I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 because, ultimately, my love for these characters, the deliciously chaotic plot, the atmosphere, and the sheer entertainment value won the argument.
Darkly may not be done with Arcadia yet—and clearly, it isn't done with me either.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Delacorte Press for giving me the opportunity to jump back into the Darkly world and devour this highly anticipated sequel in exchange for my honest review.
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Returning to Arcadia, Poe, the Darkly universe, its sinister games, outrageous wealth, glamorous locations, hidden histories, and that delicious sense that absolutely nobody is telling the whole truth felt like meeting an old obsession again. And honestly, I was ready for another five-star, mind-bending ride.
Was it as spectacular as the first book? No. For me, Darkly was one of those rare YA mysteries that felt almost impossible to put down—impeccably constructed, hypnotic, atmospheric, and completely addictive. This sequel didn't quite reach that same level.
I think my biggest issue was that everything felt a little too fast. There is SO much happening: Poe disappears, Arcadia follows the trail to France, a mysterious game resurfaces, an old murder starts connecting unexpected dots, the Darkly empire once again casts its enormous shadow, and suddenly we are running from one revelation to another. I wanted more time to sit inside the mystery, investigate the clues alongside Arcadia, and let some of those deliciously suspicious characters breathe.
The French Riviera setting brings an entirely different flavor to the Darkly universe. Give me glamorous hotels, old scandals, mysterious murders, eccentric wealthy people, secret games, dangerous puzzles, and characters who may or may not be completely insane, and I am absolutely seated. The whole thing has that delicious Grace Kelly glamour meets deadly game-night chaos energy, and I loved wandering through it.
I also have to admit that my emotional attachment to these characters did a lot of heavy lifting. Even when the plotting felt rushed or some pieces didn't have quite enough room to develop, I genuinely cared about what happened to them. I wanted Arcadia to find Poe. I wanted answers. I wanted the gang back together. And apparently I wanted to be dragged through another ridiculous, dangerous Darkly game because here we are. 😂
There were moments when I wished the story trusted its own mystery a little more instead of racing toward the next big reveal. But the twists, danger, conspiracies, games, and sheer imaginative madness kept me entertained enough that I couldn't exactly complain while I was frantically turning pages.
So, no, this wasn't the immaculate five-star experience its predecessor was for me. But did I have fun? Absolutely. Did I still get completely caught up in the Darkly machinery? Yep. Do I want more from this universe? Greedy reader says YES.
I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 because, ultimately, my love for these characters, the deliciously chaotic plot, the atmosphere, and the sheer entertainment value won the argument.
Darkly may not be done with Arcadia yet—and clearly, it isn't done with me either.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Delacorte Press for giving me the opportunity to jump back into the Darkly world and devour this highly anticipated sequel in exchange for my honest review.
medium blog
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It was exciting to return to the world of Darkly in this thrilling sequel!
Arcadia has settled into life at home after the events of last summer. But when her old crush Poe vanishes, she heads to France to track him down. As her search begins, she gets more than she bargained for...Poe's ransacked apartment that also has hidden secrets, three stolen Louisiana Veda ghost games, and a decades-old cold case murder that was committed at a legendary hotel.
The further into her search for Poe she gets, the more ensconced into the Darkly empire she becomes. Arcadia soon uncovers secret after secret, but it's clear someone doesn't want their secrets spilled and they'll do anything to prevent Arcadia from finding the truth. But can Arcadia solve a decades old murder and save Poe before time runs out?
I had high expectations for this book after having loved Darkly so much, and those expectations were met. It was great to be back in the world of Darkly and Louisiana Veda. There were a couple of smaller plot points that I found to be a bit predictable, but outside of that, it was a fantastic book.
Pessl did a wonderful job of creating intrigue, mystery, and suspense in the story. She threw in some cunning plot twists and sneaky red herrings to keep the reader from figuring out who the murderer is and what happened to Poe. There is a twist towards the end that you don't see coming and it makes you want to know more.
I loved that our favorite characters from Darkly are all back. The dynamic between Arcadia and her friends is different this time around because they aren't competing against each other. So we see them working together and acting as a family. In addition, Arcadia is a lot more free in this book. She takes more risks and is more daring. We see that she is no longer limited by inhibitions but lets go and does all she can to save Poe. Pessl also give us some exciting new characters. They are enigmatic, cryptic, dripping in secrets, and full of intrigue!
The luxury hotel in France where Arcadia travels is the perfect backdrop for this Darkly game...The hotel drips with opulence and extravagance, as does it's guests, giving them all the more reason to want to keep their dirty laundry hidden. But Pessl also gives us the dark underground of Louisiana Veda's world, which is in stark contrast to the resort. The two locations are perfect foils.
Lastly, we find out more about Lousiana Veda in this book. Arcadia and her friends learn more about who Louisiana was and what her life was like. It was great having some more insight into her character.
Deadly is an excellent follow up to Darkly and I hope Marisha Pessl gives us more in this world.
Arcadia has settled into life at home after the events of last summer. But when her old crush Poe vanishes, she heads to France to track him down. As her search begins, she gets more than she bargained for...Poe's ransacked apartment that also has hidden secrets, three stolen Louisiana Veda ghost games, and a decades-old cold case murder that was committed at a legendary hotel.
The further into her search for Poe she gets, the more ensconced into the Darkly empire she becomes. Arcadia soon uncovers secret after secret, but it's clear someone doesn't want their secrets spilled and they'll do anything to prevent Arcadia from finding the truth. But can Arcadia solve a decades old murder and save Poe before time runs out?
I had high expectations for this book after having loved Darkly so much, and those expectations were met. It was great to be back in the world of Darkly and Louisiana Veda. There were a couple of smaller plot points that I found to be a bit predictable, but outside of that, it was a fantastic book.
Pessl did a wonderful job of creating intrigue, mystery, and suspense in the story. She threw in some cunning plot twists and sneaky red herrings to keep the reader from figuring out who the murderer is and what happened to Poe. There is a twist towards the end that you don't see coming and it makes you want to know more.
I loved that our favorite characters from Darkly are all back. The dynamic between Arcadia and her friends is different this time around because they aren't competing against each other. So we see them working together and acting as a family. In addition, Arcadia is a lot more free in this book. She takes more risks and is more daring. We see that she is no longer limited by inhibitions but lets go and does all she can to save Poe. Pessl also give us some exciting new characters. They are enigmatic, cryptic, dripping in secrets, and full of intrigue!
The luxury hotel in France where Arcadia travels is the perfect backdrop for this Darkly game...The hotel drips with opulence and extravagance, as does it's guests, giving them all the more reason to want to keep their dirty laundry hidden. But Pessl also gives us the dark underground of Louisiana Veda's world, which is in stark contrast to the resort. The two locations are perfect foils.
Lastly, we find out more about Lousiana Veda in this book. Arcadia and her friends learn more about who Louisiana was and what her life was like. It was great having some more insight into her character.
Deadly is an excellent follow up to Darkly and I hope Marisha Pessl gives us more in this world.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve been a huge fan of Marisha Pessl since Special Topics in Calamity Physics, so when I saw there was a sequel to Darkly, I immediately logged into NetGalley and requested an ARC.
Deadly takes us back into the Darkly universe with Arcadia and her friends. It’s a few months after the events of Darkly, and as Christmas approaches, Arcadia is working in her family’s antique store when she receives a cryptic message from her friend Poe, who is now missing.
From there, Arcadia assembles her Darkly crew and sets out to find Poe, track down stolen Darkly game prototypes, and solve an old murder. Along the way, there are underground meetings, dangerous games and puzzles, scandals, Louisiana Veda lore, and plenty of mystery and intrigue.
I loved the glamorous-but-dangerous world of Deadly. The characters are eccentric, ridiculously wealthy, and surrounded by secrets. Pessl definitely knows how to create a world that feels both fascinating and unsettling.
That said, Deadly didn’t quite live up to Darkly for me. The pacing was almost too fast. The action was basically nonstop, with one threat or catastrophe immediately followed by another. I also struggled a bit with all the unusual names for characters, games, and other elements of the story. I kept forgetting what something was and having to flip back to find out. (Thank goodness for digital books!)
Still, I really enjoyed it. It’s a total page-turner, and I found it very difficult to put down. I’d recommend reading Darkly first, though, since Deadly builds heavily on that world and its characters.
Would I have given it 3.5 stars? Probably. But I’m rounding up to 4 because I love Pessl and the wonderfully weird Darkly world she’s created.
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacort Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Deadly takes us back into the Darkly universe with Arcadia and her friends. It’s a few months after the events of Darkly, and as Christmas approaches, Arcadia is working in her family’s antique store when she receives a cryptic message from her friend Poe, who is now missing.
From there, Arcadia assembles her Darkly crew and sets out to find Poe, track down stolen Darkly game prototypes, and solve an old murder. Along the way, there are underground meetings, dangerous games and puzzles, scandals, Louisiana Veda lore, and plenty of mystery and intrigue.
I loved the glamorous-but-dangerous world of Deadly. The characters are eccentric, ridiculously wealthy, and surrounded by secrets. Pessl definitely knows how to create a world that feels both fascinating and unsettling.
That said, Deadly didn’t quite live up to Darkly for me. The pacing was almost too fast. The action was basically nonstop, with one threat or catastrophe immediately followed by another. I also struggled a bit with all the unusual names for characters, games, and other elements of the story. I kept forgetting what something was and having to flip back to find out. (Thank goodness for digital books!)
Still, I really enjoyed it. It’s a total page-turner, and I found it very difficult to put down. I’d recommend reading Darkly first, though, since Deadly builds heavily on that world and its characters.
Would I have given it 3.5 stars? Probably. But I’m rounding up to 4 because I love Pessl and the wonderfully weird Darkly world she’s created.
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacort Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC!
As a big fan of Pessl's original book Darkly, I was excited to dig back into the world of Darkly. The premise, Arcadia is looking for Poe, a fellow Darkly intern gone missing after a suspicious phone call all the way from France, ending with the two words "They're coming". With that, the gang of original Darkly contestants is back together to solve the mystery of a long cold murder that's somehow tied to the mysterious board game tycoon, a fabulous hotel, and a cast of unique characters.
I enjoyed this, but I found the writing to be lacking in comparison to the first book. It felt very all over the place, to the point where I wanted the story to slow down and take its time to develop. It had an abundance of over the top metaphors, as well as a shoehorned in love subplot that really didn't need to be there. I remember having the same thought as the first book, the romance felt unnecessary to the plot in general. All in all it had a satisfying conclusion, if a bit of a rougher delivery.
As a big fan of Pessl's original book Darkly, I was excited to dig back into the world of Darkly. The premise, Arcadia is looking for Poe, a fellow Darkly intern gone missing after a suspicious phone call all the way from France, ending with the two words "They're coming". With that, the gang of original Darkly contestants is back together to solve the mystery of a long cold murder that's somehow tied to the mysterious board game tycoon, a fabulous hotel, and a cast of unique characters.
I enjoyed this, but I found the writing to be lacking in comparison to the first book. It felt very all over the place, to the point where I wanted the story to slow down and take its time to develop. It had an abundance of over the top metaphors, as well as a shoehorned in love subplot that really didn't need to be there. I remember having the same thought as the first book, the romance felt unnecessary to the plot in general. All in all it had a satisfying conclusion, if a bit of a rougher delivery.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4
Setting: france
Rep: n/a
A solid follow-up to Darkly, which I adored when it came out. This was another pacy read with plenty of board game shenanigans and mad fans, though it didn't have me quite as breathlessly captivated as the first book, which was an easy five stars. Maybe it's just because my tastes have altered in the last couple of years and I'm slowly growing out of YA, maybe I found the plot/setting a bit less gripping, but there were times I felt this was a tad unbelievable (not that I'm saying the first book was totally believable! But I guess I bought it more?) and there were moments that these characters/people in this world should have been more adept/figured things out quicker. Still, I enjoyed it enough to give it four stars and do love a board game as part of a mystery.
Setting: france
Rep: n/a
A solid follow-up to Darkly, which I adored when it came out. This was another pacy read with plenty of board game shenanigans and mad fans, though it didn't have me quite as breathlessly captivated as the first book, which was an easy five stars. Maybe it's just because my tastes have altered in the last couple of years and I'm slowly growing out of YA, maybe I found the plot/setting a bit less gripping, but there were times I felt this was a tad unbelievable (not that I'm saying the first book was totally believable! But I guess I bought it more?) and there were moments that these characters/people in this world should have been more adept/figured things out quicker. Still, I enjoyed it enough to give it four stars and do love a board game as part of a mystery.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 i loved darkly (and honestly every marisha pessl book) so much that i was dying with excitement when i learned about deadly. i hate to say that, though there was plenty of fun to be had here, it doesn't live up to the world that marisha pessl laid out in the first book. the romp across france was fun but it also felt a little like we were hopscotching all over the place. and of course while i would never say that the world of darkly felt that grounded in realism, that world was created with such intent that i was able to fully immerse myself and believe it all. i couldn't suspend disbelief in the same way here. tbh if it were written by anyone else, i'd probably have had a purely great time! heist, glamour, mystery, it was all fun enough.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I LOVE Marisha Pessl's books - she has an absolutely fabulous knack for creepy weirdness and quirky characters that you can't help but love even when they do things that are frustrating or inexplicable (yes, Poe, I'm talking to you!). Pair that with a marvelous ability to craft unique worlds and situations for her characters and the result is a non-stop thrill-ride.
Yes, I know that sounds cliched but rest assured, there's nothing cliched here. I love the concept of a board game creator mystery that involves complicated family dynamics, mystery and intrigue, action and adventure, found family, coming-of-age, and puzzle dynamics - who wouldn't?! As if that isn't enough, Pessl has a really wonderful grasp of language and how to balance description with action and backstory. It's a tough path to follow, but she does it with aplomb.
I know things wrapped up (mostly) here, but I would absolutely love to see more from Arcadia and Company!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Yes, I know that sounds cliched but rest assured, there's nothing cliched here. I love the concept of a board game creator mystery that involves complicated family dynamics, mystery and intrigue, action and adventure, found family, coming-of-age, and puzzle dynamics - who wouldn't?! As if that isn't enough, Pessl has a really wonderful grasp of language and how to balance description with action and backstory. It's a tough path to follow, but she does it with aplomb.
I know things wrapped up (mostly) here, but I would absolutely love to see more from Arcadia and Company!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
That was freaking fabulous and my greedy heart wants more, more, more!
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