The Darkness Within: The Complete Series

by Sean Fletcher

This box set includes all four books in the COMPLETE Darkness Within YA epic urban fantasy series. Over 900+ pages of wicked magic, thrilling twists, romance, and a conclusion you’ll be racing to finish!

There’s a darkness inside her, and an evil only she can stop…

Skylar’s world is comprised of a few things:

Getting out from under her famous mother’s shadow.

Making it through the Academy of Magic without getting herself killed.

And trying not to murder the devilishly handsome, so-infuriating-she-wants-to-strangle-him Asher, once they’re partnered with each other.

So when she discovers a new baddie gathering power in her city, someone with insane magic and a powerful grudge against her family, Skylar knows it’s her chance to step up to stop them.

The only problem? She’s got magic of her own. Dark magic. Uncontrollable magic. Magic she has to keep hidden.

As maddening as Asher is, she’ll have to work with him if she wants any chance at stopping this new threat. But with her darkness growing more powerful by the day, hiding what she is will likely be impossible. And soon, her biggest enemy just might be herself…

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Shifters, vampires, magic, romance, and twists you won’t see coming. Love snarky heroines, slow-burn romance and incredible magic? Scroll up and one-click this fast-paced YA urban fantasy to discover why readers love the Darkness Within series!

“Intensely captivating! Sean hits this baby out da park with this nerve racking, action packed, heart pounding, pulse racing, page flipping bombshell.” —Kaye, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

“WOW. This is a fast paced, action packed urban fantasy read that once you start you will be glued to your seat and be unable to move, it’s that good!”—Debbie, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

“A fantastic read! Sean Fletcher has a way with words. This page turning story reminiscent of Harry Potter, is truly a great read.” ~Audrey, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

“This definitely has to be read…I’m a true fan of this series and I just absolutely adore the characters that have been created.” ~Tassi, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

“Sean Fletcher continues to create worlds of epic proportions, and as this book continues the story of Skylar and Asher, he has yet again hit all the marks. The stakes have been upped, and every time she feels like she might be done with the drama in her life, another wave hits Skylar.” ~Veronica, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

“Action and Adventure from start to finish. I feel like I've been on the roller coaster of narrow escapes and harrowing experiences…Just when I think I've figured out what is going to happen it goes a completely different way…I can't wait to continue the journey.” ~C, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★

This bundle contains all four books in the Darkness Within series:
1. Called by Darkness
2. The Cursed One
3. Enemy of Magic
4. The Dark Prince

Genres: Fantasy

1081 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 17, 2021

About the author

Sean Fletcher was born in the broiling, arid state some people lovingly refer to as Texas. He is the Amazon bestselling author of YA fantasy, in addition to other forthcoming books whose characters will not give him a moment's peace until they get their turn in the spotlight. When not making things up and putting them on paper, he can be found hiking, biking, or traveling, sometimes all at the same time.

Get two free YA fantasy books from Sean's Heir of Dragons and Mage's Apprentice series when you sign up for his author newsletter ➜ https://www.subscribepage.com/seanfle...

Visit Sean's website ➜ https://seanfletcherauthor.com

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Reviews

[Leah Dynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series! The storyline is great, along with the characters. I loved seeing characters from past books dropping in as well. I’d definitely recommend!

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This boxset contains all four boxes of The Darkness Within series, Called by Darkness; The Cursed One; Enemy of Magic; and The Dark Prince. The main character is Skylar Rivest, daughter of one of the heroes of the Battle of New York along with Lucien Dunadine, now the Headmaster and co-founder of the New York Academy of Magic. His son Asher used to be Skylar’s best friend, with both of them having grown up together and the academy was their playground. After one summer break, he came back and their close friendship was at an end. Now, he is her main competitor and first in their class. Their best friends are Mia Marquee, a spellcaster estranged from her family and Colson Keller, a half-giant. All four have completed four years of normal studies at the academy and now have chosen to complete a further four years of specialist study. Just as they are awaiting the completion of the ceremony, welcoming everyone to a new year at the academy they come under attack by a manticore!
Skylar has wanted to get out from under her mother’s famous shadow and be a force of her own, in her own name. Students are paired with another, for their final four years study and Skylar had hoped to be paired with Mia, but Mia got paired with her crush Colson, whilst she ended up paired with Asher. They are also to share an apartment in the academy grounds with close contact to ensure they could collaborate with their partner and get to know them really well. When she ends up being beaten easily by him during combat class, another voice comes to her in her head and grants her power she never knew she had. This voice is called the Dark Prince and wants her to allow him to take control of her, in exchange for him granting her all the power she would need to become more powerful than her mother or anyone else! But it seems to come with a tendency and wish for violence she is unwilling to allow. Soon Skylar faces a new foe with a strong hatred of her and her mother. Kasia Armani holds her mother responsible for what happened to her and her family and wants to destroy all of the magic academies everywhere. She is the head of the Society of the Fallen Star and has gathered a large number of acolytes to do her bidding. Skylar and thus her friends, are keen targets of hers!
Skylar has spent years trying to be different than her mother, but this is mostly by ignoring her teachers and doing silly things not exactly the makings of the top of her year like the annoyingly handsome Asher! She and Asher can barely even talk to each other and she even attempts to switch partners, until she finds out the cost to them all, of that choice. This strange voice in her head, which she soon finds out has a dark and uncontrollable magic, that Kasia seems to want her to embrace and believes will lead Skylar to her, is something she can’t tell anyone else about. Ever! She believes herself to be cursed, in a similar way to Mia is at one point, only her curse was placed upon her by Kasia apparently, a long time ago. Now the group have come to learn about a being called the Cursed One, as they take part in their practical hours of study, helping stop troublesome supernatural being causing problems around the world. Skylar and Asher are on a Greek island, whilst Mia and Colson are in the jungle somewhere, but both girls see a strange magical mansion appear in front of them, with a small figure waving at them from a window. When the building disappears, a disaster happens, such as an earthquake, almost causing their deaths. They soon find out that this person could be used by another, to gain unbelievable power that could be used for either good or evil. The Fae had imprisoned this being for millennia and if the mansion is being sighted now, that means the Fae protection is waning and the Cursed One will become easy to find.
Skylar, Asher, Mia and Colson try to find them first, knowing that Kasia is also trying to find them and if she finds them first, then their world as they know it, will probably be completely destroyed. Skylar isn’t the only one in her small group that has a secret and is struggling with something difficult. Mia and Colson were getting closer and Colson was even talking more, but they are suddenly seeming to struggle, with Colson avoiding her. Colson is used to having hateful looks and comments made to him because of his half giant ancestry but has a great group of friends and family in the others, who accept him for who he is. Skylar has a half-giant Brune she sees as her grandfather since he helped to raise her and has never treated him or Colson as anything different than part of her family. Stories of giants and half-giants losing control of themselves is very real and Colson is trying to deal with it himself and to distance himself from Mia, before he hurts her. Skylar is getting close to Asher, with a first date actually now on the cards if only their enemies don’t interrupt them again! An ancient fae can lead them in the right direction and Colson gets to bond with a young dragon who is eager to make friends. Dragon even gives them a lift close to the location they seek and they have dangers to traverse before they can even find the Cursed One. The identity of this being will knock all of their previous ideas of action to the floor and Colson will find someone else to protect no matter what.
They bring the Cursed One to a safe location away from many who want them in their own hands, for whatever sick plans they may have, or superiority they believe they have over the students. Shortly after, Mia suddenly goes missing without a word and they are pulled into the secrets behind who her family really are. A dangerous prisoner has escaped from the academy prison in Paris and is being hunted by the Red Guards. The other three friends worry that she may be mixed up in this escape, after they find out more about her family and its history. A deserted and ancient street that used to house the most powerful and old families of the region, holds many secrets. Mai is found with someone with powers similar to Skylar. The power of the gods! The darkness within her from the Dark Prince, is far more powerful than she could have imagined and the prisoner helps her to try and control it. If she can’t, then she and all of her friends and family will be in grave danger and she will be lost to the darkness. The Dark Prince wants his own body, whether that be hers or another’s, and keeps tempting her to use his full powers and allow him out to play. There is a seal attached to her hidden dark magic powers, which is slowly breaking and is more closely linked with Kasia than the Dark Prince within her. They have many foes coming for them and the prisoner’s hope to just stay and hide in his family’s old home, is never going to be a valid option. They know that Kasia is still after Skylar and the rest of them, but more importantly, she wants to destroy all of the magic academies and those supernaturals she deems have wronged her in the past!
The Fae have return to Earth and have turned up at New York’s’ Academy of Magic, having joined both main Courts of the Fae under one leader, Prince Zephyr who is due to be crowned soon. He wants to help bring Fae and humans, with all the supernaturals amongst them, and undo a lot of the damage his own mother did before Aspen and Lucien killed her! It should make him hate them, but he is of the newer generation and knows what his mother did was wrong. But an attack by Kasia causes an irreparable split between the parties. The Fae take over the academy and blame Skylar for what happened. The group of friends need to escape and find a solution to Kasia’s increased powers, before she becomes too powerful to stop. She has gained the powers of more than one god and will continue until she gets what she thinks she wants. Everything is at stake now Skylar will have to make a decision of what to do next, that will mean her needing to make a huge sacrifice, one that may not allow her to live. Something Asher finds hard to take, once he figures this out! Kasia has a few more tricks up her sleeve and destroys some of their plans, leaving Skylar weak and lost. When Asher manages to find her, she will need to find a new strength to make the last ever attempt to stop Kasia, up close and personal. No matter how unlikely that is, nor how dangerous!
The events seems to take place over such a short time period, due to the fast pace and constant danger and action with the foursome, but actually takes place over the first three years out of four of their advanced studies at the academy. They have to face a lot more than their parents and teachers ever imagined and this will fast track their studies and bring their possible futures even closer than expected. They have had to do so much in such a little space of time, getting closer together with their partners and friends, but may soon be going their separate ways. I really hope there may be news of the four main characters in a future series, as it would be great to see where they all end up. They have provided a great series of adventures to follow through each of the books and powerful magic to overcome. Some touches of innocent romance, teens struggling with their identities and acceptance by others, the legacy of family expectations and then fighting against absolute evil, all brings a fascinating read and something you can’t put down. You get involved with each of the main characters and their struggles, but also feel sorry for the ultimate enemy and the innocent. I can’t wait for more from this author! I received an ARC copy fo this boxset from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the books above.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Darkness Within: The Complete Series - a review by Rosemary Kenny

A fantastic value-for-money way to enjoy the whole The Darkness Within series, by Master of Supernatural Mystery, Sean Fletcher, that's not to be missed!

1) Called By Darkness:
Skylar is entering her graduation year at the eponymous NY Academy of Magic. Partnered with her, is Asher, son of Headmaster of the Academy Lucien Dumont. It's clear the pair can't stand each other at first, but that changes when the chips are down as they frequently are.
Sky, her BFF Mia, Asher and his close pal Colson must fight demons, vampires and the deadly Kasia Armani, who kidnaps Mia to draw the others into a trap, that soon becomes a fight to the death.

2) The Cursed One:
Daughter of the legendary warrior, Aspen Rivest, the series continues in Book 2, with the epic battles Skylar must fight against The Society and its evil leader, her enemy Kasia Armani. Supported by her close friends Asher and Colson, she enters a time of challenge away from the Academy, bringing nightmares, (for Skylar) in which she envisions a distant, haunted-looking mansion and with a figure at a window.
Why is this thing/person so eagerly sought by the powers of The Society and Kasia in particular?
Who unexpectedly helps the friends and who has more sinister plans in mind?

3) Enemy of Magic:
Skylar Rivest and boyfriend Asher head for the Paris Academy with close friend Colson, to search for their missing friend Mia. Who's escaped from prison? Why do they want Mia?
There's soon another, more serious problem, to deal with...it seems Skylar's enemy Kesia Armani has 'infected' her with a God...who appeared as the Dark Prince of her dreams. Can Skylar and her friends find the escaped fugitive and if they do, will this person agree to help her beat her own Enemy of Magic?

4) The Dark Prince:
Sean Fletcher's The Dark Prince ticks all the boxes by creating a fitting end to her quest, for Skylar, daughter of the legendary warrior, Aspen Rivest.
Our heroine and her friends must undergo a dangerous Dragon journey, a severing and a resolution, while Skylar hard lesson to learn and used to advantage in times of great peril.
The epic battle of good against evil, with both unanticipated allies and enemies, as our Skylar, Asher, Coulson and Mia's lives and others all hang in the balance and by the end, you'll be so emotionally invested in the outcome, you won't want to put it down, or believe that it's finally over!

Grab your enchanting fantasy epic copy of this spellbinding boxed set, The Darkness Within: The Complete Series, to discover how the saga ends - then binge read all four in order for a truly incredible adventure, with the Mages of New York.
Outstanding and highly recommended!

[Katja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This four-book box set is an entertaining urban fantasy YA series. It is set in a somewhat harrypotterish magical academy in New York. The narrator Skylar and her school buddy Asher live in the shadow of their famous parents who have won legendary magical battles in another series that I have not read. They used to be good friends when they were younger but nowadays their relationship is strained. However, Asher and Skylar are paired together for advanced studies and they need to learn to trust each other and work together. There are magical attacks against the school, and eventually Skylar starts to think some of it is personally directed at her. Trust is a recurrent theme, as Skylar as well as several people she is close to have big secrets they aren't sharing. There is a darkness inside her that gives her power but it doesn't seem entirely safe to use it, and she needs to learn what it is and how to deal with it. She ponders ethical dilemmas regarding whether it's right to hurt someone because they have a great potential of being used for bad things, and whether it means that you're evil if you did evil things, perhaps because you were hurt yourself. In the end she has to decide what she's prepared to sacrifice in order to defeat the enemy.

I enjoyed this story, the world the author built, the snarky narrator voice and even the extreme slow burn romance. The writing style flows easily and the adventure plot keeps a good pace. At times it was a bit predictable. They had the same conversations about trust and communication over and over again, only to start keeping more secrets, and every time there was a romantic development, it got interrupted by an attack or something. The editing was a bit sloppy, mostly I was annoyed because several character names changed in the middle of the story. But overall it was a good read and it kept my interest throughout. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next generation of heroes starts a spellbinding journey of saving the world - a never-ending task... Skylar finds out the saying "be careful what you wish for" applies to her, changing her approach to life and her goals. Called by darkness she is, but also scared and repelled by it - as am I.

What a ride! So many possibilities, so many tears, the tension and despair thick enough to cut with a sword! Great pacing, and the thread of the story twists unexpectedly, the writing style pulling you in like in a humpty dumpy of magic.

This author is really talented. His descriptions of nature and of feelings make me forget the outside world, cozily ensconced in my inner castle, where my own god might live. A very interesting "food for thought" premise in itself, this inner god idea, opening a lot of possibilities. .. It could even be true! Every time I thought this was it, a new development changed everything. It was exhausting and great and interesting and exhilarating, and so close to what humans live, magical powers or no powers. Powers from within... Powers any young entering an academy is bound to discover and grow on the path of life.

Very well done, Mr. Fletcher, I look forward to you next book!

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Not only) for fans of the Mages of New York series.

This is a spin-off series, so if you liked Mages of New York, and especially Aspen and Lucien, chances are good you will enjoy this tale of their respective offspring as much as I did.

Especially in the first instalment of the series, Skylar reminds me so much of her mother Aspen, it's sometimes not even funny - except when it is. Asher seems to follow in his father's flashy footsteps into overachieverdom, but - unlike his dad - he isn't larger than life. Yet. ;)
Rounding out our new team of heroes are Mia, Skylar's best friend and understated bada$$, and Colson, who has become one of my favorite characters in this series, not only because he is a good guy, loyal, and kind, but frankly the smartest of the bunch under fire.

Add to that a mysterious, magical villain who is on a vendetta against Skylar's family, and - as seems to be par for the course for Fletcher's series - by the end of the series, the world as we know it is in ruins (again).

I would also like to mention that I truly appreciate (not only in this series, but in all of Sean Fletcher's books I've read so far) that not everything is clear-cut, there's no obvious black and white, and I occasionally find myself sympathizing with the alleged villain.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Darkness Within: Complete . . .

This box set includes all four books in the complete DARKNESS WITHIN series. Skylar partners with Asher to take action against an enemy gathering power in her city and who has a grudge against her family. But Skylar has magic of her own. Dark and uncontrollable magic that she has to keep hidden. Soon that may not be possible.

Titles included are:

💥 Called by Darkness (#1)
💥 The Cursed One (#2)
💥 Enemy of Magic (#3)
💥 The Dark Prince (#4)

This series will immediately pull the reader in and keep the excitement flowing. The characters are likable and the story line is well-paced and intriguing. Grab your copy with all four books to enjoy! Each one will keep you on the edge of your seat!

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every book in this box set and have reviewed each separately as I read them but I cannot encourage you enough to make sure you read this set now that you can binge read to your hearts content and binge read you will for sure as the magic, the action and the suspense will just make you keep on turning those pages. Skylar is a real kick ass heroine and Asher is so cool and the vibe between the two of them is great too. Enjoy this amazing fun set of books and the complete series all in one!

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing series all four books in this collection are very well written and engaging, making you want to read more and continue the story. This series is amazing and I recommend anyone who loves ya fantasy to give this a chance - you'll love it!

[Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't really get my mind in with the MC. Gave up at about 10% because of the way she kept being portrayed as dumber than the male charactersand putting everyone in danger and having no real feelings over stuff. Couldn't really "feel" the character

[Susan Whitmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

I read this series over the course of a few days. I loved it. The characters stayed true to themselves, the writing was great, the world building believable. I'll be looking for more from this author.

[Christina Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Very entertaining and enjoyable, this paranormal fantasy had awesome characters, interesting plots and plenty of action, with just the right amount of romance. Excellent!!!

[Debra Farbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I enjoyed reading this series very much. I am going to get my granddaughter to read it. I know that she will love it. I found it a very interesting read. I loved the characters portrayed in this series. I can’t wait to read more.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic collection of books to make your day. Each and everyone of the characters is unique and keeps you guessing as to what happens next.

[Stephen Cruickshank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Darkness Within

What can I say Sean Fletcher hit it out the park again another great adventure with all the drama and fear you could ever imagine

[Kristina Flood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! Action packed from beginning to end! Awesome characters, and what a great story!

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional

This series started off great and only continued to get better. The writer did an amazing job. I look forward to more from this author.