THE DARKNESS OF AYSU by Jacqueline Chandler-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 5, 2026

The royalty of Tinti use brutality and fear to maintain control over their kingdom.
In Aysu, they use something else… As a disillusioned castle guard in Tinti, Killian aims to escape the sadistic Lord Balthazar and take his cousin with him. But then Killian is sent on a mission, shattering his plan and jeopardising his cousin’s life – should Killian fail, his cousin will die.

Balthazar has coerced Princess Shanree of Aysu into a marriage agreement. Killian must guard the intended bride during her betrothal period and ensure the union takes place. Simple enough, but Shanree has no intention of marrying a tyrant, and she isn’t the only one desperate to find a way out.

A Darkness lurks in Aysu that will not let her go.

As Killian’s feelings for Shanree grow, what begins as duty twists into something dangerous, forbidden… To save his cousin, he must betray the woman he’s come to love. To save Shanree, he must condemn the only family he has.

And all the while the Darkness is watching, growing in strength, and using every weapon it has to make Killian fail.

Under Balthazar’s rule, Killian sacrificed everything just to survive. Now the Darkness wants what’s left.

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REVIEW: THE DARKNESS OF AYSU by Jacqueline Chandler is an adult,dark,  fantasy romance story line focusing on Princess Shanree of Aysu, and Tinti guardian Killian.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from numerous omniscient third person perspectives including Killlan and Shanree, using current timelines and memories from the past, THE DARKNESS OF AYSU follows in the wake of a forced marriage agreement between Princess Shanree, and sadistic lord Balthazar. Aysu is struggling-their King is ill, and Princess Shanree is desperate enough to sacrifice herself to save her father. A thirty day reprieve from Lord Balthazar, and the added protection of our story line hero, finds Princess Shanree facing a future she refuses to accept but all is not well in the Kingdom of Aysu, there is a darkness, an evil that is determined to see Killian fail, all the while waiting for the Royal House to fall.

The world building is detailed and complex as the reader is pulled into a world of betrayal, madness and vengeance. All is not as it appears to be, as Shanree struggles to uncover the truth, while Killian finds himself facing down an unknown enemy.

The relationship between Shanree and Killian is tempestuous at best. Killian and Shanree’s people are enemies, and death and destruction seem to follow Killian wherever he goes. Unable to trust the man with whom she is falling in love, Killian often finds himself on the defensive, as the Kingdom of Asyu continues to fall.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and sometimes questionable secondary and supporting characters including immediate and extended family, friends, castle personnel, villagers, from both Aysu and Tinti.

THE DARKNESS OF AYSU is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, dysfunctional family dynamics, magic and the supernatural, madness and murder, forgiveness and love. The premise is dark and dramatic; the romance struggles in the face of issues of trust, perceived betrayal and questionable actions. The characters are desperate, determined, and dynamic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy