Title: We Become DarknessAuthor: Grace Morrow
Pages: 352
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Publisher: Alcove Press
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Synopsis:
Thalia, Princess of Agripa, has spent the last four years hunting her ex-lover, Cassius—the man who shattered her heart and betrayed her kingdom by becoming a Vampyr. Vampyrs and humans have had a tenuous past since Thalia’s father and sister were murdered thirteen years ago. But with Agripa’s ore supply—the lifeblood of human cities—running out, Thalia’s mother strikes a desperate and dangerous deal: Thalia will marry a Vampyr prince in exchange for their ore.
Thalia is blindsided by the arrangement—and horrified to find Cassius, now serving as the prince’s Hand, is the man tasked with bringing her to the Vampyr kingdom safely. To save her people, she agrees to the marriage: but plans to dismantle the Vampyr kingdom from within by killing the prince.
The Vampyr court is rife with danger and secrets, and Cassius is always watching. When a monstrous new threat emerges, Thalia realizes the safety and security of their world is far more fragile than she ever believed.
Caught between duty and desire, Thalia must grapple with her feelings for Cassius and decide if she will fulfill her duty to the human crown or embrace the darkness within herself to protect both realms.
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This is a dark and atmospheric romantasy with a slow-building, enemies-to-lovers romance that follows a princess who must travel with her ex love to marry the leader of a vampire prince. Thalia loathes vampires and her ex, Cassius, who became one several years ago, so she sees this marriage of convenience not as a way to align the kingdoms, but as an opportunity to infiltrate and destroy the vampires who murdered members of her family. But when she arrives at her new home, her fiancee is nowhere to be found, Cassius is everywhere, and nothing and no one can be trusted.
Thalia is thrust into a dangerous and deadly world of supernatural beings with little preparation. Strong, determined, and smart, she quickly learns that everything is not as it seems. Political turmoil, deception and lies, mysterious monsters, and more plague Thalia as she tries to gain her footing and learn her role. It’s suspenseful and dark, and Thalia seeks vengeance for the tragedies in her past, while spying on the enemy. And the more she unravels, the more she starts questioning who the real enemy is.
She’s not happy to find out that she is linked to Cassius. I like that the story included flashbacks to Cassius and Thalia before he became a vampire. They were very much in love, and I was really curious what happened to push him to become a vampire, knowing how much it would devastate Thalia. Cassius is so mysterious and secretive, and it’s pretty clear he’s hiding a ton from Thalia. I liked how he slowly revealed himself and what happened to him over the course of the story. He’s definitely a compelling character.
Cassius and Thalia have a roller coaster of a romance, and even though she’s betrothed to the prince, I was so hoping that they would find a way to be together. They have so much chemistry, and there are a lot of unresolved feelings between them. You can almost see the electricity pouring off of them when they are together, and their banter only proves it more.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty immersive vampire romantasy. It had a bunch of tropes that I love, the characters and world are intriguing, and the romance is swoon-worthy! Special thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
- only one bed
- forced proximity
- vampire/human
- enemis to lovers
- second chance romance
- road trip
- unique magic
- political intrigue
“History has a way of changing depending on who is telling the story.”
Grace is an author of magic, mayhem and mischief. A true Californian, she lives with her husband and two unruly cats. When she isn’t writing you can find her binge watching the latest trash reality tv show, working with an academic support program, or trying to keep alive her many, many, succulents. She is repped by Grace Milusich at Looking Glass Literary and Media. Grace’s debut adult gothic romantasy WE BECOME DARKNESS comes out April 7th, 2026 with Alcove Press.
