"The gap between you, and those who are better than you, faster than you, is the hardest thing in the world."

Chris Tomasini’s Within This Darkness is an evocative, deeply introspective novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned."

Set against the backdrop of the vast, untamed Canadian wilderness, Within This Darkness is a story of grief, mystery, and magic woven through generations. When 14-year-old Jeremy Gardela sets out on a quest to unearth his family’s secrets, what he finds instead is something far greater—an enigmatic stranger tied to an ancient magic that has pulsed beneath the Gardela name for decades. The novel effortlessly blends history, folklore, and raw emotion, creating a world where the forests feel alive, the wolves carry their own wisdom, and magic hums just beneath the surface of reality.

"Jeremy had learned that people have a breaking point - when you've run too fast for too long, your body responds with pain, and that pain can drag you to a stop."

Tomasini’s storytelling is hauntingly beautiful, transporting the reader into a setting that feels both wild and intimate, as if every shadow in the trees is whispering a forgotten tale. The magic system is subtle yet powerful, seamlessly integrated into the landscape and history of the novel—it feels like something ancient, something that has always existed but is just now being uncovered. 

"If she can't see you, can't see where she is, can she change you?"

The wolves, in particular, left a profound impression on me. They are more than just creatures of the forest—they embody the mystery, danger, and wisdom that runs through the novel’s core. Their presence is magnetic, a force that guides and unsettles, making their moments on the page unforgettable. 

"A grey wold, not especially large or powerful, but with those eyes that wolves possessed, eyes that stared deep, and made you wonder what exactly the wolf was seeing, because they seemed to be seeing more than you wanted them to."

And then there is the setting—a deeply Canadian novel that embraces its landscape, its isolation, its quiet, lingering histories. The forests aren’t just a backdrop; they breathe life into the story, shaping its tension and atmosphere with a raw, untamed energy. Tomasini writes with a reverence for the land, his prose infused with the spirit of old stories passed down through time. 

"A shimmering of shadows. Something was moving in there."

I am profoundly grateful to Chris Tomasini for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Within This Darkness is an unforgettable, mesmerizing read, one that leaves you questioning, yearning, and deeply affected. It earns a 4.5 out of 5 stars from me, and I can only hope that, somewhere beyond these pages, the rest of its mysteries wait to be uncovered.

"The echoes seemed to come and find him, when he entered the darkness, and Jeremy wondered what they all meant - what secrets lay in all their whisperings."