REVIEW: The Darkdeep

The Darkdeep
Authors:Ally Condie & Brendan Reichs

Nico Holland and his friends, Tyler and Emma, go to Still Cove to have fun flying Nico's new drone. The cliffs above Still Cove are perfect for trying it out....nice flat area, 5 miles from town, nobody to bother them. Most people avoid the area. It's just a bit too remote and perpetually covered in dense fog. The currents and jagged rocks in Still Cove are too much for boats. The cliffs are just a bit too high and foggy to be safe. And, there are the legends about The Beast....a sea monster that trolls the waters of the cove attacking boats.  But, legendary sea monsters don't mean too much to 12-year old kids when they have new, really cool, tech to try out! When local bullies fly Nico's quadcopter out into the fog and lose it over the cliff on purpose, things get dicey.  Joined by Opal Walsh, abandoned by the bullies when she wanted to help look for the drone, the kids soon find themselves involved in the adventure of a lifetime. They find....The Darkdeep! (que ominous music stab here).

I love this book! It reminds me of so many awesome kid's adventure stories I have enjoyed -- Goonies, Gremlins, Stand By Me, Stranger Things, and most recently The Rim of the World (great movie streamable on Netflix!). The story is middle grade appropriate, but enjoyable for adults, too. It was a total binge read for me. I couldn't stop reading! The Darkdeep would be a great story to read out loud to kids at bedtime or to a classroom of students. It's suspenseful, but not scary. Plus, it has plenty of potential for writing prompts, activities, discussion and other classroom applications.

The Darkdeep is the first book in this series. The second book, The Beast, will be published in October 2019. I can't wait!!

This is the first book I have read by either of these YA co-authors. I have always been curious about the Virals series that Brendan wrote with his mother, Author Kathy Reichs. After reading The Darkdeep, I will definitely try other books written by these two authors!