Reviews

The Darkdeep: 1 by Brendan Reichs, Ally Condie

songcatchers's review against another edition

adventurous

4.75

'She knew only two things for certain. 
 The pool was the darkest thing she'd ever seen.
 And it went deep.' 

This is the first book in The Darkdeep series and what a start! I see this compared to Stranger Things meets The Goonies. It also reminded me a little of Annihilation for middle schoolers with just a little bit Ready Player One. I know that sounds like a lot but it works! And it's about accepting your fears and inner monsters. Loved it. 😁 

'Emma staggered to her feet, but her gaze kept drifting to the water. Horror lurked in her eyes, but something else as well. Wonder? Fascination?' 

revengelyne's review against another edition

5.0

This review can be found at The Book Review

sc104906's review against another edition

3.0

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nico is an outcast in his town, ever since his forest ranger father stood up for nature, causing the town’s economy to take a great hit. When Nico is flying his drone plane with the few of the friends he has left, the town bullies take the plane from him and send it into the mysterious mist in the woods. Nico is desperate to find his plane, so he enters the mist as well. When he disappears, his friends and bullies set out to rescue him. The group meets up and uncovers an abandoned boat, with many different curiosities. The group finds that when they enter a mysterious well, fantasy creatures begin showing up on the island. Nico and co. are excited to figure out what is going on, but they want to keep everything a secret. Weird continues to get weirder, when the fantasy beasts start taking on a sinister turn.

This novel is comparable to Goosebumps. It is less scary and more intriguing. I enjoyed the characters and the premise.

alex_unabridged's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

night_starry's review against another edition

4.0

I heard that this has a Stranger Things vibe to it. Yes it involves a group of kids stumbling into a mystery but it feels different though because it also has themes from the story It by Stephen King blended in. The story is told in two different perspectives alternating chapters which seems to break up the flow of the story. Not sure why only 2 of the characters were represented. It is a fast read but the way the characters develop and play on one another makes the story stronger than at first glance. Not just a group of silly kids meddling with things they shouldn't.

letsreadwithcats's review against another edition

3.0

I thought the Darkdeep was a well written, cute middle grade novel. I think I would have liked it a lot more when I was younger than I did now. Part of it was that I was expecting something kind of creepy along the lines of Neil Gaiman. I thought the Darkdeep was more goofy than creepy. I liked the cast of characters, they were all pretty well defined by the end of the book. But it was also ridiculous that they never told any adult what was happening. I get it. You can’t in middle grade/young adult novels because the focus is on the kids and them being the heroes. But still. Having an adult might have been helpful. Especially with some of the protagonists “kid logic”. They were constantly declaring things to be impossible and stating, “that’s not how it works.” Okay kids, but realistically you don’t know what you are dealing with and have no idea what is/isn’t possible. Emma was particularly annoying is this regard.

I was also a little disappointed that the ending is a cliffhanger. Personally I was much more interested in the “thing in the jar” than the figments but at the same time I don’t think I care enough to continue the series. Overall cute and enjoyable but not a middle grade strong enough to transcend its target audience. It’s okay, not everyone can be Kate DiCamillo.

lazygal's review against another edition

4.0

Set on the coast of Washington State, Timber is a small town on the downswing, in part thanks to Nico's father's saving owls and the mill laying off workers as a result. There's also the mysterious Still Cove, permanently covered by clouds and known as a place Not To Go. So when Nico and his friends end up there, finding an odd houseboat with a basement, readers know that something is going to happen that can't be good, right? There are familiar themes here, and yet it feels very fresh. Some other reviews are saying this is similar to Stranger Things but I've never see that so I can't make that comparison. What I can say is that this might be a bit darker than younger readers can handle, but those in grades 6 and up should be fine.

eARC provided by publisher.

lilaccoconut's review against another edition

3.0

A fun, quick read. Something of a palate cleanser. It's apparently the beginning of a series, so I'm curious to see how the story continues, but I'm happy with it as a standalone.

book_nut's review against another edition

4.0

Intense and so good!

readingthroughtheages's review against another edition

4.0

Deliciously creepy and funny at the same time.