Review: The Darkdeep

The Darkdeep by Ally Condie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The next step for Goosebumps fans!

A bullying incident ends up with Nico falling off a cliff into the mysterious Still Cove, as his friends Emma and Tyler watch helplessly in horror. Opal, a former friend who has lately been hanging out with the bully, comes back and leads a resuce attempt, with the three eventually findong Nico safe on a mysterious island no one knew existed, where they make a very strange discovery that soon proves to be dangerous. Logan, the bully, follows them to the island. Can the five of them learn to trust each other and work together to stop the sinister force they have unwittingly unnleashed?

I must start with the disclaimer that I do not like horror at all, but. I selected it to review because I recognized Ally Condie as the author of the popular Matched YA dystopian series, and I was curious to see how she would write for middle-grade, and I try to read all genres for reader's advisory purposes. Even though horror is not *my* thing, I found it to be an age-appropriate level of "horror"; it is creepy, scary, and suspenseful with assorted monsters, but no one is seriously hurt, no graphic violence or blood and guts (other than a couple of mentions of blood from scrapes and cuts resulting from falling). And while I don't necessarily care for creepy, scary stories with unexplained sinister forces, I did like how the situation forced the kids to work together and learn to trust each other.

It reminded me very much of the Goosebumps series, but is a step or two above in terms of length and reading level. I would definitely recommend it to those who have read and enjoyed the Goosebumps books, or Louis Sachar's Fuzzy Mud, but are ready to move up in length and reading level. It appears that there will be at least one sequel to this book, as well.

[I recieved a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

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