I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

Hand this to lovers of fantasy and creepy stories! I know readers of the first installment will want to get their hands on this one and will be looking for the next! Read alikes are Nightbooks, 24 Hours in Nowhere, and Scar Island.

Fun and interesting continuation of this series! I can't wait for book 3 to learn more about the Torchbearers. Such an interesting concept and I think middle grade kids will love these.

This was a great continuation of the Darkdeep series. The problems got bigger, and we saw the group of unlikely friends working together, sticking to the oath they made to each other. I love this group of kids and their unwavering loyalty to each other.

Nico and Opal are the only two characters with POVs, although I think it would be fun to have POVs from Emma, Tyler, and Logan, too. But on the other hand, Nico and Opal’s voices sound very much the same, so maybe adding more POVs wouldn’t really change anything.

So far they haven’t had to face any fallout with their parents, and I’m curious what drama that could add to the story, or even what would happen if more people knew about the Darkdeep and figments. I will probably be reading the next book soon, as too much time between books in a series means I forget details!

A good follow-up to "The Darkdeep" insofar as it builds upon the first story, takes it further, and goes in a new direction. The characters continue to develop and the story draws the reader in. I continue to compare this series to "Stranger Things" and it continues to deliver the same type of creepy fun.

A good follow up to the previous book! I know my students will enjoy this middle grades-style thriller. The action kept the pace moving quickly and the characters were enjoyable to read about.

A perfect middle grade monster story filled with pop culture references and slang I hear all the time from middle schoolers at the library. The characters felt very realistic and I really enjoyed their changing friendship dynamics. The supernatural elements of this story were unique and ramped up even more after the first book. I enjoyed this as an adult and I know young readers will love it

In The Darkdeep, a group of kids saved their town by holding back monsters formed from their own imaginations. The Figments were formed from their thoughts by the Darkdeep, which they now hold at bay as Torchbearers. Well, they are supposed to hold it at bay anyway.... As the kids try to learn what they have to do to keep control of the Darkdeep and stop the formation of Figments, things start to spiral out of control. Figments begin to form on their own, a creature stored in a jar on the boat might be communicating with one of them, and YouTubers show up in town searching for a legendary sea monster called the Beast. Can the kids protect Timbers once again?

The first book in this series, The Darkdeep, totally hooked me on this group of characters and the premise of the Darkdeep. It's like Stand By Me, The Goonies, Gremlins, or Stranger Things....a group of kids thrown together having to deal with some scary and out of control situations. Except these kids can conjure up whatever pops into their heads. Dinosaurs, pop culture characters, scary monsters....whatever they think of, the Darkdeep can create and bring to life. While creating things using the whirlpool was fun at first.....it quickly became a problem when monsters over-ran the town during a local festival. This new story in the series finds kids are trying to learn their responsibilities as Torchbearers, while things around them rapidly warp out of control.

Loved this book! Definitely still middle grade appropriate, but still entertaining and fun to read for adults! I love the characters and the premise. The story alternates point of view between the kids. Usually I find jumping POV to be distracting, but for this story it works. I felt so sorry for the kids trying to deal with the Freakshow in town. The Darkdeep has to remain hidden and that's really difficult with YouTube monster hunters in town. The ending leaves it open for another book. I hope so! I'm enjoying this series! I hope it continues.

So far, this is the only series by either Ally Condie or Brendan Reichs that I have read. I really enjoy this concept, so I think I will branch out and try other books by these two writers. Brendan Reichs Co-authored the Virals series with his mother, Author Kathy Reichs. Ally Condie writes YA novels including Summerlost and The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Bloomsbury USA via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I'm not usually a fan of scary stories but I can't get enough of the adventures of these kids and the Darkdeep!

I loved the first book in the series and was very excited for the second one. And just like Reichs's "Nemesis" series, this book is even more strange and bizarre than the first one. While being an action-packed horror story, it is also a mystery that leads the kids through historical areas of the town they all thought that they knew so well. Add to that a green, glowing blob and a successful YouTube show and you have a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is the second book in the series (I definitely recommend reading the first book first) but does not suffer at all from the curse of the second book. Well written and full of action and adventure.

This is the perfect book for any kid looking for something creepy and weird. It is scary without being terrifying and causing nightmares.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for a copy of this book!

4 STARS

CW: mild violence

Last year, The Darkdeep had me impressed with its PNW eerieness, its oh-so-human preteen protagonists, and its stunning, colorful cover, and I’m thrilled to say that The Beast doesn’t disappoint at all. Picking up not too long after where The Darkdeep left off, The Beast is set on the cusp of Halloween, with our Torchbearer heroes still trying to get a better grasp of their responsibilities concerning the Darkdeep and keeping their world safe.

More so than last time, when Nico was the central character, Opal takes the main stage. It was great to spend more time inside her head, especially since we last left her with a curious connection to the Darkdeep that was unexplained. In some ways, it’s still a little bit unexplained (mostly why she’s the one that ended up most connected), but this book gives her time to come into her own and to twine herself into the Torchbearer group more fully. She trusts them, and wants them to trust her, something that provides an undercurrent to her character.

And while Nico wasn’t the focus this time, he’s still working on making his tentative new friendship with Logan work, while still keeping strong bonds with the rest of his friends. Altogether, they make a bit of an unlikely crew (and I still don’t care much for Logan, but he’s a bit of a rich boy braggart in my eyes, so I’m not surprised), but I actually really enjoy their group dynamic. It feels balanced between goofy and serious, eager and cautious, book smart and street smart, and it makes it fun to read about the five Torchbearers charging into danger despite the uncertainty of it all.

Speaking of uncertainty, there’s a fair bit of that here in the second installment of the series. The Beast of Still Cove’s existence is called into question in a delightful way, one that actually pulls Tyler a little closer to the forefront, especially given his deep-seated fear of the Beast, and there are questions about the figments still arising on the island and near the town of Timbers, figments that shouldn’t exist now that our team of Torchbearers have calmed the Darkdeep.

All things considered, I ended up pretty satisfied with the track The Beast took. It doesn’t raise quite as many questions as The Darkdeep, I think by virtue of being the second book requiring some functions of the world to be firmly established, but it does dig into the uncertainty left over from the first book to advance the plot further. Then, it sprinkles some MG level humor on top, some gratuitous use of Pokémon (Logan, you’re wrong, Pokémon is NOT just for kids, thank you very much), and an ending that promises a third book to come, making for a solid second book. I don’t think it’s nearly as good as The Darkdeep, but only by a hair, and certainly not by so much as for me to lower the star rating.

If you enjoyed The Darkdeep or know a kid in your life who devoured it, The Beast is going to hit shelves on September 24th, so you still have time to place a pre-order or make a request with your local library! Or, if you haven’t read The Darkdeep and you’re still reading this review for some reason, that’s plenty of time to catch up on where our Torchbearers have been before getting invested in The Beast! It’s a perfect series for fans of Gravity Falls, and all things now considered, I think anyone who enjoyed Into the Spiderverse is going to be interested in this series too.

THE BEAST was just as much fun to read as THE DARKDEEP. I feel like this series balances just the right amount of spookiness for the middle grade reader. And it is also coming out at the perfect time of year. All of the friends feel well rounded and pop off the page. I feel like kids will really be able to relate. Highly recommend.

This picks up with our friends shortly after the first book The Darkdeep ends. Nico, Opal, Tyler, Logan, and Emma just want a calm fun Halloween, without and special responsibilities, if you know what I mean. But since the problem during the festival the town has gone Beast crazy and so has it tourism. So now is not the greatest time for the real Beast to show up and with a camera crew in town and all, but the real question is how are the torchbearers going to keep it a secret with everything that is going on, and so much for that calm Halloween.

I love this series it is great for all (all ages, boy or girl, reluctant reader or not, really everybody). This is a book that is not always what it appears, what you see on the surface isn't what you might find later on if you keep going in the book, and it might even change a few times, so keep going if you don't like something, I love these twists. The action will keep you on your toes as well, I realize I have only mentioned the Beast but do not by any means think he is the only thing (they are not all monsters) out there. I don't know how these two authors keep their stories so fresh and fun but I hope they have no plans on stopping anytime soon, because I just have to know what happens.

This will appear on my blog Sept 24th 2019

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury, and authors Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite as invested in this book as the first one, but it was still fun. Part of the reason is that there was not a Kindle version offered on NetGalley this time, only an Adobe Digital PDF, which means I had to sit and read off my computer screen. If a Kindle version were offered, like the first book, I would have read much faster and probably been a bit more invested. The story is still a fun middle grade read, though!

After the events of The Darkdeep, the people of Timbers go wild with the rumors of an actual sighting of "the Beast." Opal, Emma, Tyler, Nico, and Logan must keep the Darkdeep secret. They cannot share that these figments they think up come to life, and that they were there and know exactly what happened on the night of the Beast sighting.

Now that Timbers is blooming into a tourist town because of this event, a YouTube show called Freakshow comes to town seeking answers and publicity for their show. Of course, the creators want people to say certain things that make the show more exciting, but when the children are asked about the Beast, they shrug it off and pass it on as nothing real.

Their houseboat clubhouse is their secret. No one else would bother going into Still Cove because of the Beast rumors. Well, no one except Freakshow. Emma has a gig as their assistant, and she does everything she can to sway them from the truth and to stop them from going out to explore and film in Still Cove, where they might find the Darkdeep.

Not only do the children have to keep Freakshow from the Darkdeep, but they are also on a quest to learn about the previous Torchbearers, the keepers and protectors of the Darkdeep. As strange phenomena begin to happen around town, their questions lead them right to Torchbearer connections, the responsibilities they deem to take onto themselves. And Thing, a blob in a jar in the Darkdeep, seems to have a mind of its own as it begins to communicate with Opal through her mind, and eventually with the other children as well.

Thing seems helpful at first, but don't all blobs in jars have ulterior motives?

I feel like the story was slightly more confusing than the first book. Probably because it has been a year since I read it. Since this is a middle grade book, a recap of the events of book one would have been nice, though this book does do a good job at revisiting events that happened recently in the lives of the characters (from book one). I thought the figments and phenomena were interesting, but a bit convoluted. It became much more clear as the children began to learn what was going on in their town and with the Darkdeep, and in a way, I like being confused or uncertain, the way the children in the book are, and learning along with them as they begin to make the connections between the phenomenae and the Darkdeep.

The book ends with some fun potential for a third installment that I will gladly read. Still a fun book for a middle grade audience, even if it doesn't have the same mysterious flare as the first book. Don't get me wrong, there is still flare, it's just a different type of mystery than that which is presented in book one.

Overall, enjoyable and would recommend!

This title is the second in a series that started with the Darkdeep. It's scary, action adventure mystery series about 5 kids who are battling an evil entity that resides under a houseboat in their town. In this second installment, the Beast has been vanquished and then suddenly reappears. The characters and dialogue make this a highly compelling story. It will make a terrific addition to our elementary school library.

I loved The Best just as much as I loved The Darkdeep! The sequel lived up to all my expectations and more. The friend group’s relationship accurately depicts real middle school friendships-besties one day and barely trusting one another the next. This twisting, funny, monster hunting adventure would be enjoyed by fans of Stranger Things. I will definitely be purchasing this for my library.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Beast was just as much fun as The Darkdeep!  



Nico, Opal, Emma, Tyler, and Logan are back again.  They are trying to follow clues to explain the Torchbearers and find that there is a lot of history in the town.  Something Opal hears has been giving them hints on where to go.  The voice in her head is Thing, the gooey thing in the jar that they thought was dead.  He starts telling him that there is a rift and they need to take care of that and The Darkdeep as Torchbearers.



A weird sulfur smell starts to surround them at the boat.  Then there is a bio luminescence algae and then weird storms.  Something isn't right.  New figments appear and the daggers don't stop them.  Thing starts telling them that they have to fix the rift.  That it's not balanced.



During this same time, a film crew shows up to find "The Beast".  They are filming and searching everywhere.  Emma gets on the crew to try to keep them away from The Darkdeep.  Things do not go well and the kids not only have to fix something they don't understand, but they have to make sure the crew and town doesn't understand that figments and the beast are real.  Oh, and it's Halloween! 



I love this group of friends.  I honestly think middle school kids are perfect for this type of book.  They have fear, but they also aren't as jaded as adults.  And their lack of impulse control and lack of planning tends to come in handy.  The trust between the five melts me.  I can't wait to see what they do next.



I gave this book 4  1/2 stars (rounded up to five).  Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy for review.

I really enjoyed this book. I'd like to say thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a ARC to review. I really enjoyed it!
As soon as I read the first book in the series, I knew I had to get a hold of the second one. This book is really special to me for reasons I can't really explain, and the sequel lived up to all my expectations. It took a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting, but in a good way.
I don't want to spoil anything, which makes a review hard because the book is literally one big plot twist, but overall I was satisfied with the book. I found it very interesting and very clean. Just the way I like it.
To me the characters are kind of one-dimensional, but that's probably the only thing I didn't really like. Outside of that I was very entertained by the story. Plus I've had the pleasure of meeting both Brendan and Ally and they're a blast.
The story was funny, interesting, and an an insane adventure in literary form. And in the end, that's all a book really needs to be, isn't it? I give stars for The Beast!

ARC provided by the publisher

Timbers is safe because of the efforts of Nico, Opal, Tyler, Emma, and Logan in The Darkdeep, and now the friends just want to get back to normal. That's not easy to do when creatures keep appearing even when the kids are not going into the pool at Still Cove. As Torchbearers, they all know they need to keep the various creatures at bay, because no one else in town seems to understand how serious the threat is. This is apparent when Colton Bridger of the Freakshow shows up in town with his crew, intent of capturing the Beast for the show. The town has gone into Beast Fever, with t shirts, hamburgers and other tourist items for sale, and Emma wants so desperately to keep the producer away from Still Cove that she signs up to be an unpaid worker. There are some further clues about Torchbearers unearthed in town, and the green blob in a jar talks not only to Opal, but starts giving information to the others. More and more creatures make their way into our dimension, and the Torchbearers are told they need to "Repair the Seal" in the Rift. But how? During Halloween, there are an impressive number of creatures on the loose, but no one except our heroes realizes that they are a danger. Luckily, Tyler is able to save the day and keep the Beast from harming anyone. The Rift is still open, the blob seems more and more evil, and the Torchbearers are barely able to conceal the supernatural happenings. How long will they be able to keep Timbers safe?
Strengths: I'm late to the trend of Stranger Things (I don't have a television, and I'm not about to PAY for programs.), but it must be a Big Deal because I've read several books that compare themselves to the program. Unexplained evil on the loose, children saving the day-- that's a whole lot of middle grade stories, but the fresh twist in The Darkdeep and The Beast is fighting monsters. I do have students ask for books about this topic, and there haven't been a whole lot. The monsters are well done (always good to delve into people's darkest fears), the small town setting adds another level of angst and politics, and the inclusion of a paranormal show trying to cover an event that they suspect is fake but is actually real is a fun twist.

Weaknesses: I don't find monster books scary at all. Of all of the things that could happen in the world, this is about the least likely. I also don't believe in ghosts or space aliens, but even those seem more believable. Since my students get worried about things like killer clowns on the loose, however, this shouldn't be an issue with them.
What I really think: I always need more scary books, so I'll definitely purchase.

I have to be honest, I did not have the ability to download this title. It didn't seem to want to download anywhere! I can't wait to read it when it comes out. I'll be the first to buy it!

Readers of series like Spiderwick Chronicles, Fablehaven, Simon Thorn and other monster centered fantasy books will appreciate Condie and Reichs Darkdeep series. Reading them in order is likely preferred, but I started with this second installment and found that the authors did a good job of filling in how this group of teens joined forces to fight the creatures that emerge from from the jet black pool hidden under a creepy houseboat. The Beast provides much action as our heroes chase down (or are chased by) assorted evil beings and manage to kill, banish, and dispatch each one, but some of the relationship dynamics get in the way of the excitement and some of the battles seem somewhat redundant. I am also unsure of the target audience. Constant references to Pokémon and other games and activities enjoyed by the upper elementary school-aged crowd plus reviews by professional librarian journals seem to place the series with students in grades 3-6. But the ages of the book’s main characters, efforts of some to couple off, and the length and reading level seem to place it with those in grades 6-8. Librarians and care-givers of both groups will be pleased to note the lack of profanity and sexual content, but naturally monster-killing does mean that violence will be present throughout.