4,5/5

So, here I am, thinking this is a trilogy, but the ending of this book leaves so much open for a 4th book, I wonder if it'll ever come. If not, however, this was still a solid enough ending, though slightly bittersweet.

Impossibly, the stakes were raised even higher in this third/final book, though unsurprisingly they made it through. But unsurprisingly in a good way. It really had me worried for some characters, truth be told, so that was good! It even had some Norse mythology influences which I really enjoyed.

And Evie!

Damn, I love her.

Honestly, I love them all. I really, really do. Supportive family for the win!

If there is ever a 4th book, I'll probably never know about it because I suck at keeping up, but if I were to find it, I'd devour it as soon as I could!

<i>Another huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my eARC request. It was my honor to read these three books, and I sincerely apologize for the delay.</i>

I loved the stuffing out of this book. My library purchased two copies in print and digital copies. This series is Excellent!.

I have never been so reluctant to finish a book as this. Ritter manages to make a trilogy where the quality of the narrative gets better and better as the series continues. What a pleasure to have read this trilogy! I cannot recommend it enough for young readers.

Round three of the Oddmire books begins with holes. Lots of holes, everywhere. Fable, Cole, and Tinn set off to find out where Cole and Tinn’s father is while on a quest to heal the Wild Wood of all the holes popping up everywhere!

Heartwarming, touching, adventurous, and noble—Ritter’s third book in the series makes a great finale and puts this trilogy at the top of my all-time favorite MG fantasy reads list. Absolutely 5 stars and heartily recommended to any Middle Grader with nothing remotely inappropriate in it.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

This was an excellent sequel to the other two books in the series. It has heart, courage and a hint of romance, but mostly it's about family and how family makes you whole. It's about love and how it expands. I can't wait until the next book about Tinn and Cole. :)

I love this series! I also love that this book picks up where book 2 left off, so if you read them back to back the story just continues; if you had to wait a year to read the next installment it doesn't take long for you to remember where Ritter left off.

I hope this series keeps going for at least a book or two, because I cannot wait to see what adventures Tinn and Cole embark on next.

Ritter delivers with yet another epic and whimsical adventure.

The plot for this one actually got so stressful I felt like my eyes would be permanently bugged out of my head. I’m in awe of the places this series is going and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Deepest, Darkest is available now.

There will be some spoilers for book one, but I’ll try to keep them to a minimum. I’ve loved the first two books in the Oddmire series, as well as William Ritter’s Jackaby series, so I was beyond excited to read book 3.

Deepest, Darkest was a fantastic continuation of the story that started in Changeling. Cole and his changeling brother Tinn have found a new adventure: they’re going to solve the mystery of what happened to their dad. He’s been missing since they were babies, but they’ve found clues that lead them on an unforgettable journey for answers.

One of the many things I love about the Oddmire series is that the parents are involved and they have loving relationships with their kids. Often children in middle-grade books are orphaned, or their parents are completely uninvolved. Not so with this series. The brothers’ mom, who I absolutely love, goes searching right along with them. They are accompanied by Fable, the “Little Queen of the Wild Wood” and her mama bear (quite literally sometimes); their friend Evie, and Evie’s great uncle. While the children were still the main characters and took center stage, it was great seeing the relationships with their parents.

As always, my favorite character was Tinn. He has grown into himself a little more and is feeling a bit more confident in who he is. However, he isn’t quite sure he wants to find his father, since he’s been told that his father left because one of his children wasn’t human. That’s a complicated box of emotions to unpack, to say the least. Tinn’s a wonderful combination of heart, anxiety, and scrappiness. I’ve said this before, but he really does remind me of my oldest. All of the characters are great, though. Fable makes me smile, and the boys’ mom, Annie, is one of my favorite moms in fantasy.

The story was so much fun! And the creatures! Tommyknockers! Kobolds! Spriggans! I love the sheer variety of critters found in the Oddmire series. The world is rich and full of mysteries to solve, secrets to uncover, and magic to experience. This is a fantasy world that I love to disappear into. My oldest, who is in the targeted age range, loves the series as well. It’s awesome to be able to rave about a book with your child!

Deepest, Darkest is filled with adventure and heart. This is a series that fans of magical worlds and mysterious doings will love.

I received an electronic ARC from Algonquin Young Readers through NetGalley.
Book three turns slightly darker than the first two but continues the story of Cole and Timm's adventures. Each learns more about each other and themselves as they actively search for Cole's dad. The entire group heads down into the tunnels and discovers a completely different world where a generations old prophecy is about to unfold and destroy the entire world. Timm actively uses both sides of his heritage to show the ancient serpent a better solution and saves those he cares about as well as the rest of the species.
The story flows smoothly and middle grade readers will be delighted to see how the various characters put differences aside and work together to first locate the boys' father and then to save each other and the rest of the prisoners of this dark underground kingdom. I like that the older generation plays an active role in this quest and readers see further development for the secondary characters as well as Cole and Timm. The ending sets up continued adventures in coming volumes.

Brothers Cole and Tinn—one human, one a goblin changeling—are determined to solve a mystery almost as old as they are: What happened to their long-missing father?

Joseph Burton vanished without a trace, leaving the baby boys’ mother to raise them alone. Some say he abandoned his family, others that he met foul play looking for a way to get rid of the changeling imposter. Cole is determined to finally push through the rumors and learn his father's fate.

With the help of their friends—Evie, expert on the creatures of the Wild Wood, and Fable, the indomitable half human, half fairy—Tinn and Cole set out on a dangerous quest to the deepest, most deadly limits of the Wild Wood. Meanwhile a shudder runs through the forest. Increasingly powerful earthquakes shake the land, sinkholes form, and the spriggans, trolls, and other creatures along their path speak of an ancient evil on the rise.- Goodreads

I doubt this is the final book but I love how everything came together. And in all honestly, I don't need another book after this. Yes, there is still some questions, some doubt specifically with Tinn but I would be fine if the author decided to branch off this particular series and do a Tinn solo (ish) adventure.

By time I got to the end of the book, I was reading Tinn in a different voice. He was no longer a child even though by age he is. He sounded like a grown tired man, whereas Cole did not. He still sounded like a child. I don't know if this was intentional but the change was so gradual that I was shocked to see. I am marking this off as amazing writing skills.

This book was great and I was surprised because most authors struggle with the second or third book to the series, Ritter has not. The world continues to build, there are new stories being interwoven with the main one and it is done seamlessly. I am constantly impressed by Ritter and book three is as great as the first one.

Love the pace, love the character development and loved the conflict as well as the multiple point of views.

Overall,

4 Pickles

I got this book as an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm a little bias because I just really like this series. I have recommended it for many 3-6th graders. There is a bit of jumping around because the characters are all split up which made it a little confusing while reading it as an ARC. I'm sure the finished product will be cleaner/clearer. Fable and the her mother are 2 of my favorite more recent book characters.

4.5 Stars

I would say, for me, this may have been the weakest book of the series. The plot felt fairly formulaic compared to the other two books. The boys get mixed up in something, peril and mayhem ensues, they fight a fight or there is a form of conflict, and the boys come out at the end.

That being said, I still enjoyed this book. There were a lot of loose ends from the previous books that got tied up in this one. There were several characters that got more page time than before, and it was nice to see their perspectives (though more Evie please, we can always use a lot more Evie. She is the best.)

I found the plot to be interesting, though it did feel like there were some parts left open ended or dropped entirely and I was still asking questions about them through the end of the book because I felt like it never got resolved--these would be more random little comments or plot threads.

But I trust Ritter and I feel confident those plot threads will be dealt with in a later installment, because this book did leave enough stuff open-ended to allow for easily two more books. I'm not sure how I feel 100% about that since, as much as I like the series, too much of a good thing can ruin a good story.

So, if you've made it this far, read this book. It's excellent. It's a fun romp, and seeing the characters is always a thrill.

I liked the first 2 books so much that I was wary of reading this one because I didn’t want the story to end. I am really enjoying the adventures of Cole and Tinn. I can’t wait to read book 4 and 5 and more. I love the way the author keeps blending all the different magical and human worlds together and making them work. Action packed, fun, exciting, and a very satisfying ending. And it still leaves some loose ends for those of us who are hoping for sequels. These keep you engrossed all the way through. I will definitely be recommending these to my J and YA readers.

The continued story of these brothers/twins/one human one changeling continues to expand and grow in mysterious and real ways.