This book hit me hard. It started out as a spooky tale that had me checking under my bed for monsters, but by the end had me sobbing because of the friendships that can be found in the most unlikely of places. At first, I questioned where the story was going. However, by the end, reading about the lengths to which a parent would go to protect their child had me in tears. This story was centered around finding life and friendship after loss. I think that this is an important story for old and young minds alike.

A very fairy-tale-esque book with echoes of The Girl Who Drank The Moon and the Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls. Engaging plotline and characters and a small twist towards the end keeps you reading and enjoying! (Not recommended if you have a phobia of rats or small spaces)

A unique world created by magic powered by grief. The Magician, has created a world of darkness where her most precious treasure is kept. Stealing children from the above world and dropping them into the darkness below is the only way she can contain the music, loud voices, laughter and fun that are so tortuous to her ears. However, choosing the wrong child to send into the black world below results in a rescue attempt by Rooney and her friend, a rat. Dealing with the Queen of the black world and the many children who appear to worship her make trying to escape seem impossible until Rooney and Trick make a discovery about the Queen of the black world and the Magician who lives above.
Suspenseful, unique and a guaranteed page turner for young magic lovers.

A thrilling, spooky tale about loss and finding friends and family in unlikely places. Set in a dark fantasy world where children are disappearing and an illness has claimed the lives of many, this story pits a young girl against a magician. Both have endured loss and are challenged to find friends in unlikely places.

Filled with shadows and magic, THE PLENTIFUL DARKNESS is a stunningly beautiful world woven of longing, loss and the search for belonging. Fueled by the power of moonlight and starlight, Rooney de Barra's world was shattered, like so many others in Warybone, after the feather flu killed so many. Left to her own devices-- albeit with the help of her Monty's (a loyal and clever band of rats)-- Rooney has eeked out a living for herself on the streets. Until Trick Aiden steals the one thing of value Rooney still has. Desperate to get it back she follows him into the dark and lands in a bewitched world where children are frozen in time and darkness reigns.
Heather Kassner's prose, is as always, lush, rich and filled with gorgeous imagery. She is a master of weaving worlds that exist both beyond our imagination, and yet ones that we feel like we know/recognize in our bones.
This is a gorgeous read and a world that will live on in my mind for a very long time to come!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and MacMillan for the ARC.

"Sometimes when everything goes wrong, one thing can make it a little better" 12-year-old Rooney, one of many orphans in Waybone where many lives have been lost to the feather flu., collects moonlight with her magical lunar mirror. Trick, a roughhouse boy steals her mirror and the adventure begins! As Rooney chases Trick into the night, she comes across the Magician who tells Rooney she has "quieted" Trick. Rooney tells the Magician to magic Trick back and when the Magician does not, Rooney delves into the darkness to find Trick. Rooney for the first time forges friendships in this starless, moonless gloom- home to many children gone missing in Warybone. Don't miss this magical read by Heather Kassner.