ALA Booklist

Popular authors Condie (the Matched trilogy) and Reichs (Nemesis, 2017) combine their talents in this unsettling psychological thriller for a middle-grade audience. After 12-year-old Nico falls off a cliff while trying to rescue his quadcopter, his friends Tyler and Ella, along with Opal ught between popularity and feeling semiresponsible for Nico's dire situation umble upon a hidden island, a mysteriously abandoned houseboat, and a swirling well of water that is home to something dark and possibly deadly. As the friends deal with personal experiences and navigate their various homelives, they also start to discover some nefarious effects of their experimentation with the well: figments begin appearing around the island in greater frequency and with increasingly murderous intent. But what happens when their deepest fears start to manifest, and they have no idea how to defend themselves? Condie and Reichs have developed an imaginative and ultimately uplifting narrative filled with dark and frightening components, in-depth character development, and a deliciously ominous ending that will leave readers craving the next volume of this planned duology. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The YA powerhouses behind the best-selling Matched trilogy (Condie) and Virals series (Reichs) are taking the middle-grade set by storm, and the publisher is pulling out all the promotional stops.

Horn Book

In the small, struggling town of Timbers, Washington, lies creepy Still Cove. A bullying incident lands a group of kids, including narrators Nico and Opal, in the cove, where they find a mysterious island, a bizarre collection of antiques, and a pool of dark, swirling water. But at every revelation of the area's chaotic power, their curiosity leads them deeper into darkness. Alternating narration builds enthralling suspense in this supernatural series-starter.

Kirkus Reviews

Four pop-culture-steeped middle schoolers discover a portal to…something off the Washington coast.When Nico falls over a cliff into Still Cove, he surfaces in a cave that leads to an ancient houseboat. After his friends Tyler, Emma, and Opal come to rescue him, they investigate the elaborately furnished, abandoned boat and discover a spiral staircase down to a shadowy, whirling water portal the kids call the Darkdeep. When Emma experimentally touches the water, she is swallowed up, only to be regurgitated minutes later. This strange process releases familiar apparitions, or figments, seemingly plucked from their childhood memories, that all four kids can see. The foursome can't seem to stop jumping through the Darkdeep to see what apparitions they can conjure up, including Smurfs, Godzilla, Minions, an extraterrestrial Visitor, and various other imaginary creatures. Inevitably, these beings take on more solid form, become violent, and, for an unknown reason, leave Still Cove and head for town. These shenanigans play out against a backdrop of the town's economic distress after timber-industry layoffs; subplots include Opal's needy desire for male attention, the enduring enmity of the school bully, and the upcoming radish festival. Too many storylines dilute any sense of intrigue. Characters are identified by salient features—Tyler's dark skin, Opal's long, black hair, Emma's blue eyes—a device that does not disrupt the white default.A weak plot, underdeveloped characters, and the hint of a next book sum up this not-so-deep series opener. (Paranormal suspense. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Veteran writers Condie (Matched) and Reichs (Genesis) team up to deliver an action-packed Goonies-like adventure set in the Pacific Northwest. Trying to recover a drone lost to an act of bullying, Nico slips at the edge of a fog-covered cliff and tumbles into Washington State-s Still Cove. Nico-s friends, worried about the beast that allegedly lurks below the water, are relieved to find not only a boat to search for their friend, but also Nico himself, on an island within the cove-one they-ve never heard of. In the center of the island lies a dark pond, a houseboat floating in its center. In the bowels of the houseboat sits a well of thick liquid dubbed the Darkdeep, which beckons and submerges the friends one by one, then spits each into the pond and animates their minds- contents. Initially, the frivolous figments disappear quickly, but as the creatures become more dreadful-and more solid-they begin to cause real damage and threaten more than just the strange island. A basic beginning moves into a satisfying narrative arc, perfect for reluctant readers who appreciate things that go bump in the night. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-Collaboration between bestselling authors is bound to produce high expectations, and this mash-up of "Goosebumps"-meets- The Goonies certainly delivers. Still Cove is a mysteriously foggy area just outside the mill town of Timbers. Twelve-year-olds Opal and Nico avoid the place at all costs due to rumors of "the Beast," but after a run-in with bully Logan, the friends are forced to brave the area. What they find is incredible: a mystical water portal that sucks you in and spits you out, bringing your imagination to lifeliterally. When the "figments" begin to get out of control, what began as a fun game suddenly turns deadly. Nico, Opal, and their friends must find a way to work together to contain the phenomenon they refer to as the Darkdeep. The four friends at the heart of the story have distinctive personalities, with Nico and Opal narrating. The magical aspect of the Darkdeep runs parallel to the fears and worries the characters hold about their lives. Nico's father petitioned to protect an endangered owl species in the woods, resulting in job losses at the town's mill and resentment from the community. Friction between Nico and Logan, the mill owner's son, and Opal, who's family profited from the situation, must be overcome before they can tackle the figments and the Darkdeep. VERDICT Swiftly paced and peppered with wit, this darkly entertaining tale is sure to engage horror fans. Lauren Jones, Tauranga City Library, NZ