THE BEAST

This Halloween is not about trick-or-treating for the Torchbearers.

A team forged during their original adventure at Still Cove in series opener The Darkdeep (2018), Opal, Emma, Tyler, Nico, and Logan are not quite done with the creatures of that terrifying place. Along with the gremlins and other wild “figments” causing havoc in the small, Pacific Northwest town of Timbers, new apparitions are on the loose, and it is the team’s job to catch whatever escapes the Darkdeep. Validating what was thought to be a harmless local legend, there’s been a sighting of an actual Beast, a demon that has crossed from another dimension. With their parents conveniently absent, these seventh graders decide to investigate. The peculiar green blob in the jar has been speaking to both Opal and Nico psychically. This disembodied being from another realm, whom the kids call Thing, tells the story of the origins of the Darkdeep and the connected realm of the Rift and offers to help the Torchbearers seal the Rift. Now that the series is underway, this second installment offers more actualized characters and a darker backstory than the first book, setting a more engaging pace. With an early October release date, this will make a rousing Halloween read. Tyler has dark skin and Opal and Logan, ambiguous black hair, but the book adheres to a white default.

With Volume 2, this series hits its stride.