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The Depth of Darkness
The Depth of Darkness, by Alisse Lee Goldenberg, is a young adult fantasy novel and the fourth book in The Children of Colonodona series. The story returns to Colonodona after the death of King Navor, where Queen Sitnalta is drowning in grief, Princess Audrina is carrying guilt and the pressure of her future crown, and strange attacks across the kingdom hint at something far more painful than an ordinary monster. What begins as a mystery about a creature in the dark slowly becomes a story about grief, family, identity, and the hard work of choosing love even after terrible loss.
I was impressed with how personal this fantasy feels. Yes, there are trolls, magic, cursed wishes, royal politics, and old secrets, but the heart of the book is quieter than that. It sits with people who are trying to keep going after being broken. Sitnalta’s sorrow feels heavy and lived in, and Audrina’s frustration with the crown gives the story a strong emotional center. I liked that the author doesn’t treat grief as something neat or noble. It’s messy. It makes people withdraw, snap, doubt themselves, and miss what is right in front of them.
I also liked the way Goldenberg uses fantasy not just for spectacle, but for emotional questions. What makes someone a monster? What does it mean to be yourself when magic, duty, and other people’s fear keep trying to define you? Those ideas run through the book without turning it into a lecture. The writing is direct and often very tender, especially in scenes between Audrina, Gertrude, Sitnalta, Lucas, and Najort. The story leans on dialogue and recap, especially for readers who may not remember the earlier books, but I didn’t mind that because the relationships are the real engine here. The book cares deeply about its characters, and you can feel that on the page.
The Depth of Darkness will probably mean the most to readers who enjoy character-driven series with fairy-tale roots, found family, royal drama, and magic tied closely to emotion. I would especially recommend it to readers who have followed The Children of Colonodona from the beginning. It’s not just about fighting the darkness outside the castle. It’s about facing the darkness that grief leaves behind, and finding, slowly and imperfectly, a way back into the light.
Pages: 266 | ASIN : B0H42CLHBZ
The Junkyard
Bryan Reilly’s The Junkyard, illustrated by Rich Denver, is one of those middle-grade stories that quietly slips past your defenses. At first glance, it is a story set in a junkyard. Beneath that gritty surface, however, is something far more tender. This is a story about choosing peace in a world shaped by violence. It is about finding family in the most unexpected places.
Ninja is a pit bull trapped in the brutal world of dog fighting, a bloodthirsty and morbid sport that strips animals of dignity, safety, and trust. She would rather lose than harm another living creature. She would rather suffer than become what others demand. After she deliberately throws a fight, her cruel owner, Mr. Fergusen, abandons her at the edge of a forest and leaves her for dead. Yet what seems like an ending becomes a beginning. A tribe of scrappy junkyard strays discovers her, renames her Maytag, nurses her back to health, and offers her something she has never truly known: love.
As a dog lover, I found myself caught between heartbreak and joy with every turn of the page. The horror of the fighting ring left me enraged and gutted. Then came the warmth of Maytag settling into her ragtag new family, and the story opened into something gentle, hopeful, and deeply moving. That peace does not last. When the aggressive Rottweiler Saab and a vengeful forest wolf named Canis set their sights on the northern junkyard, Maytag must face the question she has been running from: can a dog who refuses to fight bring herself to protect the ones she loves? It is a question with real emotional weight, and Reilly handles it with care, restraint, and courage.
What impressed me most was the writing. Reilly does not talk down to his readers. His prose is vivid, thoughtful, and emotionally intelligent. Each scene is painted with enough texture that the junkyard seems to rise from the page. You can almost feel the rusted steel, the cold ground, and the shared warmth of the pack huddled together. Rich Denver’s illustrations are sparse, yet effective. They appear at just the right moments, giving shape to characters the prose has already made unforgettable.
The message woven through this story is powerful without ever feeling preachy. Maytag’s journey, from a life of forced violence to one of chosen love, reminds young readers that gentleness is not weakness. Kindness, in this story, becomes its own form of bravery. For anyone who has ever loved a dog, The Junkyard will feel deeply personal. Readers will root for Maytag with their whole hearts. Moving, heartfelt, and beautifully written, Reilly’s novel is a must-read for young readers ready to dive into emotionally rich fiction. It is also an absolute gift for dog lovers of any age.
Pages: 198 | ASIN : B0GXSW13R2
