On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

My ten-year-old is a voracious reader, and I'm always looking for good books that keep his interest but that are age-appropriate. We read On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness together, and it is a hit! It's the story of Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, their mother Nia, and their grandfather Podo. They live in Skree, a country that has been under the oppressive rule of Gnag the Nameless for as long as the children can remember. Gnag is searching for the jewels of Anniera. But what could three children have to do with jewels?

This is a story of adventure, love for family, doing the right thing even when it's hard, and faith. Podo is gruff and blustery at times, but his deep devotion for his grandchildren shines through even when he's giving them a good chewing out. Janner may chafe at the repeated admonishments to look out for his younger siblings, but he loves them and worries about them.

Andrew Peterson has a quirky, engaging writing style, and the humor in this book has made us laugh out loud at times. (I mean, the fact that the nameless evil's name is Gnag the Nameless? That's hilarious!) It's also a story of mysteries, of secrets not yet revealed. What do Nia and Podo know that they aren't telling the children? Janner in particular is old enough to catch the glances that pass between the adults and to wonder what overheard snippets of conversation really mean.

This book is great for middle grade readers. It has some pretty intense descriptions of battles and physical characteristics of monstrous beings, so do keep that in mind if your child is sensitive to those things. (Mine is not. He listens to the story and the draws what he sees in his mind.) I've really enjoyed it as an adult, too. I can't wait to read the rest of the Wingfeather Saga!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions here are my own, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.

Tons of fun. I'd say I liked it even more the second time. Excited to continue the full series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed ARCs of these books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF @ 2%

2%, really?? That's it?? Yeah, okay this is one of those situations where I can tell really quickly this isn't the one for me, so I'm not going to review it.
Look, I could tell the book was trying to be funny. I was even trying to narrate it in my mind with a dude that does these semi-serious, but truly trying to be funny set ups, yet I couldn't get it to work. I didn't even get to the book, I was still in the Brief Overview/Background sections. The nameless bad guy named.... – and Life is great except for ___ (aka everything sucks)– and they looked like humans! except for scales, tails, etc. (again aka everything was different).

I recognize this is supposed to be funny and not taken seriously at this point. I should have known from the title, but at this point I think I missed the “of Darkness” part because if I had noticed that redundancy originally I wouldn't have requested this one. I would have known from the start I probably wouldn't like it.

So, yeah, this is a me thing and I'm sure this type of humor will work for some people and for the younger crowd.