The Darkdeep #2: The Beast by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs

My name is Opal, and my friends and I are tasked with secretly guarding any figments that might emerge from the Darkdeep. We're called Torchbearers, but we don't have any instructions about what we're supposed to do. We stop creatures that escape from the dark waters, but we don't really know where they come from. I'm afraid to tell the others about the voice in my head, but it's been giving me useful clues. They'll probably think I'm crazy; I wonder about that myself. The whole town is excited about celebrating legends about the Beast on Halloween, and tourists are flocking in. There's even a video crew from the online hit Freakshow, and they'll only make it harder to keep the Darkdeep a secret. The unpredictable appearances of figments, glowing hail, and red tide are making things stranger, but at least we know the Beast isn't real, right?

Once again, I've started a series without reading the first book. I'm guessing a lot of information was repeated, since the kids were still learning to be Torchbearers. The figments were a little confusing. A character said they could get rid of the creatures fairly easily, but they always had trouble when it came to actually doing it. Maybe I would have seen this as a clue of changes happening if I'd read the first book. The main characters formed a tight bond with their unique personalities. It felt like Nico was the leader, although they quickly supported each other when it came to Torchbearer business. Tyler viewed himself as a brave hero, while Logan became obsessed as an entrepreneur. The author included a couple of twists, as the identities of the antagonists shifted a bit. The gang needed to come up with new ways to combat the figments, and the new strategies were risky. Overall, the book wasn't an intense adventure, but it captured my interest. I imagine I'll probably end up reading the previous book, and I think you should give it a chance too.