Dread Wood: Deadly Deep continues the plights and perils of Club Loser onto the high seas. Dripping with trepidation and Jennifer Killick's trademark slick bantz. Creepy comedy thriller at it's finest.

I pre ordered it a while back and on the day it was published I got it. I was so happy so I went straight to read it. I couldn’t put the book down Jennifer Killicks’ books seem to have a long lasting effect on me as after I read them I can’t stop thinking about them. I recommend the series to anyone who likes stranger things.

Slowly but surely, there seems to be an increasing number of horror stories publishing for middle grade readers and I think a huge part of this must be down to the incredible talent that is Jennifer Killick. Firstly with her Crater Lake duology and now with her Dread Wood series, she has been at the forefront of introducing children to stories which are truly scary but are also laugh-out-loud funny, not just thrilling them but leaving them desperately wanting more. In this, the fourth title of the Dread Wood series, she has once more surpassed my expectations as I again joined the diverse members of Club Loser on their latest adventure – this time on a school trip which is by turn hilariously funny and truly terrifying as Angelo and friends find themselves trapped out at sea in by far the most perilous situation they have encountered yet. Having survived all that Year 7 threw at them, the start of Year 8 brings the prospect of a trip away for 25 of the Dread Wood pupils – five days off the southern coast of France, studying the Mediterranean and its coastline. We join them halfway through what is the trip of his dreams for Angelo, while fellow Club Loser member Hallie pessimistically states that their boarding a boat bound for Corsica is doomed not to go to plan, having watched too many films where something has happened at sea. Once safely onboard La Melusine, the students take their things to their cabins before meeting up for a briefing with Seb – an employee of Cyberus, the tech company which employs club member Collette’s mother, and responsible for the ROVs – remotely operated vehicles – which will be used to observe the sea life up close. Demonstrating the ROV’s capabilities, the Dread Wooders gaze at the images they send back, which show the amazing range of life within the water’s depths and Angelo catches a glimpse of something big on one of the screens – something that no one else sees. Putting this to the back of his mind, Angelo and the others all go to make the most of the leisure facilities onboard until the ship suddenly lurches in the water, indicating that it has hit something. Now taking on water, La Melusine is evacuated but somehow Club Loser are separated from the rest of their peers and are trapped on board a sinking ship. As if this was not enough to worry about, they soon become aware that they are not alone on the vessel but are being kept company by not just a creepy man but some sort of maritime wildlife. Can the friends figure out what their fellow passengers are and escape from the ship before it sinks, or worse, or is this finally the end for Club Loser? A huge part of the genius of this series is the characters that Jennifer Killick has so wonderfully brought to life on the pages she has crafted. Hugely believable, after their previous adventures joining them again is like meeting up with old friends who you know and love well and in whose company you feel comfortable and, oddly enough, safe. Gus again provides many of the laughs and fans of teacher Mr C. – and we know there are a great many – will be delighted not just to see his return but also to see how his budding romance with Collette’s mother is progressing. Suffice it to say that he is still trying his very hardest to be down with the kids, leading to some truly excruciating moments not just for Colette and Club Loser but also for the reader, leading to some really very funny parts of the story. With a new bad guy to test the friendship group, and not just a terrifying monster to defeat but the prospect of drowning for our heroes to contend with, this is the scariest read as yet but at no point does it threaten to be unsuitable for its middle grade audience. I would suggest that while there may be a few younger children for whom this would make a great read, it is probably best suited to upper KS2, into KS3 though. I would also say that although you could read this as a standalone, now that we are onto the fourth read in the sequence, if you haven’t read any/all of the titles preceding this one you will enjoy this more if you are already familiar with what has gone before. I was under the impression that this was going to be the last in the series but the very good news is that the back of the book tells us that there is more to come and having checked on the Waterstones website, there is indeed a Dread Wood 5 – as yet untitled – publishing 18th January 2023 – something to help get over the post-Christmas blues. I’m not sure I need to repeat just how much I love this series, but I will. It is not for nothing that Jennifer Killick is known as the Queen of Middle Grade Horror – a title that I do not see anyone snatching from her in the near future.

I love stories set on the water, so I decided to give this book a try even though I hadn't read earlier books on the series. Thankfully while there are references to earlier events and something of an ongoing arc, this was perfectly understandable on its own and honestly I had a great time with it. It's a horror novel but not scary, though there are moments of tension and one scene I found very creepy. It's a really fun, quick read, and while I wouldn't call it a comedy there were a couple of times I did laugh out loud. I really enjoyed this and intend to check out more books by the author.