The Nethergrim by Matthew Jobin

The Nethergrim, Book 1 of The Nethergrim Series by Matthew Jobin, is reviewed by MaryAnne Locher.

In The Nethergrim, a middle grade fantasy novel by Matthew Jobin (Philomel/Penguin 2014, $17.99, Ages 10-14), when livestock go missing, and pig bones are found, people in the town of Moorvale are concerned. They have always believed in the legend of the defeat of the Nethergrim by the wizard Vithric and the knight Tristan. Could these incidents be signaling the return of the Nethergrim?

Fourteen-year-old Edmund has always loved books, especially books on magic. His parents own the only inn in Moorvale, and expect him to work there and carry on after they’re gone. They don’t approve of his reading habits, and his father goes so far as to burn his books in the fireplace. Geoffrey, Edmund’s pesky little brother, finds Edmund reading a book on magic which was left behind by a mysterious visitor. Geoffrey wants to sneak out to play with his friends one night, and says he’ll keep his brother’s book a secret if he won’t snitch on him for going out. Edmund reluctantly agrees.

When seven children go missing that night, Geoffrey is one of them. The people of Moorvale realize that the Nethergrim is still alive and has come back to finish what it had begun: the destruction of their world as they know it. Edmund’s magic studies come in handy as he and his friends, Tom and Katherine, along with Katherine’s father (the only survivor to come down the mountain after the original battle with the Nethergrim) set off to find the missing children, and hopefully destroy the Nethergrim once and for all.

In The Nethergrim, Jobin has created a very dark, intense and engaging world full of monsters both human and otherwise. Those who are past the nightlight stage might find themselves flipping on the switch once again.