On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness:

by Andrew Peterson, Joe Sutphin

Había una vez, en una cabaña al borde del oscuro mar de las tinieblas , tres niños y su fiel perro, Nugget. Janner Igiby, su hermano Tink, y su hermana con habilidades especiales Leeli, son niños talentosos como los son todos los niños, amados por su madre que es noble y su abuelo que era pirata. Pero necesitarán todos sus dones y todo lo que aman para sobrevivir a la malvada persecución de los venenosos Colmillos Malditos, que han cruzado el mar oscuro para gobernar la tierra con su malicia. Los Igiby guardan el secreto de la leyenda perdida y las joyas del buen Rey Wingfeather de la Isla Resplandeciente de Anniera.

Lleno de personajes con un gran corazón, inteligencia y coraje, Al borde del oscuro mar de las tinieblas es un cuento para que niños de todas las edades y sus familias pueden escucharlo en alta voz y en grupos para poder disfrutar mientras descubren las innumerables capas de significado de este libro.

Please This audiobook is in Spanish.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Audiobook, Christian

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 22, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[TheRoer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished this book!!! Ach I love it.. now to figure out how I can find the next one! I’m
Bad at writing reviews but I def enjoyed it and want to finish the series!!

[Rachel Dando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rtc!
Most read on book- final chapters on Kindle

Edit: I have the review- (Spoilers ahead!)

I read this book years ago when I was younger. I loved it then, I love it so much more now.
The world building is so immersive. Personally, it felt like I was reading Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings again. I love the characters.

Janner is such a great main character. He deals with annoyances and struggles that felt like any twelve year old oldest sibling could feel (why do I have to watch my siblings? Am I going to just grow old and sit around grumpily while my siblings get to do whatever they want?). Even his growing character arc is beautiful, even though there are three books to go <3

Kalmar (Tink) is just my favorite. I love everything about this man. I relate to him on such a personal level it's actually terrifying. There are so many moments where Tink acted like a true king even though we find out he's royalty only in the final chapters. Moments where he stood over the Dark Sea of Darkness and had no fear of the ground so far below him. Moments where he gave orders and no one dared question him.

Leeli was my favorite when I was younger, and she is still one of my absolute favorites. Her calm, gentle, soul was always a healing presence for me within the story of chaos. The way she treats others around her is something that should be appreciated more. Kindness and compassion are such a dear part of her, the story wouldn't be the same if she were any different. Her laughter gives Janner peace in moments that scared him or made him sad. She is so precious and I love her so much (and Nugget, of course).

Overall, this is a five star read. For me, I think it always will. There were moments where I was on the edge of my seat. Times where I laughed at a character's remark. Times where I could literally see the world that they were in, and it was amazing. <3

[Autumn Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

best books of all time 😍

[Emily "The Bookworm" Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book!!! I'm rereading the series in anticipation for the third season of the animated TV series on Angel Studios, which is coming November 12 (2025) and I'm SO excited!!! This book is so peaceful and warm, and lovely to read, but soon darkness comes and shrouds the family in terror, leaving them to run from the Fangs. As always, Andrew never ceases to amaze me with this wonderful series!

[H.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book more than once and more than once it landed as a DNF. Eventually one of my children suggested that I try again and stick with it and that it would get better. I’m glad I listened. If you don’t have a Wingfeather cheerleader, I can be one to say, while it may be difficult to fully immerse yourself into Peterson’s complicated but very well thought out world during the first several chapters, the book does get significantly better about a third to halfway through. The main family are very likable and soon enough you find yourself cheering them on. I’d say it’s best for about 10-12 year olds, depending on how well they read and their interests, but also suitable for adults as well. If you’re a fan of world-building authors as Tolkien or Lewis or even Rowling, I think you might grow to like this book as well.

[Jocelyn Belonga · Rating 4 out of 5]

My older brother gave me this book for this Christmas, and it was nice to have something easy, light, and fun to read. I would be interested at some point to read the sequels. I would definitely recommend this for people that like fantasy but it could be hard to get into if you’re not used to the genre.

[Grace Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written - children's adventure book with humorous writing style and interesting world building. The plot takes the main characters from one miraculous escape to another, which begins to feel a bit repetitive, but I'm still invested in what happens next.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm an English teacher who loves fiction. I've read quite a bit of fantasy and sci-fi of various sorts.

This is, without a doubt, the worst series I have ever read. I only continued reading past the first few chapters because my wife and kids were reading the series and wanted me to read it with them.

Pros:
1. good, clean fun for kids. It has a glaringly obvious Christian allegory structure to it, so kids of any age can read it without parents needing to worry about inappropriate content.
2. It also has some good humor, especially in the first book, as well as some interesting cultures (particularly in books 2 and 3).
3. There are a few glimmers of originality and even a few satisfying plot twists, mostly in book 4.

Cons: Everything else. No exaggeration.
1. I'm a Christian who loves Narnia, but even my love for the Jesus-Lion was insufficient to stomach the sloppy, in-your-face preachiness of this series.
2. Deus ex Machina drives THE ENTIRE SERIES. It is truly astounding. There are at least 10 divine bailouts in the first book alone. It's almost as if the author doesn't know what plot continuity even is. I cannot exaggerate how horrendously structured this series is. Even my 6-year-old daughter caught the gross incongruities, without my prompting. It is truly some of the worst writing I've ever seen actually get published. My middle school students write better story arcs.
3. In the first book especially: the main characters are inconsistent, do not develop in line with the plot, and are downright annoying. One of the marks of a good story is when the reader grows an attachment to one or more protagonists; I was not only unattached, I was cheering for at least one of them to be killed off so that the story could shift focus to better characters. The protagonists are whiny, short-sighted, and idiotic, driving the plot exclusively through their stupidity (hence the need for repeated Deus ex Machina to rescue them).
4. A second mark of a good story is a strong antagonist. This series fails on that account as well. The villain is, effectively, some mixture of a bad joke and pitiful, low-IQ henchman.
5. The author drives a specific moral home again and again, but it's not one you likely want your children to learn. The moral of this story is: negative consequences don't stick if you're "a good person" overall. The protagonists knowingly launch themselves headlong into danger and repeatedly get a divine bailout. Characters die...but not really. Just kidding, they're back...again and again. Murderers are pardoned without consequence, toxic empathy always trumps reality, and committing any variety of sin is pardonable if their hearts were in the right place. This theme is a constant throughout the entire series--down to literally the final lines of the final book--and it is truly vomit-worthy.
5. There are so many PLOT HOLES and obvious mistakes that they are impossible to ignore, and they ruin the entire series.

If you watched Marvel and noticed that Thanos could have snapped his fingers and created twice as many planets just as easily as he could have temporarily reduced the universe's growing population...congratulations, you have a prefrontal cortex and this book is not for you.

If Hunger Games frustrated you because the author made millions by selling a book series that decries violence, yet was only popular in the first place because of all of its violence...congratulations, you have a prefontal cortex and this series is not for you.

If you'd prefer that Star Wars Episode 7-9 be decanonized...this series is not for you.

If you were horrified by the way Paolini ripped of Star Wars Episode 4 for his entire plotline, or by how he horrifically ruined the ending of his Inheritance series...yeah, this series is not for you.

If you've read Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, or George MacDonald then your expectations will be too high, and this series is not for you.

If your kids haven't read any good fiction yet, then sure, start them off with this series. It will serve as an excellent object lesson on the basics of fiction, before you graduate your child to the actual, quality fiction.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh me oh my.

What did I not love about this book? Nothing! I loved and adored it all.

First – the footnotes. Please don’t skip them. They are a hoot! Haha

The characters – the good ones were simply amazing! You will fall in love with all the good ones. The evil characters were perfectly evil. You’ll love reading about them.

The story line – top notch. Riveting. Engaging. Thought provoking.

I recommend this book to everybody! Read it aloud to your house pets who cannot read. Just read it! Trust me!!!

[Britt Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I especially enjoyed Jordan Peterson’s narration of it. There was such clever plotting. I loved all the silly names for things. Janner, Tink, and Leeli were relatable kids, even to adults. Their mom and grandpa hid things from them but wanted to keep them safe. The various side characters were interesting, but I especially adored Pete and Nugget! I knew what the jewels were pretty quickly, and glad I was right. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books and watch the show with my kids.

[Kelly Polin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my 3 big kids who happen to be 2 boys and a girl and line up so perfectly with the 3 main characters of the book. They were captivated by this book and begged every night for me to read more chapters despite the fact we usually read anywhere from 3 -5 a night. They have loved the Adventure and the danger and the emotional rollercoaster that is this tale. I loved this book as much as they did and I felt all the emotions that the author so beautifully crafted. You NEED the Pembricks creaturepedia bc the kids will absolutely love looking up all the creatures you encounter in this book. I tell everyone about this series and it's great to use as a family read aloud!

[Rachel Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a pretty picky reader. I usually only read the classics. And one of my ultimate pet peeves is modern Christian writers. I have been of the opinion that quality Christian literature died with CS Lewis. But I realized that I was wrong when I read this book. I loved everything about it. The world is so interesting - quirky and unique. The writing is also very good, and that’s coming from someone who can’t stand most modern books! This is seriously one of those rare books you find every once in a while when you sigh and go, “FINALLY, a good book.”

[Mathew Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read! This took me a bit to get into, but I was hooked toward the end.

Peterson's novel is witty, fun, and adventurous. The footnotes and appendices, I thought, were a clever way to expose children to the kind of writing that they'll see throughout life.

Several sections had me rolling with laughter.

My favorite quote, however, was at the end of the book (CONTAINS SPOILER):
"Your father is a king. You are his son. This is your land, and nothing can change that. Nothing."

Powerful biblical parallel that had me in tears.

On to the next!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio book. It was a great book could get slow and sometimes boring but it all led up to a crazy twist at the end! Such a fun exciting book! I also like that it was in the kids perspective it left me with the same questions they had! I am excited to read the next one and see how the story builds!! Super good book!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars and I rounded up to 5.

This is a great read for youth or adults. The names of the creatures and the irony presented are well written. The footnotes are almost as humorous as the book itself. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Jackson Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the best. Read and enjoy if you haven’t.

[Sarah McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can tell this is a stunning beginning to a truly epic tale. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was really clever, and the characters well drawn, but the storyline took awhile to really get going. Ramsey and I are planning to read the next one in the series though.

[Cyber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!

[Chloe Koehn]

I liked it definitely gets better as the series goes.

[Megan Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it! Don't think I'll read the rest but as an adult in her 30's I liked escaping into this wee world for a book.

[Lincoln Stickler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kayla Flewelling]

Excellent fiction read for young readers. A little too scary for children who may be more sensitive.

[Wynona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cliffhanger! Can't wait to read the next book.

[Alayna Garness · Rating 5 out of 5]

great bro

[Luminous Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the Book
The first book in The Wingfeather Saga introduces readers to the Igiby family, who live in the shadow of the Fangs of Dang, the sinister rulers of Skree. Siblings Janner, Tink, and Leeli try their best to elude the fearsome, lizard-like Fangs, who are relentless in their search for the fabled Jewels of Anniera. Little do they know, their fates are intricately woven into a tapestry of ancient lore and an adventure they could never have imagined.

My Thoughts:
This middle-grade fantasy is filled with quirky characters, adventure, and a richly crafted world steeped in lore. The Igiby family won my heart with their bravery and camaraderie, and I absolutely adored “visiting” the charming Books and Crannies bookshop, with its shelves that brim with endless stories and curiosities.

It’s a tale of friendship, courage, and the timeless battle of good versus evil, making it an thrilling journey from start to finish!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kinley]

O my goodness! And so it begins.