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Within the Black
Welcome to Nowhere, the place of lost things.
With an abundance of cold, black fog.
With a grumpy Caretaker who doesn’t care.
With a wall of black that hides secrets.
With a monster, The Keeper, who declares everything his.
But maybe it’s a place where Will can forget. His mom died, leaving an emptiness that fills with hurt and anger. The fog offers a chance for him to exist where no one says they’re sorry, where no one looks at him with pity, where thoughts of Mom don’t crush his mind like a meteor. He discovers a place of new friends, of fun games messing with rusty robots, of feeling like himself, and learning the secrets of Nowhere.
But the sadness never leaves, the pain doesn’t dull, and the anger grows. And he yells at his family. He hits his friend.
Will must face his fears and acknowledge his true anger, before he sinks too far into the black and becomes a monster.
With an abundance of cold, black fog.
With a grumpy Caretaker who doesn’t care.
With a wall of black that hides secrets.
With a monster, The Keeper, who declares everything his.
But maybe it’s a place where Will can forget. His mom died, leaving an emptiness that fills with hurt and anger. The fog offers a chance for him to exist where no one says they’re sorry, where no one looks at him with pity, where thoughts of Mom don’t crush his mind like a meteor. He discovers a place of new friends, of fun games messing with rusty robots, of feeling like himself, and learning the secrets of Nowhere.
But the sadness never leaves, the pain doesn’t dull, and the anger grows. And he yells at his family. He hits his friend.
Will must face his fears and acknowledge his true anger, before he sinks too far into the black and becomes a monster.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2025
About the author
Kathleen Palm
21 books528 followersKathleen Palm wanted to be a ballerina (but dancing was hard), then a marine biologist (but science was hard). About eighteen years ago, she became a writer (which is hard, but she didn’t care). She loves scary movies, TV shows, and books, watching people play horror video games on YouTube, and chocolate cake. With her husband, two college kids, four cats and two dogs, she lives in a big, old (sadly not haunted) house in rural Indiana where she resists the urge to run through the killer-infested cornfields.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 9, 2026
A middle grade novel about grief and losing yourself to anger and pain. Will's mom died and everyone seems to be handling it better than him. His older sister isn't fighting his friends, his younger brother isn't hiding in his room, his dad isn't hiding things that remind him of her. Only Will. When nowhere comes for him, he embraces it. It's an escape from reality and in Nowhere, he can embrace the black, the cold nothingness of forgetfulness. But his family and friends keep trying to pull him back and make him remember. But Will just wants to forget, it hurts less. A good novel about grief, but the concept of Nowhere and the Keeper and the Caretaker needed a little finessing. As an adult reading this novel, I had trouble following the thread sometimes.
October 26, 2026
Absolutely haunting and accessible portrayal of grief for middle grade. Loved it as an adult, and would absolutely recommend to parents and kids. A fantastic second installment- can't wait to read the third
November 11, 2025
I was lucky enough to get to read this early and really enjoyed it. I had not read the first one, but thankfully this is a stand alone type book and I liked it anyway, I don think I’m missed out, but I did enjoy this enough to add the first one to my TBR.
The atmosphere and vibes we’re spooky, dark fog, creepy caretaker and a place or lost an forgetter things.
Will has a void deep inside that the fog would love to creep in and corrupt and drive Will to dark and darker levels as he tries to deal with he loss of his mom and being young in general.
This book is not short on emotion and Katherine knows how to write a character, I found my heart breaking as Will struggled to come to terms with everything and how do you even reconcile your mother dying when you are only 12 years old?
Nowhere feels like the balm he needs, but really it’s just a bandaid that festers.
Can will work through this journey and find his way out of Nowhere and onto that next chapter of his life?
This was a really good YA book and would be perfect for kids to work through how grief comes out and sometimes the emotions are a lot. There are tons of books where characters handle it exactly right, but this is a little more, of imperfect grief and that its different for everyone.
Absolutely great read.
The atmosphere and vibes we’re spooky, dark fog, creepy caretaker and a place or lost an forgetter things.
Will has a void deep inside that the fog would love to creep in and corrupt and drive Will to dark and darker levels as he tries to deal with he loss of his mom and being young in general.
This book is not short on emotion and Katherine knows how to write a character, I found my heart breaking as Will struggled to come to terms with everything and how do you even reconcile your mother dying when you are only 12 years old?
Nowhere feels like the balm he needs, but really it’s just a bandaid that festers.
Can will work through this journey and find his way out of Nowhere and onto that next chapter of his life?
This was a really good YA book and would be perfect for kids to work through how grief comes out and sometimes the emotions are a lot. There are tons of books where characters handle it exactly right, but this is a little more, of imperfect grief and that its different for everyone.
Absolutely great read.
October 28, 2025
Within the Black is the second book of the Nowhere Series. While it can be read as a stand-alone the first book is amazing!
Palm again proves she remembers what it was like to be a child. The MC Will is relatable as he deals with anger and grief after the loss of his mother. This is a creepy, emotionally driven, beautiful story. It is middle grade/YA horror with heart that anyone of any age can enjoy.
Thank you, Undertaker Books, for the ARC. I look forward to reading the final book in the series.
Palm again proves she remembers what it was like to be a child. The MC Will is relatable as he deals with anger and grief after the loss of his mother. This is a creepy, emotionally driven, beautiful story. It is middle grade/YA horror with heart that anyone of any age can enjoy.
Thank you, Undertaker Books, for the ARC. I look forward to reading the final book in the series.
November 8, 2025
What a great book for middle school ages on up to adulthood. The author has such a knack for opening up your imagination. Following Will, the main character, in this book is such a ride through emotions that everyone feels during grief. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!!
December 9, 2025
This book was so real I could feel the character pain. I felt everything Will was going through and was hoping he could find his way. Wonderful story and very relatable to everyone
January 8, 2026
In Within the Black, we return to Nowhere and pick up with Will. When Into the Gray ended, Will was about to encounter one of the toughest moments in his life—the loss of his mother. This book centers around him, the wide range of emotions he battles, how he copes with the loss, and his place in the world without her. Palm does a fantastic job harnessing the inner turmoil of a young teenage boy battling his inner demons while attempting to portray himself as being fine.
One of my favorite things about this book is how it seamlessly falls into line behind the first. This time, though, the lost things are more than just trinkets or stuffed animals.
Grief, loss, family, forgiveness, and friendship are the cornerstones of the story. Within the Black takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions. If you’ve experienced loss, this book will touch you in some way. If you think a middle grade novel can’t rip your heart out, think again. Not only is the book centered around emotions, it has a way of digging its sharp, blackened claws into your chest to gouge yours out, too.
Not to be forgotten, though, are the characters who reappear from the first book. Ember, Ash, Shelly, and of course Caretaker, are along for the ride to feed the narrative and push Will to face his fears and look within himself for answers. The question is—does he like what he sees?
Palm sheds light on how it feels to be sad as well as angry. The emotions are believable and feel sincere. The characters interact well, each contributing to the theme in their own ways, enhancing the story.
I can’t wait to see what Palm does in the final installation of The Nowhere Series. I want to know what the characters from the first book and the new ones we meet in this one will do next. Not to mention, I’m curious about how mysterious situations will be wrapped up in the end. Palm has left me hungry for more!
I’d like to echo was I said at the end of my review of Into the Black: Grab a copy of this for a young adult in your life or just for yourself. I, for one, enjoyed every moment of getting lost in the story.
For the entire spoiler-free review: https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...
One of my favorite things about this book is how it seamlessly falls into line behind the first. This time, though, the lost things are more than just trinkets or stuffed animals.
Grief, loss, family, forgiveness, and friendship are the cornerstones of the story. Within the Black takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions. If you’ve experienced loss, this book will touch you in some way. If you think a middle grade novel can’t rip your heart out, think again. Not only is the book centered around emotions, it has a way of digging its sharp, blackened claws into your chest to gouge yours out, too.
Not to be forgotten, though, are the characters who reappear from the first book. Ember, Ash, Shelly, and of course Caretaker, are along for the ride to feed the narrative and push Will to face his fears and look within himself for answers. The question is—does he like what he sees?
Palm sheds light on how it feels to be sad as well as angry. The emotions are believable and feel sincere. The characters interact well, each contributing to the theme in their own ways, enhancing the story.
I can’t wait to see what Palm does in the final installation of The Nowhere Series. I want to know what the characters from the first book and the new ones we meet in this one will do next. Not to mention, I’m curious about how mysterious situations will be wrapped up in the end. Palm has left me hungry for more!
I’d like to echo was I said at the end of my review of Into the Black: Grab a copy of this for a young adult in your life or just for yourself. I, for one, enjoyed every moment of getting lost in the story.
For the entire spoiler-free review: https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...
October 28, 2025
For fans of Goosebumps and Katherine Arden's Small Spaces, Within the Black blends spooky sci-fi fun with rich poignant elements readers of all ages will love.
Within the Black is the second in Kathleen Palm's Nowhere trilogy, but can be read on its own. A touching exploration of grief and the many forms it can take as we follow 12-year-old Will through a wormhole into the mysterious gray Nowhere, a realm of lost things where he finally has a chance to numb himself from the pain of losing his mother. Imaginative, heart-wrenching, and oh-so-spooky, I enjoyed every second!
Thank you to Undertaker Books and Kathleen Palm for the eARC!
Within the Black is the second in Kathleen Palm's Nowhere trilogy, but can be read on its own. A touching exploration of grief and the many forms it can take as we follow 12-year-old Will through a wormhole into the mysterious gray Nowhere, a realm of lost things where he finally has a chance to numb himself from the pain of losing his mother. Imaginative, heart-wrenching, and oh-so-spooky, I enjoyed every second!
Thank you to Undertaker Books and Kathleen Palm for the eARC!
July 9, 2026
I discovered Kathleen Palm reading one of her short stories in an anthology. Needless to say, I had to buy one of her novels as I was hungry for some more of her gritty and visceral writing style.
Within the black was so good I'll be giving it a second read in the future, but not before I smash into the Gray, the second book of the series!
Really loved the characters, the eerieness and the worldbuilding here!
Within the black was so good I'll be giving it a second read in the future, but not before I smash into the Gray, the second book of the series!
Really loved the characters, the eerieness and the worldbuilding here!
October 28, 2025
What an excellent read! If you enjoy middle-grade/YA horror/sci-fi/Goosebumps-ish fiction, this one hits all the marks! Our main character, Will, is such a relatable little dude! Also, if you have younger readers who have lost someone close to them, this book tackles grief in a way that is relatable to younger audiences (and even adults too!) Kudos!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews