In Indigo, the Deep, the third in Kellye Abernathy’s Yellow Cottage Stories, the autumn equinox is returning to the mystical oceanfront town of Dipitous Beach. And so, thinks Condi Bloom, must the magic. To whom will it appear in this season?

In the previous books in the series, difficulties have come from conflict within the community. Here, Dipitous Beach faces an external challenge: a medical research ship parked just off the coast, harvesting marine resources needed for pharmaceutical use. The researchers are interested only in profit, with no thought given to the harm they might be doing to the surrounding environment. Is it possible for science and the magic of the ocean to coexist, even to work together?

Condi is chasing dangerous waves, trying to ease the ache in her heart over the departure of Trustin Davis, her first love. It’s been two years, but his absence still stings. One person she doesn’t want to chase is Firth Cristo, one of the three children to whom Grand Ella has opened her home. Prickly Firth hides the heart of a healer behind a veneer of moodiness and teenage rebellion. He is a daring free diver, going into caverns not easily accessible to gather healing plants from the sea. As Firth deals with possibly losing Trippy, his mentor and the head of the Beachlings, he is drawn into Koan’s undersea world for lessons he must learn to make full use of his healing gifts.

Once again, Abernathy handles weighty topics with grace and sensitivity. The conflict of science with the natural world, learning to see the past rightly and release it, coming of age and coming into one’s own‒she touches gently on each topic with her lyrical writing. This is not a fast-moving, action-packed story, although there are some tense moments. She creates an engaging world, laced with natural beauty and supernatural grace, and lets her characters grow, change, and become who they were meant to be.

This book can be read as a standalone, but to really experience Dipitous Beach, readers should start at the beginning with The Aquamarine Surfboard. As with the other two books in the series, vintage surfboards and their marks play a part in the story, and it will come as no surprise to those familiar with Abernathy’s works that one of those boards finds its way into Firth’s hands.

As one would expect, the story doesn’t end on a note of finality, but of awe and of mysteries that may be yet to come. Kellye Abernathy leaves room for the reader to imagine what happens next and where life takes our friends in Dipitous Beach, and it will be a treat for those who appreciate the awe of possibilities.