Book Review: Attack of the Fiend (The Last Apprentice #4)

Release Date: February 26, 2008
Author: Joseph Delaney
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Length: 546 pages
Source: Purchased Book

"I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born."

Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who banishes boggarts and drives away ghosts. But now a new danger is threatening Tom's world. The witches are rising and the three most powerful clans are uniting in order to conjure an unimaginable evil.

Tom and the Spook set out to stop the witches before they unleash the demon. But when Tom finds himself on his own, he wonders if he has the courage and cunning to defeat the most powerful enemy he has ever encountered.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Tom, Alice, and the Spook have many trials ahead of themselves when they travel to Pendle to take care of a very serious problem there. Tom also has another reason to go as his family's gone missing and it seems as if Pendle witches are to blame. In an earlier installment I thought I might have just been reading too much into things when I thought Tom was being a bit too prideful and while he may be the Spook's best apprentice he still has a lot to learn, but I felt there was no real pay off or even confirmation that Tom's pride was a bad thing, however it's brought up here and since things are getting much more dangerous Tom needs to learn now more than ever to not get cocky. Again, I love Tom's character and his growth throughout the series so far, and while I know a lot of what happens later on, I can't wait to see him grow even more.

Romance: Wow, haven't seen this section in a review for this book in a while, well that's because it's finally time. As this series progresses Tom will get older, and thus want to find companionship with someone. Now while Alice is the obvious choice for Tom's inevitable love interest, seeing as she's the only girl around his age that we've seen in this world ths far, there is someone else who becomes attracted to Tom. Now, the romance in this installment is very light. It more just begins to introduce the idea of Tom being romantically attached.

World Building: The Dark is growing and for some reason I don't seem to realize that there's an entire story before the final climax because in my previous review for this series I said that things would really start to kick up, and they do, but that's not til much later in this tale. No, this story serves as a fantastic way to explore more of Tom's family, particularly his Mam, though another of his brothers does appear in this book. Tom's Mam is a bit of an enigma and while I want to say here's where we get all our answers about her, I can't, we learn SO much more though and it's done is such a spectacular way. We also learn more abot witches in this installment as well as learn what they're up to and who the Big Bad of this series is. Finally, we meet my all time favorite character of this series, but beware, her scissors are sharp.

Foreshadowing: Much like with the previous installments in this series I cannot comment on the predictability of this book as it's a reread, but there is foreshadowing galore to be found within this book. There are so many things that relate to future installments as well as this one. Looking back I don't think much of it was that obvios though. There were a few things, which I probably shouldn't mention because they're pretty obvious.

Ending: Gah, the ending is fantastic! It's full of tension and anticipation. I can't give too much away but while it isn't something that's scary in the traditional sense and while there are more books in this series narrated by Tom I knew he wasn't going to die yet, but I forgot just how narrowly he escapes danger in this series sometimes. The final climax is fairly different than others I've seen in most books. It's hard to explain bt it's very emotional and tense in the moment. Anyway, once again we are also treated to an epilogue from Tom setting the stage for the next book, the world is changing, the Dark is rising, what's next?

Rating:

I'll be the first to admit my ratings are this series might be a little skewed as I've reread a few Middle Grade favorites and they haven't held up all that well, but this series does. It's by no means the best series ever but the story is fantastic and the characters are amazing and I love traveling through this story again.

Book Review: Night of the Soul Stealer (The Last Apprentice #3)

Release Date: August 28, 2007
Author: Joseph Delaney
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Length: 489 pages
Source: Purchased Book

It's going to be a long, hard, cruel winter. And there couldn't be a worse place to spend it than up on Anglezarke.

Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who captures witches and drives away ghosts. As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, the Spook receives an unexpected visitor. Tom doesn't know who the stranger is or what he wants, but the Spook suddenly decides it's time to travel to his winter house, Anglezarke. Tom has heard it will be a bleak, forbidding place, and that menacing creatures are starting to stir somewhere on the moors nearby.

Can anything prepare Tom for what he finds there? What if the rumors about the evil beast called the Golgoth are true? And how much danger will Tom be in if the secrets the Spook has been trying to hide from the world are revealed?

    

Review:

Protagonist: As the first year of Tom's apprenticeship is coming to an end, he and the Spook head to the Spook's Winter House. There more about the Spook's past comes to light as Tom meets a former apprentice of the Spook, a man with dark ambitions. Again, this story shows that while Tom is the main character, he's still the apprentice and, for the moment, his character's purpose is in many ways to give us a look into Mr. Gregory's past. That isn't to say that Tom doesn't have his fair share of troubles as his loyalties are tested and his skills as a Spook in training are put to a great test. Again, Tom doesn't have too much of a lesson to learn or bit of character to adjust, he's still learning what it means to be a Spook, and that sometimes the job can be very hard indeed.

World Building: Once again we're treated to a look into the past of John Gregory as we travel to his winter home in Anglezarke. This book does a good job to flesh out the Spook's backstory quite a bit more as we learn just how he's been dealing with the witch he fell in love with, as well as what happened to the woman who was engaged to his brother but ran away with him. Again, our main story feels very "Monster of the Week," although this week's "monster" is so much more. I love seeing this series get set up, and set up it gets as the Dark grows more powerful. Tom's family once again comes into play in the main story and I honestly forgot how much Tom's family (more than just his Mam) featured in the first few books. Now, this is the final book before stuff really hits the fan, and it's near the end of the first year of Tom's apprenticeship, there's a lot still yet to be discovered.

Foreshadowing: Once again it wasn't all that easy to see foreshadowing for this particular installment, it's been quite a few years since I read this book, and while I know the gist of what happens in this book, I was still taken by surprise from time to time. In fact, I've almost noticed a pattern in these books, a certain element to the story structure that I found very interesting. As for the larger series foreshadowing, while there isn't as much in here as the previous installment, I still saw small bits and pieces that point to future events in this series, things that won't happen for a while yet.

Ending: As this story reached its final climax things were getting very tense, but I do have to say that while I understand that these books are for a younger audience, it's hard for things to be too tense when Tom, our first-person protagonist, is the only one we care about in danger and there are a great deal more books in this series. Don't get me wrong, I really like the end of this book and the final climax was really interesting, but in the end, fell a bit flat. The cooldown period really shows that this series is getting darker and there are more adventures to be had ahead.

Rating:

Once again I'm surprised to be giving an early book in this series five stars. I honestly thought I'd give them less, as I love the later installments a whole lot more, as that's where the main plot will be in full swing, and yet, for an early book in a Middle-Grade series, this story is very compelling and while it doesn't go into as many complex topics as a YA or Adult book would, it does go into some rather complicated moral places and I can't wait to continue my journey in this series.

Book Review: Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice #2)

Release Date: August 29, 2006
Author: Joseph Delaney
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Length: 480 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane!

As Thomas and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives, it becomes clear that the Bane isn't their only enemy. The Quisitor has arrived, searching for those who meddle with the dark so he can imprison them—or worse.

Can Thomas defeat the Bane on his own? Is his friend Alice guilty of witchcraft? And will the Spook be able to escape the Quisitor's clutches?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Tom Ward has been very successful in his apprenticeship to the Spook, in fact, the first chapter of this book is a testament to how far he's come in such little time, but with success comes a bit of a big head for the lad. Ironically, while Tom is our protagonist and the entire book is told from his point of view, he's definitely more or less along the ride for the Spook's tale as Joh Gregory's past is brought up quite a bit in this book and there are some interesting parallels between him and Tom. I wouldn't say that Tom had any sort of overt character arc in this story, he's still learning from his master and listening to his instincts. He's a great character, he's flawed in a lot of ways, he has a long way to go, but his journey in this book was a great look into his journey overall.

World Building: As I said this story is more focused on the Spook's past, and the Spook is a very interesting character as he has a lot of viewpoints that I don't agree with at all and what I love is that Tom will also point that out, but at the same time there's still valuable knowledge to learn from the Spook, and getting to learn more about his past it becomes almost obvious where some of his biases come from. In addition to learning more about the Spook, this book almost acts more like a "Monster of the Week" episode of a supernatural show, in this adventure the monster they're up against is fierce and deadly, and he's just the tip of the iceberg as the world gets fleshed out even more by introducing the Quisitor, a man who believes the Spook to be a warlock worthy of a fiery death. There was a whole lot more to rediscover in this book and I forgot how dense with world building it could get at times.

Foreshadowing: As this book is a reread for me, I knew mostly what happened in this book, but as I said before I forgot a good deal of things and sort of spread them into the rest of the series. There's a good deal of foreshadowing in this book, though not necessarily for the story being told. While I did see certain things pop up that hinted toward this story's conclusion, what was interesting was seeing just how many things that don't appear until much later in the books are mentioned in some way in this book. Sometimes when I read long series, it seems that the authors don't quite know where their story is going but after rereading this book it's obvious Delaney had a very good idea where he was taking this story.

Ending: The final climax of this story is very intense and while the tension does sort of dissipate at one point, it's still a really pulse-pounding ending. The end really serves to preview what's to come up with the next installment and show that we aren't quite done with a few things. I love the almost diary style writing of this series because there's always room for the small epilogue that sort of catches the reader up with how things are faring between books and set up what's to come.

Rating:

While this isn't my favorite installment of this series, I honestly haven't found anything wrong with it, in fact, it holds up really well after it's been so long since I first read it. The characters are fantastic, the world is slowly growing, the writing is phenomenal and I can't help but want to continue the series right now.

Novella Review: The Ghost Prison

Release Date: October 1, 2013
Author: Joseph Delaney
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Length: 98 pages
Source: eGalley from Netgalley

‘This is the entrance to the Witch Well and behind that door you’d face your worst nightmare. Don’t ever go through there.'

Night falls, the portcullis rises in the moonlight, and young Billy starts his first night as a prison guard. But this is no ordinary prison. There are haunted cells that can’t be used, whispers and cries in the night... and the dreaded Witch Well. Billy is warned to stay away from the prisoner down in the Witch Well. But who could it be? What prisoner could be so frightening? Billy is about to find out...

An unforgettable ghost story from the creator of the Wardstone Chronicles (Last Apprentice) series.

Illustrated throughout by the incredible Scott M Fischer, this beautifully produced book will make the perfect Halloween gift.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Billy is an orphan who has recently taken up a job as a guard for a local prison. Of course once he gets there he discovers far more than he bargained for. Since this story is so short, being able to easily read it in under an hour, there wasn't all that much character development. That being said I could still get a pretty good feeling as to what type of character Billy is, hard working, loyal, and, while not the bravest of the bunch, can persevere in frightening situations.

World-Building: This story takes place in the same world as the Last Apprentice series by the same author. While there isn't that much world-building in this book, with it being more like a short story than a novella, there are some references to the Last Apprentice series, nothing major and nothing truly spoilery, but just a few things to tie the two stories together.

Predictability: So I really didn't expect where this book was going. I think for like, the first four chapters or so I understood how the story was going to unfold, but as the end drew nearer the story took some unexpected twists and turns.

Ending: So as I said before the ending of this story is where things get a bit unpredictable. At first I assumed a few things were going to happen and well, it turns out that I was totally and completely wrong, and secondly I didn't expect the story to end as darkly as it did. I know Joseph Delaney isn't necessarily the king of fairy tales and happy endings but even so this was unexpected.

Rating:

This is a beautifully crafted and highly entertaining short story. I'd say that even though this story lands somewhere in the lower-YA age group that anyone could enjoy it and that it might be scary, but in a good way, for children 7-12. Perfect for a spooky Halloween story.