Review - Slither (The Last Apprentice, Book 11) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: January 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062192349
Stand Alone or Series: 11th book in the Last Apprentice series
Source: Gift
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the eleventh book in The Last Apprentice series. The twelfth book will be titled, I am Alice, and is scheduled for a September 2013 release. This book was a good read and engaging, but did not feature the normal characters in the series.

This book diverts from our normal group of characters, to a different part of the world far from Tom Ward’s country. The story is told from Sliter’s point of view. Slither is a dark mage that makes a deal with a farmer in his region. When the farmer dies he promises Slither his eldest daughter, Nessa, as a slave if only Slither will see Nessa’s two younger sisters to their aunt and uncle. When Slither gets on the bad side of another dark mage all of their lives are in danger. Although things take turn for the better when the strange witch named Grimalkin pops into the story.

This book is written in the same dank and dark tone as all of the previous books. Slither is not really a good character at all, but he is an honorable one. Sure he eats human blood to survive, but when he makes a promise to Nessa’s dad he is bound to keep it. He is not kind, he is not caring, but he honors his bargains.

Parts of the book are also told from Nessa’s point of view. Nessa is a surprisingly resilient character; I loved her bravery in the face of things more horrible than she has ever before faced. I loved how she did her best to shelter her younger sisters as well. She is one tough cookie and an excellent heroine to add to the series.

Slither’s world is a dangerous and interesting one. It’s bound by rules that are followed strictly but it is a vicious world. I enjoyed reading and learning about the world outside of the one we normally read about.

Grimalkin does enter the book for the last third or so of the story. As normal Grimalkin is my absolute favorite character in this series. Like normal she is neither good nor bad. Here we see some of what she has gone through and continues to go through in an effort to destroy the Fiend’s head. She was awesome and the collaborations between her and Nessa were interesting and made me wonder what the future holds for Nessa.

While I wasn’t totally thrilled to have the resolution to this series delayed by this diversion, I have to admit this book was well done and very entertaining. It is formated like previous books with creepy pictures opening each chapter. The book is creepy and dark and a bit scary, but never terrifying.

Overall I really enjoyed this addition to the Last Apprentice series. It was fun to get a look at a different part of the world this series takes place in. Slither was an interesting evil but honorable type of character. Nessa was a surprisingly engaging heroine as well. The parts with Grimlakin were wonderful and it was interesting to see what else she has done on her travels. The book was well paced and incredibly engaging. I really love this series. I can’t wait to read I Am Alice and then see how things wrap up in the 13th book of this series! This series is highly recommended to fans of middle grade/young adult horror/fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - Lure of the Dead (The Last Apprentice, Book 10) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre:Fantasy/Horror
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: August 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062027603
Stand Alone or Series: 10th book in the Last Apprentice series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the tenth book in the Last Apprentice series. In this book we are back to hearing from Tom and the Spook. It was an excellent addition to the series and really shows how the story is shifting away from the Spook and more to Tom.

Tom makes a journey to find out what needs to be done to bind the Fiend's soul for good. Then Tom and the Spook journey to a small town to get more books from the Spook's library. When they arrive they find out that the town is infested with Romanian witches on a mission for the Fiend.

This book progresses the story nicely. We find out what must be done to bind the Spook’s soul and what a horrible thing it is. All of these books are dark, but I thought this was one of the darkest books yet. This book was more of a YA reading level than a middle grade read I thought. Very violent at times and kind of creepy and scary too.

All of our favorite characters are here; Tom, the Spook, and Alice. We also get to meet a new character that is one of the Spook's previous apprentices and he made a good addition to the story. Tom definitely takes front and center and is really coming into his own as a Spook.

The Spook is definitely showing his age and takes a backseat to the other characters in this book.

Alice is growing in power and continues to flirt with the dark, yet she remains steadfast to Tom and does her best to try and combat the Fiend. You see a lot of her struggling to balance the necessity of using the Dark and the want to stay with her friends in the Light. She is also absent a large portion of the book since she is off helping Grimalkin.

We meet some new horrible and creepy creatures of the dark. The book gets fairly violent at points, with some scenes of torture as well. Just a heads up for younger readers.

The book ends at a good spot, with things being set up for the next installment. Not a lot of twists or turns in the story, but it is still an engaging read. The creepy illustrations throughout really add to the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it progressed the story nicely. It was a bit darker than other books in the series, more violent with some torture scenes...so just a heads up to younger readers. Tom is really coming into his own as a Spook and it was great to see him take on the Dark by himself. Alice also continues to grow in her dark power. This whole series is highly recommended to those who enjoy adventure fantasy with horror in it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Grimalkin the Witch Assassin (The Last Apprentice, Book 9) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade/YA
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Size: 400 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: April 17, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0062082077
Stand Alone or Series: 9th book in the Last Apprentice series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the ninth book in The Last Apprentice series by Delaney. The tenth book of this series will be titled, Lure of the Dead, and is scheduled for release in August 2012. This was a great addition to the series and is told completely from Grimalkin’s point of view; although it is also directly tied into Tom and Alice’s story as well.

Grimalkin has made it her goal to destroy the Fiend as revenge for him murdering her son. In the last book she joined forces with Tom and the Spook to take down the Fiend. Now she is on the run with the Fiend’s head. If she is going to give Tom and the Spook time to destroy the Fiend permanently she needs to keep the head away from the Fiend’s many dangerous followers.

This was an excellent addition to the series, although not my favorite. I was very, very excited to read more about Grimalkin and all in all it was fun to hear things from her point of view. Although I have to say I had kind of been hoping for a more complex character; what drives Grimalkin is very straight forward...it’s revenge.

We learn more about Grimalkin’s past and life in this book. One of the best additions to the story was Grimalkin’s apprentice. This gave us a glimpse at Grimalkin’s life outside of her quest to kill the Fiend and did add a little more depth to her character.

Grimalkin is unique in that she is one of the most driven characters I have read about; sometime it feels like she makes it through events on determination alone. She is Grimalkin and that is enough for her to fight through everything to get to her goal.

The only other thing I thought was weaker with this book was the style of language. At times the language is pretty dry; there isn’t as much banter as in the book featuring Tom Ward. Grimalkin sometimes speaks in a rather archaic way and I thought it made her sound a bit stiff.

Also I should mention that this book was much more violent than the previous books in the series. That didn’t bother me much, but I noticed it. Of course this is a book about a witch assassin, and the world the witches live in isn’t a pretty one...so that is to be expected.

Also this is part of the main story but more like an offshoot. While Grimalkin is guarding the Fiend’s head Tom and the Spook are supposed to be off figuring out how to destroy the Fiend’s spirit and body for good (which I am going to assume is the topic of the next Last Apprentice book). The story is progressed some, but not a lot.

Overall this was a great book in the series. I loved learning more about Grimalkin, I was a bit disappointed because my expectations were so high...Grimalkin wasn’t as complex as I thought she would be. That being said it was still a very very well done book and added a lot to the story. While the storyline isn’t progressed a ton, this book does fill out and add to the story. This whole series is highly recommended to Middle Grade and older readers who like their fantasy dark with monsters and some creepy in it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Rage of the Fallen (The Last Apprentice, Book 8) by Joseph Delaney (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: April 19, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0062027566
Stand Alone or Series: 8th book in The Last Apprentice series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars
 
This is the 8th book in The Last Apprentice series and it was even more fantastic than the previous books.  Another spin-off of this series called I am Grimalkin (UK release) is supposed to be released later this year which I am looking forward and Delaney is working on book 9 of this series as well.  So, no idea how many more books in this series...but honestly I hope it goes on forever! 

The Spook, Tom, and Alice have fled to Ireland.  They hope to meet up with Grimalkin and take care of the Fiend once and for all.  Things are never easy though and Tom finds himself hunted by the very witch he thought he destroyed in the last book (or is it?).  Our three unlikely heroes also end up meeting up with some locals who want their help in preventing a dark ceremony that will summon the God Pan to create chaos.  Will they be able to hold the Fiend and all of his dark minions at bay?  What about the darkness and war that is threatening to consume the land.

This was a wonderful book.  Both Tom and Alice are coming into their powers nicely.  They both are taking on more responsible and find themselves in more dire situations than ever.  This is a very dark book, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  They do finally confront the Fiend in this book and what a confrontation it is!

The second half of the book has a lot more Grimalkin, she is my absolute favorite in this series, and it was so awesome to read more about here.  It is also interesting to watch how the Spook reacts as he gets further and further drawn into the dark magic that threatens to consume Alice and Tom.  

This was an absolutely awesome book.  The writing style is wonderful to read; very gothic yet easy to read and such wonderful descriptions and characters.  The drawings throughout are creepy and stunning.  This is a book that is dark, but never gets too scary.  The book ended well and it looks like we are in store for yet more adventures for our travelers.

Overall an absolutely fantastic addition to this series.  I loved some of the turns this story took, loved how Alice and Tom are developing as characters, and loved that Grimalkin was in the story more.  I really do hope this series goes on for a bit longer, it is one of those rare series that has consistently spectacular books.  If you haven't read this series and you like adventure with monsters and a bit of creepy you have got to check this series out.  It is a fantastic read for middle grade and up.  

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 100+ Reading Challenge

 

Review - Rise of the Huntress (The Last Apprentice, Book 7) by Joseph Delaney (4/5 stars)

This is the seventh book in The Last Apprentice series by Delaney.  Originally the series was planned for seven books, but this book definitely isn't the last in the series.  I haven't been able to find an updated estimate of how many books this series will have.  This was another great addition to this series.

This book finds the Spook, Tom, and Alice back on their way to the Spook's house.  Things are getting worse on the war front, the enemies are invading further inland and when the Spook and crew arrive home they find the Spook's house burnt to the ground.  They end up fleeing to the island of Mona where they will find even more trouble than they left behind on the mainland.

This was another creepy, action packed installment in this series.  It is one of the darkest books of the series so far.  The Spook hits new lows with his house destroyed and his enemies stronger than he can handle; this results in Tom and Alice having to step up and take on more responsibilities.  Over everything you can feel the shadow of the Fiend; his presence on the earth is making humans act in more despicable ways than ever, making the war even more brutal than a war normally would be.

Tom and Alice continue to grow in complexity as characters; both of them are constantly toeing the line between good and evil and trying to stay in a happy grey-white area.  All of the characters are sent through horrible trials in this book and it really makes you feel for them.

Most of this book ends up being a fight between Bony Lizzie and the Spook and crew.  I can't help feeling like this book was just throwing in another adventure to stall for time while Delaney tries to figure out what to do with the over-arcing story involving the escape of the Fiend.  Things are getting worse and at some point the Fiend will have to be dealt with; I am hoping it doesn't get drawn out too long and is addressed in the next book.  There really isn't any resolution at all when it comes to the Fiend in this book.

Fans of previous novels should enjoy this book.  Although the story is darker, it is written in the same great style as previous novels and is very readable and engaging.  Quite the page-turner it was hard to put down.

Overall another excellent installment in this series.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series and hope that we finally get some resolution to the storyline about the Fiend.  I love this series, but it is starting to drag on a bit for me.

This book goes towards the following reading challenge:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Review - A Coven of Witches (The Last Apprentice) by Joseph Delaney (4/5 stars)

This is another set of four short stories set in the The Last Apprentice world all featuring witches.

- Meg Skeleton: Fills in the story of how the Spook met Meg and details the events that happened with Meg and her sister that lead to their imprisonment.  Most of this you already know if you are reading the series, but it was nice to have this subplot filled out.
- Dirty Dora: gives some insight into how dead witches become dead witches.  This was an okay story but nothing too exciting.
- Alice and the Brain Guzzler: This story tells how Alice ended up learning some of the witch art.  Basically it is what happened to her after her parents died and she ended up living with Bony Lizzie.  This was probably the best story of the bunch, it gives a lot of insight into Alice's character.
- The Banshee Witch: Tells of the banshee witch that Tom Ward fought with when he was apprenticed with Bill Arkwright.  This was my second favorite story of the bunch.  It was nice to hear more about Tom's apprenticeship with Arkwright.
Overall a pretty decent set of stories.  Alice and the Brain Guzzler and The Banshee Witch make the book worth buying, if you are really set on having the whole series.  I personally just got this one from the library to read.  The writing is the same style as all the previous books; I enjoyed it.  The stories Dirty Dora and Meg Skeleton didn't add a lot to the series for me, but they were okay reads.

Basically this book is just filler as we want for the next book "The Huntress Rises" which is supposed to come out in August 2010.  It's a good read and adds some depth to a couple of the characters, so I would recommend reading this book if you are a fan of the series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Clash of the Demons (The Last Apprentice, Book 6) by Joseph Delaney (5/5 stars)

This is the sixth book in the Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. This was another wonderful book in this series; a lot of changes happen to Tom Ward and his adventures as a Spook take on a more worldly nature to them.

Tom is contacted by his mother who wants him to travel to Greece with her to face the Ordeen, an evil goddess, who is in league with the Fiend. Mam, thinks Tom's presence will help to win the final battle with the Ordeen. Bill, the Spook, and Alice are among those who Mam hopes will accompany her to Greece. Tom faces all sorts of strange new creatures and has to face one of the most deadliest forces of evil yet. Will Tom be able to resist his own slow decline into the dark?

This was a wonderful book. I loved learning more about Mam, her true nature, and more about her homeland. Tom's dealings with the Fiend were interesting and make the story take on an urgency. This was definitely a page-turner. It was hard to put down and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

The new creatures and dangers that Tom encountered were interesting and creative. It was nice to have Alice deeply involved in the story as well. Delaney doesn't pull any punches as far as the danger these characters face. The writing is superb; the books are beautiful to read.

Another great book, in a wonderful series. This book is a keeper. I just can't wait to see what will happen next!

The Spook's Tale: And Other Horrors by Joseph Delaney (4/5 stars)

This book is more of an interlude or a supplement to The Last Apprentice series. It is well written and interesting nonetheless, but not as fantastic as a full-fledged book would have been. Although we don't have a long wait "Clash of the Demons" comes out the end of August '09.

There are three stories in this book. The first details how the Spook became a Spook. This story was okay; it gives you some background around the Spook. Nothing that is really surprising, but a decent story.

The second story is about what happened to Alice when she was in Pendle right before Tom came to rescue her. This was my least favorite story of the bunch. Again no surprises and a very brief story.

The third story made the book worth having. This was the story of how Grimalkin became a witch assassin. I think Grimalkin is a fascinating character and found this story to be an interesting read. It made me wish that Delaney would write some books from Grimalkin's point of view...maybe he can do that after he is done with Tom Ward's story :-)

Overall I enjoyed this book. It is just filler for the main event though and I am eagerly awaiting "Clash of the Demons"!

Wrath of the Bloodeye by Joseph Delaney (5/5 stars)

This is the fifth book in the Spook's Apprentice series and it is just as fantastic as the previous books have been. I am impressed that these books have continued on with such great story telling over this series.

In this book Tom Ward leaves Gregory to serve 6 months under a different spook; the new spook is harsh in his methods but endeavors to teach Tom more fighting to toughen him up. During the stay though Tom finds himself again being hunted by the Fiend and his children. Most notably Morwena, The Bloodeye witch, who can paralyze any unsuspecting person with a single glance of her evil red eye.

Once again this is a great story. I wish that this series was higher on the bestsellers list. It has been a consistently wonderful series. As Tom Ward gets older and gains more knowledge the plot of the book widens in breadth. Tom finds himself more embroiled with the world at large, and as the Fiend hunts him he is forced to ask himself deeper and deeper questions about what it means to be of the dark or the light.

The writing is excellent, the black and white drawings add to the mood of the story, there is a ton of action, more dark creatures, and more danger than ever. I love these books. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney (5/5 stars)

This is the 4th book in the Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Wow was this an excellent book!

After hearing over and over about how bad things are in Pindle; Tom and the Spook are finally going to go there to deal with the witch problem for good. Alice is along to help them, using all her witchy knowledge for good. Nothing goes as planned though when the witches strike first at the place Tom is most vulnerable. Will they be able to root out all the witches? Will the witches raise the devil himself? What is in the trunks Mam left Tom? Exactly who is Mam? All of these questions are answered to some extent.

This was a wonderfully written book; as usual. It may be one of the best books in this series yet. It is very suspenseful and spooky, there is lots of action (more than usual). Alice's character is being developed nicely and Tom really comes into his own in this book. We get to meet more of Tom's brothers; and the future looks bleaker than ever. This is the first book where the greater outside world really starts to have an influence on what is happening to Tom. Usually the books are pretty isolated to a small area, but not this one, things are more dire than ever.

It was just a great book. I was disappointed when I was finished. These are so fun to read and so well written. I love them and cannot wait to get my hands on the next one!

Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney (5/5 stars)

This is the third book in the Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. This was an excellent book and a great follow up to the first two books.

In this book Gregory and Tom move to the Spook's winter home after being contacted by a man named Morgan, who is a former apprentice of the Spook's. In Gregory's winter home Tom learns many more secrets about Gregory's past and finally gets to meet the mysterious Meg. Things get more dangerous than Tom ever expected when Morgan starts to dabble in some seriously dangerous magic. Can Tom and Gregory make it through the winter and survive?

This book was great. Easy to read, well-written, fast-paced, and suspenseful. This was a great "horror" book for kids. Tom is a likable character that you can't help rooting for and Alice is also very engaging. Meg made for an interesting addition to the book too. It was great to learn more about Gregory's past and it was also wonderful to spend more time with Tom's Mam.

I eagerly await the next book. What will happen next as the dark continues to rise? What will Tom find in the secret room that Mam has left him? Will Alice be able to stay on the path of the light? I am excited to find out. I love these books there are just such a nice pleasant, and spooky, read.