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The Starblade Chronicles #1
L'Épouvanteur, Tome 14: Thomas Ward l'Epouvanteur
« La créature me gratifia d'un sourire hideux qui retroussa ses babines :
- Ton pays appartiendra bientôt à mon peuple. Vos femmes seront soumises à nos lois. Quant aux mâles, hommes et garçons, ils mourront. »
Voilà trois mois que des jeunes filles meurent dans des circonstances mystérieuses.
On les retrouve dans leur lit, couvertes de sang, une expression terrifiée sur le visage. Leur fantôme hante les lieux, attendant que quelqu'un comprenne de quelle horreur elles ont été victimes.
Depuis la mort de John Grégory, Thomas Ward est l'Épouvanteur chargé de protéger le Comté des êtres qui errent sous le couvert de la nuit. Et il faut faire vite. Car la bête qu'il va traquer pourrait bien tuer encore.
Et ce n'est que le commencement. Une armée de monstres se rassemble dans les terres du Nord et menace la survie de l'humanité...
- Ton pays appartiendra bientôt à mon peuple. Vos femmes seront soumises à nos lois. Quant aux mâles, hommes et garçons, ils mourront. »
Voilà trois mois que des jeunes filles meurent dans des circonstances mystérieuses.
On les retrouve dans leur lit, couvertes de sang, une expression terrifiée sur le visage. Leur fantôme hante les lieux, attendant que quelqu'un comprenne de quelle horreur elles ont été victimes.
Depuis la mort de John Grégory, Thomas Ward est l'Épouvanteur chargé de protéger le Comté des êtres qui errent sous le couvert de la nuit. Et il faut faire vite. Car la bête qu'il va traquer pourrait bien tuer encore.
Et ce n'est que le commencement. Une armée de monstres se rassemble dans les terres du Nord et menace la survie de l'humanité...
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2014
209 people are currently reading
4713 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Delaney
59 books3,981 followersJoseph Delaney was a full time writer living in Lancashire, in the heart of Boggart territory.
He was the author of Wardstone Chronicles, Starblade Chronicles, Arena 13, Aberrations and a new book came out in April 2020, Brother Wulf. This is a new spooks story featuring Tom and Alice, but introducing a new character, a young monk called Brother Wulf.
He first got the idea for the Spooks series when he moved to the village where he lives now and discovered there was a local boggart - ‘a man like me needs boggarts around’. He made a note in his notebook ‘a story about a man who hunts boggarts’ and years later when he had to come up with an idea at short notice developed this into ‘The Spook’s Apprentice’, the first book in the series.
He continued to draw upon the folklore of Lancashire and has acquired much local knowledge over the years which he tweaks and modifies to create his fictional world. Another source of inspiration has been Lancashire's varied and atmospheric landscape. Many of the locations in the County are based on actual places in Lancashire.
In the early days of his writing career Joseph worked as a teacher at a Sixth Form College: his subjects were English, Film and Media Studies. He used to get up early and write every morning before work. That way he could write a book a year – which promptly got rejected! When the Americans bought the series he decided to give up teaching and write full time.
Prior to teaching he worked as an engineer in his twenties, completing an apprenticeship just like Tom Ward in the spook’s books.
Joseph described his method of writing as a process of discovery. He didn’t plot too far ahead and often didn’t know what is going to happen until he writes it down. In other words he made it up as he went along. He prefed writing dialogue to description, in which he said he is a minimalist and leaves much to the reader’s imagination.
Joseph had three children and nine grandchildren and was a wonderful public speaker available for conference, library and bookshop events.
The Spook's Apprentice, The Spook's Curse and The Spook's Secret have all been shortlisted for the Lancashire children's Book for the Year Award. The Spook's Apprentice is the winner of both the Sefton Book Award and the Hampshire Book Award.
www.josephdelaneyauthor.com
from publisher's website
He was the author of Wardstone Chronicles, Starblade Chronicles, Arena 13, Aberrations and a new book came out in April 2020, Brother Wulf. This is a new spooks story featuring Tom and Alice, but introducing a new character, a young monk called Brother Wulf.
He first got the idea for the Spooks series when he moved to the village where he lives now and discovered there was a local boggart - ‘a man like me needs boggarts around’. He made a note in his notebook ‘a story about a man who hunts boggarts’ and years later when he had to come up with an idea at short notice developed this into ‘The Spook’s Apprentice’, the first book in the series.
He continued to draw upon the folklore of Lancashire and has acquired much local knowledge over the years which he tweaks and modifies to create his fictional world. Another source of inspiration has been Lancashire's varied and atmospheric landscape. Many of the locations in the County are based on actual places in Lancashire.
In the early days of his writing career Joseph worked as a teacher at a Sixth Form College: his subjects were English, Film and Media Studies. He used to get up early and write every morning before work. That way he could write a book a year – which promptly got rejected! When the Americans bought the series he decided to give up teaching and write full time.
Prior to teaching he worked as an engineer in his twenties, completing an apprenticeship just like Tom Ward in the spook’s books.
Joseph described his method of writing as a process of discovery. He didn’t plot too far ahead and often didn’t know what is going to happen until he writes it down. In other words he made it up as he went along. He prefed writing dialogue to description, in which he said he is a minimalist and leaves much to the reader’s imagination.
Joseph had three children and nine grandchildren and was a wonderful public speaker available for conference, library and bookshop events.
The Spook's Apprentice, The Spook's Curse and The Spook's Secret have all been shortlisted for the Lancashire children's Book for the Year Award. The Spook's Apprentice is the winner of both the Sefton Book Award and the Hampshire Book Award.
www.josephdelaneyauthor.com
from publisher's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 364 reviews
September 30, 2017
9/30/17 - ON SALE for $1.99:
http://amzn.to/2eVPtYd
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
When I saw this book available for review, I leapt at it. I’ve been meaning to start Delaney’s The Last Apprentice series forever, but was, once again, daunted by the number of installments (13, not including the various bonus stories).
In A NEW DARKNESS, I thought I’d found the perfect solution—I’d get to see what all the Delaney fuss was about without having to commit to another long-running series.
I was so very, very wrong.
I know I don’t pay enough attention to blurbs. It’s a problem, and I own it. But this time . . . this time, I’m almost positive that I did read it, b/c I specifically didn’t want to request A NEW DARKNESS if it was a continuation of the previous series (b/c OCD).
Whatever. The current, just-before-publication blurb, clearly states that it is, in fact, a continuation, but that no prior knowledge is necessary to read and understand this book. And maybe that’s true . . . I’m not sure if what I was feeling while I was reading this was confusion or frustration, b/c whether I needed to have read The Last Apprentice was kind of irrelevant to me . . . b/c I wanted to have read it.
Half of the book was throwbacks/mentions/this-one-times from the other series, and while we were given enough information for it to make sense, it was painfully obvious that there was more going on that was flying right over our heads.
I don’t like feeling ignorant. I would even go so far as to say that I HATE feeling ignorant.
I felt ignorant the entire time I was reading this book.
So that was a problem. Another problem was that I felt like I was reading an historical accounting of the events in the book . . . but in real-time? Which was strange . . . but the feeling made more sense when right before the first POV change, a point was made by the character that they were writing everything down in a journal.
But while, in theory, reading someone’s journal may sound highly entertaining and full of juicy tidbits, in reality . . . unless you know the person incredibly well (your sister, your girlfriend, etc.) . . . it’s really not.
As for the characters, not only did I feel like I didn’t know them very well, but I didn’t particularly like them either. I’m guessing that Tom Ward is the last apprentice, and Grimalkin seems like an immensely interesting character, but yeah . . . in this one book . . . not enough development to make a lasting impression. And without context, Grimalkin just comes across as the scheming, manipulative witch that Jenny fears she is. Jenny . . . I initially liked her, but as the story progressed, she became more and more judgmental, and more and more surly. She badgered Tom into taking her on as his apprentice, but then she does nothing but second guess him, and complain about his instruction.
And the new enemy . . . this is a personal peeve of mine, so it probably won’t bother you unless you share my peeve, but I’ve never been a big fan of humanized animals as characters.
And it probably has something to do with going to see Guardians of the Galaxy a couple of weeks ago, but when this “new darkness” was on the page, all I could see in my head was an evil version of Rocket. I think the Kobalos are supposed to be more wolf or fox-like, but yeah . . . Rocket. *shrugs* Even if I could force myself to see beyond that, I’d still be seeing something pretty awful:
Any WoW players out there? Say hello to your friendly neighborhood kobold. *shudders*
And don’t even get me started on that cliffhanger. I wasn’t even that invested in the story, and I wanted to throttle someone.
So yeah . . . if you’re a longtime fan of the series, I’m sure A NEW DARKNESS is an excellent addition to your well-loved world. But if you’re thinking of using this book to take the easy road to exploring the widespread fascination with Joseph Delaney . . . you might want to think again.
Pre-review:
Dat ending. RTC.
http://amzn.to/2eVPtYd
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
When I saw this book available for review, I leapt at it. I’ve been meaning to start Delaney’s The Last Apprentice series forever, but was, once again, daunted by the number of installments (13, not including the various bonus stories).
In A NEW DARKNESS, I thought I’d found the perfect solution—I’d get to see what all the Delaney fuss was about without having to commit to another long-running series.
I was so very, very wrong.
I know I don’t pay enough attention to blurbs. It’s a problem, and I own it. But this time . . . this time, I’m almost positive that I did read it, b/c I specifically didn’t want to request A NEW DARKNESS if it was a continuation of the previous series (b/c OCD).
Whatever. The current, just-before-publication blurb, clearly states that it is, in fact, a continuation, but that no prior knowledge is necessary to read and understand this book. And maybe that’s true . . . I’m not sure if what I was feeling while I was reading this was confusion or frustration, b/c whether I needed to have read The Last Apprentice was kind of irrelevant to me . . . b/c I wanted to have read it.
Half of the book was throwbacks/mentions/this-one-times from the other series, and while we were given enough information for it to make sense, it was painfully obvious that there was more going on that was flying right over our heads.
I don’t like feeling ignorant. I would even go so far as to say that I HATE feeling ignorant.
I felt ignorant the entire time I was reading this book.
So that was a problem. Another problem was that I felt like I was reading an historical accounting of the events in the book . . . but in real-time? Which was strange . . . but the feeling made more sense when right before the first POV change, a point was made by the character that they were writing everything down in a journal.
But while, in theory, reading someone’s journal may sound highly entertaining and full of juicy tidbits, in reality . . . unless you know the person incredibly well (your sister, your girlfriend, etc.) . . . it’s really not.
As for the characters, not only did I feel like I didn’t know them very well, but I didn’t particularly like them either. I’m guessing that Tom Ward is the last apprentice, and Grimalkin seems like an immensely interesting character, but yeah . . . in this one book . . . not enough development to make a lasting impression. And without context, Grimalkin just comes across as the scheming, manipulative witch that Jenny fears she is. Jenny . . . I initially liked her, but as the story progressed, she became more and more judgmental, and more and more surly. She badgered Tom into taking her on as his apprentice, but then she does nothing but second guess him, and complain about his instruction.
And the new enemy . . . this is a personal peeve of mine, so it probably won’t bother you unless you share my peeve, but I’ve never been a big fan of humanized animals as characters.
And it probably has something to do with going to see Guardians of the Galaxy a couple of weeks ago, but when this “new darkness” was on the page, all I could see in my head was an evil version of Rocket. I think the Kobalos are supposed to be more wolf or fox-like, but yeah . . . Rocket. *shrugs* Even if I could force myself to see beyond that, I’d still be seeing something pretty awful:
Any WoW players out there? Say hello to your friendly neighborhood kobold. *shudders*
And don’t even get me started on that cliffhanger. I wasn’t even that invested in the story, and I wanted to throttle someone.
So yeah . . . if you’re a longtime fan of the series, I’m sure A NEW DARKNESS is an excellent addition to your well-loved world. But if you’re thinking of using this book to take the easy road to exploring the widespread fascination with Joseph Delaney . . . you might want to think again.
Pre-review:
Dat ending. RTC.
June 24, 2014
I NEED that book RIGHT NOW!!Really want to know how the story continues...give it to me joseph delaney!!!!!!!!!o.O
December 22, 2014
Initial Thoughts: This was a really fun book to read and I was not aware that this is a spinoff from the author's Spooks series. (By the way, there is a movie coming out in January 2015, so read them now, the movie looks like an action packed adventure!) Anyhow, back to the book - I had no idea what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son and because of this, he has some abilities. He is now the Chippenden spook and he is on his own. He guards his country against ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, witches, and other things that go bump in the night. The story is told from two points of view - Tom and his apprentice Jenny. The story is captivating and I almost read it in one sitting. It's a lot of fun and should appeal to young adult readers and up.
The Review:
I'm always on the lookout for books that would appeal to that male reluctant reader. I find that when I get excited about a book, there is a very big chance that my youngest who is now 15 may actually pick up that book and read it. A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney should appeal to those kinds of readers, especially those that enjoy spooky ghost stories.
A New Darkness focuses on Tom Ward, the Chippenden Spook and a seventh son of a seventh son. Tom deals with all sorts of things that go bump in the night. He even has a servant that would just as easily eat you if you disturb its routine. Tom is awfully busy and he takes on Jenny as his apprentice - a first since no other girl has ever been a Spook prior to this. Together they fight some very scary (and deadly) creatures.
The story is told from both Tom and Jenny's point of view so we really get to be inside their heads and learn each character's motivations. I enjoyed the story telling style and I had a lot of fun reading this book.
Tom is confident in his abilities but he is quite modest. I found that he seemed much more mature than his 17 years. Tom takes the time to research and learn about his opponents - a good life preservation skill. Jenny is quite indepedent. She has some useful gifts - influence, empathy, among others and she wants to make a good impression. The two are well suited for each other.
Warning! This book does have a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I really can't wait for the next installment in the series. A New Darkness is a solid start to The Starblade Chronicles.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for a review copy of this book.
The Review:
I'm always on the lookout for books that would appeal to that male reluctant reader. I find that when I get excited about a book, there is a very big chance that my youngest who is now 15 may actually pick up that book and read it. A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney should appeal to those kinds of readers, especially those that enjoy spooky ghost stories.
A New Darkness focuses on Tom Ward, the Chippenden Spook and a seventh son of a seventh son. Tom deals with all sorts of things that go bump in the night. He even has a servant that would just as easily eat you if you disturb its routine. Tom is awfully busy and he takes on Jenny as his apprentice - a first since no other girl has ever been a Spook prior to this. Together they fight some very scary (and deadly) creatures.
The story is told from both Tom and Jenny's point of view so we really get to be inside their heads and learn each character's motivations. I enjoyed the story telling style and I had a lot of fun reading this book.
Tom is confident in his abilities but he is quite modest. I found that he seemed much more mature than his 17 years. Tom takes the time to research and learn about his opponents - a good life preservation skill. Jenny is quite indepedent. She has some useful gifts - influence, empathy, among others and she wants to make a good impression. The two are well suited for each other.
Warning! This book does have a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I really can't wait for the next installment in the series. A New Darkness is a solid start to The Starblade Chronicles.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for a review copy of this book.
June 11, 2014
A New Darkness is the continuation of the Spook's Apprentice series of books (The Wardstone Chronicles). It marks the beginning of a new trilogy, following the rise of a new enemy - the Kobalos - and their god.
The book itself is full of the wonder that Delaney has delivered in the past, however I am starting to gain a sense of 'diminishing return' from this Spook's world. This book, of all his books, felt more rushed and a little patchier in places - I was tempted to give it three stars for this reason, but allowed myself to consider that the story itself worked out okay. It added in a new mystery and a female apprentice character - in fact female characters played a dominant role in this book, which is something I always like.
If you were a fan of the old Spook's books, then you'll find what you are looking for in this. If not...well, I doubt you will find anything that is new or out of the ordinary.
August 26, 2021
4 STARS. Cliff-hanger of an ending!
June 5, 2017
3.5/5 stars
I really don't know what to think about this book. It wasn't bad but I was expecting something else. I love so much The Wardstone Chronicles and I hoped I would like The Starblade Chronicles too. Unfortunately I'm very disappointed. Of course I still like Tom and his story but the plot was a big mess and I didn't like Jenny.
I don't know, maybe I'm too old for this series or maybe I'm still angry at Joseph for what he did in the end of The Spook's Revange. I hope the next part will be better.
P.S: Where the hell is my Alice?
I really don't know what to think about this book. It wasn't bad but I was expecting something else. I love so much The Wardstone Chronicles and I hoped I would like The Starblade Chronicles too. Unfortunately I'm very disappointed. Of course I still like Tom and his story but the plot was a big mess and I didn't like Jenny.
I don't know, maybe I'm too old for this series or maybe I'm still angry at Joseph for what he did in the end of The Spook's Revange. I hope the next part will be better.
P.S: Where the hell is my Alice?
June 7, 2014
Great start to the new series. Love the new character and great to see some old faces again, especially our favourite witch assassin. Shocker of an ending though!
February 28, 2015
What the heck, MAJOR CLIFFHANGER! Arrggghhh!!!!!
But, truly happy and excited that Delaney's groove is baaack. This book is action packed, the characters retain their full on kickass mojo and i love how there are so many new villains and also new allies that come together to make this new series quite sumptuous. Get ready, Spook's Library!
Although i am still royally PISSED about Alice, i believe that yeah, it was inevitable but let's see how things will turn in the next few books. Delaney is definitely an UNPREDICTABLE writer in such a way that he messes with your head on who's in alliance with who so it may turn out that either girls will turn on him but definitely ONE of them will be the BANE of his existence, unless he doesn't come off his Harry Dresden-ish stunt...which i highly doubt!
Grimalkin's character in this book is superb! i love that Delaney has taken time to really show the many aspects of Grimalkin's personality. She is a formidable witch assassin, but she is also many things, including thirsty for knowledge and though this is dangerous, eventually it will help her allies in defeating the new enemy, which is more terrifying than the FIEND (because this time, the enemy is a chauvinistic demon god, yech). Also Grimalkin has always been a leader and cunning strategist but this does not mean she doesn't value her friends including Tom Ward.
All in all, i am quite delighted with the new series and even though the final Spook's Apprentice felt like it was written by someone else, this book was definitely a great one and that Delaney has put in quite a lot of ingenuity while displaying the character charms of the book.
I can't wait what's going to happen in the next book!!!!!
But, truly happy and excited that Delaney's groove is baaack. This book is action packed, the characters retain their full on kickass mojo and i love how there are so many new villains and also new allies that come together to make this new series quite sumptuous. Get ready, Spook's Library!
Although i am still royally PISSED about Alice, i believe that yeah, it was inevitable but let's see how things will turn in the next few books. Delaney is definitely an UNPREDICTABLE writer in such a way that he messes with your head on who's in alliance with who so it may turn out that either girls will turn on him but definitely ONE of them will be the BANE of his existence, unless he doesn't come off his Harry Dresden-ish stunt...which i highly doubt!
Grimalkin's character in this book is superb! i love that Delaney has taken time to really show the many aspects of Grimalkin's personality. She is a formidable witch assassin, but she is also many things, including thirsty for knowledge and though this is dangerous, eventually it will help her allies in defeating the new enemy, which is more terrifying than the FIEND (because this time, the enemy is a chauvinistic demon god, yech). Also Grimalkin has always been a leader and cunning strategist but this does not mean she doesn't value her friends including Tom Ward.
All in all, i am quite delighted with the new series and even though the final Spook's Apprentice felt like it was written by someone else, this book was definitely a great one and that Delaney has put in quite a lot of ingenuity while displaying the character charms of the book.
I can't wait what's going to happen in the next book!!!!!
June 10, 2014
WARNING, THIS REVIEW DOES NOT REVEAL ANY SPOILERS ALTHOUGH IT HINTS AT THINGS AND IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK THE PLEASE DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND TEASERS...... I think this made the " the spooks revenge better as it opened bits that we felt weren't happy with like the betrayal of a certain someone which is also shown in tom's new anger, I also like the fact that it shows a lot of remembering to someone who dies in the last book a bit hastily. Now about the new book I think it is really good and brought the standard up more, yes the fighting was quick and it felt over quickly but it all comes down to that gut retching twist and cliff hanger. I for one will be pleased by the fact that it was a cliff hanger if a certain someone comes back in the next or I shall be bitterly disappointed, however I would continue either way.
I also feel that they have to come back especially after you now who was spying and maybe jealous of jenny or tom (if you have read the book then you'll know which of the two).
It was a great book and I'm hoping it doesn't conclude in three books and hope that he takes more time in writing the books to make an ending which will blow our minds.
P.S.As for anyone who says this is a spin-off then shame on you....
I also feel that they have to come back especially after you now who was spying and maybe jealous of jenny or tom (if you have read the book then you'll know which of the two).
It was a great book and I'm hoping it doesn't conclude in three books and hope that he takes more time in writing the books to make an ending which will blow our minds.
P.S.As for anyone who says this is a spin-off then shame on you....
March 6, 2015
"I remembered how a dark mage had once conjured up in my mind a vision of a possible future. I'd walked up to my bedroom, and there it was on the wall, where all the apprentices, including me, had scrawled their names, was a new addition: JENNY. It suggested a girl apprentice had once been based there. It seemed very odd-as far as I knew, there had never been any female spook's apprentices.
Joseph Delaney has a gorgeous writing and a gripping plot.
A New Darkness begins a little while after the last Wardstone Chronicles book, Thomas Ward is now the Chipenden's spook and he's handling the job pretty well for his young age. But when a girl named Jenny shows up wanting to be his apprentice the calmness that had settled since the death of his master is over. The threat of the the strange and powerful creatures named Kobalos is imminent and Thomas is considering helping his ally the witch assassin Grimalkin for she has made her mission to destroy the Kobalos.
January 25, 2016
This book was a vast improvement over the last book in the Last Apprentice series. Tom Ward is now the Spook of Chipenden since his mentor John Gregory's demise, and is generally thought to be young and inexperienced. In reality, he is depressed and lonely. A girl named Jenny comes and wants to be his apprentice. Tom eventually capitulates when she is by a Kobalan mage, and he sees evidence of her gifts as the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Jenny, Tom, and the witch assassin, Grimalkin, head north to gather intelligence about the growing Kobalan menace. Tom is railroaded into a fight to the death duel with a Kobalan champion, and the unthinkable happens. Please hurry along with the next book.
October 12, 2014
This is the first of a new series for Tom Ward which follows on from The Spook's Revenge (beware, this review has spoilers for that book) . I was a little skeptical that Delaney was just publishing more books because he could and Revenge felt worryingly like that was what was happening. Thankfully though I thought this was the best Spook's book so far.
So Tom Ward is no longer an apprentice and has taken over from John Gregory to protect the County from the dark. His tenor as Spook has been fairly easy so far, with the dark quieter than ever. But when young girls are being killed it is his duty to face whatever terrible creature is behind it. He soon realises that this is only the beginning and a huge army is approaching...
Introduced here is Jenny, a fifteen year-old seventh daughter of a seventh daughter who becomes Tom Ward's first apprentice. She's an intriguing character- although there are strong female characters in the series, this is the first time we've seen one who has no link to the dark. She makes a different apprentice than Tom does, a more questioning one and for short periods of the book the narration comes from her so she is an important part of this new trilogy.
I think what I liked best about this book is that it told the story of a major threat but also had some traditional Spook's work in it, something which was lacking in many of the later books of The Wardstone Chronicles. Delaney's world is excellent and it is always great when he properly shows it to us.
Things really go bonkers towards the end of this book and it feels darker than the series has really gone before. There's also a massive twist at the end which I didn't see coming and I think long-term readers of the series will also be surprised by it.
The book is both a continuation of Tom Ward's story and the beginning of something new and it is really rather good. Quite where the next two books in the trilogy are going to go I haven't the faintest! A must-read for fans of the Spook's books which brings us more drama than ever!
So Tom Ward is no longer an apprentice and has taken over from John Gregory to protect the County from the dark. His tenor as Spook has been fairly easy so far, with the dark quieter than ever. But when young girls are being killed it is his duty to face whatever terrible creature is behind it. He soon realises that this is only the beginning and a huge army is approaching...
Introduced here is Jenny, a fifteen year-old seventh daughter of a seventh daughter who becomes Tom Ward's first apprentice. She's an intriguing character- although there are strong female characters in the series, this is the first time we've seen one who has no link to the dark. She makes a different apprentice than Tom does, a more questioning one and for short periods of the book the narration comes from her so she is an important part of this new trilogy.
I think what I liked best about this book is that it told the story of a major threat but also had some traditional Spook's work in it, something which was lacking in many of the later books of The Wardstone Chronicles. Delaney's world is excellent and it is always great when he properly shows it to us.
Things really go bonkers towards the end of this book and it feels darker than the series has really gone before. There's also a massive twist at the end which I didn't see coming and I think long-term readers of the series will also be surprised by it.
The book is both a continuation of Tom Ward's story and the beginning of something new and it is really rather good. Quite where the next two books in the trilogy are going to go I haven't the faintest! A must-read for fans of the Spook's books which brings us more drama than ever!
December 16, 2014
This story picks up about a year after the last installment of the last apprentice series. I don't really know what to say about the book. It follows the same path as the last apprentice series except instead of the darkness, Tom has a new enemy to fight the Kabalos. Even though Tom is new to being a spook and really did not complete his training he is training an apprentice himself. This one a girl! The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter with similar powers as a seventh son of a seventh son. I suppose it had to be done, a spooks life is a lonely isolated life and I have yet to read interesting stories where the main character does not interact with anyone. The fact that the new apprentice is a girl makes it easier. I do not believe a male spook apprentice would give Tom as much respect as he is on 17 years old himself. All in all I like the books and all the twists
June 7, 2014
This is book 1 in a new series called The Starblade Chronicles. This book carries on a storyline that began with the Spooks Apprentice series and now there is a new spook in town , Tom Ward , the seventh son of a seventh son who's job it is to protect the county from evil that lurks there from time to time since the previous beloved Spook is now dead. Along with Tom is an unexpected apprentice of his own and an unexpected friend from the past , together they face a battle of immense danger . What a cliff hanger Joseph Delaney has left us with . I was reading the end of this book anxiously clasping my kindle . This was an excellent start to a new series ... What awaits us next??? I don't know but I can't wait!
October 19, 2014
Delaney continues the tales of Tom Ward in this new series in which Tom is now the Spook and no longer the apprentice. It's interesting to see him in this new role and I like that Grimalkin has a large role in the story, but there are a few things I wasn't crazy about. This is the first book where I feel that Delaney has ended on a true cliffhanger. I would have preferred a tidier ending. Also, the woodcuts that have always lended the books a delightfully creepy feeling are gone. I'm missing those a bit too.
April 16, 2015
Not as good as the Last Apprentice series, but if you miss the County and Tom Ward and reading about being a Spook, you may want to continue on with this new series.
August 3, 2025
Alice, come get your man !!
May 30, 2023
Fresh new story, 3 books of nonstop worldbuilding finally pays off (still not worth it)
March 31, 2015
Tom Ward is the new Spook of Chipenden. His apprenticeship was cut short, but he's trained enough to continue on as a Spook for the County. And things have been relatively quiet as of late. Until girls start dying.
Then Tom meets Jenny who says she knows what is killing the girls and can show him. But she will only show him if Tom will take her on as his apprentice.
I was sad with the end of The Last Apprentice series. It is one of my all time favorite series and I have grown so attached to the characters. The final book was amazing as always, but sad.
I was excited to learn there would be a continuation of the series with Tom Ward. I missed John Gregory and teared up a little each time he was mentioned.
But, there is a new character in this book named Jenny. She's 15, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and wants to become Tom's apprentice. I like Jenny and I like that she was introduced. I think a female spook is definitely interesting. Joseph Delaney writes strong female characters, which is only one of the reasons I love The Last Apprentice and now this new series.
As for this book, I liked it just as much as the books in The Last Apprentice series. It has that same feel from when I read The Last Apprentice books, but it has something new, too. Things have changed a little and that is felt. But I think that's normal. The story in The Last Apprentice series is finished. Some of the characters are gone and while this new series still follows Tom Ward, there is a new story. They no longer have to worry about the Fiend, but something else.
I thought this book was great and I was happy to be back in the County. But, this one is sad too. And wow, what a cliffhanger! I hope it won't be too long before the next book comes out. I really want to know what happens next.
Then Tom meets Jenny who says she knows what is killing the girls and can show him. But she will only show him if Tom will take her on as his apprentice.
I was sad with the end of The Last Apprentice series. It is one of my all time favorite series and I have grown so attached to the characters. The final book was amazing as always, but sad.
I was excited to learn there would be a continuation of the series with Tom Ward. I missed John Gregory and teared up a little each time he was mentioned.
But, there is a new character in this book named Jenny. She's 15, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and wants to become Tom's apprentice. I like Jenny and I like that she was introduced. I think a female spook is definitely interesting. Joseph Delaney writes strong female characters, which is only one of the reasons I love The Last Apprentice and now this new series.
As for this book, I liked it just as much as the books in The Last Apprentice series. It has that same feel from when I read The Last Apprentice books, but it has something new, too. Things have changed a little and that is felt. But I think that's normal. The story in The Last Apprentice series is finished. Some of the characters are gone and while this new series still follows Tom Ward, there is a new story. They no longer have to worry about the Fiend, but something else.
I thought this book was great and I was happy to be back in the County. But, this one is sad too. And wow, what a cliffhanger! I hope it won't be too long before the next book comes out. I really want to know what happens next.
July 17, 2014
what a surprise! just as I thought I've known everything about Mr. Delaney's world. none that I could ever imagine :-)
I love the plot, the new characters, the conflict and the major changes of events, I would mention that its sometimes moving away from the genre but who cares? its not the ward stone chronicles anymore, the author is trying to create something new and fresh away from the first series while trying to maintain the connection from its foundation and it was done very well, what can I say?
the tom ward here is bolder, he can decide on his own, choose his battle and think for himself. I like the way Alice was dispatch, I was expecting her to be back here but I guess not too soon :-)
you should have seen my face, the moment I realized that I was actually on the last page and yet I still kept on scrolling down. wtf. =-O
I love the plot, the new characters, the conflict and the major changes of events, I would mention that its sometimes moving away from the genre but who cares? its not the ward stone chronicles anymore, the author is trying to create something new and fresh away from the first series while trying to maintain the connection from its foundation and it was done very well, what can I say?
the tom ward here is bolder, he can decide on his own, choose his battle and think for himself. I like the way Alice was dispatch, I was expecting her to be back here but I guess not too soon :-)
you should have seen my face, the moment I realized that I was actually on the last page and yet I still kept on scrolling down. wtf. =-O
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November 8, 2015
Just not for me. There were odd phrases and grammatical errors (or purposes?) that jarred the flow. Also never a fan of first person narrative, especially in YA. A shame, since the theme of ghouls etc is something I am interested in. May try others in the series to be doubly sure.
May 23, 2014
Another great book from Mr Delaney continuing from where book 13 finished. Very happy to see the return of my favourite character too. Oh and the cliffhanger ending! Looking forward to the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2015
The fact that this is labeled as a series is the main reason I am not pissed as hell right now.
I can't decide if the emotions that are coming out should make this a 1 star or a 5 star rating so I compromised with a 3.
I can't decide if the emotions that are coming out should make this a 1 star or a 5 star rating so I compromised with a 3.
September 14, 2014
Oh.My.Gooooooooosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The cliffhanger!!!!!!!! I have never been so angry, so depressed, so shocked in my life!!!!!!! What are trying to do Joseph Delaney? Kill us? :'(
November 18, 2014
Good start to the new series! I will keep reading these creepy teen books. It is my guilty pleasure. I just wish they came out faster so I didn't have to wait.
May 4, 2020
What a YA cliff-hanger ending. Sheesh. Glad I love/have read all of his other stuff...otherwise I would have hated this ending/I still kind of do hate the ending. Sheeeeesh!
October 26, 2016
I liked his other series better but this was okay.
March 28, 2021
Easy to follow and interesting continuation on the spooks apprentice series. Things don't end up as expected.
August 8, 2022
Love this dark, supernatural young adult series. Definitely creepy, but not too scary for me.
August 12, 2024
Okay, so this book and series overall is a significiant departure from what made the earlier books stick out as more the unknowable, and how this feels like a toehold to keep making you try and feel that way with the new threat of the Kobolas. Now, is that a bad thing? Debatable, and I doubt anyone is up for it given that it is nigh on a children's book and I'm a grown ass man enjoying the hecking Christ outta it!
So, the late Joseph Delaney is doing something surely right!
The introduction of Jenny as a womanly Spook was significant as well. Suppose this entire series has that, eh? And it turned out to be one of my most liked features. At times it became burlesque in how Delaney hyped it up by showcasing the stereotypical "women can't work" angle in some of his characters, most of em' returning ones from the previous series, only for Jenny to outclass and outshine those "bigoted opinions".
But I'm supposing that's less due to how it was handled, as per the attitudes and zeitgeist Mr. Delaney grew up with, and more so how jaded I've become with this crap in 2024. You may think I'm complaining, but sincerely I am not and appreciated the simplistic yet emotional way it was done. If I were ten again or twelve, when I started the original series, this would've served as a major developmental milestone for my young brain.
As it is, I kept thinking it could've been done less stereotypically!
Tom Ward is, as always, an amazingly complicated character. But surprisingly - or maybe it's my age that makes me this cynical - he lost fifty of his Lamia IQ or more here and got goaded and manipulated like no one's business. Not cutting any points for this either, since I was pretty dumb at 17 too, and the suspension of disbelief is handled excellently by Mr. Delaney to not really make it feel...undeserved, by some aspects and an account or two.
Anyway, read it! Great book, great series, by an amazing author. God rest his soul.
5/5
So, the late Joseph Delaney is doing something surely right!
The introduction of Jenny as a womanly Spook was significant as well. Suppose this entire series has that, eh? And it turned out to be one of my most liked features. At times it became burlesque in how Delaney hyped it up by showcasing the stereotypical "women can't work" angle in some of his characters, most of em' returning ones from the previous series, only for Jenny to outclass and outshine those "bigoted opinions".
But I'm supposing that's less due to how it was handled, as per the attitudes and zeitgeist Mr. Delaney grew up with, and more so how jaded I've become with this crap in 2024. You may think I'm complaining, but sincerely I am not and appreciated the simplistic yet emotional way it was done. If I were ten again or twelve, when I started the original series, this would've served as a major developmental milestone for my young brain.
As it is, I kept thinking it could've been done less stereotypically!
Tom Ward is, as always, an amazingly complicated character. But surprisingly - or maybe it's my age that makes me this cynical - he lost fifty of his Lamia IQ or more here and got goaded and manipulated like no one's business. Not cutting any points for this either, since I was pretty dumb at 17 too, and the suspension of disbelief is handled excellently by Mr. Delaney to not really make it feel...undeserved, by some aspects and an account or two.
Anyway, read it! Great book, great series, by an amazing author. God rest his soul.
5/5
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