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The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #8
The Spook's Destiny: Book 8
'You belong to the blade now. You'll belong to it until the day you die . . .'
The Spook, Tom and Alice travel to Ireland, fleeing from the war in the County. There, Tom must tackle a group of evil mages who are desperate to rid their land of the Spook and his apprentice, and to increase their own dark powers.
His dangerous mission against the mages leads Tom to the Destiny Blade - a sword with a dark side, and a thirst for blood . . . Will this new weapon give him a fighting chance against the Fiend?
If he's to survive, he'll need training, and only one person can help - Grimalkin, the witch assassin. The dark against the dark . . .
The eighth volume in the terrifying Wardstone Chronicles, the series that inspired the forthcoming movie The Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes and Julianne Moore.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2011
225 people are currently reading
7650 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Delaney
59 books3,986 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 438 reviews
November 30, 2025
"A black cloud raced towards us from the north, zigzag lightning flickered down into the sea, which was now boiling and surging..."For three years Tom had fought the dark alongside the Spook and his friend Alice, attracting the attention of stronger and darker beings with every skirmish.
He's delayed the return of the Fiend, and pissed off the deadly witch goddess, known as the Morrigan, and on top of that, there is a war going on in the County and he needs to flee.
"Spooks deal with the dark. It's a dangerous trade...learning how to deal with witches, boggarts, and all manner of supernatural creatures."
But the nearest place is Ireland and the Morrigan warned Tom Ward and his friends. If Tom ever returns to Ireland, she will extract her revenge.
Tith the war looming ever closer, Tom must run to Ireland, but the danger that awaits him will be his deadliest battle yet.
Okay, now that we are on book 8 of this series - I can safely say that yes...I might be a LITTLE addicted...I am shotgunning these books with no thought to my health.
But, I am still enjoying myself, and I can't remember the last time I made it to book eight in a series where I'm genuinely still having fun.
I will say, this one felt a smidge dramatic and I thought the drama was a bit overplayed but overall, still great.
I also (as always) loved the illustrations. Fabulous!
Audiobook Comments
Narrated (as always) by Christopher Evan Welch. I love listening to his voice.
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September 16, 2016
7/10
An enjoyable read in the series which has now reached a tipping point where it could go one way or another. To date I’ve enjoyed reading these short young adult tales so I hope that the series continues to maintain the standard we’ve seen so far.
This outing continued to take the Spook et al away from the County and this time to Ireland which lead to a new kind of trouble. Add to that the overall trouble with the fiend there is plenty going on in this outing but some of it fell flat whereas some of it was top notch. It didn’t totally live up to some of the previous books in the series with some of the scenes not totally convincing and when certain characters are in trouble or worse you always know that there will be some sort of get out at the last minute. I can’t fault the series for that but it does mean the tension is quite low.
The series is enjoyable for what it is, I hope the last few do the series justice but can’t help but feel I’m running a little low on steam with this series now. Hopefully the next instalment from another characters point of view will add something new.
An enjoyable read in the series which has now reached a tipping point where it could go one way or another. To date I’ve enjoyed reading these short young adult tales so I hope that the series continues to maintain the standard we’ve seen so far.
This outing continued to take the Spook et al away from the County and this time to Ireland which lead to a new kind of trouble. Add to that the overall trouble with the fiend there is plenty going on in this outing but some of it fell flat whereas some of it was top notch. It didn’t totally live up to some of the previous books in the series with some of the scenes not totally convincing and when certain characters are in trouble or worse you always know that there will be some sort of get out at the last minute. I can’t fault the series for that but it does mean the tension is quite low.
The series is enjoyable for what it is, I hope the last few do the series justice but can’t help but feel I’m running a little low on steam with this series now. Hopefully the next instalment from another characters point of view will add something new.
October 28, 2016
The Last Apprentice Series Book #8 - 4.5 stars ...
Rage of the Fallen is the 8th book in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Tom, the Spook's apprentice, has made a lot of enemies in his three years fighting the dark. One of his enemies, Morrigan -the goddess of witches has told him not to ever set foot in her homeland of Ireland but the war is still raging in their own country so Tom, the Spook & Alice must flee there anyways. His other very powerful enemy, the Fiend, is also still hunting him in hopes of catching him unguarded. The Spook decides that it's time to go on the offensive and bring the Fiend down so Tom joins forces with Grimalkin- the witch assassin, who trains him and helps him battle and bind the Fiend once and for all.
After eight really well written books I'm starting to run out of things to say! All of them have been so good and this one was no different. The audio narrator, Evan Welsh, is just marvelous! I think it would be extremely hard to talk like a witch or demon or boggart etc. but he does it so effortlessly and he sounds just like what you'd expect a creature of the dark to sound like. If you're a fan of these type of stories, then you can't go wrong with this series. It's perfect for older kids as well as adults.
*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~"Fall" into a Good Book~ square
Rage of the Fallen is the 8th book in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Tom, the Spook's apprentice, has made a lot of enemies in his three years fighting the dark. One of his enemies, Morrigan -the goddess of witches has told him not to ever set foot in her homeland of Ireland but the war is still raging in their own country so Tom, the Spook & Alice must flee there anyways. His other very powerful enemy, the Fiend, is also still hunting him in hopes of catching him unguarded. The Spook decides that it's time to go on the offensive and bring the Fiend down so Tom joins forces with Grimalkin- the witch assassin, who trains him and helps him battle and bind the Fiend once and for all.
After eight really well written books I'm starting to run out of things to say! All of them have been so good and this one was no different. The audio narrator, Evan Welsh, is just marvelous! I think it would be extremely hard to talk like a witch or demon or boggart etc. but he does it so effortlessly and he sounds just like what you'd expect a creature of the dark to sound like. If you're a fan of these type of stories, then you can't go wrong with this series. It's perfect for older kids as well as adults.
*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~"Fall" into a Good Book~ square
January 27, 2015
Actually already finished this book for a while but only recently updated the progress. WARNING! The Seventh Son movie WAS ONLY inspired by this series, the plot is freaking awful that has nothing to do with the awesomeness of the books. Forget the movie, READ the series!
May 2, 2011
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.
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.
March 26, 2013
Given what happens in the major story here, this book should have been fantastic, and yet for me it fell a bit flat. On the good side, the stuff with Alice was really great, and she continues to develop into a very interesting character. And the overarching plot in the series advances quite well.
But its that advance that I think also causes the big problem for the book. Basically, for the overall story arch, the attempt to bind the Fiend is a really big deal. But, as a part of this book, it is a sideshow. The main plot concerns yet another witch trying to get revenge on Tom. And that story just is not as interesting. So the main story of the book seems like a repetition of what we've seen before, and it is not as interesting as the side adventure involving Tom, Grimalkin, the Spook, and the Fiend. And this imbalance, for me, distorts the entire book.
The other thing that I had some trouble with was the introduction of yet another mythology. The series has some Christian mythology, with the Church and the Fiend being the incarnation of the Devil on earth. It also has dabbled with Greek mythology, with the idea of Lamia, and in this book, with the use of Pan. And already, I've found the juxtaposition of those two a bit hard to swallow, at least with no explanations. Here, we also get introduced to the Morrigan, a Celtic crow god. And this made me wonder a bit two hard about how this world works. Thinking too hard about how the magic works in these sorts of books always risks tearing the veil. Here, I felt the different mythologies were bumping into each other, and the effect was a bit clumsier than what I'm accustomed to from Delaney.
Every series has its stronger and weaker entries, and I can imagine other people disagreeing with me on this, but for me this was probably the weakest of the books so far. And it was still pretty good, but the characters keep saying how they wish they could get home to the County, and I'm hoping for that as well. I think Delaney may be on firmer ground when he stays closer to home.
But its that advance that I think also causes the big problem for the book. Basically, for the overall story arch, the attempt to bind the Fiend is a really big deal. But, as a part of this book, it is a sideshow. The main plot concerns yet another witch trying to get revenge on Tom. And that story just is not as interesting. So the main story of the book seems like a repetition of what we've seen before, and it is not as interesting as the side adventure involving Tom, Grimalkin, the Spook, and the Fiend. And this imbalance, for me, distorts the entire book.
The other thing that I had some trouble with was the introduction of yet another mythology. The series has some Christian mythology, with the Church and the Fiend being the incarnation of the Devil on earth. It also has dabbled with Greek mythology, with the idea of Lamia, and in this book, with the use of Pan. And already, I've found the juxtaposition of those two a bit hard to swallow, at least with no explanations. Here, we also get introduced to the Morrigan, a Celtic crow god. And this made me wonder a bit two hard about how this world works. Thinking too hard about how the magic works in these sorts of books always risks tearing the veil. Here, I felt the different mythologies were bumping into each other, and the effect was a bit clumsier than what I'm accustomed to from Delaney.
Every series has its stronger and weaker entries, and I can imagine other people disagreeing with me on this, but for me this was probably the weakest of the books so far. And it was still pretty good, but the characters keep saying how they wish they could get home to the County, and I'm hoping for that as well. I think Delaney may be on firmer ground when he stays closer to home.
June 30, 2019
Tom is now in his third year as a Spook's Apprentice, and as he gets older, these books get darker.
What I really enjoyed about this series at the beginning was the character development and the introduction to this world of Spooks and witches. But as we get further on, the focus is more on Tom facing the dark and in particular, The Fiend. I don't find it quite as interesting and the gory descriptions can be a tad uncomfortable (impalings, torture, beheadings etc.) so not recommended for younger teens.
I still enjoy the characters, though, so will see the series through to the end.
What I really enjoyed about this series at the beginning was the character development and the introduction to this world of Spooks and witches. But as we get further on, the focus is more on Tom facing the dark and in particular, The Fiend. I don't find it quite as interesting and the gory descriptions can be a tad uncomfortable (impalings, torture, beheadings etc.) so not recommended for younger teens.
I still enjoy the characters, though, so will see the series through to the end.
February 19, 2021
Actually rating 3.5 stars
It is funny how I never observed till now but this books have the same pattern. Tom, Alice and The Spook find themselves in a strange land were they find a new creature. Alice always uses black magic to save the boys then the Spook gets angry with her but he realizes that he can do nothing and by the end of the book after Tom remains alone he saves the day. Hope the 9th book is not a repetition of the last two ....
It is funny how I never observed till now but this books have the same pattern. Tom, Alice and The Spook find themselves in a strange land were they find a new creature. Alice always uses black magic to save the boys then the Spook gets angry with her but he realizes that he can do nothing and by the end of the book after Tom remains alone he saves the day. Hope the 9th book is not a repetition of the last two ....
April 28, 2021
Once again, young Tom Ward (the Spook's apprentice), Alice (his best witch friend), and the Spook (John Gregory) are on a most dangerous adventure. This time, they have had to flee their homeland because war is raging. So they are off to Ireland where an old enemy waits to seek revenge against Tom...and the worst enemy of them all, the Fiend himself (aka, the Devil) is lurking and waiting for Alice's blood jar spell to break so he can claim Tom and Alice for himself for all eternity! Which one will get to them first?
This middle grade novel was full of adventure, magic and spooky creepiness that had me quickly turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next!
I really loved seeing Grimalkin again. She's one of my favorite characters of this series! I also really liked the tension between the mages and townspeople as the mages attempted their ritual to summon Pan. Pan was such an intriguing character as well! Trigger warnings for violence and gore.
If you are a fan of dark, spooky witchy middle grade reads, this is definitely a fantastic series!
This middle grade novel was full of adventure, magic and spooky creepiness that had me quickly turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next!
I really loved seeing Grimalkin again. She's one of my favorite characters of this series! I also really liked the tension between the mages and townspeople as the mages attempted their ritual to summon Pan. Pan was such an intriguing character as well! Trigger warnings for violence and gore.
If you are a fan of dark, spooky witchy middle grade reads, this is definitely a fantastic series!
November 3, 2022
This book was better than the last one in my opinion. The story is getting more interesting again - however, some plot points (Morrigan for example) still felt flat and somehow unnecessary. Also - why is Tom sometimes so freaking stupid and on other occasions he magically can do anything?
June 12, 2019
While the Spook, Tom and Alice flee to Ireland because of the war, they have to tackle these evil mages that want to improve their own dark powers. The journey takes Tom to find a blade. That blade (they think) could give them a fighting chance against the Fiend. The genre is fantasy and it’s the 8th in the series. I quite like it because of the fantasy and the general idea. The story is ok and it has a few tense moments. The ending is a sort of happy ending because not everything is resolved. I would recommend it to year 8s
April 5, 2017
Wardstone Chronicles Book 8
*The Spook's Destiny*
This book just broke my record! I have to say this, I just finished this book in less than 8 hours. It was so very addicting, fueled by the ambition to reach the conclusion of the Wardstone Chronicles. I feel it coming, the end. There are strong signs that this unbelievable series is coming to an end after a couple of book. I just like the chapter titles and the illustrations. They are absolutely stunning As soon as I finished the Spook's Nightmare, I immediately started with this which got me more than surprised. First of all I would like to inform you that this novel takes you to new locations with new enemies, new skills, new people and a completely new storyline that you wouldn't have imagined for Tom and his Master, the Spook. I would like to dissect the plot into four arcs:-
1) Arrival at Ireland covers 20%
2) The making and breaking of the Killorglin Ritual covers 40%
3) Binding the Fiend+ Encounter with Morrigan covers 30 %
4) Alice's Return covers 10%
I will not go deep in plot but just tell you that the antagonists are Morrigan and the Celtic witch, the goat mages who worship Pan and the Fiend itself, Tom and the Spook make alliances with local forces and the witch assassin Grimalkin and defeat all those who stand in the way of light. A lot of things happen in the book, one thing at one time obviously, that's Delaney's speciality. This time it's Tom having the worst nightmares as Morrigan, the Goddess of death haunts him in his dream and keeps chasing him in her deathly crow form. It is related to a back story when Tom and Arkwright hunted a Celtic witch and she cursed Tom that Morrigan would hunt him down if he ever came to Ireland and just that's happening so things are turning bad for Tom. I love Tom's Point of View writing throughout the book. Coming to Ireland, it has got a lot of history and the people there seem almost real, with legendary heroes and burial grounds and the 'Otherworld' which plays a major role in the book. Though however great sometime is , they cannot escape the clutches of the Dark, so Ireland is haunted by Dark Mages and Jibber, a new creature but a relatable one for the Spook. I like the introduction and how things go easily and suddenly change after the arrival of a local alliance of the landowners. The siege of the castle and the ritual covers most of the plot, but much of the light is given to Morrigan and Binding of the Fiend. They are the major focus of the book but are brought into the light much later. The new and formidable characters like the leader of the Goat Mages, their abilities, and especially their dark ritual to summon the Nature God Pan for their evil purposes is just great. The ritual seems almost realistic and full of gore and violence with a lot of blood. The appearance of the mages are prominent. But the best thing about the book is it's story. It just twists and turns and gives you fright, excitement and thrill and you feel as if its real and happening in front of you, It has a personified touch which makes it addicting. The blood jar is also given a place of prominence as it finally is broken by the Spook to bind the Fiend in the end. (Big Spoiler)! Tom's skill seems to be not very special in the beginning of the book but as soon as he gets the 'Destiny Blade' from Callan, a legendary Irish hero as he ventures in he 'otherworld' and cuts of the head of the Morrigan. I think the Celtic witch and the character of Thin Shaun were really unnecessary and just were an unnecessary addition in the plot but I have realized that it is due to them that suddenly Alice gets imprisoned by the Fiend. Getting to the third arc, the recurring appearance of Grimalkin just thralls me. She's deadly, she's dark, she's a rebel and she's so skilled and talented with the blade its just great to have her back in the series. She is a valuable ally to the Apprentice-master duo and is may be the only reason which the Fiend gets bind at the end. Another prominent thing after getting the 'Destiny Blade' is that Tom is not able to halt time completely, much thanks to Mam and Grimalkin for training him and that really amazes me and adds another spice to the plot. The story, the characters, the emotions are depicted to naturally that they almost feel real which makes you want to read more and more. I wouldn't give you much idea about Pan and the otherworld but I would say that you read these selective passages slowly, taking in all the magical words that you can and give yourself a nice treat. We see a lot of new weapons, like the chain of silver spears and nails, the location of the dragons lair and immense pits all for binding the Fiend. Tom really seems experienced and almost a Spook by the end of the book, his time is coming. Its really great to see him grow so much from the start of the series. I would say that the Spook and Alice don't play a major role in the book. But Alice steals the spotlight the end of the book as she escapes the 'Dark Domain' of the Fiend after she goes through unimaginable torcher and horrors. She is a completely different personality with a growth spurt in her malevolence. She is physiologically and psychologically shaken and ever her hair turn white, she eats chickens raw and uses terrifying spells. Alice has surely changed and really broken my heart. I had hopes from her but stories twist and turn and sometimes break your heart.. I really feel sorry for Alice, even though she is just a storybook character she feels so realistic and natural. At the end of the book, things look good and Tom gains a lot of new knowledge about previously unknown servants of the dark. The end is approaching. A very realistic, unimaginable, addicting, magical, and a heart wrenching book that will surely amaze young readers. Nice Reading!
*The Spook's Destiny*
This book just broke my record! I have to say this, I just finished this book in less than 8 hours. It was so very addicting, fueled by the ambition to reach the conclusion of the Wardstone Chronicles. I feel it coming, the end. There are strong signs that this unbelievable series is coming to an end after a couple of book. I just like the chapter titles and the illustrations. They are absolutely stunning As soon as I finished the Spook's Nightmare, I immediately started with this which got me more than surprised. First of all I would like to inform you that this novel takes you to new locations with new enemies, new skills, new people and a completely new storyline that you wouldn't have imagined for Tom and his Master, the Spook. I would like to dissect the plot into four arcs:-
1) Arrival at Ireland covers 20%
2) The making and breaking of the Killorglin Ritual covers 40%
3) Binding the Fiend+ Encounter with Morrigan covers 30 %
4) Alice's Return covers 10%
I will not go deep in plot but just tell you that the antagonists are Morrigan and the Celtic witch, the goat mages who worship Pan and the Fiend itself, Tom and the Spook make alliances with local forces and the witch assassin Grimalkin and defeat all those who stand in the way of light. A lot of things happen in the book, one thing at one time obviously, that's Delaney's speciality. This time it's Tom having the worst nightmares as Morrigan, the Goddess of death haunts him in his dream and keeps chasing him in her deathly crow form. It is related to a back story when Tom and Arkwright hunted a Celtic witch and she cursed Tom that Morrigan would hunt him down if he ever came to Ireland and just that's happening so things are turning bad for Tom. I love Tom's Point of View writing throughout the book. Coming to Ireland, it has got a lot of history and the people there seem almost real, with legendary heroes and burial grounds and the 'Otherworld' which plays a major role in the book. Though however great sometime is , they cannot escape the clutches of the Dark, so Ireland is haunted by Dark Mages and Jibber, a new creature but a relatable one for the Spook. I like the introduction and how things go easily and suddenly change after the arrival of a local alliance of the landowners. The siege of the castle and the ritual covers most of the plot, but much of the light is given to Morrigan and Binding of the Fiend. They are the major focus of the book but are brought into the light much later. The new and formidable characters like the leader of the Goat Mages, their abilities, and especially their dark ritual to summon the Nature God Pan for their evil purposes is just great. The ritual seems almost realistic and full of gore and violence with a lot of blood. The appearance of the mages are prominent. But the best thing about the book is it's story. It just twists and turns and gives you fright, excitement and thrill and you feel as if its real and happening in front of you, It has a personified touch which makes it addicting. The blood jar is also given a place of prominence as it finally is broken by the Spook to bind the Fiend in the end. (Big Spoiler)! Tom's skill seems to be not very special in the beginning of the book but as soon as he gets the 'Destiny Blade' from Callan, a legendary Irish hero as he ventures in he 'otherworld' and cuts of the head of the Morrigan. I think the Celtic witch and the character of Thin Shaun were really unnecessary and just were an unnecessary addition in the plot but I have realized that it is due to them that suddenly Alice gets imprisoned by the Fiend. Getting to the third arc, the recurring appearance of Grimalkin just thralls me. She's deadly, she's dark, she's a rebel and she's so skilled and talented with the blade its just great to have her back in the series. She is a valuable ally to the Apprentice-master duo and is may be the only reason which the Fiend gets bind at the end. Another prominent thing after getting the 'Destiny Blade' is that Tom is not able to halt time completely, much thanks to Mam and Grimalkin for training him and that really amazes me and adds another spice to the plot. The story, the characters, the emotions are depicted to naturally that they almost feel real which makes you want to read more and more. I wouldn't give you much idea about Pan and the otherworld but I would say that you read these selective passages slowly, taking in all the magical words that you can and give yourself a nice treat. We see a lot of new weapons, like the chain of silver spears and nails, the location of the dragons lair and immense pits all for binding the Fiend. Tom really seems experienced and almost a Spook by the end of the book, his time is coming. Its really great to see him grow so much from the start of the series. I would say that the Spook and Alice don't play a major role in the book. But Alice steals the spotlight the end of the book as she escapes the 'Dark Domain' of the Fiend after she goes through unimaginable torcher and horrors. She is a completely different personality with a growth spurt in her malevolence. She is physiologically and psychologically shaken and ever her hair turn white, she eats chickens raw and uses terrifying spells. Alice has surely changed and really broken my heart. I had hopes from her but stories twist and turn and sometimes break your heart.. I really feel sorry for Alice, even though she is just a storybook character she feels so realistic and natural. At the end of the book, things look good and Tom gains a lot of new knowledge about previously unknown servants of the dark. The end is approaching. A very realistic, unimaginable, addicting, magical, and a heart wrenching book that will surely amaze young readers. Nice Reading!
April 10, 2012
Another fine addition to the series. I'm not going to say much as anyone who hasn't read the book yet will encounter spoilers. However I will say that this is all leading up to a very thrilling conclusion and if it does not end with a bang I will be disappointed. What will happen with Tom, Alice, the Fiend, the Spook, Grimalkin and will any character be swayed over to the dark? These questions need to be answered and some more incredible action scenes need to feature in the last two books.
Anyone reading this who hasn't read the first book do so. You will be hooked by an incredible and thrilling series. I have so far and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
Anyone reading this who hasn't read the first book do so. You will be hooked by an incredible and thrilling series. I have so far and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
June 23, 2015
Imi place cum se dezvolta povestea, cum evolueaza personajele si cum sunt mereu la limita dintre Bine si Rau, Lumina si Intuneric. Alice si Tom au luat multe decizii controversate, sunt legati prin magie, il mint pe Mos Gregory (da, am ajuns si eu sa ii spun asa), insa gasesc o poarta de scapare, chiar daca exista un pret de platit. De data, e diferit.
Si Grimalkin e perfecta. Fara comentarii.
Si Grimalkin e perfecta. Fara comentarii.
June 4, 2011
Brilliant story...but...think it's time to wrap it all up. The next one needs to be the last in the series.
September 20, 2015
Sabe, sou um eterno otimista. Nunca desisto! Essa é a verdadeira qualidade que destaca um herói. Nunca desistir, mesmo quando não há esperança!
October 29, 2023
My heart, my soul!
This is the last book that I have of the series...but there are 2 more to read and I am left on a clifhanger...
Such good writing!
This is the last book that I have of the series...but there are 2 more to read and I am left on a clifhanger...
Such good writing!
May 21, 2025
Continuing on the trend of many villains (4 in all), this book felt too bloated to fit them all in. In addition, with it being only 396 pages long, the book felt rushed. Anyway, two of the villains, the Fiend and the mages were defeated way too easily while the other two, the Morrigan and Scarabek, overstayed their welcome. It would have been better to not have the Fiend in this entirely and just focused on 1 or 2, preferably the Morrigan and Scarabek since their presence was felt from the beginning to the end. Also, I've seen reviews from books in the past for this series about how Tom's character never changes or grows and I have to agree with them as he does something so stupid it puts Alice in mortal peril . After that, I seriously considered not reading the rest of the series but if you know me you know that I will never not finish a book or series because it's not in my nature. Well, onto the next one I guess.
September 20, 2017
Je sais que je me répète mais; qu'est-ce que j'aime Grimalkin! Mon amour pour elle n'a vraiment aucune limite. Depuis le quatrième tome, à chaque fois qu'elle apparaît, je tombe un peu plus amoureuse d'elle. Je! l'aime! beaucoup! trop!
Revenons-en au livre et à l'histoire. Tout est absolument parfait, comme chacun des tomes précédents. J'avais très peu de souvenirs de ce tome-ci. Ils me sont revenus par bribes, mais globalement, j'allais de surprises en surprises. Je l'ai complètement redécouvert pour ce qui est de sa quasi-totalité. Par moment, j'ouvrais de grands yeux et je me demandais si des passages n'avaient pas été rajoutés pendant que mon livre dormait dans ma bibliothèque.
J'ai tant d'amour pour cette saga et ses personnages, que tout bouillonne en moi. Je suis tellement heureuse quand je pense à l'existence de cette histoire. Merci infiniment Joseph Delaney.
Revenons-en au livre et à l'histoire. Tout est absolument parfait, comme chacun des tomes précédents. J'avais très peu de souvenirs de ce tome-ci. Ils me sont revenus par bribes, mais globalement, j'allais de surprises en surprises. Je l'ai complètement redécouvert pour ce qui est de sa quasi-totalité. Par moment, j'ouvrais de grands yeux et je me demandais si des passages n'avaient pas été rajoutés pendant que mon livre dormait dans ma bibliothèque.
J'ai tant d'amour pour cette saga et ses personnages, que tout bouillonne en moi. Je suis tellement heureuse quand je pense à l'existence de cette histoire. Merci infiniment Joseph Delaney.
January 5, 2025
4.5/5 stars, audiobook. Okay, now THIS is a book. Still a bit formulaic and predictable (it is, in fact, meant for people half my age) but finally we are getting the payoff of so much world building! Tom is a dawg, Alice is a beast, and all the supporting characters finally throw their weight around. My favorite entry in the series thus far, FLEW through this book.
There was even a mention of a counter-clockwise circle and JD did not say widdershins��� a belated Christmas miracle.
There was even a mention of a counter-clockwise circle and JD did not say widdershins��� a belated Christmas miracle.
December 15, 2022
Listened via Audible.
The Details:
Narrated by Thomas Judd
Unabridged
I listened in one sitting!
Oh my gosh, this was non-stop action from start to finish. I really enjoyed that, but I did feel like I couldn't catch a breath!
I felt like this was quite a pivotal turn in the series because quite a lot of what the prior books had been building up to, finally came to a head, which was very satisfying... But of course, it's far from over yet...
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
The Details:
Narrated by Thomas Judd
Unabridged
I listened in one sitting!
Oh my gosh, this was non-stop action from start to finish. I really enjoyed that, but I did feel like I couldn't catch a breath!
I felt like this was quite a pivotal turn in the series because quite a lot of what the prior books had been building up to, finally came to a head, which was very satisfying... But of course, it's far from over yet...
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
January 21, 2024
Finding it so interesting again, they can seem repetitive as it likes to remind you of things over again which I kinda get. And the storyline is kicking in again, the last book deffo felt like filler compared to this one
September 11, 2025
I did not update this well, but this one didn't impress much. The story itself was well written and fitted in the whole series, but the characters and events felt a bit flat and weren't as cozy as before. To keep it spoiler free I won't go into details, but I was happy at the end
March 29, 2018
Blir ikke lei 😊
August 11, 2018
Wow this was the best book in the series, the fiend has been temporarily defeated and it's back to Chipenden for Thomas, The Spook and Alice but is Alice able to cross flowing water?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2022
2.
Najgorsza pod kątem jakości warsztatu część cyklu jak dotąd - akcja pędzi łeb na szyję, a wiele rzeczy dzieje się na zasadzie Deus ex machina (nawet jak na tą serię!) Ale końcówka była spoko.
Może następne będą lepsze, bo zamierzam czytać dalej .
Najgorsza pod kątem jakości warsztatu część cyklu jak dotąd - akcja pędzi łeb na szyję, a wiele rzeczy dzieje się na zasadzie Deus ex machina (nawet jak na tą serię!) Ale końcówka była spoko.
Może następne będą lepsze, bo zamierzam czytać dalej .
May 30, 2023
Same story but in Ireland pt 2
April 14, 2025
The transition from major storybeat to storybeat felt disjointed and choppy, with important stakes feeling produced from thin air rather than being built up. But the ending was fantastic!
Read
February 3, 2022Spoiler alert !!
Je trouve que the fiend était trop facile a battre.
Je trouve que the fiend était trop facile a battre.
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