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The Starblade Chronicles #2
L'Épouvanteur, Tome 15 : La résurrection de l'Épouvanteur
« L'armée noire à laquelle nous sommes confrontés ne comprend pas seulement les forces considérables des Kobalos et les effroyables entités qu'ils ont spécialement créées pour la bataille.
Leurs dieux combattent avec eux - des déités telles que Golgoth, le Seigneur de l'Hiver. »
Thomas Ward, le nouvel Épouvanteur, combattait l'obscur dans le Comté avec son apprentie quand il a été appelé loin de chez lui pour une nouvelle bataille : diriger la lutte contre une armée de créatures bestiales qui s'apprêtent à condamner la Terre à un éternel hiver. Les humains n'avaient jamais affronté d'aussi terrifiants guerriers.
Mais Tom gît à présent, raide et froid, dans sa tombe. Et ceux qui avaient mis tous leurs espoirs en lui se désespèrent.
Qui prendra la tête des troupes, avant que l'armée noire ne les submerge et ne répande la guerre jusque dans le Comté ?
Leurs dieux combattent avec eux - des déités telles que Golgoth, le Seigneur de l'Hiver. »
Thomas Ward, le nouvel Épouvanteur, combattait l'obscur dans le Comté avec son apprentie quand il a été appelé loin de chez lui pour une nouvelle bataille : diriger la lutte contre une armée de créatures bestiales qui s'apprêtent à condamner la Terre à un éternel hiver. Les humains n'avaient jamais affronté d'aussi terrifiants guerriers.
Mais Tom gît à présent, raide et froid, dans sa tombe. Et ceux qui avaient mis tous leurs espoirs en lui se désespèrent.
Qui prendra la tête des troupes, avant que l'armée noire ne les submerge et ne répande la guerre jusque dans le Comté ?
363 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
236 people are currently reading
3139 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Delaney
59 books3,985 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 217 reviews
December 6, 2025
Tom Ward is finally a spook in his own right and he's taken on his first apprentice - Jenny. The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.
Jenny is the first girl apprentice that the County has seen and she's determined to fight the boggarts, witches and other creatures of the dark just as well as any boy could.
But danger looms in the horizon - a battle that could go horribly wrong if they aren't careful. Jenny must watch her every move otherwise, she could lose it all.
So, I loved the original series and was really excited to pick up this trilogy. However, even though I'm on book 2, I still feel like I'm easing my way into this series.
After so many books with Tom Ward, it's difficult to switch characters. Even though they are swapping perspectives, I am still on the fence.
Objectively, this was an entertaining book.
Subjectively, it almost feels like the books have gotten too big. Tom defeated the devil. What in the world could be worse than that? Oh, the entire species of monsters and a new devil.
It feels almost as if the author didn't know what to do next and was trying to figure out SOMETHING for his characters to do.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Jenny is the first girl apprentice that the County has seen and she's determined to fight the boggarts, witches and other creatures of the dark just as well as any boy could.
But danger looms in the horizon - a battle that could go horribly wrong if they aren't careful. Jenny must watch her every move otherwise, she could lose it all.
So, I loved the original series and was really excited to pick up this trilogy. However, even though I'm on book 2, I still feel like I'm easing my way into this series.
After so many books with Tom Ward, it's difficult to switch characters. Even though they are swapping perspectives, I am still on the fence.
Objectively, this was an entertaining book.
Subjectively, it almost feels like the books have gotten too big. Tom defeated the devil. What in the world could be worse than that? Oh, the entire species of monsters and a new devil.
It feels almost as if the author didn't know what to do next and was trying to figure out SOMETHING for his characters to do.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
July 30, 2025
Well in one hand I'm just happy that the stories will go on, I've always enjoyed the spook stories ,the characters and the places where the events unfolded, in the other hand, i loathed manythings in this book : I thought that Tom's ward personality was rather feeble, after all the adventures he had, the enemies he slayed, the triumphs and defeats he lived through, i just hoped that he will be strong willed not some weak straw that goes wherever the winds blows it, Grimalkin controlled him completely he had basically no say, his apprentice is running wild, disobeying and criticizing him at every turn, that's an unhealthy approach to an apprenticeship , and to top it off Alice who walked all over him is back with him: i know a lot of fans were disappointed when she betrayed him i was too i do like them as a couple but to welcome her easily into his arms just after the death of her lover is quite desperate of the young spook .... Well let's hope the next book is better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2018
Another engaging, inventive addition to one of my favorite fantasy series! Can't wait to read the next one, though I'll be sad when the story ends as it's the last one in the series.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
March 11, 2016
3.5
I'm actually dissapointed by this - The Spook's series is one of my all time favourites but I'm just not getting on with this new series and I don't know what it is about it. I'm not enjoying the drastic changes with Tom, I feel that he is way more selfish then he was in the original series and I know a lot of people will just say that it's his character development - which I get - but I don't like the new character development that's happening with Tom.
Majorly pissed off about Grimalkin, it was such a cheat way to go, and I think that he could of done something more with her character. I like Jenny, I think her character is awesome and I think she is a great apprentice but what I don't like is how it feels that Tom isn't teaching her properly because all of his attention is on Alice - which brings me back to him being quite selfish.
I'm going to carry on with the serie, because as I said it's one of my all time favourites but so far I'm really not impressed by it, I just think there is a lot of stuff lacking and it's not getting me excited for any of the future books, unlike the orginal series.
I'm actually dissapointed by this - The Spook's series is one of my all time favourites but I'm just not getting on with this new series and I don't know what it is about it. I'm not enjoying the drastic changes with Tom, I feel that he is way more selfish then he was in the original series and I know a lot of people will just say that it's his character development - which I get - but I don't like the new character development that's happening with Tom.
Majorly pissed off about Grimalkin, it was such a cheat way to go, and I think that he could of done something more with her character. I like Jenny, I think her character is awesome and I think she is a great apprentice but what I don't like is how it feels that Tom isn't teaching her properly because all of his attention is on Alice - which brings me back to him being quite selfish.
I'm going to carry on with the serie, because as I said it's one of my all time favourites but so far I'm really not impressed by it, I just think there is a lot of stuff lacking and it's not getting me excited for any of the future books, unlike the orginal series.
December 13, 2020
3/24/16:
4/15/16:
4/15/16:
October 24, 2016
3.5 stars. Following a shocker at the end of the first book in the continuing adventures of now Spook Tom Ward, he is forced to lead the human army against the Kobalos by his ally Grimalkin and the head Prince of the realm. He finds himself outmatched by one of their most powerful mages, and is about the succumb when he is aided by a most unexpected person, who readers will be very glad to see. I think some of the things that made the Apprentice series may return, but the foes in this series are more violent and dark. I also think that Tom's apprentice Jenny Calder is not as likable nor as diligent as Tom himself was. Tom also seems to use less of his gifts than in the past, relying more on brute force than guile and his special gifts. Finally, I think there was more vomiting in this book than in all the others combined. Yecch.
June 7, 2017
"I belong to the best bit of the dark... I'm an earth-witch who serves Pan. My magic comes from the ground; it comes from the elements; it comes from the Earth itself. The truth is, that's what I was always meant to be."
Definitely better than the first part but still this series isn't the same as The Wardstone Chronicles.
When I started reading I was afraid that The Dark Army would disappoint me just like A New Darkness did. And honestly I didn't enjoy the first part of this book. I still don't like Jenny and I missed chapters only in Tom's perspective.
And then when I thought that I would really be disappointed again, Alice appeared. She saved Tom's life and at this point I felt like I was reading my beloved chronicles again. Finally I got scenes with Tom and Alice about which I've been dreaming for a long time. Dark times are coming, the final battle is just around the corner but they are together and have each other. I couldn't ask for more.
"I'll tell you something now that I want you to remember. This is the truth. From the moment I first saw you I knew we were meant to be together. I loved you when we both lived with Old Gregory in Chipenden. I loved you when I was with Lukrasta. And I love you now. Either believe me or call me a liar - that's up to you. But it's the truth."
So Joseph for now I like you again and I hope this won't change in The Dark Assassin.
Definitely better than the first part but still this series isn't the same as The Wardstone Chronicles.
When I started reading I was afraid that The Dark Army would disappoint me just like A New Darkness did. And honestly I didn't enjoy the first part of this book. I still don't like Jenny and I missed chapters only in Tom's perspective.
And then when I thought that I would really be disappointed again, Alice appeared. She saved Tom's life and at this point I felt like I was reading my beloved chronicles again. Finally I got scenes with Tom and Alice about which I've been dreaming for a long time. Dark times are coming, the final battle is just around the corner but they are together and have each other. I couldn't ask for more.
"I'll tell you something now that I want you to remember. This is the truth. From the moment I first saw you I knew we were meant to be together. I loved you when we both lived with Old Gregory in Chipenden. I loved you when I was with Lukrasta. And I love you now. Either believe me or call me a liar - that's up to you. But it's the truth."
So Joseph for now I like you again and I hope this won't change in The Dark Assassin.
January 12, 2016
The Spooks: The Dark Army, I seriously don't know where to begin or what to write as I am totally hyped after having read it. So I will write a NON-SPOILER section, however if you have decided to read this review... THERE WILL BE SPOILERS [WARNING]! And I insist that anyone who has not read the book yet leave, and read the book!
Anyway, in terms of staying in the style of previous books, this particular book had a real edge of darkness, so much however, that I even felt my stomach twist! The Dark Army, for me is (in term of how dark it was) up there with The Spook's: Revenge even though I thought that TDA (The Dark Army) is superior. When it comes down to the actual style of the narrative however, it follows the same first person style, which is probably the reason why I feel so connected to the books as I feel that whilst I'm reading TDA as well as the previous books, I am Tom, and what happens to him happens to me! However, in this book just like the last book, A New Darkness, the narrative was split into two, which at first, when reading the last book, I felt like it was dragging the pace down because all I wanted to do was step back into Tom's shoes and go, although in the end of the last book (potential hint of SPOILER ahead) and in this book, I realised that finally after 13 books in which we knew that no real harm could come to Tom because it was all written from his memory at the end of each book, now, I fear for Tom, for once I am uncertain of his wellbeing and with the dark tone this book has, I feel that any character could easily drop of the plot at any moment.
This Book was full of emotion and heart pounding action, and I think that if I were to put it in my list, it would be joint first with, The Spooks Battle and The Spooks Mistake. The action scenes were a lot more detailed in this book compared to the last one and the gore was well fitted in the story. Had Joseph Delaney not shown as mush gore and violence, and even some very strong scenes of abuse and torture, we as readers would not really understand how threatening the new enemy is. This is definitely a MUST READ for any fan of the series, or if you happen to like Horror/Fantasy/adventure books, then please go back to the beginning and read your way to this one. I have honestly never loved any book as much as this one, I feel so connected to it, so much that I live in it when I read it, I feel the heart ache and the happiness that Tom feels because in the end, when I read the book, I pretty much am Tom.
*Just an additional note: there is a chapter that says that Jenny is narrating, obviously it was a error that was missed, the chapter is called; The Space Between Worlds, so look out for that one.
So I warned in the beginning that there would be SPOILERS, so this is it... If you haven't read the book yet, then be warned, not only will you be spoiling an amazing experience, but I will personally send my Bogart over to 'tell you off'... you've been warned!
Seriously though, this is the section for people who have read the book and want to see how I, a fellow reader, felt about certain parts in this book.
First, Tom comes back to life, something that I though was quite obvious as the cover and the sample that Joseph Delaney had given us at halloween. But the way it happened, we find out the Tom shouldn't have died in the first place but the combined power of a witch and mage stopped Tom in his stance unable to manoeuvre away from the Shaiksa Assasin's blade, after striking its head off.
Tom was A puppet control by none other than Lukrasta and his companion and current lover, Alice Dean. They had killed him and rectified him in front of all the solders during his burial in order to make all of the principalities of Polyznia unite, when Grimalkin told Tom that Lukrasta and Alice caused his terrible pain, I felt mine and Tom's past feelings for Alice surge inside me but they were quickly overturned with jealousy and anger due to Alice's betrayal in book 13, The Spooks Revenge. I felt the rivalry between Tom and Lukrasta spark once more.
Tom, for the long part of this book, was a puppet to Grimalkin, Prince Stanislav, Lukrasta and Alice.
Grimalkin forced Tom to head to one of the Kulads by sending his apprentice, Jenny, with Prince Kaylars probe force who went ahead, so that she could gain knowledge on how to beat the Kobalos. This was the point where i was beginning to lose my cool with Grimalkin. They made it to the Kulad and found Jenny, however, they were ambushed inside the Kulad by the second most powerful of the Triumvirate Mages, Lunklewth, who easily defeated Grimalkin with a stroke of his magic, and defeating a tired and weak Tom, who had still not recovered from his death and resurrection.
Tom was sentenced to a slow agonising death from one of the Shaiksa Assassins, one that was eager to avenge his fallen assassin brother. The assassin cut Tom over and over, until someone saved him, IT WAS ALICE, she killed the assassin and gave Tom the Starblade, so Tom beat the mage back until Lunklewth vanished, Alice vanished also.
I have written all that so I can get to the bits that really made this book as good as it is.
Alice comes back to Tom, they talk and although Tom is still bitter over the betrayal, he learns that Lukrasta is dead by the hands of the Kobalos, at first I was kind of annoyed as i'd hoped that Tom would kill him, but then i thought that Tom would not kill an ally, no matter how much he hates them. Alice had now become and earth witch, which was something that I thought was very interesting, she had now sworn allegiance to Pan, the God of Life. So now I see that Alice isn't all bad. She even explains how she was forced to get with Lukrasta, which made me feel hope for Tom and Alice finally being together, which they do and we finally see that scene where they have a romantic moment which isn't a one second kiss followed by her running off. I think that Joseph Delaney had dealt with the relationship between Tom and Alice very well, and finally they are together, which is extremely over due!
Tom's fight with Lenklewth was awesome too, and this is where I really started to fear for Alice again, although Tom epically defeats the Kobalos Mage, Alice almost dies due to the poison of the Varteki.
Alice almost dies three times in this book... THREE TIMES! And its reminded me of what Tibb said in The Spooks Battle, 'she will love you, she will betray you, then she will die for you', or something along those lines, and Im really starting to worry for Alice now.
There are more points that I am not going to come into as much detail but here we go, starting with one of the most shocking moments EVER in the Spooks Books! GRIMALKIN'S DEATH!!! she sacrificed her life so that Golgoth would not kill Alice! I felt like I'd just been punched in the stomach when this happened! It was a quick death perhaps too quick.. but anyway, I know that this isn't the last we see of Grimalkin.
Meg, John Gregory's 'partner' had come back as a feral and aided Tom fight Golgoth which I though was pretty cool.
Anyway, If I write more I'm gunna miss the deadline of one of my college essays that i need to hand in, but I thought i had to sacrifice some time to write this review.
So, my last feelings of this book, are that it is very much got an 'Empire Strikes Back', where nothing has improved, everything is in fact worse and the end is near for our heroes. The ending is very much bittersweet as Tom and Alice are now together and Jenny is improving in becoming a Spook, and may I add that having Jenny in this book is really cool as she often has similar feelings as Tom's old master, John Gregory, plus she is becoming an interesting character who often casts doubt on a lot of issues. John Gregory gets a lot of mentions in this book too, which I really like. And finally Tom is now that true hunter that his Mam had foretold, and with Alice at his side, maybe they can kick Talkus' but and everything will turn out great, although something that I had realised throughout the books is that Tom's story so far, is ultimately one of tragedy, so I hope that in the end he will get the life he deserves with Alice by his side and training Young Jenny to become a great spook, but only time will tell, and hopefully, whenever we do get a climax, it will be epic and tie up all loose ends unlike The Spooks Revenge which really set up this series. Although hopefully there will be room for more stories in the future, after the Kobalos threat.
5 out of 5 stars for me, I loved it.
Anyway, in terms of staying in the style of previous books, this particular book had a real edge of darkness, so much however, that I even felt my stomach twist! The Dark Army, for me is (in term of how dark it was) up there with The Spook's: Revenge even though I thought that TDA (The Dark Army) is superior. When it comes down to the actual style of the narrative however, it follows the same first person style, which is probably the reason why I feel so connected to the books as I feel that whilst I'm reading TDA as well as the previous books, I am Tom, and what happens to him happens to me! However, in this book just like the last book, A New Darkness, the narrative was split into two, which at first, when reading the last book, I felt like it was dragging the pace down because all I wanted to do was step back into Tom's shoes and go, although in the end of the last book (potential hint of SPOILER ahead) and in this book, I realised that finally after 13 books in which we knew that no real harm could come to Tom because it was all written from his memory at the end of each book, now, I fear for Tom, for once I am uncertain of his wellbeing and with the dark tone this book has, I feel that any character could easily drop of the plot at any moment.
This Book was full of emotion and heart pounding action, and I think that if I were to put it in my list, it would be joint first with, The Spooks Battle and The Spooks Mistake. The action scenes were a lot more detailed in this book compared to the last one and the gore was well fitted in the story. Had Joseph Delaney not shown as mush gore and violence, and even some very strong scenes of abuse and torture, we as readers would not really understand how threatening the new enemy is. This is definitely a MUST READ for any fan of the series, or if you happen to like Horror/Fantasy/adventure books, then please go back to the beginning and read your way to this one. I have honestly never loved any book as much as this one, I feel so connected to it, so much that I live in it when I read it, I feel the heart ache and the happiness that Tom feels because in the end, when I read the book, I pretty much am Tom.
*Just an additional note: there is a chapter that says that Jenny is narrating, obviously it was a error that was missed, the chapter is called; The Space Between Worlds, so look out for that one.
So I warned in the beginning that there would be SPOILERS, so this is it... If you haven't read the book yet, then be warned, not only will you be spoiling an amazing experience, but I will personally send my Bogart over to 'tell you off'... you've been warned!
Seriously though, this is the section for people who have read the book and want to see how I, a fellow reader, felt about certain parts in this book.
First, Tom comes back to life, something that I though was quite obvious as the cover and the sample that Joseph Delaney had given us at halloween. But the way it happened, we find out the Tom shouldn't have died in the first place but the combined power of a witch and mage stopped Tom in his stance unable to manoeuvre away from the Shaiksa Assasin's blade, after striking its head off.
Tom was A puppet control by none other than Lukrasta and his companion and current lover, Alice Dean. They had killed him and rectified him in front of all the solders during his burial in order to make all of the principalities of Polyznia unite, when Grimalkin told Tom that Lukrasta and Alice caused his terrible pain, I felt mine and Tom's past feelings for Alice surge inside me but they were quickly overturned with jealousy and anger due to Alice's betrayal in book 13, The Spooks Revenge. I felt the rivalry between Tom and Lukrasta spark once more.
Tom, for the long part of this book, was a puppet to Grimalkin, Prince Stanislav, Lukrasta and Alice.
Grimalkin forced Tom to head to one of the Kulads by sending his apprentice, Jenny, with Prince Kaylars probe force who went ahead, so that she could gain knowledge on how to beat the Kobalos. This was the point where i was beginning to lose my cool with Grimalkin. They made it to the Kulad and found Jenny, however, they were ambushed inside the Kulad by the second most powerful of the Triumvirate Mages, Lunklewth, who easily defeated Grimalkin with a stroke of his magic, and defeating a tired and weak Tom, who had still not recovered from his death and resurrection.
Tom was sentenced to a slow agonising death from one of the Shaiksa Assassins, one that was eager to avenge his fallen assassin brother. The assassin cut Tom over and over, until someone saved him, IT WAS ALICE, she killed the assassin and gave Tom the Starblade, so Tom beat the mage back until Lunklewth vanished, Alice vanished also.
I have written all that so I can get to the bits that really made this book as good as it is.
Alice comes back to Tom, they talk and although Tom is still bitter over the betrayal, he learns that Lukrasta is dead by the hands of the Kobalos, at first I was kind of annoyed as i'd hoped that Tom would kill him, but then i thought that Tom would not kill an ally, no matter how much he hates them. Alice had now become and earth witch, which was something that I thought was very interesting, she had now sworn allegiance to Pan, the God of Life. So now I see that Alice isn't all bad. She even explains how she was forced to get with Lukrasta, which made me feel hope for Tom and Alice finally being together, which they do and we finally see that scene where they have a romantic moment which isn't a one second kiss followed by her running off. I think that Joseph Delaney had dealt with the relationship between Tom and Alice very well, and finally they are together, which is extremely over due!
Tom's fight with Lenklewth was awesome too, and this is where I really started to fear for Alice again, although Tom epically defeats the Kobalos Mage, Alice almost dies due to the poison of the Varteki.
Alice almost dies three times in this book... THREE TIMES! And its reminded me of what Tibb said in The Spooks Battle, 'she will love you, she will betray you, then she will die for you', or something along those lines, and Im really starting to worry for Alice now.
There are more points that I am not going to come into as much detail but here we go, starting with one of the most shocking moments EVER in the Spooks Books! GRIMALKIN'S DEATH!!! she sacrificed her life so that Golgoth would not kill Alice! I felt like I'd just been punched in the stomach when this happened! It was a quick death perhaps too quick.. but anyway, I know that this isn't the last we see of Grimalkin.
Meg, John Gregory's 'partner' had come back as a feral and aided Tom fight Golgoth which I though was pretty cool.
Anyway, If I write more I'm gunna miss the deadline of one of my college essays that i need to hand in, but I thought i had to sacrifice some time to write this review.
So, my last feelings of this book, are that it is very much got an 'Empire Strikes Back', where nothing has improved, everything is in fact worse and the end is near for our heroes. The ending is very much bittersweet as Tom and Alice are now together and Jenny is improving in becoming a Spook, and may I add that having Jenny in this book is really cool as she often has similar feelings as Tom's old master, John Gregory, plus she is becoming an interesting character who often casts doubt on a lot of issues. John Gregory gets a lot of mentions in this book too, which I really like. And finally Tom is now that true hunter that his Mam had foretold, and with Alice at his side, maybe they can kick Talkus' but and everything will turn out great, although something that I had realised throughout the books is that Tom's story so far, is ultimately one of tragedy, so I hope that in the end he will get the life he deserves with Alice by his side and training Young Jenny to become a great spook, but only time will tell, and hopefully, whenever we do get a climax, it will be epic and tie up all loose ends unlike The Spooks Revenge which really set up this series. Although hopefully there will be room for more stories in the future, after the Kobalos threat.
5 out of 5 stars for me, I loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2025
З 2013 року і до сьогодення я обожнюю цей цикл, цих персонажів та цю історію. Єдине, що засмучує, залишилася лише одна книга.
Ця частина трохи поступається попереднім, але все одно залишається легкою, чарівною та похмурою. Грімалкін назавжди залишиться в моєму серці як одна з найулюбленіших персонажок
Ця частина трохи поступається попереднім, але все одно залишається легкою, чарівною та похмурою. Грімалкін назавжди залишиться в моєму серці як одна з найулюбленіших персонажок
July 27, 2019
felt like there were two plots in one book which was weird?? but other than that it was a nice change of pace than the usual
January 11, 2016
The County Spook is back! And with Ward's dramatic return, old allies resurface including a particular pointy shoed witch and a skilled haizda mage and more! But of course with the return of old allies, there also comes the return of old foes, as well as the rise of new opponents, and the stakes have never been higher in the next chapter of the Spooks series.
Joseph Delaney takes the spot light again with the release of his second book in The Starblade Chronicles, and in my personal opinion does a superb job in continuing Tom Ward's journey and his ongoing battle with the Kabalos.
At the start of the book, I do feel that there isn't really a clear beginning to the story, as this book doesn't really have an independent story to tell, but is more of a continuation of the previous book in the series. So I advise that before reading this book, to understand what is going on, you must have at least read A New Darkness, the first book in the series. Of course, if possible, I would also advise you to read the whole Spook series to have a better sense of understanding what is going on in the plot of The Dark Army.
Like the previous book in the series, The Dark Army I feel has a much more darker tone in comparison to some of the previous Spook books, which I think adds more tension to the main plot of this book, and adds more menace to the book's main antagonists, the Kabalos. This I believe works well with the plot of the book, and in some moments throughout the book, the suspense and tension makes it impossible to put the book down.
The pace of the book itself starts rather slowly, however, once you get the deeper into the book, the pace increases and becomes steady, not going to fast for the reader nor not too slow. This allows the story to be told in good detail, yet doesn't cause the pace of the story to be disrupted and continues throughout the rest of the book.
This new book also contains a lot of character development between the main characters such as Tom Ward's alliance with Grimalkin, his friendship with Jenny, but perhaps most interesting character development of all in the book is Tom's reunion with , which in itself is a main part of the book as a whole. But Delaney does a great job with the characters, keeping the development between Tom and his friends and allies fresh and exciting.
Overall, this book is a very enjoyable read, with great characters throughout directing the story and plot throughout the book, with many surprises and plot twists scattered through the book which will cause many Spook fans hearts to soar with joy, or break from utter shock and tragedy. For fans of this series, the book is a must read. For casual readers, I certainly recommended this book, but be sure to have read A New Darkness first.
Joseph Delaney takes the spot light again with the release of his second book in The Starblade Chronicles, and in my personal opinion does a superb job in continuing Tom Ward's journey and his ongoing battle with the Kabalos.
At the start of the book, I do feel that there isn't really a clear beginning to the story, as this book doesn't really have an independent story to tell, but is more of a continuation of the previous book in the series. So I advise that before reading this book, to understand what is going on, you must have at least read A New Darkness, the first book in the series. Of course, if possible, I would also advise you to read the whole Spook series to have a better sense of understanding what is going on in the plot of The Dark Army.
Like the previous book in the series, The Dark Army I feel has a much more darker tone in comparison to some of the previous Spook books, which I think adds more tension to the main plot of this book, and adds more menace to the book's main antagonists, the Kabalos. This I believe works well with the plot of the book, and in some moments throughout the book, the suspense and tension makes it impossible to put the book down.
The pace of the book itself starts rather slowly, however, once you get the deeper into the book, the pace increases and becomes steady, not going to fast for the reader nor not too slow. This allows the story to be told in good detail, yet doesn't cause the pace of the story to be disrupted and continues throughout the rest of the book.
This new book also contains a lot of character development between the main characters such as Tom Ward's alliance with Grimalkin, his friendship with Jenny, but perhaps most interesting character development of all in the book is Tom's reunion with , which in itself is a main part of the book as a whole. But Delaney does a great job with the characters, keeping the development between Tom and his friends and allies fresh and exciting.
Overall, this book is a very enjoyable read, with great characters throughout directing the story and plot throughout the book, with many surprises and plot twists scattered through the book which will cause many Spook fans hearts to soar with joy, or break from utter shock and tragedy. For fans of this series, the book is a must read. For casual readers, I certainly recommended this book, but be sure to have read A New Darkness first.
August 21, 2016
This was a good continuation of the Starblade Chronicles. This is the second book in the Starblade Chronicles; which will be a trilogy. I enjoyed watching as all our old favorites continue to fight a new and threatening fiend from the Dark. This book is aimed at an older audience than The Last Apprentice series, more young adult than middle grade.
It always takes me a bit to get back into Delaney’s writing style. His style can come off as a bit stiff or stilted sometimes, but once I get a few chapters in I get used to this style again and enjoyed it .
This is a rough book for Thomas and he ends up allying with a variety of unlikely allies to protect the County from the evil that is approaching. Alice is in the story a lot more which I enjoyed; she has become a force to be reckoned with but there is also some lingering sadness here because of how deeply Alice has become involved with the Dark.
About half of the book is told from Tom’s apprentice’s POV; Jenny. It is interesting to see Tom from Jenny’s point of view and see what she thinks of his actions. At times between trying to deal with his apprentice Jenny, trying to not be overwhelmed by Grimalkin’s various plots, and dealing with Alice’s descent into the Dark Tom seems tired and a bit hopeless. This made my heart ache a bit given what Tom has had to deal with. However Tom is not alone in his sacrifices...both Alice and Grimalkin have walked tough roads as well.
Overall this was a good continuation of the series. I would strongly recommend reading The Last Apprentice series before reading the Starblade Chronicles. There are a lot of nuances between characters that will be missed or not understood if you did not read the Last Apprentice series. I am curious to see how things culminate in the final book of the Starblade Chronicles.
It always takes me a bit to get back into Delaney’s writing style. His style can come off as a bit stiff or stilted sometimes, but once I get a few chapters in I get used to this style again and enjoyed it .
This is a rough book for Thomas and he ends up allying with a variety of unlikely allies to protect the County from the evil that is approaching. Alice is in the story a lot more which I enjoyed; she has become a force to be reckoned with but there is also some lingering sadness here because of how deeply Alice has become involved with the Dark.
About half of the book is told from Tom’s apprentice’s POV; Jenny. It is interesting to see Tom from Jenny’s point of view and see what she thinks of his actions. At times between trying to deal with his apprentice Jenny, trying to not be overwhelmed by Grimalkin’s various plots, and dealing with Alice’s descent into the Dark Tom seems tired and a bit hopeless. This made my heart ache a bit given what Tom has had to deal with. However Tom is not alone in his sacrifices...both Alice and Grimalkin have walked tough roads as well.
Overall this was a good continuation of the series. I would strongly recommend reading The Last Apprentice series before reading the Starblade Chronicles. There are a lot of nuances between characters that will be missed or not understood if you did not read the Last Apprentice series. I am curious to see how things culminate in the final book of the Starblade Chronicles.
February 9, 2017
3.5
The new war is leading Tom too far away from the creep and crawl that made these stories so successful. I miss the human element of fear, the spooky unknown, solving riddles, learning about new beasties, crawlies and problems, all the while fearing the dark. Now... the story has wandered far from home to fight armies that are overwhelming in number and power. Tom seems to sit back and wring his hands at being outsmarted or used- yet again- instead of finding a way to beat the monsters with the tools/knowledge he has at hand. I can only think of one instance where he uses his knowledge of the terrain to gain the advantage. There are so many big, bad monsters for them to face that the plot feels unfocused-it is mayhem for the sake of mayhem. You don't know which way to look because it is all bad.
I was relieved to return to the Spooks home though the timing seemed bizarre, the war was still raging and the outcome looked grim yet...Tom returned home to play house, train Jenny and once again await the toll of the bell. The fate of the world is at stake and he is at home investigating local witch problems. ????
Slither makes a brief appearance. His tale was by far the creepiest story in this series (IMO) delivered by Mr. Delaney but his part in this book is small and he lacks the delicious creepy darkness that clung to him in his own tale. Is he bad or is he good?
I knew this book wouldn't finish the story and it does end without concluding the war. I think it ends leaving the reader feeling a bit hopeless about the future of the world.
If there is a tiny candle lighting the way- will you still be consumed by the dark?
Guess we will have to wait until the next story to find out.
The new war is leading Tom too far away from the creep and crawl that made these stories so successful. I miss the human element of fear, the spooky unknown, solving riddles, learning about new beasties, crawlies and problems, all the while fearing the dark. Now... the story has wandered far from home to fight armies that are overwhelming in number and power. Tom seems to sit back and wring his hands at being outsmarted or used- yet again- instead of finding a way to beat the monsters with the tools/knowledge he has at hand. I can only think of one instance where he uses his knowledge of the terrain to gain the advantage. There are so many big, bad monsters for them to face that the plot feels unfocused-it is mayhem for the sake of mayhem. You don't know which way to look because it is all bad.
I was relieved to return to the Spooks home though the timing seemed bizarre, the war was still raging and the outcome looked grim yet...Tom returned home to play house, train Jenny and once again await the toll of the bell. The fate of the world is at stake and he is at home investigating local witch problems. ????
Slither makes a brief appearance. His tale was by far the creepiest story in this series (IMO) delivered by Mr. Delaney but his part in this book is small and he lacks the delicious creepy darkness that clung to him in his own tale. Is he bad or is he good?
I knew this book wouldn't finish the story and it does end without concluding the war. I think it ends leaving the reader feeling a bit hopeless about the future of the world.
If there is a tiny candle lighting the way- will you still be consumed by the dark?
Guess we will have to wait until the next story to find out.
July 2, 2017
Wow. Easy five stars!
The Spook's books have been my favorite books since I started reading. They're actually the books that made me become a huge reader! I love all the Spook's so much and I'm a die hard fan of every single one of them.
But The Dark Army is quite possibly my favorite.
This book was a freaking roller coaster of suspense, shock, wonder, and horror, defiantly meeting and going above my already high expectations. I mean Alice and Lukrasta! Slither! This book was so packed with amazing scenes and I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE DARK ASSASSIN! I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't already read it, but to those of you who have I've got just one word
Grimalkin.
It seems you'll only get the full impact of this amazing book if you've read the Wardstone Chronicles, diving deep into Tom's apprenticeship and introducing some of the characters that have returned in The Dark Army.
Don't wait to pick up this book/series. I've never read anything like it.
The Spook's books have been my favorite books since I started reading. They're actually the books that made me become a huge reader! I love all the Spook's so much and I'm a die hard fan of every single one of them.
But The Dark Army is quite possibly my favorite.
This book was a freaking roller coaster of suspense, shock, wonder, and horror, defiantly meeting and going above my already high expectations. I mean Alice and Lukrasta! Slither! This book was so packed with amazing scenes and I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE DARK ASSASSIN! I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't already read it, but to those of you who have I've got just one word
Grimalkin.
It seems you'll only get the full impact of this amazing book if you've read the Wardstone Chronicles, diving deep into Tom's apprenticeship and introducing some of the characters that have returned in The Dark Army.
Don't wait to pick up this book/series. I've never read anything like it.
August 11, 2024
Cette suite se déroule essentiellement en terre étrangère, loin du Comté. On retrouve le peuple des Kobalos et notamment le fameux Sliter, rencontré dans le tome 11.
L'action est toujours bien présente, l'intrigue principale évolue et connaît quelques rebondissements. On assiste à des retrouvailles, mais aussi à des séparations, l'auteur démontre encore une fois qu'il peut aisément sacrifier ses personnages !
J'ai constaté avec un plaisir renouvelé combien l'écriture est soignée et la traduction de qualité, ce tome, à l'instar des autres, se lit avec beaucoup de fluidité.
J'ai apprécié cette suite même si je l'ai trouvée légèrement en-deçà des tomes précédents. On a le sentiment qu'il s'agit d'un tome de transition, c'est peut-être pour cette raison qu'il m'a moins séduite, bien qu'il soit très bon.
L'action est toujours bien présente, l'intrigue principale évolue et connaît quelques rebondissements. On assiste à des retrouvailles, mais aussi à des séparations, l'auteur démontre encore une fois qu'il peut aisément sacrifier ses personnages !
J'ai constaté avec un plaisir renouvelé combien l'écriture est soignée et la traduction de qualité, ce tome, à l'instar des autres, se lit avec beaucoup de fluidité.
J'ai apprécié cette suite même si je l'ai trouvée légèrement en-deçà des tomes précédents. On a le sentiment qu'il s'agit d'un tome de transition, c'est peut-être pour cette raison qu'il m'a moins séduite, bien qu'il soit très bon.
January 15, 2016
I was looking forward to the book, and will look forward to the next as well.
However I dissaprove of how the relationship with Alice has turned, as it goes against how I personally feel, and it brings me anger, I am less of a forgiving person, so I suspect that it brings happiness to other readers.
However I dissaprove of how the relationship with Alice has turned, as it goes against how I personally feel, and it brings me anger, I am less of a forgiving person, so I suspect that it brings happiness to other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2016
Very engaging read! Such a tangled web of information so far for this second series for Tom Ward, I can hardly wait to read what will happen next. It looks bleak, but that probably only means it will be an extra awesome battle in the end!
September 18, 2016
I sadly could not get through this book. I really tried to push myself to read it, but I think I'm done with this series, it has dragged on for far too long.
April 18, 2024
Fun, bloody, adventurous sequel in the Starblade Chronicles!
***SPOILER FREE REVIEW***
I absolutely adore time spent in this world with several beloved characters from The Last Apprentice series! Grimalkin is still one of my all time favorite witches! And of course, I adore the County Spook, Tom!
There's gory battles, hauntings, and eerie creatures galore!
This was such a gripping, fast paced and emotional read with a few jolting plot twists and I enjoyed every single moment of it!
Some of the elements and tropes within this story are:
- Magic
- Dual POVs
- Adventure
- High Stakes
- Ghosts
- Witches and Mages
- Friends to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Morally Grey Characters
- Plot Twists
If you liked The Last Apprentice series, I highly recommend continuing onto this trilogy!
***SPOILER FREE REVIEW***
I absolutely adore time spent in this world with several beloved characters from The Last Apprentice series! Grimalkin is still one of my all time favorite witches! And of course, I adore the County Spook, Tom!
There's gory battles, hauntings, and eerie creatures galore!
This was such a gripping, fast paced and emotional read with a few jolting plot twists and I enjoyed every single moment of it!
Some of the elements and tropes within this story are:
- Magic
- Dual POVs
- Adventure
- High Stakes
- Ghosts
- Witches and Mages
- Friends to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Morally Grey Characters
- Plot Twists
If you liked The Last Apprentice series, I highly recommend continuing onto this trilogy!
February 7, 2025
3.49/5 stars. Audiobook. It was better than the last book, but still left a lot to be desired. So many plot points just don’t make sense… there are great sequences but they all feel disjointed and as if the rules of the world and its characters keep changing. Looking forward to starting a different series after this next book.
January 9, 2019
The starblade chronicles continued with the same gripping and exciting story with Tom ward continuing his spooks apprenticeship but really he's the chipenden spook, knowing what happens in the last instalment is a must.
September 30, 2019
Review to come.
March 28, 2021
Good, like the POV changes between Jenny and Tom.
December 6, 2021
Another Audible book in The Starblade Chronicles. Marketed for children but I find Delaney's books quite fascinating along with the habitat and many different monsters featured in his novels.
February 12, 2023
sei lá lendo no ódio mas minha personagem favorita voltou e voltou fortíssima
September 7, 2025
Refusing to believe that this is a canon story set within this universe.
August 19, 2017
The Dark Amy is the second book in the Starblade Chronicles. Most of the story takes place in Polyznia, the principality under the rule of Prince Stanislaw. The story picks up right after book one A New Darkness leaves off. Tom Ward, the new County spook is dead, slain by a Shaiksa assassin.
I can’t say that I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t hate it either. I give it a solid three stars, and here is why.
There was a lot of talk about the new darkness, but it doesn’t really make an appearance in the book. The war with the Kobalos army isn’t well developed and the descriptions of the battles don’t seem to fit or belong in this world. Every time I read a battle scene I felt like I was reading a totally different book.
I didn’t want to go into the story comparing it to the previous series, but the book kept reminding just how awesome the first series was. (I was tempted to stop reading this book and just start Wardstone Chronicles over from the beginning, but that is out of the question because it was ridiculously long.) Keep reading for my views on each of the main characters. Spoilers follow.
*******Spoiler Alert*******
I guess it goes without saying that Tom Ward doesn’t stay dead. I’m glad Tom isn’t dead, but it takes something away from the power of death when certain characters are able to escape death and come back as is nothing ever happened. What was the point of killing Tom? The book claims that they needed the warriors to rally around him and witness his resurrection, as if he was a “messiah” type character. That is simply ridiculous. Just defeating the assassin should have been enough. Tom made no decisions in this book and was basically a pawn in Grimalkin’s war against the Kobalos. Tom made more sound decisions as an apprentice than he makes as Spook. His character has not grown at all. He relies too much on Alice and Grimalkin and only reacts to what is happening around him, when he should be making important decisions.
Grimalkin’s character was ruined in this book. She was melodramatic and moody and nothing like the warrior witch assassin that I loved from the previous series. I can’t say much about Grimalkin because she did a lot of nothing and left me wanting the old Grimalkin back.
Alice is back. Why? Because Lukrasta is dead. Why is Lukrasta dead? Is he really dead? Who knows with the rules of this book. Why kill off Lukrasta? It makes no sense. He was one of the more interesting characters. Once Lukrasta is dead Alice reveals that she had “no choice” but to stay with Lukrasta because Pan, one of the Old Gods, made her promise after entering his realm without permission. So, now she’s back with Tom and has discovered that she’s an Earth witch, something no one knows anything about, because she is the first of her kind. The book made a big deal about Alice belonging to the dark and how Tom belongs to the light and how they will never truly be together, especially not in death. I’m willing to bet a few dollars that by the time the series ends Alice is going to find something out about her powers and learn that it doesn’t all come from the dark or something like that, which is weird seeing as how she’s supposed to be the daughter of The Fiend.
Jenny Calder is Tom’s new apprentice. She’s a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and is being trained as a spook. Her powers are much different from Tom’s, but we don’t get to experience a lot through her that explores her powers or advances the plot. I can understand why the author didn’t want to rehash Wardstone Chronicles by just writing another story about a Spook training his apprentice, but I wish he would’ve given the apprentice the same powers of a seventh son of a seventh son, because I feel like I don’t know anything about Jenny. When are her powers going to shine?
When the book is about 85% done, we are introduced to another old character, Golgoth, who is wreaking havoc in the county, and there is final show down where Tom again does nothing except allow all the witches surrounding him do all the work and has to be saved… yet again. In the end Golgoth escapes and the new Kobalos god, Talkus, who was born as The Fiend died, still hasn’t made an appearance. A waste of 400+ pages.
All in all, not a very impressive book. The bad part about it, there is an interesting story hidden beneath all the filler. The Fiend was a scary SOB and Talkus is supposed to be much worse. I’ll be glad when he finally shows up. I loved how the previous books were dark and scary (not too scary though.) This book was not scary, and the “dark” elements were also lacking.
If you’re a fan of the Wardstone Chronicles, then it is likely you will read this book, no matter what. All others, I recommend you read Wardstone Chronicles before starting the Starblade Chronicles. It will give you a better understanding of what is going on and will give you a better appreciation for this world and what it has to offer.
I can’t say that I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t hate it either. I give it a solid three stars, and here is why.
There was a lot of talk about the new darkness, but it doesn’t really make an appearance in the book. The war with the Kobalos army isn’t well developed and the descriptions of the battles don’t seem to fit or belong in this world. Every time I read a battle scene I felt like I was reading a totally different book.
I didn’t want to go into the story comparing it to the previous series, but the book kept reminding just how awesome the first series was. (I was tempted to stop reading this book and just start Wardstone Chronicles over from the beginning, but that is out of the question because it was ridiculously long.) Keep reading for my views on each of the main characters. Spoilers follow.
*******Spoiler Alert*******
I guess it goes without saying that Tom Ward doesn’t stay dead. I’m glad Tom isn’t dead, but it takes something away from the power of death when certain characters are able to escape death and come back as is nothing ever happened. What was the point of killing Tom? The book claims that they needed the warriors to rally around him and witness his resurrection, as if he was a “messiah” type character. That is simply ridiculous. Just defeating the assassin should have been enough. Tom made no decisions in this book and was basically a pawn in Grimalkin’s war against the Kobalos. Tom made more sound decisions as an apprentice than he makes as Spook. His character has not grown at all. He relies too much on Alice and Grimalkin and only reacts to what is happening around him, when he should be making important decisions.
Grimalkin’s character was ruined in this book. She was melodramatic and moody and nothing like the warrior witch assassin that I loved from the previous series. I can’t say much about Grimalkin because she did a lot of nothing and left me wanting the old Grimalkin back.
Alice is back. Why? Because Lukrasta is dead. Why is Lukrasta dead? Is he really dead? Who knows with the rules of this book. Why kill off Lukrasta? It makes no sense. He was one of the more interesting characters. Once Lukrasta is dead Alice reveals that she had “no choice” but to stay with Lukrasta because Pan, one of the Old Gods, made her promise after entering his realm without permission. So, now she’s back with Tom and has discovered that she’s an Earth witch, something no one knows anything about, because she is the first of her kind. The book made a big deal about Alice belonging to the dark and how Tom belongs to the light and how they will never truly be together, especially not in death. I’m willing to bet a few dollars that by the time the series ends Alice is going to find something out about her powers and learn that it doesn’t all come from the dark or something like that, which is weird seeing as how she’s supposed to be the daughter of The Fiend.
Jenny Calder is Tom’s new apprentice. She’s a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and is being trained as a spook. Her powers are much different from Tom’s, but we don’t get to experience a lot through her that explores her powers or advances the plot. I can understand why the author didn’t want to rehash Wardstone Chronicles by just writing another story about a Spook training his apprentice, but I wish he would’ve given the apprentice the same powers of a seventh son of a seventh son, because I feel like I don’t know anything about Jenny. When are her powers going to shine?
When the book is about 85% done, we are introduced to another old character, Golgoth, who is wreaking havoc in the county, and there is final show down where Tom again does nothing except allow all the witches surrounding him do all the work and has to be saved… yet again. In the end Golgoth escapes and the new Kobalos god, Talkus, who was born as The Fiend died, still hasn’t made an appearance. A waste of 400+ pages.
All in all, not a very impressive book. The bad part about it, there is an interesting story hidden beneath all the filler. The Fiend was a scary SOB and Talkus is supposed to be much worse. I’ll be glad when he finally shows up. I loved how the previous books were dark and scary (not too scary though.) This book was not scary, and the “dark” elements were also lacking.
If you’re a fan of the Wardstone Chronicles, then it is likely you will read this book, no matter what. All others, I recommend you read Wardstone Chronicles before starting the Starblade Chronicles. It will give you a better understanding of what is going on and will give you a better appreciation for this world and what it has to offer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2023
Very good sequel, some minor pacing issues but better than almost all the original series’ sequels.
August 11, 2025
FINALLY
the Spook must be rolling in his grave lol
the Spook must be rolling in his grave lol
March 23, 2023
There are some parts of this that I really like and sometimes I feel like Tom just had a cast of bad ass when around him handling everything and he gets all the kudos for it. Also the intro of the gods had potential so hopefully it will play out well. We'll see what the last book brings.
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