Status
Available
Call number
Series
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Publication
Bodley Head Children's Books (2014), Hardcover
Description
Fantasy. Horror. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: The thirteenth�??and final�??book in the internationally bestselling fantasy adventure series that inspired the forthcoming major motion picture Seventh Son. Finally, Tom Ward, the spook's last apprentice, will confront the Fiend for the last time. A stunning conclusion to the acclaimed series! Tom Ward has battled boggarts, ghasts, witches, dark gods, and the most terrifying creatures to roam the earth. He's allied with the witch assassin Grimalkin, with a powerful boggart, and with Alice . . . the young witch who is also his true love. And he has kept one step ahead of the Fiend, the most evil being in the world. Now he will vanquish the Fiend once and for all. But it will require a terrible sacrifice: not everyone Tom cares about will survive the final battle. The Last Apprentice series is soon to be a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin. It's a suspenseful thrill ride that's "spine-tingling" (Publishers Weekly) and "anything but tame" (Horn Book). But don't read it after dark… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member krau0098
I have really enjoyed this series and was kind of sad to see that this is the final book in the series. While I did love a lot of things about this final book, I was also disappointed with how much this book doesn’t wrap up. It looks like Tom Ward’s story is going to be continued in a trilogy
Tom Ward finally has to face the thing he has been dreading, he has to defeat the Fiend by sacrificing Alice. Gregory is there to help, but he is feeling his age. Grimalkin thinks she may have found a way to defeat the Fiend without sacrificing Alice. When Grimalkin and Alice go off to work on that plan, a new Mage appears and he derails everyone’s plans.
This was an engaging and interesting story. The story is expanded quite a bit and some new characters are introduced. The main one is a Mage that is evil and mysterious. His appearance in the story starts the next storyline that will be dealt with in The Starblade Chronicles.
I enjoy Tom as a character, he has more and more powers appearing as he unlocks his heritage both as the son of a lamia and as a 7th son of a 7th son. He does get a bit whiny at points in this story though, something that was new for him and not at all fun to read.
My favorite character of the novel continues to be Grimalkin. She is super tough and really fights for what she believes in, she is just such an awesome character to read about and she is in the story quite a bit.
Alice isn’t in the story a lot and she was one of the biggest disappointments for me in this book. Her character takes a turn that I didn’t enjoy and I was disappointed in the direction things took with her and Tom. I won’t say a whole lot more of that because of spoilers.
This book is much darker than the rest of the series (more along the lines of I Am Alice, which was also darker). It is very violent and there is a lot of heartbreak and betrayal. I continue to really enjoy the epic struggle between light and dark that takes place in these books. This book really shows some shades of grey as well, since some dark characters are forced to band together with the good in order to fight an even greater evil.
Some people have complained about the simplicity of the writing style, I don’t think that has really changed. Delaney has always had a somewhat stark and simplistic writing style...at times the dialogue between characters has felt forced or stilted. I believe all the books in the series have been like this though and I enjoy it because it’s a style that makes for good classic storytelling, which is something Delaney excels at.
Although I still love the characters and the story, my biggest disappointment was the lack of resolution. Yes, the main plotline (the destruction of the Fiend) is wrapped up. However, so many new elements are thrown into the story that the Fiend’s destruction felt a bit anti-climatic. The reader is really pushed towards new things (mainly story elements that were revealed in the earlier book Slither) and isn’t given a whole lot of resolution for any of the characters.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot but there were a few disappointments too. I was really disappointed in the lack of resolution and in the direction Alice is taking as a character. I continue to enjoy Delaney’s excellent storytelling, the illustrations throughout, the interesting characters, and the epic struggle between light and dark. I will definitely be reading The Starblade Chronicles as it releases….you pretty much have to if you are going to get any closure for these characters.
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called the Starblade Chronicles (which I got just last week for review). So while this was a great read, don’t expect a lot of the story to actually be resolved.Tom Ward finally has to face the thing he has been dreading, he has to defeat the Fiend by sacrificing Alice. Gregory is there to help, but he is feeling his age. Grimalkin thinks she may have found a way to defeat the Fiend without sacrificing Alice. When Grimalkin and Alice go off to work on that plan, a new Mage appears and he derails everyone’s plans.
This was an engaging and interesting story. The story is expanded quite a bit and some new characters are introduced. The main one is a Mage that is evil and mysterious. His appearance in the story starts the next storyline that will be dealt with in The Starblade Chronicles.
I enjoy Tom as a character, he has more and more powers appearing as he unlocks his heritage both as the son of a lamia and as a 7th son of a 7th son. He does get a bit whiny at points in this story though, something that was new for him and not at all fun to read.
My favorite character of the novel continues to be Grimalkin. She is super tough and really fights for what she believes in, she is just such an awesome character to read about and she is in the story quite a bit.
Alice isn’t in the story a lot and she was one of the biggest disappointments for me in this book. Her character takes a turn that I didn’t enjoy and I was disappointed in the direction things took with her and Tom. I won’t say a whole lot more of that because of spoilers.
This book is much darker than the rest of the series (more along the lines of I Am Alice, which was also darker). It is very violent and there is a lot of heartbreak and betrayal. I continue to really enjoy the epic struggle between light and dark that takes place in these books. This book really shows some shades of grey as well, since some dark characters are forced to band together with the good in order to fight an even greater evil.
Some people have complained about the simplicity of the writing style, I don’t think that has really changed. Delaney has always had a somewhat stark and simplistic writing style...at times the dialogue between characters has felt forced or stilted. I believe all the books in the series have been like this though and I enjoy it because it’s a style that makes for good classic storytelling, which is something Delaney excels at.
Although I still love the characters and the story, my biggest disappointment was the lack of resolution. Yes, the main plotline (the destruction of the Fiend) is wrapped up. However, so many new elements are thrown into the story that the Fiend’s destruction felt a bit anti-climatic. The reader is really pushed towards new things (mainly story elements that were revealed in the earlier book Slither) and isn’t given a whole lot of resolution for any of the characters.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot but there were a few disappointments too. I was really disappointed in the lack of resolution and in the direction Alice is taking as a character. I continue to enjoy Delaney’s excellent storytelling, the illustrations throughout, the interesting characters, and the epic struggle between light and dark. I will definitely be reading The Starblade Chronicles as it releases….you pretty much have to if you are going to get any closure for these characters.
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LibraryThing member Silverlily26
This is the final book in the wardstone series, like the rest of the books, it's a good vs evil book with a twist. The final battle is here but who actually wins.
Obviously if you have read the other 12 you enjoy this book
Obviously if you have read the other 12 you enjoy this book
LibraryThing member ptom3
This was the 13th and final installment in the Last Apprentice saga. I feel it fell flat. Also, it proved that book 11, Slither, had nothing to do with the series.
Tbe giant climax that built and built was something of a let down when the confrontation between Thomad Ward and the Fiend occurred.
I am
Regardless--I still enjoyed the tale. I just expected ... more.
Phillip Tomasso
Author of VACCINATION and DAMN THR DEAD
Tbe giant climax that built and built was something of a let down when the confrontation between Thomad Ward and the Fiend occurred.
I am
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okay with non-happy endings. but the amount of loose ends either suggests openings for more books, or a lack of effort after so much dedicated time to the story.Regardless--I still enjoyed the tale. I just expected ... more.
Phillip Tomasso
Author of VACCINATION and DAMN THR DEAD
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LibraryThing member LynnMPK
***Contains Spoilers***
A bittersweet end to an epic 13 book series. There are some open plot threads left (I believe there is a sequel series), but overall a pretty satisfying ending. Would I have liked Tom and Alice to have ended up together? YES (I'm not crying, you're crying!). But it was
A bittersweet end to an epic 13 book series. There are some open plot threads left (I believe there is a sequel series), but overall a pretty satisfying ending. Would I have liked Tom and Alice to have ended up together? YES (I'm not crying, you're crying!). But it was
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realistic that they didn't. It was first love, and people rarely end up with their first loves. This book was heartbreaking, and I'll be thinking about it for a while. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2013-12-05
Physical description
7.09 inches
ISBN
1782300325 / 9781782300328
Local notes
Duplicate. Collector's series.
Tom, the Spook and their allies prepare to battle with the Fiend on a huge scale, to finally enact their revenge.
Tom, the Spook and their allies prepare to battle with the Fiend on a huge scale, to finally enact their revenge.
Other editions
Wardstone Chronicles, Book 13: The Spook's Revenge by Joseph Delaney (Hardcover)