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Publication
Bodley Head Children's Books (2010), Hardcover, 384 pages
Description
Returning from Greece, Tom and the Spook find that their home, including the Spook's precious library of knowledge, has been burned to the ground, and that their battle against the denizens of the dark must continue.
User reviews
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the seventh book in The Last Apprentice series by Delaney. Originally the series was planned for seven books, but this book definitely isn't the last in the series. I haven't been able to find an updated estimate of how many books this series will have. This was another great addition to
This book finds the Spook, Tom, and Alice back on their way to the Spook's house. Things are getting worse on the war front, the enemies are invading further inland and when the Spook and crew arrive home they find the Spook's house burnt to the ground. They end up fleeing to the island of Mona where they will find even more trouble than they left behind on the mainland.
This was another creepy, action packed installment in this series. It is one of the darkest books of the series so far. The Spook hits new lows with his house destroyed and his enemies stronger than he can handle; this results in Tom and Alice having to step up and take on more responsibilities. Over everything you can feel the shadow of the Fiend; his presence on the earth is making humans act in more despicable ways than ever, making the war even more brutal than a war normally would be.
Tom and Alice continue to grow in complexity as characters; both of them are constantly toeing the line between good and evil and trying to stay in a happy grey-white area. All of the characters are sent through horrible trials in this book and it really makes you feel for them.
Most of this book ends up being a fight between Bony Lizzie and the Spook and crew. I can't help feeling like this book was just throwing in another adventure to stall for time while Delaney tries to figure out what to do with the over-arcing story involving the escape of the Fiend. Things are getting worse and at some point the Fiend will have to be dealt with; I am hoping it doesn't get drawn out too long and is addressed in the next book. There really isn't any resolution at all when it comes to the Fiend in this book.
Fans of previous novels should enjoy this book. Although the story is darker, it is written in the same great style as previous novels and is very readable and engaging. Quite the page-turner it was hard to put down.
Overall another excellent installment in this series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and hope that we finally get some resolution to the storyline about the Fiend. I love this series, but it is starting to drag on a bit for me.
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this series.This book finds the Spook, Tom, and Alice back on their way to the Spook's house. Things are getting worse on the war front, the enemies are invading further inland and when the Spook and crew arrive home they find the Spook's house burnt to the ground. They end up fleeing to the island of Mona where they will find even more trouble than they left behind on the mainland.
This was another creepy, action packed installment in this series. It is one of the darkest books of the series so far. The Spook hits new lows with his house destroyed and his enemies stronger than he can handle; this results in Tom and Alice having to step up and take on more responsibilities. Over everything you can feel the shadow of the Fiend; his presence on the earth is making humans act in more despicable ways than ever, making the war even more brutal than a war normally would be.
Tom and Alice continue to grow in complexity as characters; both of them are constantly toeing the line between good and evil and trying to stay in a happy grey-white area. All of the characters are sent through horrible trials in this book and it really makes you feel for them.
Most of this book ends up being a fight between Bony Lizzie and the Spook and crew. I can't help feeling like this book was just throwing in another adventure to stall for time while Delaney tries to figure out what to do with the over-arcing story involving the escape of the Fiend. Things are getting worse and at some point the Fiend will have to be dealt with; I am hoping it doesn't get drawn out too long and is addressed in the next book. There really isn't any resolution at all when it comes to the Fiend in this book.
Fans of previous novels should enjoy this book. Although the story is darker, it is written in the same great style as previous novels and is very readable and engaging. Quite the page-turner it was hard to put down.
Overall another excellent installment in this series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and hope that we finally get some resolution to the storyline about the Fiend. I love this series, but it is starting to drag on a bit for me.
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LibraryThing member AdamBourke
It's always more difficult to review a second (although this is actually the seventh) book in a series than the first, or even a second book by an author. This is because the writing style, and pitfalls of an author often change little between books. So If you haven't already, I would advise
On saying this however, there are some marked differences between the two books I've reviewed of the series so far. The main one being is that this book's storyline, while not actually being set in "the County" as the first five were, is much closer to them in storyline than the The Spook's Sacrifice was. By this I mean that while in The Spook's Sacrifice they were on a heroic quest to save the world, Once more they are dealing with local enemies, in fact one they've faced before, and also the fact that there is again distrust between characters, and peoples as a whole, that were more muted in The Spook's Sacrifice. This book felt somewhat more realistic for the fantasy world Delaney has set up.
Speaking of the world he was set up, I would appreciate a map that covered more of the county. I live near the area the county is based on, and it would be nice to see the real towns on a map, such as Kendal. But I do appreciate the geography of the County, and I love the idea of it.
There are a couple of points that went very well, and one that didn't go so well. Beginning with the Spook's failures mentioned in the blurb; It's good to see that the Spook isn't perfect. It helps with the realism and roundedness of the character. Although we have already seen this before, in the Spook's Secret for example, it's also good to see the main character noticing the weaknesses. Similarly, the use of the Dark by the 'good guys'is also good to see. Not because I think they should be dark, but because it represents that not everything in life is black and white. I think that this book generally represented our world a little more than the others, particularly The Spook's Sacrifice, did.
---SPOLIER ALERT: Tom & Alice ---
Now, the thing that I didn't think went so well was the romantic tension between Tom and Alice. It's been there for several books now, and I'm quite disappointed that they haven't done anything with it. They hold hands every now and again, but I get the impression that the Author's reluctance to take it any further than that is due to the fact it's aimed at children.
While I disagree even that romance should be minimised even in normal children's books, this series has been growing darker, and in many ways more mature, as it's characters age. I don't think that it would be out of place for the two teens to kiss, or be boyfriend and girlfriend. In fact, it's something that I hope will happen in the next book.
--- SPOILER OVER ---
But overall, this is possibly my favourite of the spook's books so far, and I am eager to read the next, which will hopefully be written soon. Bony Lizzy is a fantastic opponent, and she is restored brilliantly in the book. I look forwards to more returning villains, and new ones, in the future. As before, I would seriously recommend this series to anyone who likes fantasy or supernatural novels, adult or child.
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reading my review of "The Spook's Sacrifice" as well as this one, which will give a more detailed account of the author's style.On saying this however, there are some marked differences between the two books I've reviewed of the series so far. The main one being is that this book's storyline, while not actually being set in "the County" as the first five were, is much closer to them in storyline than the The Spook's Sacrifice was. By this I mean that while in The Spook's Sacrifice they were on a heroic quest to save the world, Once more they are dealing with local enemies, in fact one they've faced before, and also the fact that there is again distrust between characters, and peoples as a whole, that were more muted in The Spook's Sacrifice. This book felt somewhat more realistic for the fantasy world Delaney has set up.
Speaking of the world he was set up, I would appreciate a map that covered more of the county. I live near the area the county is based on, and it would be nice to see the real towns on a map, such as Kendal. But I do appreciate the geography of the County, and I love the idea of it.
There are a couple of points that went very well, and one that didn't go so well. Beginning with the Spook's failures mentioned in the blurb; It's good to see that the Spook isn't perfect. It helps with the realism and roundedness of the character. Although we have already seen this before, in the Spook's Secret for example, it's also good to see the main character noticing the weaknesses. Similarly, the use of the Dark by the 'good guys'is also good to see. Not because I think they should be dark, but because it represents that not everything in life is black and white. I think that this book generally represented our world a little more than the others, particularly The Spook's Sacrifice, did.
---SPOLIER ALERT: Tom & Alice ---
Now, the thing that I didn't think went so well was the romantic tension between Tom and Alice. It's been there for several books now, and I'm quite disappointed that they haven't done anything with it. They hold hands every now and again, but I get the impression that the Author's reluctance to take it any further than that is due to the fact it's aimed at children.
While I disagree even that romance should be minimised even in normal children's books, this series has been growing darker, and in many ways more mature, as it's characters age. I don't think that it would be out of place for the two teens to kiss, or be boyfriend and girlfriend. In fact, it's something that I hope will happen in the next book.
--- SPOILER OVER ---
But overall, this is possibly my favourite of the spook's books so far, and I am eager to read the next, which will hopefully be written soon. Bony Lizzy is a fantastic opponent, and she is restored brilliantly in the book. I look forwards to more returning villains, and new ones, in the future. As before, I would seriously recommend this series to anyone who likes fantasy or supernatural novels, adult or child.
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LibraryThing member CynDaVaz
Normally I would rate these books 5 stars, but this one felt a little less than great. It was still good, and I'm looking forward to the next one; but sometimes it felt a bit ... plodding and redundant. There's definitely been more depth and character built into the series; and since I'm still
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eager to find out where Tom and Alice's next adventure takes them, it wasn't too much of a disappointment. The narrator remains excellent. I hope he can finish out the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookAddictDiary
I've been a big fan of Joseph Delaney's Last Apprentice series ever since I first picked it up. Just the way that he paints this fascinating and unique world with real horrors while packing it with action was awesome. I loved it from the first page until the last. However, I'll admit that I've
In Rise of the Huntress, Tom, Alice and Spook return from Greece to find that the County has been ravaged and Alice's mother, the witch Bony Lizzy, has escaped and made her way to an island named Mona. With her new found powers, Bony Lizzy swiftly takes over the island and throws the Spook in prison. It's up to Tom and Alice to free the Spook and stop Bony Lizzie before more blood is spilled.
Delaney delivers another edge-of-your seat, action-packed thrill ride in Rise of the Huntress that fans have come to expect from him. But, however, I also felt like I'd been on this ride before -in fact, maybe a few times before. While Delaney does a good job of trying to keep the story and characters fresh, I felt like there was so much going on here that I already knew about, or had already experienced. Not to mention the small lack of character development in this story, and that it didn't seem to move the characters that much closer to defeating the Fiend for good.
Could Delaney be suffering from the classic problems that authors do when they are running a series in circles without any clue where to go or how to end it? Possibly. While I know this is technically a middle grade series, the themes are very dark and can appeal to older readers, who will find more of an issue with this than younger readers. Though I still hold out hope, I'm afraid that Delaney is starting to lose some steam. I'm starting to wonder when he is going to end the series, if ever.
Now, don't get me wrong, Rise of the Huntress still had great action and helped expand Delaney's fascinating world, but I just felt like there's some going around in circles here. I still hold out hope for the next book -but this series just isn't as good as it used to be.
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recently become somewhat concerned about the series. With no clear end in sight, it can happen, as becomes the issue with many TV/book series, that the story starts to run around in circles with no clear goal for the characters to reach and seemingly pointless plot lines that act purely as filler. Especially with the last book in the series, I thought that this was becoming a more realistic issue with The Last Apprentice. Not to mention the seeming decline in the series' popularity.In Rise of the Huntress, Tom, Alice and Spook return from Greece to find that the County has been ravaged and Alice's mother, the witch Bony Lizzy, has escaped and made her way to an island named Mona. With her new found powers, Bony Lizzy swiftly takes over the island and throws the Spook in prison. It's up to Tom and Alice to free the Spook and stop Bony Lizzie before more blood is spilled.
Delaney delivers another edge-of-your seat, action-packed thrill ride in Rise of the Huntress that fans have come to expect from him. But, however, I also felt like I'd been on this ride before -in fact, maybe a few times before. While Delaney does a good job of trying to keep the story and characters fresh, I felt like there was so much going on here that I already knew about, or had already experienced. Not to mention the small lack of character development in this story, and that it didn't seem to move the characters that much closer to defeating the Fiend for good.
Could Delaney be suffering from the classic problems that authors do when they are running a series in circles without any clue where to go or how to end it? Possibly. While I know this is technically a middle grade series, the themes are very dark and can appeal to older readers, who will find more of an issue with this than younger readers. Though I still hold out hope, I'm afraid that Delaney is starting to lose some steam. I'm starting to wonder when he is going to end the series, if ever.
Now, don't get me wrong, Rise of the Huntress still had great action and helped expand Delaney's fascinating world, but I just felt like there's some going around in circles here. I still hold out hope for the next book -but this series just isn't as good as it used to be.
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LibraryThing member TheMadHatters
This series continues to be everything it was at the beginning; spooky, fast, full of adventure and terrifying creatures. Bony Lizzie was very scary in this one. I can't wait to keep going!
This book was hard on the Spook. He has lost a lot and the Spook is getting old and feeling defeated. Tom is
This book was hard on the Spook. He has lost a lot and the Spook is getting old and feeling defeated. Tom is
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going to have to start stepping up and doing more hands on fighting that the Spook can't do anymore. Show Less
LibraryThing member EmpressReece
The Last Apprentice/ Wardstone Chronicles Series-Book #7...
I'm on the 7th of 13 books in this series and so far it hasn't gotten old yet. In this installment, the war is in progress and enemy soldiers have been ransacking the counties. When Tom, Alice & the Spook return home from Greece they find
This series never lacks adventure and I really like the characters and enjoy seeing how they develop. The audio narrator is also fantastic so until the stories get old or I run out of books I'm going to keep on listening...
*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Book Bingo: ~Witches~ square
I'm on the 7th of 13 books in this series and so far it hasn't gotten old yet. In this installment, the war is in progress and enemy soldiers have been ransacking the counties. When Tom, Alice & the Spook return home from Greece they find
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the Spook's home, including his massive library of priceless books, burnt down, the bogart has fled & the witches have escaped. They end up fleeing to an island that they think we'll be a safe haven but from the moment they disembark they encounter even more problems including the bone witch, Bony Lizzie. This series never lacks adventure and I really like the characters and enjoy seeing how they develop. The audio narrator is also fantastic so until the stories get old or I run out of books I'm going to keep on listening...
*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Book Bingo: ~Witches~ square
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LibraryThing member ulan25
it was a bit rambling, but still an easy, enjoyable read about old skool witches, boggarts, shamans, and other creatures of the dark! =) can't wait to read book 8 and see G again.
LibraryThing member LynnMPK
This takes place almost entirely on an island. I think because of that it feels claustrophobic in a way. The Spook, Tom, and Alice are heading to Ireland at the end of this book and it kind of feels like this was just a way point for them getting there. I did enjoy it and these are always fast
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reads, but I'm wondering if I'm getting a little burned out on them. Or maybe I just miss Tom's mam. The Spook is getting a bit tiring and I've noticed that I enjoy the parts without him more. I really want Tom and Alice to just ditch him and go live their lives. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2010-27-05
Physical description
384 p.; 7.09 inches
ISBN
0370332008 / 9780370332000
Local notes
Duplicate. In the original jacket design.
Signed by Joseph Delaney.
Signed by Joseph Delaney.