Book Review: Fury of the Seventh Son by Joseph Delaney

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

Series: The Last Apprentice/Wardstone Chronicles #13

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy and Horror

Acquired From: Public Library

SYNOPSIS

Finally, Tom Ward, the spook's last apprentice, will confront the Fiend for the last time.

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. 

--From Goodreads

REVIEW 

Since I first picked up the very first book in the Last Apprentice series, I've been hooked. As a sucker for fantasy novels, this was an amazing read for me and I've recommended it to a lot of people. That's why I give Fury of the Seventh Son a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

Delaney has always been fantastic at writing an amazing story. He weaves fantasy with just enough reality to make everything authentic. He writes wonderfully well-rounded and real characters who make you believe as they do and makes you wish that you knew them beyond their adventures on the page. His world is beautiful and breathtaking.

I think my favorite thing about this book was that it really allowed Tom to come into his own. He became a character that was strong despite his fears, and it presented him with some challenges that it seemed that he never anticipated. I was breathless for much of this book because I just couldn't believe what was happening--and in many parts, I didn't want it to!

Quite honestly, the story ended in a way that I didn't like. But looking at it, it ended the only way that it could. And with the threat of the Kobalos hanging on the last page, it's been left open for another book or even an entirely new series. So maybe things aren't over just yet.  

Waiting On Wednesday: Fury of the Seventh Son

For this week's Waiting on Wednesday, we're sticking with the theme of The Last Apprentice series. Today, we're all about the thirteenth and final book in the series: Fury of the Seventh Son.

Tom Ward has had a hard life as the Spook's last apprentice. He's had to fight things out of the dark that he never expected, including the Fiend himself. And now only Tom can rid the world of the Fiend forever. The thirteenth novel in the Last Apprentice series looks to be a great and amazing conclusion to one of the best middle grade and young adult series that I've ever read.

I love the blurb that's been released with the cover of the book:

He's the seventh son of a seventh son.

He's the only one who can stop the greatest evil.

Tom Ward, the Spook's last apprentice, has everything he needs to vanquish the Fiend, once and for all: the three blades recovered from the dark, the gifts from his witch mother, and the skills he's learned from Master Gregory. And Alice, the one he loves most, is willing to sacrifice herself to fulfill the spell.

Or is she?

Racing against time, all of Tom's old allies--and old enemies--return. They will clash in a final battle more epic than any he has fought before. And a danger Tom never dreamed of will be revealed. 

Who will survive? Are you brave enough to find out?

I just love that! And I absolutely can't wait to find out exactly how everything finishes up in this great series. Joseph Delaney is an amazing writer, and he is great at making things scary, gross, and addictive all at once.

Fury of the Seventh Son is set for release from HarperCollins on April 15.

Book Review: I Am Alice by Joseph Delaney

Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins

Publication Date: September 3, 2013

Series: The Last Apprentice/Wardstone Chronicles #12

Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult Fantasy & Horror

Acquired From: Public Library

SYNOPSIS

I must be brave. I must do what has to be done. I am Alice.

Alice is the most powerful witch the county has ever seen. She may one day be the most evil. But Alice is also the best friend--and true love--of Tom Ward. Together they work to defeat the Fiend--the world's greatest evil--once and for all.

They have nearly everything they need, all except a blade hidden in the Dark, the Fiend's domain. So Alice ventures there to find it. She faces the most terrifying creatures in existence. And she once again battles old enemies who bear grudges: Bony Lizzie, Bloodeye, and more.

And there's something Tom didn't tell her. To vanquish the Fiend, Tom must sacrifice the person he loves most. Alice is hunting for the very blade that will eventually kill her. 

-From Goodreads

REVIEW

This one was incredibly easy to rate. I Am Alice is perhaps the best of the novels of The Last Apprentice series. It's because of this that I give it a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

I think the best thing about this novel was the fact that there was a new person's point of view. This novel is told from the point of view of Alice Deane, Tom's friend and a witch in training. Being told from her point of view, it gives a lot of new insight on Alice and builds her backstory in a wonderful way. There are many flashbacks that tell what Alice's life was like before she met Tom and how she came to realize the kind of power that she had. It was brilliantly done. 

The descriptions for the story were fantastic as well. Just as in all the other novels, there are great creatures that are wonderfully described and interestingly gross. And as the story progressed, Alice faced continuing challenges that made it difficult for her to complete her task. 

The only thing about the novel that I didn't really like was that there were some inaccuracies with other books when it comes to Alice's behavior. Although Delaney tries to explain these inaccuracies away, they still exist and it makes it a little difficult to put things together with how Alice behaved in earlier books.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Slither by Joseph Delaney

Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins

Publication Date: January 22, 2013

Series: The Last Apprentice/Wardstone Chronicles #11

Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult Fantasy & Horror

Acquired From: Public Library

SYNOPSIS

"My name is Slither, and before my tale is finished you'll find out why."

The dark is full of terrifying creatures. And Tom Ward--the seventh son of a seventh son, and the Spook's last apprentice--hasn't seen all of them. Far from the County, one named Slither has lived for hundreds of years, hunting blood.

But a dying father binds the monster to a bargain. If Slither will take his two youngest daughters safely to their family in the south, then the eldest daughter, Nessa, is his.

For Nessa the nightmare is just beginning. And when Slither and Nessa cross paths with the feared witch assassin Grimalkin, they will become unwitting players in the quest to stop the Fiend once and for all.

REVIEW

With this particular story, it was difficult to come up with a good rating. Mostly because, although this story takes place within The Last Apprentice world, there are few creatures and places that are familiar from the other books. And while I love the series and found the story interesting, I found that I had to stop pretty often in order to get myself oriented to the characters and their locations. It's mostly because of this that I gave Slither only 3 out of 5 stars.

The story was interesting in that it was a break from the Fiend story line that is permeating the other books. It was nice to go to new worlds and see some new characters and creatures. The mythology that was built around the new characters and creatures, especially Slither himself, was interesting and very detailed. However it was hard to follow along as the story kind of jumped in right at the middle. It was difficult to figure out what was going on from the start, so I had to take some time to read the guide at the back of the book in order to figure out what all the creatures were. 

It was also pretty cool that Grimalkin was brought in from the other stories. She is a strong character that helped to link the story to the other books since Tom and the Spook weren't in this one. It was really important to make the novel feel as if it was a part of the series even though it could be considered a bit of a stand alone novel. 

The only thing that would have made this novel better was a better prologue. The one that's in the book doesn't make much sense until near the end of the book. I just wish that it would have had a better introduction to the world and the creatures that live in it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Lure of the Dead by Joseph Delaney

Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins

Publication Date: August 21, 2012

Series: The Last Apprentice/Wardstone Chronicles #10

Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult Fantasy & Horror

Acquired From: Public Library

SYNOPSIS

Time is running out for Thomas Ward.

His final battle against the Fiend is drawing near, and the Spook's apprentice has never felt more alone in his task. Isolated and afraid, the Fiend is set to send the greatest of his servants against him--Siscoi, a Vampire God more ferocious than anything he has yet faced. 

Tom must risk his life to prevent the evil beast from entering this world, even as he learns that the final destruction of the Fiend may involve a sacrifice more terrible than he can imagine.

REVIEW

Ever since the first book, I've been in love with The Last Apprentice series. I can't say that it actually scares me all that much, but it is a wonderful fantasy story. So it is with ease that I give Lure of the Dead 4 out of 5 stars. 

There were several great twists in the novel that made me love it even more, and it is a great continuation of the earlier novels. Tom faces a lot of new challenges and encounters a vast number of new creatures that he has to learn more about. And it is a glimpse into the journey that Tom makes into growing from the Spook's apprentice to a Spook in his own right. 

The mythology of this story was really wonderful, and it was a good departure from the earlier stories that dealt mostly with regular old evil witches. This one had a lot of new creatures and characters that were interesting and slightly frightening. There was lots of suspense and several great mysteries that made Lure of the Dead an amazing read. 

The only thing I didn't like about this novel was the predictable sacrifice that was put in front of Tom. But I expect, and hope, that it will be addressed in later novels.