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The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #5
Wrath of the Bloodeye
Thomas ward has battled the dark for two years. As the Spook's apprentice, he's faced unimaginable peril - and survived. But a new danger has emerged: the centuries-old water witch, Bloodeye, is roaming the County destroying everything in her path. Tom travels north, to a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh, so that he can strengthen his combat skills with a new and demanding teacher. But will he be able to overcome a critical mistake that leaves him confronting Bloodeye on his own?
516 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
365 people are currently reading
7360 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Delaney
59 books3,989 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 660 reviews
November 30, 2025
"The difference between the word fiend and friend is merely one letter. I could easily be the latter. If you knew me better..."After narrowly preventing the fiend from being fully risen and brought into this world, Tom and the Spook need a bit of a breather.
The Spook sends Tom on a sabbatical, where he will be trained be another Spook (Bill Arkwright), one that specializes in water witches and other dark creatures that live in the marshy habitats.
Unfortunately, Tom has attracted the attention of the bloodeye - a particularly nasty water witch who is able to paralyze her prey before hooking a clawed finger through their cheek and pulling them into the depths of the marsh.
"Believe that you can do something and half the battle is won before you start."
And even more unfortunately, it seems that Bill Arkwright is haunted by his past and has turned to the bottle to protect himself.
All Tom needs to do is keep his wits about him...but in the world of watery dark creatures, that will prove to be more difficult than ever.
Ahhh, Tom growing up so fast! It feel like just five books ago he was a shaky-kneed new apprentice.
I really enjoyed delving into the watery dark creatures in this book. I found the parallels between what we've learned about so far and the new-ish creatures to be fascinating.
I am so excited to continue this series - I love watching Tom grow and figure out how to fight the dark. I can't wait to read the next.
Also - I can't be the only one who craves the county cheese after reading all these books, right?
Audiobook Comments
Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch - and wow oh wow do I love listening to these books. It's absolutely amazing to get a consistent narrator throughout a multi-book series.
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May 10, 2018
Okay...I think I've reached my saturation point on this series. As I started it I was favorably impressed and I suppose it is a good series. When I gave a 4 star to the first book and recommended it a friend here on Goodreads (Coleen black rose I believe...sorry if I mis-attributed that[colleen the convivial curmudgeon ]) noted that the problem she had was that Tom never seems to change. I can see what she means now.
Tom is the Spook's apprentice (see book 1 for the explanation of what a "Spook" is) his Last apprentice. This apparently means not only the "latest" but begins to seem that it also means "last" in that there won't be any more.
The last book verged on the silly for me as the "witches" set out to call "The Fiend". "The" in The Fiend here gets capitalized because (you see) The Fiend is The Devil.
Yes, I sighed to, but went on with the story. The use of the character was more a Sword of Damocles than anything else...till he arrives and now he hates or is after Tom.
This book tries for a more involved plot. Tom leaves to be trained by a Spook who was at one point an earlier apprentice of his master. This man is a harder man than John Gregory (Tom's master) and he has some secrets and major problems. Unfortunately the character of Tom has failed to develop much throughout the book and as always I think most (including any reasonably intelligent youths) will see a lot of the plot points coming.
This left me sighing and bored, skimming a bit and ready for it to be over long before the last page.
I haven't read these books back to back, but I have read them close together. So, just in case that has burned me out on the books a bit I plan to lay the series aside and maybe pick it back up in a few months when I feel the urge to try a YA book.
So, a bit disappointing and a bit waring for me. On the off chance that I'm just burned out, I give it 3 stars, but really was glad to see the book's end.
Tom is the Spook's apprentice (see book 1 for the explanation of what a "Spook" is) his Last apprentice. This apparently means not only the "latest" but begins to seem that it also means "last" in that there won't be any more.
The last book verged on the silly for me as the "witches" set out to call "The Fiend". "The" in The Fiend here gets capitalized because (you see) The Fiend is The Devil.
Yes, I sighed to, but went on with the story. The use of the character was more a Sword of Damocles than anything else...till he arrives and now he hates or is after Tom.
This book tries for a more involved plot. Tom leaves to be trained by a Spook who was at one point an earlier apprentice of his master. This man is a harder man than John Gregory (Tom's master) and he has some secrets and major problems. Unfortunately the character of Tom has failed to develop much throughout the book and as always I think most (including any reasonably intelligent youths) will see a lot of the plot points coming.
This left me sighing and bored, skimming a bit and ready for it to be over long before the last page.
I haven't read these books back to back, but I have read them close together. So, just in case that has burned me out on the books a bit I plan to lay the series aside and maybe pick it back up in a few months when I feel the urge to try a YA book.
So, a bit disappointing and a bit waring for me. On the off chance that I'm just burned out, I give it 3 stars, but really was glad to see the book's end.
February 13, 2015
8/10
The Spooks apprentice is shipped off to learn from another Spook in the Lake District and try to add another string to his bow in the form of defeating water witches. This means leaving the Spook and Alice but not to worry as there is plenty to go on with here.
This book seemed to be somewhat of a turning point for the series; the writing style is the usual top notch standard and the plot is solid as ever but in this outing we get some series driven plot as supposed to a standalone type book. Things were boiling over in the last book but in this book they took a giant leap changing what is likely to come in the future entries.
Also in this entry the characters are given a little bit more fleshing out which hasn't really been seen before in the series but is a welcome entry. The series is slowly going from "nice to read once in a while" to "keen to find out what is going to happen next" and it looks like the author has a plan on where this series is going.
I'm keen to read further into this series and it is probably one of the superior young adult series out there (not that I'm a powerhouse of knowledge on that) and it also contains zero love triangle anghsty teens. Huzzah!
If you like this try: "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
The Spooks apprentice is shipped off to learn from another Spook in the Lake District and try to add another string to his bow in the form of defeating water witches. This means leaving the Spook and Alice but not to worry as there is plenty to go on with here.
This book seemed to be somewhat of a turning point for the series; the writing style is the usual top notch standard and the plot is solid as ever but in this outing we get some series driven plot as supposed to a standalone type book. Things were boiling over in the last book but in this book they took a giant leap changing what is likely to come in the future entries.
Also in this entry the characters are given a little bit more fleshing out which hasn't really been seen before in the series but is a welcome entry. The series is slowly going from "nice to read once in a while" to "keen to find out what is going to happen next" and it looks like the author has a plan on where this series is going.
I'm keen to read further into this series and it is probably one of the superior young adult series out there (not that I'm a powerhouse of knowledge on that) and it also contains zero love triangle anghsty teens. Huzzah!
If you like this try: "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
April 30, 2019
Better than the last!!!
I'm intrigued at the path this book has taken and I'm also very excited for the next one. Tom is sent to train with another Spook for 6 months to gain practical knowledge on dark creatures that come out of the water. Arkwright is very different from John Gregory in how he teaches and behaves. Before long Tom faces Morwenna or "Bloodeye" as she is sometimes referred to due to her left eye being bright red and able to hypnotize her victims. Before long a deadly game of cat and mouse plays out, with the Fiend making another appearance.
Alice is still (in my opinion) being pushed into the main cast but at least in this story you actually find out more about her and why she is as devoted to Tom as she is.
I don't know if the relationship between Tom and Alice will ever come to anything now that the Spook sent her away but I am keen to find out.
Also, I like that Mam is coming back for a while and she can answer some of the questions that Tom has, as well as asking Tom for help in her own efforts to fight the dark.
Alice is the only thing that puts me off as I'm bored of her now except for when she is useful in helping Tom.
I just hope he grows out of her and is able to cast her fully aside in the end.
Everything else in this story was really interesting and fast paced.
Can't wait to get started on book 6- Clash of the Demons :D
3/5
I'm intrigued at the path this book has taken and I'm also very excited for the next one. Tom is sent to train with another Spook for 6 months to gain practical knowledge on dark creatures that come out of the water. Arkwright is very different from John Gregory in how he teaches and behaves. Before long Tom faces Morwenna or "Bloodeye" as she is sometimes referred to due to her left eye being bright red and able to hypnotize her victims. Before long a deadly game of cat and mouse plays out, with the Fiend making another appearance.
Alice is still (in my opinion) being pushed into the main cast but at least in this story you actually find out more about her and why she is as devoted to Tom as she is.
I don't know if the relationship between Tom and Alice will ever come to anything now that the Spook sent her away but I am keen to find out.
Also, I like that Mam is coming back for a while and she can answer some of the questions that Tom has, as well as asking Tom for help in her own efforts to fight the dark.
Alice is the only thing that puts me off as I'm bored of her now except for when she is useful in helping Tom.
I just hope he grows out of her and is able to cast her fully aside in the end.
Everything else in this story was really interesting and fast paced.
Can't wait to get started on book 6- Clash of the Demons :D
3/5
December 1, 2019
5. kitap olan Hayaletin Hatası'nı soluksuz okudum ve şunu söyleyebilirim ki her ne kadar beşinci kitap olsa da seri asıl şimdi başlıyor.
Özellikle katil cadı Grimalkin ile ilgili öğrendiğimiz detaylar ve Alice ile ilgili sürpriz bu eseri seride büyük bir mihenk taşı haline getirdi.
Geneline baktığımızda bu defa kitabın merkezinde “su” var. Suyun cadıları, yaratıkları, bataklıklar, çamurlu patikalar, nemli duvarlar… Hem kitabın geçtiği mevsimde hava soğuk, hem de her yer öyle ıslak ki okurken sık sık ısınma ihtiyacı duyuyorum.
Rahatsızım :) Sanki bir yerim ıslakmış da cereyanda kalmışım ve üstüme soğuk vuruyor gibi oluyorum.
Wardstone, yine yapacağını yaptın işte.
Hayalet’in eski çırağı Arkwright ile tanışmak, Karanlık’ın yepyeni cadıları ve yaratıklarıyla karşılaşmak, Alice ile ilgili kafalarda oluşan soru işareti derken… Şeytan vardı bir de, değil mi?
Kitap için su gibi akıyor demek istiyorum ama sayesinde "su" deyince beraberinde bir üşüme geliyor :)
Özellikle katil cadı Grimalkin ile ilgili öğrendiğimiz detaylar ve Alice ile ilgili sürpriz bu eseri seride büyük bir mihenk taşı haline getirdi.
Geneline baktığımızda bu defa kitabın merkezinde “su” var. Suyun cadıları, yaratıkları, bataklıklar, çamurlu patikalar, nemli duvarlar… Hem kitabın geçtiği mevsimde hava soğuk, hem de her yer öyle ıslak ki okurken sık sık ısınma ihtiyacı duyuyorum.
Rahatsızım :) Sanki bir yerim ıslakmış da cereyanda kalmışım ve üstüme soğuk vuruyor gibi oluyorum.
Wardstone, yine yapacağını yaptın işte.
Hayalet’in eski çırağı Arkwright ile tanışmak, Karanlık’ın yepyeni cadıları ve yaratıklarıyla karşılaşmak, Alice ile ilgili kafalarda oluşan soru işareti derken… Şeytan vardı bir de, değil mi?
Kitap için su gibi akıyor demek istiyorum ama sayesinde "su" deyince beraberinde bir üşüme geliyor :)
June 14, 2015
Grimalkin is the best.
April 25, 2022
SPOILER FREE
As the County becomes darker, so do these fantasy books by Joseph Delaney. There have always been elements of horror to the series, but The Spook’s Mistake gets creepy as Hell at points.
The best bit of The Spook’s Mistake is the introduction to Bill Arkwright. He’s a fully trained spook who was trained by John Gregory. He’s one of the only ones who lived and passed the tests.
His character is deeply flawed as he’s haunted (no spoilers here) by something that has made him harsh and sometimes cruel. He drinks a lot but he’s a good spook and John Gregory send Thomas to train with him for a while in things that John can’t spend much time on anymore – such as fighting with a staff.
As the County is getting darker and there are more powerful enemies and threats on the way, Thomas Ward has to get stronger and prepare for what is to come. Bill Arkwright is the best place to start that new breed of training.
Joseph Delaney does an incredible job of portraying Bill Arkwright’s character in The Spook’s Mistake. It’s wonderful to see such a morally grey character done well in a children’s fantasy book.
The plot in The Spook’s Mistake is also one of the best so far. With the Fiend released, Delaney could have gone straight into some kind of final battle with the Dark, but he instead decided to take things slowly and have Thomas trained and face threats a little harder than ones before, upping the pressure and tension of previous books.
Things are only going to get harder from here, but Thomas Ward is growing in strength and knowledge to prepare.
View the full review at The Fantasy Review
As the County becomes darker, so do these fantasy books by Joseph Delaney. There have always been elements of horror to the series, but The Spook’s Mistake gets creepy as Hell at points.
The best bit of The Spook’s Mistake is the introduction to Bill Arkwright. He’s a fully trained spook who was trained by John Gregory. He’s one of the only ones who lived and passed the tests.
His character is deeply flawed as he’s haunted (no spoilers here) by something that has made him harsh and sometimes cruel. He drinks a lot but he’s a good spook and John Gregory send Thomas to train with him for a while in things that John can’t spend much time on anymore – such as fighting with a staff.
As the County is getting darker and there are more powerful enemies and threats on the way, Thomas Ward has to get stronger and prepare for what is to come. Bill Arkwright is the best place to start that new breed of training.
Joseph Delaney does an incredible job of portraying Bill Arkwright’s character in The Spook’s Mistake. It’s wonderful to see such a morally grey character done well in a children’s fantasy book.
The plot in The Spook’s Mistake is also one of the best so far. With the Fiend released, Delaney could have gone straight into some kind of final battle with the Dark, but he instead decided to take things slowly and have Thomas trained and face threats a little harder than ones before, upping the pressure and tension of previous books.
Things are only going to get harder from here, but Thomas Ward is growing in strength and knowledge to prepare.
View the full review at The Fantasy Review
June 15, 2013
Long time fans of Joseph Delaney will be pleased at their perseverance. For the first time in the series, The Spook's Mistake actually brings in real conflict in the personalities and relationships of the characters. In the past I have lamented the lack of attention to character development, finding a sole focus on action instead, but Delaney has slowly (perhaps too slowly) built up tensions that finally seem to have come to a head.
With The Spook's Mistake, Delaney has seemingly elevated his stories from simple children's tales to something more complicated. The issues raised, especially validity of the concept of "the ends justify the means," are truly thought provoking - a first for the series. Alice, always a character of greys, is at the same time sympathetic in her utter devotion to Tom as well as scary in her easy willingness to use dark magic.
Aside from the development of existing characters, readers will be introduced to William (Bill) Arkwright. Here again, Delaney writes a wonderfully, grey character. Arkwright is a haunted man, in more ways than one. Readers will enjoy how Delaney masterfully plays with their emotions with this new character. Throughout the story they will pity him, hate him, be disgusted by him and perhaps even like him. The Spook's Mistake is a book that, for the first time in the series, I think is great for readers both young and old.
With The Spook's Mistake, Delaney has seemingly elevated his stories from simple children's tales to something more complicated. The issues raised, especially validity of the concept of "the ends justify the means," are truly thought provoking - a first for the series. Alice, always a character of greys, is at the same time sympathetic in her utter devotion to Tom as well as scary in her easy willingness to use dark magic.
Aside from the development of existing characters, readers will be introduced to William (Bill) Arkwright. Here again, Delaney writes a wonderfully, grey character. Arkwright is a haunted man, in more ways than one. Readers will enjoy how Delaney masterfully plays with their emotions with this new character. Throughout the story they will pity him, hate him, be disgusted by him and perhaps even like him. The Spook's Mistake is a book that, for the first time in the series, I think is great for readers both young and old.
December 30, 2010
This is the fifth book in the Spook's Apprentice series and it is just as fantastic as the previous books have been. I am impressed that these books have continued on with such great story telling over this series.
In this book Tom Ward leaves Gregory to serve 6 months under a different spook; the new spook is harsh in his methods but endeavors to teach Tom more fighting to toughen him up. During the stay though Tom finds himself again being hunted by the Fiend and his children. Most notably Morwena, The Bloodeye witch, who can paralyze any unsuspecting person with a single glance of her evil red eye.
Once again this is a great story. I wish that this series was higher on the bestsellers list. It has been a consistently wonderful series. As Tom Ward gets older and gains more knowledge the plot of the book widens in breadth. Tom finds himself more embroiled with the world at large, and as the Fiend hunts him he is forced to ask himself deeper and deeper questions about what it means to be of the dark or the light.
The writing is excellent, the black and white drawings add to the mood of the story, there is a ton of action, more dark creatures, and more danger than ever. I love these books. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
In this book Tom Ward leaves Gregory to serve 6 months under a different spook; the new spook is harsh in his methods but endeavors to teach Tom more fighting to toughen him up. During the stay though Tom finds himself again being hunted by the Fiend and his children. Most notably Morwena, The Bloodeye witch, who can paralyze any unsuspecting person with a single glance of her evil red eye.
Once again this is a great story. I wish that this series was higher on the bestsellers list. It has been a consistently wonderful series. As Tom Ward gets older and gains more knowledge the plot of the book widens in breadth. Tom finds himself more embroiled with the world at large, and as the Fiend hunts him he is forced to ask himself deeper and deeper questions about what it means to be of the dark or the light.
The writing is excellent, the black and white drawings add to the mood of the story, there is a ton of action, more dark creatures, and more danger than ever. I love these books. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
January 12, 2018
I'm just so sad that this serie is ending so soon...
I'm already on the fifth book, and I am dreading that I am getting closer to the end T_T
I'm already on the fifth book, and I am dreading that I am getting closer to the end T_T
January 28, 2009
Holy. Cow. I read the entire series in just over a week and now I cannot wait for the next one to come out, because book 5 ends with a big ol' cliffhanger...and as far as I can tell, no word on when book 6 comes out. Dang! Joseph Delaney is a very skilled author, and his level of horror is just right for me, the ultimate horror wimp. In this book, I came to really enjoy the character of Grimalkin, the witch assassin. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter really add to the books, and they are creeeeeepy.
This book introduces more about the concept of good vs. evil and how we all have some of each in us. It's what wins out that really matters. And Tom is battling--is the Spook correct in that you should never, ever use the dark to battle the dark, or is Alice correct when she says that you sometimes have to do anything necessary to win the battle against the dark? Complex moral issues, here!
People have compared them to Harry Potter, but I don't think there's any comparison--these are much darker and present a much harsher world than HP. And Tom isn't a wizard (although we did learn about some exciting new possible "powers" he has in book 4), and he doesn't have a lot of fun.
Fantastic book overall.
This book introduces more about the concept of good vs. evil and how we all have some of each in us. It's what wins out that really matters. And Tom is battling--is the Spook correct in that you should never, ever use the dark to battle the dark, or is Alice correct when she says that you sometimes have to do anything necessary to win the battle against the dark? Complex moral issues, here!
People have compared them to Harry Potter, but I don't think there's any comparison--these are much darker and present a much harsher world than HP. And Tom isn't a wizard (although we did learn about some exciting new possible "powers" he has in book 4), and he doesn't have a lot of fun.
Fantastic book overall.
February 16, 2016
Hayaletin Hatası diğer kitaplardan biraz daha farklıydı, Tom bir süreliğine yeni bir ustanın yanına gönderiliyor. Yeni ustası Bill Arkwright adında sert, zorlayıcı ve Bay Gregory'den oldukça farklı bir hayalet. Ustanın farklı olması gibi kitaptaki cadılar da farklı, yeni tanıştığımız bir tür olan; su cadıları. Kitapta yeni bir çok şeyle karşılaşıyoruz ve bol olaylı bir kitap olunca da okuması hayli zevkli oldu. Kitapta sizi şaşırtacak ayrıntılara denk geleceksiniz ve sona doğru ortaya çıkan gerçeklerse biraz beklenmedikti. Olay kurgusu ve anlatım iyiydi, yeni karakterler seriye güzel bir renk katmıştı.
Serinin diğer kitapları gibi bunu da beğendim, yine de hala favorim Hayaletin Savaşı. Türünde gayet başarılı bir seri ve başlamayı düşünenlere kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
http://yorumatolyesi.blogspot.com/201...
Serinin diğer kitapları gibi bunu da beğendim, yine de hala favorim Hayaletin Savaşı. Türünde gayet başarılı bir seri ve başlamayı düşünenlere kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
http://yorumatolyesi.blogspot.com/201...
August 26, 2019
Wardstone Chronicles Book 5
*The Spook's Mistake*
Wow! This is probably the best book ever in the Wardstone Chronicles. Its just so awesome, that I'll have to write a bigger review. So let's begin, the book cover is just awesome with Arkwright and his blood hounds with a misty green back round. It really sets up a terrifying atmosphere. Its the second time I read the book, the first time I didn't enjoy it but now it just has broken a food deal of records. It literally makes me happy and full of joy, but enough of praise. I read this book in digital format on kindle as usual, but in the European edition with the title "Wrath of the Blood eye" which refers to the empress of the water witches and the daughter of the Fiend (that is the devil), Morwena who is the primary antagonist. Now, the book is bigger than the others if compared, took me 3-4 days to read. The title is aptly given, as the plot completely changes due to a single but a disastrous mistake by Bill Arkwright, the Spook of the Northern Caster region. So, there's a lot of things happening in the book, all extremely well written and a delight to read. The book starts as the "Press Gang"hunt for young children and try to make them forcefully join the army, Tom, barely escapes them with Alice's help due to which the spook decides to send Tom at the Northern Caster to Bill Arkwright, a local Spook who is an expert on water witches and everything that's related to marsh and dampness. As i mentioned before, Morwena along with the Fiend are the central antagonist. Both of them are terrifying and horrifying but I always find the Fiend very mysterious with no major motive and a dark appearance, which makes him insuspectable. Even the Spook is scared of him and fears for Tom. Alice, shows a lot of her dark side and her association with witches as she uses mirrors to contact, witch bottle or I'd rather call it blood jar, and contacts the deadly witch assassin Grimalkin to request her to help Tom and also using "Dread" to rescue Tom from the press gang. She has truly become one of the major characters and very prominent but i hate that the Spook treats her as filth and never ever completely trusts her. She shows her dark side a lot of times in the book but she also states that, "To Fight the Dark we need to use the Dark sometimes" which is truly a very true sentence, but i promise that Old Gregory couldn't accept so. Its also revealed that she herself is the daughter of the Fiend in the end. I think I'm not going step by step. So i'd rather start at the depiction of scenery and nature. Joseph Delaney has truly done a wonderful job. He has portrayed the Northern Caster even better than he did Chipenden. The dark forests, the damp marshes, the open and tall valleys and mountains, inns, Arkwright's house, the haunted mill, the coastal areas with witches lair, etc,et. All this atmosphere really adds to the story and gives it a richer complexion. I really like the hermits staying place, the haunted mill, the bridges, the island and many other things like the barge. The story is also really well created. It just addicts the reader to read and read. I would say that the book goes a bit more faster as compared to the previous books. I like Arkwright's unique character and personality but i totally hate his drinking habits and when he suddenly grows angry. His library and knowledge about the water witches is a competitor to the Spooks . He is in his youth and follows different methods than the Spooks so we get to see a lot of new things. Tom really has a hard time north of Caster, he is missing Alice, having exhausting lessons everyday, getting beaten for his curiosity and whenever he tries to help anyone, he gets jumbled and imprisons himself. But he gains a lot experience. There's a lot of water witches in the book, they are described very well which gives chills to the reader. Morwena is just great with her bloodeye ability that can freeze anyone and that finger hook through which she can drag her preys below the swamps. Even, Grimalkin comes into Spotlight in the book, I really like her with all her weapons and costumes and all mighty attitude, she is truly the queen of witches I would say. she becomes a major character at the end of the book as she helps Tom to finish off Morwena. Even as the Fiend is broken loose into the world we see him and his true form for the first time, and his greatest and the most fantastic ability to tamper, stop and speed up time. This is so Cool! I especially like the parts of story when, Alice uses dread, Tom visits the haunted mill, the compete training of Tom under Bill Arkwright, encounter with Morwena, the blood hounds (Claw and Bone, but sadly one of them dies. If you see the cover they are really scary and blood thirsty. Really good for witch hunting.), Arkwright's Alcohol addiction, his knapping by Morwena, Toms runaway, the Spooks trap, rescuing Arkwright, Grimalkin's entry and all the encounters with the devil and the fighting with Morwena in the end. i love Toms and Alice's emotional conversations. They are so addicting. Arkwright's drinking habits tick me off. Even the ghosts of his parents are boring and unnecessary addition. I did not like the adventure of the seal woman very much. It just wants to male you read more and more I think this is enough and my review will inspire you to read this fantastical, thrilling, magical, describing, delightful, page-turner and somewhat scary book from the promising Wardstone Chronicles. I've already started with the next in series. Hoping to finish soon. Nice Reading!!!
*The Spook's Mistake*
Wow! This is probably the best book ever in the Wardstone Chronicles. Its just so awesome, that I'll have to write a bigger review. So let's begin, the book cover is just awesome with Arkwright and his blood hounds with a misty green back round. It really sets up a terrifying atmosphere. Its the second time I read the book, the first time I didn't enjoy it but now it just has broken a food deal of records. It literally makes me happy and full of joy, but enough of praise. I read this book in digital format on kindle as usual, but in the European edition with the title "Wrath of the Blood eye" which refers to the empress of the water witches and the daughter of the Fiend (that is the devil), Morwena who is the primary antagonist. Now, the book is bigger than the others if compared, took me 3-4 days to read. The title is aptly given, as the plot completely changes due to a single but a disastrous mistake by Bill Arkwright, the Spook of the Northern Caster region. So, there's a lot of things happening in the book, all extremely well written and a delight to read. The book starts as the "Press Gang"hunt for young children and try to make them forcefully join the army, Tom, barely escapes them with Alice's help due to which the spook decides to send Tom at the Northern Caster to Bill Arkwright, a local Spook who is an expert on water witches and everything that's related to marsh and dampness. As i mentioned before, Morwena along with the Fiend are the central antagonist. Both of them are terrifying and horrifying but I always find the Fiend very mysterious with no major motive and a dark appearance, which makes him insuspectable. Even the Spook is scared of him and fears for Tom. Alice, shows a lot of her dark side and her association with witches as she uses mirrors to contact, witch bottle or I'd rather call it blood jar, and contacts the deadly witch assassin Grimalkin to request her to help Tom and also using "Dread" to rescue Tom from the press gang. She has truly become one of the major characters and very prominent but i hate that the Spook treats her as filth and never ever completely trusts her. She shows her dark side a lot of times in the book but she also states that, "To Fight the Dark we need to use the Dark sometimes" which is truly a very true sentence, but i promise that Old Gregory couldn't accept so. Its also revealed that she herself is the daughter of the Fiend in the end. I think I'm not going step by step. So i'd rather start at the depiction of scenery and nature. Joseph Delaney has truly done a wonderful job. He has portrayed the Northern Caster even better than he did Chipenden. The dark forests, the damp marshes, the open and tall valleys and mountains, inns, Arkwright's house, the haunted mill, the coastal areas with witches lair, etc,et. All this atmosphere really adds to the story and gives it a richer complexion. I really like the hermits staying place, the haunted mill, the bridges, the island and many other things like the barge. The story is also really well created. It just addicts the reader to read and read. I would say that the book goes a bit more faster as compared to the previous books. I like Arkwright's unique character and personality but i totally hate his drinking habits and when he suddenly grows angry. His library and knowledge about the water witches is a competitor to the Spooks . He is in his youth and follows different methods than the Spooks so we get to see a lot of new things. Tom really has a hard time north of Caster, he is missing Alice, having exhausting lessons everyday, getting beaten for his curiosity and whenever he tries to help anyone, he gets jumbled and imprisons himself. But he gains a lot experience. There's a lot of water witches in the book, they are described very well which gives chills to the reader. Morwena is just great with her bloodeye ability that can freeze anyone and that finger hook through which she can drag her preys below the swamps. Even, Grimalkin comes into Spotlight in the book, I really like her with all her weapons and costumes and all mighty attitude, she is truly the queen of witches I would say. she becomes a major character at the end of the book as she helps Tom to finish off Morwena. Even as the Fiend is broken loose into the world we see him and his true form for the first time, and his greatest and the most fantastic ability to tamper, stop and speed up time. This is so Cool! I especially like the parts of story when, Alice uses dread, Tom visits the haunted mill, the compete training of Tom under Bill Arkwright, encounter with Morwena, the blood hounds (Claw and Bone, but sadly one of them dies. If you see the cover they are really scary and blood thirsty. Really good for witch hunting.), Arkwright's Alcohol addiction, his knapping by Morwena, Toms runaway, the Spooks trap, rescuing Arkwright, Grimalkin's entry and all the encounters with the devil and the fighting with Morwena in the end. i love Toms and Alice's emotional conversations. They are so addicting. Arkwright's drinking habits tick me off. Even the ghosts of his parents are boring and unnecessary addition. I did not like the adventure of the seal woman very much. It just wants to male you read more and more I think this is enough and my review will inspire you to read this fantastical, thrilling, magical, describing, delightful, page-turner and somewhat scary book from the promising Wardstone Chronicles. I've already started with the next in series. Hoping to finish soon. Nice Reading!!!
September 30, 2017
"The difference between the word fiend and friend is merely one letter. I could easily be the latter. If you knew me better...”"
Oh Tom. This is a tough 6 months for him. As we continue the series, he is exposed to more witches and things that creep in the night. The boy can barely sleep or eat (always fasting), as each new battle comes as the fiend sets his sights on him.
But now he is 14 and edging towards 15. It's good to read his growth and see the things he's learned. There was also growth in him knowing more about himself as he explored his relationship with both The Spook and Alice. He is also sent away to learn new training from another - Spook Arkwright - and his moral compass is put into question as well as his obedience to learning. It's another great addition to the series, although now I can understand the 2 titles for one book. I heavily agree with the other title.
Oh Tom. This is a tough 6 months for him. As we continue the series, he is exposed to more witches and things that creep in the night. The boy can barely sleep or eat (always fasting), as each new battle comes as the fiend sets his sights on him.
But now he is 14 and edging towards 15. It's good to read his growth and see the things he's learned. There was also growth in him knowing more about himself as he explored his relationship with both The Spook and Alice. He is also sent away to learn new training from another - Spook Arkwright - and his moral compass is put into question as well as his obedience to learning. It's another great addition to the series, although now I can understand the 2 titles for one book. I heavily agree with the other title.
December 11, 2017
Tom is now 14 and he starts a 6 month development period with a different Spook - a previous apprentice of Mr Gregory. The new Spook does things quite differently and works with different types of witches so Tom has a lot to learn.
There are also some interesting character developments and it is all set up for book 6. I love this series - it is perfect for middle-grade audiences (or adults like me who enjoy these books!!)
There are also some interesting character developments and it is all set up for book 6. I love this series - it is perfect for middle-grade audiences (or adults like me who enjoy these books!!)
June 15, 2020
Wow!!!! That was simply one of the best twists I have ever read..........again Book One and the rest leading to Book Five, they were just the appetizer, these little bits and pieces, you feed to a fish, until................they are just swinging back and forth from your fishing tackle.........
Book Five, Tom was sent to one of John Gregory's former apprentice who has now become the Spook for Northern part of the land, a land of water, marshes and canals, as usual with anything, humans adapt to their environs and well, so do the witches and the evil creatures found there, Chipenden had witches, ghosts and other land bound evil, The North had water witches and selkies, wraiths and others..........
Bill Arkwright one of the few apprentice who became a full fledge Spook, but that is where the similarity ends, John Gregory as a person or Spook will always follow his rigid code, be they be against fellow humans or the evil that festers his world, Bill on the other hand is different, where John Gregory adheres to a principle of "no using of anything or anyone that comes from the Dark", Bill uses whatever he can that helps, another difference, he does not mind a little bit of cutting and bruising to toughen apprentices, Bill has a story that made him the kind of Spook that he is now and Tom manages to change him.
Book Five for me right now is one of the best, the addition of so many information to the lore of Last Apprentice!!!
Book Five, Tom was sent to one of John Gregory's former apprentice who has now become the Spook for Northern part of the land, a land of water, marshes and canals, as usual with anything, humans adapt to their environs and well, so do the witches and the evil creatures found there, Chipenden had witches, ghosts and other land bound evil, The North had water witches and selkies, wraiths and others..........
Bill Arkwright one of the few apprentice who became a full fledge Spook, but that is where the similarity ends, John Gregory as a person or Spook will always follow his rigid code, be they be against fellow humans or the evil that festers his world, Bill on the other hand is different, where John Gregory adheres to a principle of "no using of anything or anyone that comes from the Dark", Bill uses whatever he can that helps, another difference, he does not mind a little bit of cutting and bruising to toughen apprentices, Bill has a story that made him the kind of Spook that he is now and Tom manages to change him.
Book Five for me right now is one of the best, the addition of so many information to the lore of Last Apprentice!!!
August 29, 2019
Każdą z kolejnych części "Kronik Wardstone" spowija coraz gęstszy, bardziej mroczny klimat a atmosfera nieuniknionego Zła czyhającego na jej protagonistów - tu podejmującego się coraz śmielszych i brutalniejszych na nich ataków - w piątym tomie, "Pomyłce Stracharza", jest nad wyraz przygnębiająca.
Bohaterowie stają na rozdrożu. Młody Tom Ward postawiony w nieomal beznadziejnej sytuacji przyjmie pomoc od - zaskakująco usłużnych i mających w tym swe ukryte cele - popleczników mroku a Alice nigdy dotąd nie była tak bliska krawędzi przepaści i podążenia ścieżką ciemności. Nawet były uczeń Johna Gregory'ego - obecnie pełnoetatowy stracharz, do którego Tom udaje się na wyjątkowo wymagające szkolenie - bliski jest upadkowi. Wrogami Billa Arkwrighta - prócz niespotykanie silnych w tej powieści sług ciemności - są dręczące go przeszłość i alkoholizm.
Walka z mrokiem nigdy dotąd nie była dla żadnego z nich tak trudna - tym razem każde będzie musiało zdusić w sobie zło, które zalęgło się w ich duszach i sercach. I po raz kolejny podjąć się trudnych zadań i niełatwych wyborów. Bohaterowie zrobią krok do przodu, ale nie dla każdego z nich będzie to ruch w stronę światła, odkupienia i ukojenia.
Podobnie, jak w poprzednich tomach dowiadujemy się sporo o przeszłości naszych bohaterów - tym razem jest to ogromna dawka informacji o Alice, która zmienia niemal kompletnie postać rzeczy i zarysowuje interesujący i dramatyczny rozwój wątku tej postaci w przyszłości, oraz niesłychanie zaskakujący twist związany z postacią Grimalkin, wiedźmą zabójczynią, który po raz kolejny udowadnia, że w książkach Josepha Delaneya nie ma miejsca na proste podziały i szufladkowanie postaci i ich zamiarów tylko li na "dobre" i "złe".
Kolejna, znakomita powieść z serii - tyle, że mroczniejsza od każdej z czterech poprzednich. Polecam!
Bohaterowie stają na rozdrożu. Młody Tom Ward postawiony w nieomal beznadziejnej sytuacji przyjmie pomoc od - zaskakująco usłużnych i mających w tym swe ukryte cele - popleczników mroku a Alice nigdy dotąd nie była tak bliska krawędzi przepaści i podążenia ścieżką ciemności. Nawet były uczeń Johna Gregory'ego - obecnie pełnoetatowy stracharz, do którego Tom udaje się na wyjątkowo wymagające szkolenie - bliski jest upadkowi. Wrogami Billa Arkwrighta - prócz niespotykanie silnych w tej powieści sług ciemności - są dręczące go przeszłość i alkoholizm.
Walka z mrokiem nigdy dotąd nie była dla żadnego z nich tak trudna - tym razem każde będzie musiało zdusić w sobie zło, które zalęgło się w ich duszach i sercach. I po raz kolejny podjąć się trudnych zadań i niełatwych wyborów. Bohaterowie zrobią krok do przodu, ale nie dla każdego z nich będzie to ruch w stronę światła, odkupienia i ukojenia.
Podobnie, jak w poprzednich tomach dowiadujemy się sporo o przeszłości naszych bohaterów - tym razem jest to ogromna dawka informacji o Alice, która zmienia niemal kompletnie postać rzeczy i zarysowuje interesujący i dramatyczny rozwój wątku tej postaci w przyszłości, oraz niesłychanie zaskakujący twist związany z postacią Grimalkin, wiedźmą zabójczynią, który po raz kolejny udowadnia, że w książkach Josepha Delaneya nie ma miejsca na proste podziały i szufladkowanie postaci i ich zamiarów tylko li na "dobre" i "złe".
Kolejna, znakomita powieść z serii - tyle, że mroczniejsza od każdej z czterech poprzednich. Polecam!
April 14, 2021
J'adore cette saga à chaque lecture je suis plongé dans cette univers incroyable
February 6, 2010
With many series, it's fairly easy to map the course of events for every book before even cracking the spine. You know the hero will follow her or his patterns from previous books. The books become almost formulaic. I thought I had figured out the formula to The Last Apprentice: Tom and his master would go someplace to rid the area of evil, Tom would allow either his emotions or his devotion to his master to get in his way, trouble would ensue, the Spook would be detained and Tom would have to figure out how to solve his problem, probably with the help of his friend Alice, and all would be well in the end, mostly.
That's not how Wrath of the Bloodeye goes, though Alice does show up to help with the final battle.
I'm always surprised with this series. I feel like I have a handle on the story and then it goes in a different direction. Furthermore, I enjoy not having to wait for the main characters to "catch up" with what I've already figured out. Once I know something, the characters usually know it within the chapter. That's refreshing.
This volume continues Tom's story nicely, allowing him to grow, stretch himself and learn more about his abilities, his loyalties and his beliefs. I don't always agree with Tom, but I respect him as a character.
That's not how Wrath of the Bloodeye goes, though Alice does show up to help with the final battle.
I'm always surprised with this series. I feel like I have a handle on the story and then it goes in a different direction. Furthermore, I enjoy not having to wait for the main characters to "catch up" with what I've already figured out. Once I know something, the characters usually know it within the chapter. That's refreshing.
This volume continues Tom's story nicely, allowing him to grow, stretch himself and learn more about his abilities, his loyalties and his beliefs. I don't always agree with Tom, but I respect him as a character.
August 11, 2010
Baca bareng dengan Mbak Mia
*******
Sempat turun naik saat mau kasih rating buku ini dari 3 lalu naik lagi ke 4 saat mencapai akhir.
Jelas, cerita di buku ke 5 ini jauh lebih menyeramkan daripada buku-buku sebelumnya. Water Witch-nya jauh bikin merinding, plus sukses bikin dag dig dug. Masih suka kesel dengan sikap Tom, bawaannya kadang mau jitak.
Ingin tahu apa rahasia terbesar Alice? Silakan baca sendiri hahahahaha
Oia..ada satu kalimat yang paling gue suka di buku ini, yaitu : Believe that you can do something and half the battle is won before you start. p.218
*******
Sempat turun naik saat mau kasih rating buku ini dari 3 lalu naik lagi ke 4 saat mencapai akhir.
Jelas, cerita di buku ke 5 ini jauh lebih menyeramkan daripada buku-buku sebelumnya. Water Witch-nya jauh bikin merinding, plus sukses bikin dag dig dug. Masih suka kesel dengan sikap Tom, bawaannya kadang mau jitak.
Ingin tahu apa rahasia terbesar Alice? Silakan baca sendiri hahahahaha
Oia..ada satu kalimat yang paling gue suka di buku ini, yaitu : Believe that you can do something and half the battle is won before you start. p.218
November 18, 2016
Dieser Band gefiel mir außerordentlich gut.
Auch auf Deutsch lassen sich die Bücher gut und einfach lesen, die Geschichte ist spannend und teilweise sehr traurig.
Besonders Alice habe ich sehr gerne und bin daher traurig, dass Tom und sie nun getrennt worden. :(
Auch auf Deutsch lassen sich die Bücher gut und einfach lesen, die Geschichte ist spannend und teilweise sehr traurig.
Besonders Alice habe ich sehr gerne und bin daher traurig, dass Tom und sie nun getrennt worden. :(
May 2, 2015
This book was amazing!!! It was very adventurous and intriguing. Joseph Delaney has such a neat way of writing and has a very unique mind to come up with all these cool books.
April 22, 2020
Yay Grimalkin!
June 11, 2017
Tom Ward is the seventh son of the seventh son which I've always like in the series but I've seen more in this book than the others is that are dear Tom doesn't change much in this book. At time he feels like he goes back a step or two and he forgets things he has previously learn in the other book, and the thing he hasn't - he COULD make a guess as to why a Spook would own/use/do the 'weird' things he does! Like seriously dude, you have been previously studying under ANOTHER Spook for more than two years now, you should know how the basic go down by now. Its not like your new to the paranormal world and have never seen methods of how to face 'evil' creature and defeat them!
You KNOW first hand why you need salt as a Spook as you cleanly say in the book by example as to why you need it, BUT you don't understand why this other Spook needs lots of salt! I'll tell you why he need's it - because you need it to harm witches and other creatures of the dark AND your teachers has already told you the guy he sent you to, is extreme and cruel at times in his teachings and that he takes a different take/way of approaching the creatures of the dark, SO taking that into account you can guess that he goes to extremes to get rid of evil and goes after the worst monsters to rid the world of them because he takes a sick/twisted pleasuring in it and doesn't see them as human at all so he doesn't feel sympathy for them so when he kill's them its not humanly. So there for he NEEDS a lot more salt than the average Spook, and I figured that out before meeting the guy! What the hell dude, is being around Alice for so long has made you incapable to work anything out on your own and stand on your own two feet. Fine just take my hand and I'll take you to where you need to be.
Mr. Gregory, you are wasted on this apprentice, he's to busy making goo-goo-eyes at Alice with his tough hanging out like a idiot. Is this really Tom Ward from the previous book - I had when bad-ass kids grows up as the books go on and getting close to there teens, because most of the time for some reason when the character/s get nearer to their teens they just become dumber. Like 'yes, it does sound like a good idea to go out at night on my own with nothing but a bag, some money and a staff when the LORD OF ALL EVIL is after me either to kill me or make me one of his minion's, nah nothing will happen to me - I'm like invincible or whatever, stop mollycoddling me!' Right yeah, news flash kid your only human with special abilities your not immortal and well not half an hour later your captured by a group of normal human soldiers... so as you where saying kid about being capable to look after yourself on your own..... XD
And one of my favourite outcast, fucked up character who is a bad-ass, Bill Arkwright is a cool character. I feel for him greatly and his way of protecting his home is just a work of genius. And his dogs are awesome and I love his ghosts, , and how he ended up in the army is understandable. He is such a bad-ass when he fights. I would have love to see the scene on TV.
And Grimalkin, you have finally been put in the main books!! Yes she is so cool. So much love for this character.
And I've always found Alice weird/creepy, She's just acts weird in this book and I'm not surprised.
You KNOW first hand why you need salt as a Spook as you cleanly say in the book by example as to why you need it, BUT you don't understand why this other Spook needs lots of salt! I'll tell you why he need's it - because you need it to harm witches and other creatures of the dark AND your teachers has already told you the guy he sent you to, is extreme and cruel at times in his teachings and that he takes a different take/way of approaching the creatures of the dark, SO taking that into account you can guess that he goes to extremes to get rid of evil and goes after the worst monsters to rid the world of them because he takes a sick/twisted pleasuring in it and doesn't see them as human at all so he doesn't feel sympathy for them so when he kill's them its not humanly. So there for he NEEDS a lot more salt than the average Spook, and I figured that out before meeting the guy! What the hell dude, is being around Alice for so long has made you incapable to work anything out on your own and stand on your own two feet. Fine just take my hand and I'll take you to where you need to be.
Mr. Gregory, you are wasted on this apprentice, he's to busy making goo-goo-eyes at Alice with his tough hanging out like a idiot. Is this really Tom Ward from the previous book - I had when bad-ass kids grows up as the books go on and getting close to there teens, because most of the time for some reason when the character/s get nearer to their teens they just become dumber. Like 'yes, it does sound like a good idea to go out at night on my own with nothing but a bag, some money and a staff when the LORD OF ALL EVIL is after me either to kill me or make me one of his minion's, nah nothing will happen to me - I'm like invincible or whatever, stop mollycoddling me!' Right yeah, news flash kid your only human with special abilities your not immortal and well not half an hour later your captured by a group of normal human soldiers... so as you where saying kid about being capable to look after yourself on your own..... XD
And one of my favourite outcast, fucked up character who is a bad-ass, Bill Arkwright is a cool character. I feel for him greatly and his way of protecting his home is just a work of genius. And his dogs are awesome and I love his ghosts, , and how he ended up in the army is understandable. He is such a bad-ass when he fights. I would have love to see the scene on TV.
And Grimalkin, you have finally been put in the main books!! Yes she is so cool. So much love for this character.
And I've always found Alice weird/creepy, She's just acts weird in this book and I'm not surprised.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2024
It's been a while since I last read a book in this series, but I feel back into the world very quickly. I love the dark, spooky vibe of this series. Tom's master, the Spook sends him to complete a six month training with another Spook who specializes in water creatures, and he's not happy about it. He doesn't want to be separated from his close friend Alice and the home with the Spook he has come to value. When he arrives, he finds the situation untenable, as the Spook Arkwright is, to put it kindly, a mean drunk. Also they face a very dangerous threat in the water witch who goes by Bloodeye, who has a close relationship with Tom and the Spook's arch-nemesis.
The thing I really like about this book is how Tom is continually in dangerous situations. While you logically know he's going to make it out, you are on the seat trying to figure out how that's going to happen. The atmosphere is expertly rendered, and I felt like I was in that wet, smelly, cold, unrelentingly dread-filled environment. The Bloodeye is absolutely terrifying. And Tom's enemy, even moreso.
While the cast of characters are . At times, I was so annoyed at the Spook, John Gregory. He's very dogmatic and doesn't seem to understand nuance and the fact that humans aren't all black or white. I don't like how he treats Alice, who has proven herself to be a good person and a staunch ally. It's more than clear that she would never do anything to put Tom in danger. He's inability to bend actually seems to make things worse. I personally really love Alice. She might be my favorite character (while I like Tom a lot, I find myself always looking for Alice to show up). Arkwright set himself up to be a real jerk, but it's shown as the story unfolds, that he is a deeply tortured person.
This series really delivers on the scares and the spooky dark vibes. While it's a middle grade/juvenile, I think it also works for older readers who like books that are for younger readers.
The thing I really like about this book is how Tom is continually in dangerous situations. While you logically know he's going to make it out, you are on the seat trying to figure out how that's going to happen. The atmosphere is expertly rendered, and I felt like I was in that wet, smelly, cold, unrelentingly dread-filled environment. The Bloodeye is absolutely terrifying. And Tom's enemy, even moreso.
While the cast of characters are . At times, I was so annoyed at the Spook, John Gregory. He's very dogmatic and doesn't seem to understand nuance and the fact that humans aren't all black or white. I don't like how he treats Alice, who has proven herself to be a good person and a staunch ally. It's more than clear that she would never do anything to put Tom in danger. He's inability to bend actually seems to make things worse. I personally really love Alice. She might be my favorite character (while I like Tom a lot, I find myself always looking for Alice to show up). Arkwright set himself up to be a real jerk, but it's shown as the story unfolds, that he is a deeply tortured person.
This series really delivers on the scares and the spooky dark vibes. While it's a middle grade/juvenile, I think it also works for older readers who like books that are for younger readers.
October 5, 2018
in order to protect tom ward the spook sends him up north to train with his old apprentice now spook bill arkwight so he may teach tom how to better defend himself if he is ever in a fight,but as tom is learning how to defend himself against water witches and how to outrun them he runs into a foe that bill has been hunting for years. now that they have her trail they stay in a local inn and upon the morning time bill is hunover from him drinking the previous night letting tom look for her alone,but when he hears screams he rushes back to where he left bill to discover one of his dogs dead ad bill missing,he later calls upong the spook and alice for aid and search for him,upon discovery however they escape and tom later on fights the witch who later is found out to be the fiends daughter.
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December 31, 2021i don't really want to mark this whole series as read just bc there's so many of them and it's been years since i read them but i know this was one of my favorites (along with probably i am alice). i read the whole thing in 1 day in 4th grade (a friday in january, though i don't remember which one) and a couple other times as well. this was back when i read series out of order bc i just did not care for things making sense i guess. i want to reread this bc it still sits in the back of my closet (along with revenge of the witch, grimalkin the witch assassin, and fury of the seventh son) but i've been saying that for years so i'm not sure i'll ever get to it
November 8, 2019
I adore this series. And, book 5 doesn't disappoint. This time, Tom has his work cut out for him. He is without the Spook for most of this adventure and while in training with someone else, he ends up learning more about his mom, his own "destiny" and a shocking discovery about his dear witch friend, Alice. Not only that but the Fiend (Devil) is keen on turning Tom to the darkness and Tom must team up with old enemies to defeat new ones (mainly one of the Devil's witch children). I'm loving how this adventure ends and can't wait to see how things play out with Tom and Alice. I'm also curious about what will eventually happen to the Spook. I highly recommend this series to any adult or young reader who likes adventure and fantasy.
March 21, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this entry in the series! I thought the story would be getting stale by this point, but it was a great addition to expanding on the lore and plot of the overarching story. I really enjoyed it! One thing I will say though, is that the chapter illustrations just didn't land for me on this one...They mostly felt silly and didn't match the creepy tone which they are usually known for. Especially when the illustrations in book 3 went SO hard, these ones felt lackluster in comparison.
January 5, 2018
The fifth book in The Last Apprentice fantasy series. Now that the Fiend has been released into the world, the Spook sends Tom to his former apprentice for a sixth month period designed to "toughen him up." When Arkwight is captured by Bloodeye, a water witch who is also the daughter of the Fiend, Tom must risk everything he cares about and trust someone he has no reason to trust to save his friends, and himself. Fans of the series will be thrilled with this installment.
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