I love the cover art. I still can't believe I have finished 20 book in the Spooks universe. I would like to thank Mr. Joseph Delaney for writing such a delightful novels series. The man's truly wonderful!! Nov 26, Alva rated it it was ok. This is a sort of conclusion to the whole dramatic arc of the two Spook series, and while I read to the end of it, and always take pleasure in the plainspoken beauty of Delaney's language which I associate with Hardy and John Clare , I found it a very anticlimactic climax, having expected much more from the final battle with the monstrous creatures of the North.
As climactic books go, I think the volume in the first series in which Tom Ward and his allies did battle against the devil in Greece This is a sort of conclusion to the whole dramatic arc of the two Spook series, and while I read to the end of it, and always take pleasure in the plainspoken beauty of Delaney's language which I associate with Hardy and John Clare , I found it a very anticlimactic climax, having expected much more from the final battle with the monstrous creatures of the North. As climactic books go, I think the volume in the first series in which Tom Ward and his allies did battle against the devil in Greece was absolutely perfect -- and although I loved the whole idea of the conflict with the creatures of the north, and thought Slither as well as every part of the story told from Grimalkin's point of view wonderful and really novel, I think the execution fell short in this final volume of the second series.
Feb 25, Alice rated it it was amazing Shelves: I love the Spook's series!
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Read in one go. Even though I didn't like the whole Kobalos stuff at all, it was great reading more from Grimalkin and the domains of the dark! I certainly never grow tired of this series. Mar 04, Ms. After A New Darkness and The Dark Army, we meet up again we Tom and Jenny, but also Grimalkin, who has been killed but is inhabiting a weird in between plain, and hoping to help fight against the Kobalos. Bill Arkwright makes a brief appearance, but when his remaining dog turns against him, but Jenny and Tom know that something is wrong, and it turns out that this is indeed the case.
Could the Kobalos mages really be that powerful, and do they really want the Starblade that badly Purchased copy. Could the Kobalos mages really be that powerful, and do they really want the Starblade that badly? Of course they do, and Lukastra and his thralls fight horribly against Tom and the forces of good he is able to muster. As the battle comes to its inevitable conclusion, who will be able to save the day? Who will belong to the light, and who to the dark?
And most of all, will Alice and Tom be able to reconcile their prospective sides and be together? Delaney's writing is brilliantly engaging, even when it is rather gross. This is no doubt why I have so may students who love this series. This is a worthy ending, and the very end is fairly happy. This was very grim.
I'm not a big fan of Grimalkin she gets alternating chapters and the ookiness of the monsters and the blood, but a lot of my readers love that about these books. Just not my thing. What I really think: I'm very curious to see what Delaney will write next.
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I really, really thought that The Last Apprentice would be the new Hunger Games, so have about four of the first book in the series. The movie and books never caught on like I hoped, but it was still money well spent to have the extra copies, since they have all been glued back together at least once! Sep 28, Maddison rated it really liked it Shelves: So this book took me quite a while to read!
It definitely didn't grip me as much as I thought it would! Even view spoiler [Jenny dying, which I'm pleased happened, didn't shock me as much as expected, I suppose just because it was such a boring way to die, and that it's fantasy, so I just assumed she'd be resurrected. Maybe next book, as no one in this series dies apart from the Spook. Tom came back, Grimalkin basically came back. Like I swear he said this as least 10 times in this one book. If we're up to this point in the series we already know what the chill means. There were no epic battles in this book.
You'd think that the defeat of view spoiler [Talkus would at least be exciting. And the fact that Tom forgot about Balkai so easily. There has to be more to this world. Feb 04, Rishad Mohammed rated it it was amazing. Farewell Tom Ward , hunter of the dark. Oct 04, Steven Naylor rated it really liked it. This series was not as good as the Spooks apprentice. This series spent a lot more time dealing with war than the dark in my opinion. It still was very interesting to read and I still like the characters. Delaney does a good but not great job in telling the story. It always seems like there is either a lot of build up for a confrontation which is not very satisfying, or there is very little buildup to something that seems hugely impor Rating 3.
It always seems like there is either a lot of build up for a confrontation which is not very satisfying, or there is very little buildup to something that seems hugely important. I never really got into the Kobalos story line, and preferred it when the enemy was the Dark. Tom did end up using more of his special powers in this story. Not just the ones he gets from being the seventh son of a seventh son, but also the powers he got from his mam, the lamina.
I felt those powers were neglected a little in the first 2 books of the series. Overall a quick enjoyable read. That could not possibly be the last page. The story felt rushed, each unfolding mini-crisis resolved within a few pages or even a few sentences. Well known characters died and disappeared like popped party balloons while others who should have been front and center faded to the background. The story rushed on threads spinning off into the dark and left unresolved. I admit I flippe The end. I admit I flipped back and forth on my Kindle a few times thinking that surely I had missed a chapter but How does it really all end?
Apparently, I will never know. Jun 03, Isel rated it really liked it. That ending was more like a cliffhanger lol. Also, I did not expect that to happen to Jenny. I mean I didn't really like her but come on. I was kind of expecting the series to end all dark and gloom. Mar 02, Dan rated it it was ok Shelves: I love the Spook's books and have been reading them for about ten years.
This is a hugely underwhelming finale. The Kobalas army is heading for the County and it's up to the Spook Tom Ward and his allies to stop them. When the Spook Bill Arkwright apparently returns from the dead Tom is pleased but is Bill all he seems? Meanwhile Grimalkin is dead and now in the dark obsetisibly hell. Is there a way she can return to the world to help the fight? I thought in many ways this was like a greatest h I love the Spook's books and have been reading them for about ten years. I thought in many ways this was like a greatest hits of the series, only it doesn't do the hits very well.
The early chapters featuring Grimalkin are very similar to Spook's: Alice and there's reprise of The Spook's Mistake. The only new idea, though a good one, involves creatures a bit like Zygons from Doctor Who though not executed as well as it might have been and never fully explained either. I was expecting an enormous battle here but Delaney opts to ignore the Kobalas army and focus on taking out their god Talkus. The fight with him is hugely underwhelming, little more than a quick skirmish really. The action almost entirely focuses on Grimalkin and Tom Ward which means that one major character barely makes an appearance and another is pointlessly killed off- given that there's a hugely dangerous army and a powerful god, why would you kill a character in a pathetic way?
The ending is particularly atrocious. The final chapter has one of those second climaxes a bit like in Bond films- the main fight is over but there's still some henchmen about which cause the character a lot of hassle. It never works very well.
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Delaney must have had an idea that he'd never got round to using so he shoves it in this final chapter, completely re-writes the character of Tom and then abruptly ends the book. There's a whole book to be had in just this idea and it's tossed in like an afterthought- plus it's not an idea I care much for either. Where did it all go wrong? I think the author should have stuck to smaller threats, your usual Spook's work because he does that so much better than he does the grand scale.
The main characters largely work independently of each other here and there should be more of a focus on them working together. There's too much playing around with death too- having killed and then resurrected Tom in the first two books of the series the whole notion of death in this universe falls apart, especially when dead characters are still running round the world except for one who dies unnecessarily.
I still love the world of these books and the characters that inhabit it but this feels like a first draft of a book where the plot hasn't yet come together and sections need to be cut or rewritten. May 21, Sarah rated it it was amazing. I finished the previous book of this series The Dark Army last year about this time, so going into this one I was a little nervous about not remembering important details and having it make this book less enjoyable.
I'm really glad to say that my fear was unfounded; I love Joseph Delaney's writing style, and once again he succeeded in grabbing my attention and keeping it throughout the entire book. The setting and characters were just as I remembered them, and after a few chapters I felt total I finished the previous book of this series The Dark Army last year about this time, so going into this one I was a little nervous about not remembering important details and having it make this book less enjoyable. The setting and characters were just as I remembered them, and after a few chapters I felt totally reacquainted with the plot.
Delaney didn't waste any time with exposition; the story jumps right back into the struggle of Thomas Ward and his allies against the impending attack of the Kobalos, and the story is told from the perspectives of Grimalkin in the Dark and Tom in the world of the living. I loved this book. Just like the others in the series, it was definitely worthy of a five-star rating. I am kind of sad that I can't keep reading, now, though. Every time I finish one of these I regret how quickly I finished it, but once they come out I just can't put them down. The story always flows really well and is enjoyable from start to finish.
Every time I think about this series, I'm really impressed by Delaney's ability to keep it going so well. I've heard a lot of praise of J. Rowling where this is concerned for having a consistently interesting 7 book series , so I think it's even crazier that he's managed to write sixteen fantastic books with the same characters while avoiding being predictable or boring. Small note to Joseph Delaney: I can't remember a single time that I felt the story dragged or ran out of action, and even after this book I want more; he could very, very easily write more books after this.
Also I love your work; please sign my face. By now I think I've established how much I love and appreciate this series, so now I'm going to rant about the one thing in this book that I'm upset about, because I just can't. Are you kidding me?? Okay, I'm totally down with accepting crazy stuff; the pure fantasy and creativity of these books is one of the reasons I love them so much. Delaney continuously blends fiction and reality, and it's beautiful. I also absolutely love talking about this series with friends because of all the terms we have memorized from reading them. See; whoskor, Kobalos, boggart, skelt, tulpa, etc.
We sound completely crazy and nerdy and fantastic and it's amazing. Anyways, back to being mad at Joseph Delaney. As readers of fantasy, my friends and I accept the unique rules and situations that come along with the genre. In this book alone we've accepted impossibilities like time travel, magic, witches, mages, gods and their realms, and tulpas. A few books ago the main character came back from the dead because of his mothers lamia blood and magic. Lukrasta got both of his hands chopped off and had them replaced by silver ones made by the god Hephaestus. Talkus' power is contained outside of his body in a fleshy pouch containing "soul-stuff" and attached to him by an umbilical cord type of thing that Grimalkin can just chop off and run away with.
I'm pretty sure none of us had a problem with these things. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm not generally one to point out things as being unbelievable with this series especially. However, I found Jenny's death ridiculously, insanely difficult to accept. Before I get into details here, I'd like to say that this isn't because Jenny was my favorite character, or even because I'm upset that she won't be in other books if he chooses to write them. In fact, I wasn't really attached to Jenny that much at all. I mean she ranked quite a bit higher than Judd Brinscall, but I don't think that's saying much.
I just really, really hate the way Delaney chose to kill her off. I'm more upset about the way she died than the fact that she's dead sorry not sorry. I feel like he definitely killed her to make a few points, those points being that A being a spook is very dangerous B many apprentices die and C Tom is special for being strong enough to survive all that he did.
I get that he was emphasizing these things with her death and I actually really liked that he was; it was a good reminder. It wouldn't be believable if characters didn't die occasionally and just miraculously survived everything. I think Delaney intended for this to be a tragic reminder of the pain that Tom's master faced when he lost apprentices, and to show that Tom is now going to carry that same burden as he trains his own. I definitely got that vibe when Tom said "It would happen again.
I was just disappointed by the lack of grandeur. I didn't want a full-scale, battle of the Wardstone death like John Gregory's, or even Grimalkin's sacrifice and death against Golgoth, but is it really too much to ask for her to be killed by something better than an infected water witch scratch? I'm sorry, but taking into account the things she'd survived before that, it just seems stupid and pathetic.
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She was a main character, but she died a minor character's death. Also, can we just take a moment to pause and think about all the things that Tom had already survived when he was her age 16 during his apprenticeship? Granted, she hadn't had as much training he had had, but come on. Maybe Delaney knew he wanted to kill her character, but didn't want to be too gruesome with her death because she was Tom's first apprentice?
Maybe he didn't want to mutilate another character? I've considered this, but I doubt it. He sure didn't mind getting a bit graphic and violent with the torture and deaths of other characters, there are so many examples of this in each book I don't know if it's even worth listing examples, but see: It was so good that I can afford to be nitpicky about minor things mainly because there aren't major things to find flaws in kudos to you, Mr.
This was a great addition to an already amazing two series, and I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys fantasy. View all 3 comments. I have mixed feelings about this, certainly I never imagined that this will happen to Tom, I mean it IS unexpected twist but i don't know if it was a good one, one thing for sure Old Gregory won't like this at alllllll.
I don't know how, but so far each death was for a purpose, Tom and Grimalkin did return from their death, and I was waiting for Jenny's, or is she playing the vital role o toughening Tom up "shrug" I didn't like it. Tom's last torture scene, it made me wince not for the torture itself , but I hated to see Tom humiliated like that ,and for him to be a Lamia in the end, well This book is a YA trilogy that continues the events started in the thirteen book Last Apprentice middle grade series by Delaney.
It did an okay job of wrapping up the series. I enjoyed visiting all my favorite characters again but felt like this was just a repeat of the 2nd book; another huge baddie and another impossible battle. I kind of feel like Grimalkin, not Tom, was the main hero of this book. Tom makes some pretty big mistakes and pays heavily for them.
However, I felt the starkness in this book more than the others. I also felt like this series was a bit unfinished. Possibly because this introduced another big baddie just like the last book and you are left feeling like there is probably another big baddie out there somewhere still waiting to be defeated at the end of this book.
Overall this was an okay wrap up to the Starblade Chronicles but the whole thing felt a bit unfinished to me. Additionally this story was very much like the last one and seemed a bit repetitive. Mar 22, Jerecho rated it really liked it. To many questions that need answers Someday it will be answered Hoping to see a spark of light from the darkest of the night Someone falls, yet someday it will rise I guess the world isn't done yet We will know in time Thank you for a thrilling ride.
Feb 16, Jason rated it liked it. I really didn't like how the end was wrapped up It just was kinda anticlimactic. Aug 14, Matt Wallenhorst rated it really liked it. I thought this latest part of Tom Ward's story was pretty solid. His inexperience as the full Spook shows in this series and we get to see Tom's anger at the manipulation he feels in a lot of different directions. While that internal battle is going on, there is a very external battle in the form of the war between the Kobalos and humans.
This comes to a head as Tom balances his oath to defend the county with not being used by the different influences in his life to their different goals. To the I thought this latest part of Tom Ward's story was pretty solid. To the major points. I felt that Tom and Jenny spent far too much time with fake Bill. It didn't really tell us much other than the power of the Kobalos was larger and more terrible than we thought before that. It was sad to see Judd Brinscoll's dead body, I felt he was a good Spook and one that Tom could rely on in terms of working together.
Unfortunately that's gone now. The death of Jenny was not as upsetting in the grand scheme I don't think. When we first meet Tom and John Gregory, he has recently lost another apprentice due to the work. If Tom is some sort of super Spook or chosen one given his natural Spook ability and his mother's heritage along with the Starblade, then of course he makes his way through the Spook work more easily. For the others, especially one that is a girl when there is no record of a girl ever being a Spook, there is a significant learning curve. For Tom to not just act on being a Spook but to be a Spook who can teach the craft, he will go through some trials.
The normal Spook work is dangerous enough and Jenny's death reminds us of that. I am happy we have a nice resolution to Grimalkin, she absolutely deserves to be a Queen of Witches or at least on her way to being the new one. We also had the surprise of Thorne and her teaming up again. With Pan on their side and just one more old god to convince or are Lukrasta's fears true about Grimalkin becoming a goddess? Her death in the previous book was far too quick and stark for the character she was, although it was not unlike John Gregory's I suppose.
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Her new abilities are refreshing. I hated that Lukrasta keeps coming back and I hope we have seen the last of him. He just showed up out of nowhere in the last of the previous series and while I thought his death off stage in the previous book was anti-climactic I guess it just set up his role here. Of course he was going to use Alice and of course he was going to try to betray Tom.
The God complex literally was surprising. It could have been a great transfer into some new stories, Lukrasta taking on the fiend's part, sort of like a Faust character, becoming the demon, with all its power and limitations. I wish the book had went more in the direction of the Kobalos than with him. Slither seems like a wasted character, making a cameo in the last book and then nothing at all here. The death of Talkus was well written, that battle with Tom and Grimalkin fighting together was great! It's here where I need to remember that Tom is just 17 and its a YA series.
The whole interplay with Alice, they are back together, then she goes with Lukrasta to beat Talkus, then she's mad at Tom for not trusting her, is annoying. Grimalkin asking Tom if he loves Alice and then if he trusts Alice is telling. They should be synonymous and they are not, so Tom's and Alice's immaturity shows. The falling action of the strongest Kobalo mage torturing Tom and Tom becoming a Lamia or whatever was tough. Tom's supposed to be fighting the dark but he takes on this new form. I wonder if Mam coaxed it out reluctantly, as if he had it all along but it would take the physical trauma of the torture to get it.
Could Tom's end, after years and years, be that one of his own apprentices must kill him or something? Wouldn't that be an end?! Jan 11, Fernando Teixeira rated it really liked it. This book is my favorite out of the 3 star blade chronicles books. Usually I expect most of the main characters to survive and the evil villain dies and everything is somewhat happy.
Since this was the end, I did not have any idea what might happen. The book starts out with Grimalkin waking up in the dark after she died in the last book. Grimalkin kills the queen of witches and gains her power to travel in and out of the dark. Whole they are escaping, a water witch poisons Jenny and she dies.
As Tom travels alone to Pendle, Grimalkin had freed Lukrastra from the Kobalos who faked his death, then they composed a plan to kill Talkus. For the full review, please see my blog. The first book was too short: And yet, because of this, the book felt lean.
No chapter was wasted, and every paragraph counted. In constrast, the second book feels it could've done better with a heavier handed edit. At pages, one would be delighted if not for the fact that it carries itself in a slower pace and the scope of the events is narrower. Somehow a book almost half the length had more action and more of the wonderful setting Hobb created. More unfortunate than that, this book focuses more heavily on the romance from the get go. If all the scenes from Molly were cut out, I believe the book would have still carried out the same way, same gravitas, and same stakes.
I have purchased the sequel, but I am already bracing for more pointless, forced romance. One person found this helpful. Top-rated Most recent Top-rated. All reviewers Verified purchase only All reviewers All stars 5 star only 4 star only 3 star only 2 star only 1 star only All positive All critical All stars All formats Format: There was a problem filtering reviews right now.
Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. There was a problem loading the comments at the moment. It's a bit of a "middle" book but this one is less about training and more about setting the stage for the main conflicts.
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Not that this doesn't allow Fitz to spend a lot of time sounding like he'd love listening to "the smiths" and "the cure" but it fits a young character - especially one he is a bit self-obsessed. Characters continue to grow such as my favourite Burritch and there are some great new additions mainly in the form of non-human characters and the interesting viewpoints they provide. I did enjoy a lot of the court politics particularly those surrounding who Fitz can and can't court with Patience providing amazing insight on the subject.
I still find the political system rotten intentional by Hobb in the sense the protagonists tie themselves in honorable knots and long-term strategies so that the book's villain, Regal has an incredibly easy time of it. He's a good villain to hate. While there isn't a great deal happening in terms of action the characters are excellent, I particularly like how characters can behave very differently given cirumstances making them much more real than in most books not just fantasy.
A noble man can be ratty if a nerve is hit or they are in pain for instance. I was planning on reading another author after this one but the ending was such that it felt like the next installment could go in a variety of directions which has me more curious than if I thought I knew what the next book would be about. Hobb is very good at presenting a logical outcome and then tearing it shreds. Book 2 has a load of guff about befriending a wolf cub needed for a major plot point but boy does it get tiresome.. Lost the will to live reading this tiresome book.
While I really did enjoy the first book this one really starts to lose it's way. There are plenty of flaws with the story and the actions of several of the characters but my main issue is that the main character Fitz does not seem to have grown in character at all from the first book. Despite growing from a boy to a young man he hasn't changed.
He is still self absorbed and childishly whiny and never seems to learn from what he does. It actually becomes quite annoying and I found it harder and harder to sympathise with the character or even understand his actions. In the end I've forced myself to finish it. I will also end up reading the third because I've started now and I'm that type of person that can't just stop but it is not the gripping tale all the positive reviews set it out to be.
I've read the Farseer trilogy, and to my tastes its a good read but not great. Good enough to have me read the whole trilogy, but not good enough for me to want to read any of her other novels. I like my magic to be kept on a tight leash and get a little irritated when new and unhinted at abilities conveniently manifest to save the day.
I feel this is rather lazy writing and detracts from the credibility of the world. I think it also sucks some of the suspense out of the story That said, it was an enjoyable if unsophisticated read. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, this second one was a bit plodding and padded, but readable. I am reluctant to take on the third as I think the story is just getting slower and slower. Fitz seems to bounce from one disaster to another, sometimes because of his own short-sightedness and lack of planning, sometimes not.
This seems to be the case with most fantasy series - Game of Thrones being a good case in point - it starts off with a bang and then peters out as it gets more and more convoluted.