Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice #1)

Reader reviewed by Dancerdork

A quick moving fantasy for the younger teens. Its about a young boy taking up the last job any one wants. the job of a spook. he seems to be to sweet and weak for the job but quickly proves everyone wrong. you wont want to put it down and find yourself reading over 100 pages a day. its very good cheap.

Reader reviewed by EshInoBi

This book was VERY, very, boring at the beginning. I don't mean to exaggerate, but it's not the book that'll capture your attention quickly. But, of course because of it's interesting-ness coming, I learned to come to love it. Thomas Ward is the 30th apprentice of John Gregory, the County's 'Spook'. The trade of being a Spook is helping other people ward away the dark. In this book, Tom is mixed with witches, because some are malevolent or benign, and he learns to trust a witch and become friends with her. This was quite interesting at around the middle, but the beginning did not capture my interest. Had I no other book to read, I would've stopped. But, because of this extraordinary book, I continued and am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. It wasn`t actually that scary =P

Reader reviewed by TheBookworm

Spooky and Not All That Absorbing

Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
3 out of 5 stars

Revenge of the Witch Book One in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney was good in its own way.

Tom Wards time has finally come. Its his turn to find a trade. Except his father has run out of favors, but that is to be expected. It was a miracle that he even found jobs for his six eldest sons. What trade could a seventh son of a seventh son do? Toms Mam, of course, has the answer. The next day the Spook Old Gregory stops by and what do you know? Tom Ward is the new Spook apprentice. But Tom isnt excited.

A Spook daily deals with boggarts, ghosts, ghasts, and witches. While in the dark remind you. Must travel on foot. Also they eat very little while they are doing this traveling. A Spook is faced with do or die situations at every turn. AND not to mention the life of a Spook is a lonely one. Everyone is scared and frightened by what they do, even though it is to protect them from the Dark. But Tom Ward doesnt have time to think about loneliness, right now he is just trying to stay alive.

The layout and choice of words was almost flawless. The chapters were manageable sizes and also understandable. I was able to follow along with the storyline without getting confused.

It was well written. But it just didnt grab me. I wanted and did finish the book, but I didnt feel any connection with the characters. No special interest in them besides wondering if they would live or not. It was a book that I will remember for maybe a month, but it was nothing that I will remember or cherish for months to come.

The Last Apprentice was really just a darker version of Septimus Heap.

Date Reviewed: August 8th, 2008