A New Darkness

July 28, 2014
Delaney launches a trilogy that picks up after the events chronicled in his Last Apprentice series. With his mentor dead, 17-year-old Tom Ward has become the new Chipenden Spook, despite his incomplete training and young age, and as such he must contend with “ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, witches, and all manner of things that go bump in the night.” He’s joined by 15-year-old Jenny, who claims to be the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and who wants to be his new apprentice. While Jenny’s training begins, the two run afoul of a new threat, as the dreaded Kobalos finally make their long-awaited move into the County. Tom, Jenny, and the witch-assassin Grimalkin embark on a desperate gambit to learn more about their mysterious enemy, undertaking a perilous journey that may prove fatal. Delaney makes it easy for new readers to enter the off-kilter alternate England he’s created, one fleshed out by dark magic and strange creatures. The story drags a little in places, but it’s still a solid, suspenseful, and spooky adventure with a fiendish cliffhanger. Ages 13–up.

August 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-The tale of Tom Ward from "The Last Apprentice" series (HarperCollins) continues. At 17, Tom is no longer an apprentice, but the Chipenden Spook after the death of his master. As a Spook, Tom's job is to protect his territory from ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, witches, and any other beasties that threaten the villagers. Reluctantly, he takes on his own apprentice, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, named Jenny. Jenny and Tom encounter a formidable new threat, the Kobalos. The Spook calls on his alliance with the witch, Grimalkin. Together, the three travel north to watch the spectacle of Kauspetnd, a deadly Kobalos assassin who has been challenging human champions to a fight to the death and always wins. The trio hopes to find out more about the Kobalos, but little does Tom know that Grimalkin has a much bigger plan. A plethora of action involving ghastly creatures, sword fights, and magic coupled with just enough backstory and description make this novel engaging enough to keep even the most reluctant reader turning pages until the end. Tom's story has a doozy of a cliff-hanger that is sure to bring teens back for more. Delaney fans and new readers are sure to enjoy this first book of a planned trilogy.-Mindy Whipple, West Jordan Library, UT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Newly minted spook Tom Ward takes on a surprising new apprentice and investigates a gathering storm in the first installment in this Last Apprentice sequel series. A mysterious evil is abducting and slaughtering residents of Chipenden. Tom is joined by Jenny, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter who dreams of becoming a spook and wields some unique powers of her own. The witch assassin Grimalkin returns, and the trio investigates the assailant and the dark purpose it serves. Filling his tale to the brim with creepy creatures and cultural exposition, Delaney does his best to establish this new series as a newb-friendly continuation of the Last Apprentice universe. He succeeds, but the deep dive into back story gets in the way of the action at times. The narrative moves forward in fits and starts, constantly interrupted by awkward paragraphs explaining who relates to whom and what the history between them is. Fans may enjoy the shoutouts, but new readers will just want to get on with the exploits at hand. The adventure itself is serviceable, but it feels like a long preamble for bigger things to come. To make matters worse, a smart, shocking narrative decision late in the book is undercut by the novel's final sentence, a pivot that may well provoke groans rather than curiosity. Promising but questionably formed. (Grimalkin's notes, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)

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