Title: The Spook’s Apprentice/Revenge of the Witch
Author: Jospeh Delaney
Published: 1 July 2004
Source: publisher, in anticipation of film. HUGE HUGE THANKS FOR THIS.
Review: Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he can be trained as a spook, to protect the County from evil. Starting off as an apprentice, he learns the ways of a Spook, trapping creatures, learning Latin, and spotting danger signs. Such as women or girls with pointy shoes. Enter Alice, a girl whose loyalties you can never be sure where they lie. Also, there is a witch, Madame Malkin, who has been bound in a pit, but threatens to come out.
I read this one ages ago! But never got into the series, not because I disliked it, but because I kind of forgot abonut this. Then I get an email telling me that there’s going to be a film based on it starring Ben Barnes (who was totally adorable as Dorian) and that it would be nice if people could review the series. So I thought, yeah why not. Then I got a package with all 11 books in the series and all I could think was thank you thank you thank you and so yeah I took it on and started reading from the beginning again.
It’s hard to believe Thomas is only twelve at times-he’s clever at times, and really brave, though he does make errors here and there. Alice is a complete mystery throughout. I loved the Spook, who is wise due to his experience. Also, Mam, who seems to have secrets to come out some day.
Pacing was good. there’s soon a dose of suspense which also helps us learn more about Thomas. Writing built suspense and atomsphere well. Madame Malkin is a good adversary, with connections to Alice and being suitably threatening.
Overall: Strength 4 tea to a creepy start to a series.
Title: The Spook’s Curse/Curse of the Bane
Author: Joseph Delaney
Published: 30 June 2005
Source: publisher, in anticipation of film. HUGE HUGE THANKS FOR THIS.
Review: It starts with Thomas doing his first binding of a boggart on his own in Priestown. Soon after leaving, they return to pay respects to the Spook’s now-dead brother. And also to defeat the creature that the Spook hadn’t done before, a creature pressing its victims to death, The Bane. Onece there, they find the Quisitor in town, hunting witches, wizards, spooks, and sentencing them to death. As Alice and Spook get caught, it’s up to Thomas to try and get them all out alive.
Thomas has matured a bit from The Spook’s Apprentice. Alice remains a mystery, but we do get to know some more about her and . We learn quite a lot about the Ward family, and the enigma of Mam gives way to another reason to be interested in her. Quisitor was your stereotypical Christian witchfinder who added a more human threat to the story.
This one really has a lot of history in it. I like the continuing lack of romance between Alice and Thomas, because I remember even when I was ten there were books where a girl and a boy just had to get together, at leaast in an innocent way. it was paced well, with something new being discovered quite often.
Overall: Strength 3 tea. Good backstory to the Spook and the Wards, and another fun plot.
Oh My goodness that sounds really good! So when is the movie going to come out? Is it going to be a set of movies. Did they say who's making the film? And I LOVED him as Dorian! You're talking about the newer Dorian Gray movie right?
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