The Curse of the Bane

It has been a few weeks since I have put up a book review. That is largely because I've lacked some of the desire to push through books. Whether it is the sun, the Internet, or something else, I've dwadled through this last book.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Last Apprentice series. I likened the book to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but more realistic and with a mixture of old world witchcraft lore. The second book, the Curse of the Bane, started very slowly. We are reintroduced to the Spook and his 13 year old apprentice Tom Ward. Tom is the 7th son of a 7th son, which makes him special in old world lore.

The crux of this story surrounds the Bane. It is an old creature that used to wreck havoc on the countryside, but was bound to the catacombs under the city of Priestown. Now the Spook is going back to try and finish off the Bane once and for all. Along the way there are a myriad of complications, the biggest being the Quisitor. Why is he the biggest obstacle? He is judge, jury and executioner for witches or those that deal with the dark. Unlike the Spook, he has little or no idea of how to identify those aforementioned people, essentially making him a thief and crooked government official. The story makes me want to read the third in the series (it has at least 8 books), but I've got a few others to read first.

Rating: 3 of 5. Was better than average (I don't want to give a score of 2.5, that is like being noncommital) but not great. Next up is either Darth Paper Strikes Back or NERDS.

Revenge of the Witch (Last Apprentice Series book 1)

I was pretty excited to read the Revenge of the Witch. This was a continuation of reading books I recommended to kids (but didn't have time to read myself during the school year). Early in the year I'd gotten the Ranger's Apprentice books for the kids, and they were a huge hit. As I continued my search for different series that kids would like, I eventually picked up the IQ books by Roland Smith and the Septimus Heap series. But I'd been drawn to this series, yet hesitant to pick it up since it was in the YA section. Getting it after Spring Break, it turned out to be a nice addition to my library.

I really enjoyed Revenge of the Witch. Joseph Delaney seemed to write it with the intent of keeping the integrity of old English lore in tact- those of ghosts, boggarts, and witches. The witches, ghosts and all are warded off from those in the county by a man named the Spook. The Spook is in need of a protege, an apprentice, which is where we begin to learn about our new apprentice, Tom Ward. He is the 7th son of a 7th son, which makes him special. In particular, he can see, hear, and sense things that others cannot. His parents need to find a job for him, and agree to have him as the Spook's new apprentice.

Tom is not necessarily comfortable in his new work. His first test scares him mightily. The Spook and the Apprentice aren't necessarily welcomed with open arms either, and can you blame the people for that? They deal with witches and ghosts! The story has a scary element to it that made me pause for a second. But the story certainly doesn't have the blood or violence of some other stories, more the intimation of potential danger that can put you on edge. Like the Lightning Thief in some ways, I was intrigued by the old lore embedded in this story, and the realism that Delaney is able to weave throughout this story. I could see many of my former students behaving similarly and thinking the same thoughts as Tom. Overall, very pleased with it and excited to read the next books in the series (thankfully I brought the first 4 books home!).

Rating: 4 of 5