The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane (Book 2) (Last Apprentice, 2)

I'm not usually one for audio books but I had to do a 64 hour drive from California and back in a 4 days period. Having read the first Apprentice book I was very interested in this one. Let me tell you, it scared the heebies out of me. :) It was exciting and terror-filled. Many times I had to turn it off because I was driving in middle of nowhere Texas. All in all, 2 thumbs up for scaring a 22 year old college student.

I bought this book with kind of low (kids book) expectations...but holy smokes, it wasnt a kids book at all, I was actually a little scared!! I slept with a light on...I'm 25 years old!!

I am a sixth grader. This book The Last Apprentice: Curse Of The Bane by Joseph Delaney is my favorite book that I have read so far. This book is the second one in its series. This book is about the young Thomas Ward a seventh son of a seventh son. If you are a seventh son of a seventh son your destiny is to become a Spook. The Spook is a person who protects humans from evil. They see and sense things that other people cannot - the likeness of dead people, evil spirits and boggarts. Tom Ward's family lives next to hangman's hill; during the war if you were a prisoner you would be hung on this hill. Tom would hear strange noises of people screaming; people who had died long ago. Now Tom Ward is older and stronger than ever and has more challenges to face. When Old Gregory, the current Spook, retires, Tom will become the new Spook. In the beginning of the book, Old Gregory comes down with a cold and Tom has to do his work for him; Tom cannot be any mistakes. Tom's first job is to stop a boggart. This boggart is sucking the blood out of the Spooks brother, a priest, and Tom has to save him. Tom has to save many lives from The Bane. The Bane is a creature who changes shapes. He also will get inside your head when you dream and will try to convince you to give your blood to him. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action and adventure. This whole book is full of action. Also, I think that you should not read this book after dark. The reason to not read this book after dark is because it is scary. I would rate this book a six on a scale of 1 to 5. It rates a six because it is so good. JMM

The Spook has returned to Priestown for the funeral of his brother, who was killed by a boggart. There is danger in Priestown. One of the most malevolent spirits the Spook ever dealt with is locked in the catacombs beneath the cathedral. Unable to kill it at the time, the Spook confined the Bane behind a silver gate but its influence and poison are spreading and all it needs is a willing soul to free it from its prison. Because the town and the country side are under threat from the Quisitor, a priest conducting Inquisition style retribution on anyone or anything suspected of supernatural dealings, Tom and his master hope to just attend the funeral and then leave town quickly. They disguise their occupation while in town and stay at separate inns to avoid detection. The Quisitor returns unexpectedly with prisoners though. Tom sees that his friend Alice, has been swept into the Quisitor's trap. She will be burned for witchcraft along with other innocents. The Spook is also captured, betrayed by a member of his own family. Tom is desparate to save his friends but faces the ultimate sacrifice to do it. This is a first rate read. These books are wonderfully creepy, full of atmosphere. The book design will make them accessible for readers of all strengths (as are the Charlie Bone series). There is just enough burning at the stake, blood sacrifice and live burials to keep things interesting but not overtly graphic. Fans of scary stories and fantasy need to know about this series NOW!

Young Tom Ward and his master, the Spook (Old Gregory)have had a turn of bad luck that's been years in the making. While the Spook is sick, Tom goes down to a small village where one of the Spook's brothers is a priest. The brother has tried to stop a Boggart, a malicious being capable of murder. After a breath-taking opening, Tom wins and loses. The Boggart is bound, but the Spook's brother eventually dies. While attending the funeral in Priestown, the Spook runs into the Quisitor, a man dedicated to burning witches and punishing those who get too close to the Dark. The Spook is high on the Quisitor's list. Furthermore, the Bane -- one of the strongest and most evil of the denizens of the Dark -- still lies buried in the catacoombs beneath the town. It's held prisoner by an ancient curse, but it's growing stronger. The Spook tried to rid the town of it once and failed, nearly losing his life. When the Spook is taken prisoner, only Tom is left to save the day. And to do that, he has to risk everything, learn more about his master and his mother than he'd ever wanted to, and find a strength inside himself that he didn't know he had. This is Joseph Delany's second book, and the second book in this series. I'm anxiously awaiting more. As in the first novel, Delaney manages to evoke the feelings of the macabre, fear, and dread on nearly every page. I found myself totally immersed in the story. Instead of a superficial return, though, Delaney deepens the characters even more from the first book. You'll learn things in this novel that you didn't know and might only have suspected from the first one. Alice is back as well, and still practicing witchcraft, which makes her interesting and a threat to Tom. The books are written on a level that kids can enjoy them, but adults who love fantasy, history, and a good scare on a quiet night of reading will enjoy these books as well. Delaney's world is as deeply evolved as Harry Potter's, and seems to be growing by leaps and bounds in geography as well as legends. These books should be on every library shelf, and in the homes of everyone who loves a good story.