Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

[PluviophileReader]

3/5 stars.
ebook, 161 pages.
Read from January 09 to 15, 2014.

I picked this book up in anticipation of the movie coming out called The Seventh Son. I have heard that the movie is invariably different than the book and the book series itself which makes me a little bit sad but that is usually the case with book to movie interpretations. The book series, called ‘The Last Apprentice’ or the ‘Wardston Chronicles’ contains 12 books.

As a young adult novel, this story is not only extremely exciting but very dark at the same time making this story appealing to variety of age groups, which I think is what the movie creators saw. Thomas Ward is the seventh son of the seventh son and like all boys in this birth position he is sent off at to apprentice to become a ‘Spook.’ A Spook, is the person in charge of managing all of the evil and supernatural in the area, such as witches, boggarts and ghosts. The seventh son of the seventh son is sent for this position as they are born with special intuitive gifts that keep them in tune with the supernatural. The downside to all of this is that the work is very dangerous and lonely. Spooks are not well liked and all of the apprentices prior to Thomas have not lived to see themselves become the next Spook. Thomas finds himself in a pinch when he inadvertently has to deal with a very malevolent witch early on in his training.

There are a lot of different details in this book that make me want to continue the series: I have questions about Thomas’ mother and the strange friendship that Thomas builds with a young witch he encounters. Additionally, the writing appeals to readers of all ages as the author plays with the grey area between good and evil, where most us find ourselves in, adding that extra moral dilemma for the characters and the reader. Also, the author, while making Thomas the hero, still manages to keep the physical and emotional age of Thomas in proportion. This makes the story more enticing and exciting as Thomas is facing obstacles that no boy his age should be but the author ensures that he reacts appropriately for his age in these experiences.

Overall, a solid young-adult fantasy read . I am looking forward to the next book in the series and the movie, even if it does end up being a bit a different from the book.

[kio]

Good series overall. The others are even better.

[clbarkhurst2016]

I have read this entire series and was very pleased with it, after which I watched or tried to watch the movie. The variations from the book to the movie were so apparent even from the very beginning that it was quite disappointing. I highly recommended this young adult series, it is a quick read with a suspenseful plot.