The Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead

Goodreads info

I discovered Joseph Delaney's Wardstone Chronicles (or The Last Apprentice) series on accident. Books 1-7 were available for free on Amazon for the Kindle, and while I had no idea what these books were about, they were free. Nothing's better than free, right?

I normally don't read dark fantasy. Mostly because I read before bed and I really don't need those images in my head while I sleep. But Delaney takes the vivid imagery of the ghouls and witches and spins them into the fantastic story of Tom Ward, Spook Apprentice.

For a little background, Tom Ward is a seventh son of a seventh son. Meaning he's got an inherent magical ability to fight against the powers of the dark. When he is old enough to be apprenticed, his Mam works it out that he will be the apprentice to Old Gregory, County Spook. While traveling about the countryside, Tom meets Alice, a young girl wearing pointy shoes, as well as a cast of unsavory characters. Through the first 10 books you discover that Tom is the world's answer to defeating the Fiend (aka the Devil) once and for all.

Lure of the Dead (book 10) find us with less than 8 months for Tom to defeat the Fiend. He has been given two of the three weapons required as well as how to obtain weapon #3. But the question remains: is Tom willing to make the necessary sacrifices to save the world from the dark?

I cannot recommend these books more. It's very easy to get swept up into the action and you definitely care about these characters. Give these books a chance if you need some dark fantasy peppered into your life.