Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #2)

Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane!

As Thomas and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives, it becomes clear that the Bane isn't their only enemy. The Quisitor has arrived, searching for those who meddle with the dark so he can imprison them--or worse.

Can Thomas defeat the Bane on his own? Is his friend Alice guilty of witchcraft? And will the Spook be able to escape the Quisitor's clutches?

Almost like the first Harry Potter book, I found the author grew in their prose with their second book. 

Tom is growing in his role as the Spook's apprentice and in this book he has to villains to face. One, being the Quisitor, a religious heretic bent on destroying anything that he deems having a dark or corrupt soul. Being a Spook, John and Tom fall in this category. 

Second, is the Bane. A benevolent being bound to the catacombs of Priest Town. This is a town where we last saw the Spook's brother being drained from a boggart. Now, he has passed and the Spook and Tom have to travel to this foreboding town to pay their last respects and deal with the Bane, which the Spook failed to kill in his past. 

Be warned. Even though this book is a YA novel, it reaches the realm of subject matter that is not warranted for younger minds. Yes, there is no cussing, there is however...

1. A Religious undertone that is very negative and someone not having a mature mind will not be able to understand that this is fiction and the priests are acting under the control of the Bane. The evil that is being spewed is very understandable and one does not realize this until they are farther into the story. 

2. Death. The scenes in this book are more grotesque in nature. Not vividly described in the form of written words, however the logical mind is able to see clearly the picture that the author is trying to paint. 

3. Relationships and emotions in this book are more defined and vivid. Reactions to situations and the decisions that Tom and the Spook have to make are very hard. 

Make sure your young one is able to handle these subject matters. 

Other tidbits....

1. Alice develops very nicely. We get to see a deep character in this book. 

2. Tom's mother...very interesting character. We get to see how his parents met and the circumstances around their marriage. 

3. The Spook's past....more is revealed.

Quote....

“Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid.”

― Joseph Delaney, Curse of the Bane 

Rating:

Until Next Time,