Nollaig Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 The Wardstone Chronicles Synopsis from Amazon: Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son and has been apprenticed to the local Spook. The job is hard, the Spook is distant and many apprentices have failed before Thomas. Somehow Thomas must learn how to exorcise ghosts, contain witches and bind boggarts. Sorry if there is already a thread about these books, I can't find it if there is I included a picture of the beautiful paperback cover because it's what initially caught my eye! There are currently 8 books in this series, with a few other books set in the same world, and apparently film rights have been acquired by Warner Bros. Hence my surprise at there being no thread about the books! I have only read the first one (The Spook's Apprentice) but I loved it and plan on reading the rest! They're Young Adult supernatural fantasy books pretty much summarised by the above quote. The reviews of all 8 books on Amazon range from 4-5 stars, so I'm fairly confident the quality of story and writing I found in the first book holds throughout the series. I'm not entirely sure what it is about The Spook's Apprentice that kept me reading - I certainly don't read a lot of YA novels and it takes a lot for me to enjoy a supernatural YA story. I think one reason I enjoyed it so much is because it's like an old ghost story, with a dash of whimsy which reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (but much better). I found parts of it just that little bit darker than other books of its kind (it comes with the warning that it's not to be read after dark!) and while I suppose the story probably isn't anything hugely original (Tom spends the first book learning the tricks of lonely Spook trade, accidentally releases a witch and has to set things right), I quite liked the fairly classic portrayals of witches and types of ghosts and the methods of dispelling them. There's quite a bit of originality to balance it out in the character of the Spook and particularly in his trade. More than anything I think I loved the writing, it's just a beautifully, darkly written story. There were a couple of bits that didn't sit right with me, actions that seemed a bit silly or thought processes that seemed a bit unlikely, but being a YA book and not an adult one, that may just be me being pernickity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawnbirduk Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Sounds brilliant, I might give it a go, however, I would hardly call myself a Young Adult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Haha neither am I! I'm just about adult now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I've read about 5 of these, but I've probably just mentioned them in my reading threads, rather than starting a specific thread. They are good, and I need to read the rest at some point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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