Revenge of the Witch: Last Apprentice Series Bk. 1

By Joseph Delaney 
Grades 5+
Thomas, seventh son of a seventh son, is apprenticed to the local Spook, whose job is to fight evil spirits and witches, he expects a life of danger. However, the boy doesn't realize just how soon he'll face a powerful enemy alone, as Mother Malkin escapes her confinement while the Spook is away. Thomas is forced to use his wits, and the help of his enigmatic new friend, Alice, to fight the evil witch. And defeating her is only the start of the boy's problems. 

Delaney's characters are clearly presented and have realistic depth, and Thomas's mother and Alice stand out for their strong words and actions. The protagonist's voice is clear, and his conflicts over his actions ring true.

I was not expecting to like this book but once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I stayed up  to finish the book. This was a fantastic first person horror story that is scary and gory but not too scary and gory. 

A fantastic read.


1.  The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch
2.  Curse of the Bane
3.  Night of the Soul Stealer
4.  Attack of the Fiend
5. Wrath of the Bloodeye
6. Clash of the Demons
7. The Spook's Nightmare (2010)
8. The Spook's Destiny (2011)

The Monstrumologist

By Rick Yancey
Ages 15+
If you like the TV show Supernatural and you don't mind being really grossed out, you will love this book.

Set in the late-1800s in New England, Will Henry is the 12-year-old apprentice to Pellinore Warthrop, a brilliant and self-absorbed monstrumologist (a scientist who studies (and when necessary, kills) monsters). The newest threat is the Anthropophagi, a pack of headless, shark-toothed bipeds. The great mystery is how they got to this continent as they are indigenous to Africa.

As the action moves from the dissecting table to the cemetery to an asylum to underground catacombs, Yancey keeps the shocks frequent and shrouded in a splatter miasma of blood, bone, pus, maggots, and great vocabulary. The prose style is The industrial-era setting is populated with leering, Dickensian characters, most notably the loathsome monster hunter hired by Warthrop to enact the highly effective “Maori Protocol” method of slaughter.

The story is great. The writing is fantastic. The sentiment feels real. It is a wonderful and scary book.