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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
You guys don’t need to give the author such a hard time, he just decided to change a couple things probably so people would want to read the follow-up trilogy, I was a bit disappointed with the ending at first but it was just a different approach to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to this series that I enjoyed so much, but it felt somehow...incomplete. It simply did not give me the satisfaction I was looking for-and I don't understand fully how some story elements concluded (or didn't). I think part of this is due to the new series that Delaney wrote following through on Tom's story-but I guess we'll see how that goes.
This series was such a dark delight-it was gross, disturbing and at times confused, and I loved every minute of it! This last installment delivers to the series and in terms of style was exactly what I was expecting. I struggled to understand the change in plans-or rather, why they came about as the resolution to the key problem.
I would recommend this book, but I think it's best if you have the history of the series.
This series was such a dark delight-it was gross, disturbing and at times confused, and I loved every minute of it! This last installment delivers to the series and in terms of style was exactly what I was expecting. I struggled to understand the change in plans-or rather, why they came about as the resolution to the key problem.
I would recommend this book, but I think it's best if you have the history of the series.
3.5
I read a bunch of the bad reviews before opening this book and the complaints all seemed to be valid. But after finishing, I'm not sure I completely agree with them. For example:
Complaint 2: The Spook's death. Some people didn't like how his death seemed like an afterthought. I disagree. He was aging and on the decline. The fact that he went out fighting like a badass, putting everything he had into the battle was fitting. He didn't die underground and friendless and was instead surrounded by friends and allies against the Fiend. What could be better than dying in a blaze of glory?
What annoyed me a bit was how certain things came about with very little explanation, like:
2. Why the 3 blades melted into the Fiend. It's not like Tom knew to do that. It just happened and then all of a sudden he's been transported to the dark. There are others, but I can't remember them right now.
Delaney wrapped up some loose ends and created a satisfying ending, but he also left a lot of loose ends dangling, which made the ending less satisfying than it should have been. It's a little irritating knowing he did that so he could start a new series. But why even start a new series? Why not continue on with this one? Is it so that this series could end with 13 books?
I'll read the next series, but not for a while. I read these books in succession way too quickly and actually ended up burning myself out around book 10, but pushed through to the end.
I read a bunch of the bad reviews before opening this book and the complaints all seemed to be valid. But after finishing, I'm not sure I completely agree with them. For example:
Spoiler
Complaint 1: Alice and Tom don't end up together. I thought it was pretty obvious that they were never going to be in a real relationship, especially as the books progressed. 1. Spooks don't marry and despite the difference between Tom and other spooks, having a family would always be liability. 2. Alice's dependence on the dark increased in each book. It was only a matter of time until she would tip over the edge.Complaint 2: The Spook's death. Some people didn't like how his death seemed like an afterthought. I disagree. He was aging and on the decline. The fact that he went out fighting like a badass, putting everything he had into the battle was fitting. He didn't die underground and friendless and was instead surrounded by friends and allies against the Fiend. What could be better than dying in a blaze of glory?
What annoyed me a bit was how certain things came about with very little explanation, like:
Spoiler
1. Alice and Lukastra finding their soulmates at first sight. I get love at first sight, but this was basically Grimalkin saying, "Oh hey, they looked at each other and they each found their other half. Tom, put Alice out of your mind." That's it. Alice says she could explain it to Tom, but then declines. That's it?2. Why the 3 blades melted into the Fiend. It's not like Tom knew to do that. It just happened and then all of a sudden he's been transported to the dark.
Delaney wrapped up some loose ends and created a satisfying ending, but he also left a lot of loose ends dangling, which made the ending less satisfying than it should have been. It's a little irritating knowing he did that so he could start a new series. But why even start a new series? Why not continue on with this one? Is it so that this series could end with 13 books?
I'll read the next series, but not for a while. I read these books in succession way too quickly and actually ended up burning myself out around book 10, but pushed through to the end.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The series has definitely had its ups and down over the years with some volumes suspenseful and even frightening, and has gotten consistently darker as the Spook's Apprentice story unrolled. Delaney goes out with a thud, resolving almost everything with a shrug and reducing the Essence of Evil to a pathetic joke. At the same time he resolves nothing and attempts a complete reset, perhaps with the intention of producing a series of sequels in the future. I don't know if Delaney tired of the story or painted himself into a corner but the conclusion of the Wardstone Chronicles is a huge disappointment.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Was kind of disappointed with the ending, and had a lot of build up for not much of a climax, but heard there is another series tied into this one so hopefully it'll be more satisfying.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The final book in the Wardstone Chronicles. This book follows Tom in his final adventure as a Spook’s apprentice. Tom is working with the Spook and Grimalkin and anyone else they can gather to destroy the Fiend for good. However, the forces of the Dark are gathering to reunite the Fiend’s head with his body and set him free once more.
The plot of this book felt a little all over the place and very out of sync with the rest of the series. Not much seemed to be explained either. It was almost as if Delaney didn’t know how he wanted to end the series and so just decided to set things up for the sequel trilogy which links to book eleven and the Kobalos. It made several events of the past few books seem like a waste of time, particularly the gathering of the three blades that basically weren’t even used in the end, despite how often it was repeated how important they were.
I wouldn’t expect much world building in the thirteenth book in a series, and indeed we see very little in this book that we haven’t already explored. It was nice to finally visit the wardstone that the series is named after and learn a bit about it. This book does manage to tie together a lot of the locations that we have seen in previous books and the characters that we met there, including tying in the Kobalos from book eleven.
Alice’s character was another mess. The whole way Alice’s story was left felt sloppy and disappointing.
The only character that showed some growth was Tom, who both finally stops lying to the Spook and is shown to be making more and more decisions on his own. He is growing into the role of the Spook which he finally takes on at the end of the book. I liked his character development in this regard, although it is clear that he is still a teenager in his emotional reaction to things.
At least we got to see Grimalkin being amazing again in this book. Her ability to withstand pain and do whatever it takes to be the best witch assassin and meet her goals is great. For me she is the best character in the whole series.
Overall, I felt disappointed in reaching the end of this book and the series as a whole. Nothing was rounded off as expected, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it just felt a bit messy. It felt like the ending of this series was overlooked in favour of setting things up for the next series.
The plot of this book felt a little all over the place and very out of sync with the rest of the series. Not much seemed to be explained either. It was almost as if Delaney didn’t know how he wanted to end the series and so just decided to set things up for the sequel trilogy which links to book eleven and the Kobalos. It made several events of the past few books seem like a waste of time, particularly the gathering of the three blades that basically weren’t even used in the end, despite how often it was repeated how important they were.
I wouldn’t expect much world building in the thirteenth book in a series, and indeed we see very little in this book that we haven’t already explored. It was nice to finally visit the wardstone that the series is named after and learn a bit about it. This book does manage to tie together a lot of the locations that we have seen in previous books and the characters that we met there, including tying in the Kobalos from book eleven.
Spoiler
The Spook’s death seemed weirdly written, it was almost entirely brushed over in the final battle and then not really mentioned afterwards other than to say Tom buried him and took on the role of the Spook. I thought after thirteen books a bit more effort would have been put into giving him a good ending.Alice’s character was another mess.
Spoiler
Are we really supposed to believe that after fighting to not become one of the dark for the majority of her life, she would give up that easily? This was such a key part of her character, the way she fights against becoming a dark witch and helps out the Spook and Tom, that it felt very jarring to have her give up on it all so quickly. There was also her love for Lukrasta, which wasn’t adequately explained in my opinion. It seems from the ending that she is genuinely there of her own free will, but again are we meant to believe that it was love at first sight that immediately overrode anything that her and Tom may have had?The only character that showed some growth was Tom, who both finally stops lying to the Spook and is shown to be making more and more decisions on his own. He is growing into the role of the Spook which he finally takes on at the end of the book. I liked his character development in this regard, although it is clear that he is still a teenager in his emotional reaction to things.
At least we got to see Grimalkin being amazing again in this book. Her ability to withstand pain and do whatever it takes to be the best witch assassin and meet her goals is great. For me she is the best character in the whole series.
Overall, I felt disappointed in reaching the end of this book and the series as a whole. Nothing was rounded off as expected, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it just felt a bit messy. It felt like the ending of this series was overlooked in favour of setting things up for the next series.
What a ****** ending. I need another series for this! Too bad for the Spook. Made me remember the death of Albus. Huhu. Anyways, I wanna kill Alice for being an exemplary b**** and Tom Ward for being so sluggish/fool. I'm sure gonna miss Grimalkin! You are the Molly/McGonagall of the story.