The Spook's Curse book review

‘The Spook’s Curse’ by Joseph Delaney

Book review by Emma McGrath

 This book is the second instalment of the Wardstone chronicles by Joseph Delany

Have you read the first book?

If you haven’t read the first book, ’The Spook’s Apprentice’ I’ll give you a quick synopsis; this story follows a young boy called Thomas Ward on his journey training to be the next spook. A spook is a very brave person with the job of protecting the county from ‘the dark’, the dark consisted of witches, ghouls, ghosts, boggarts, spirits  and so on…This book mainly covers Tom getting use to a spooks lifestyle and the Spook deciding if tom is up to the challenge.

Tom faces his first witch Mother Malkin and proves to the Spook that he has what it takes. Tom meets Alice who was brought up by witches. Tom befriends her but can’t be sure if she is to be trusted.

Vague Plot of Curse (with no spoilers)

The Curse starts off with Tom still training and learning the Spook’s ways. Even though Tom is only thirteen he shows great promise which is shown in the first scene of the book.

Soon the spook and tom have to go to Priestown, a place the spook has always given a wide birth. There Tom and the Spook are faced with a few problems. Things look very bleak for the pair especially when Alice appears back into the story as a damsel in distress.

 

Deep in the catacombs below Priestown lurks a creature the spook has never been able to defeat. The Bane!

The Bane is a very dangerous ancient evil spirit, once worshipped like a god but feared as it thrived on death and chaos. Even though it is now imprisoned it can still reach and torment the innocent Preistown. It must be delt with once and for all!

My Review

I finished this book in quick succession to the first; so far this is my favourite in the series. I found it very interesting to find out about the history of Preistown and the Bane. I found the plot twists thrilling and well placed. I felt I had to tell someone and share my amazement when the unthinkable happened. Every twist shook up the plot and along with it the characters.

 

I did sympathise for the Spook as there were times when I felt his fragility, this was unsettling because before the Spook was always perceived constantly as tough bold and relentless!

 

Tom had to take action on this own again like he did with the witch but this time with the Bane and also to save Alice and his master .watching him grow and be courageous defiantly added to the progression of the book. This made me want to move straight onto the next book to see what else he can face.

 

I’m starting to like Alice. She continues to be sly and crafty and I don’t think Tom will ever be sure if she can be completely trusted. I’m sure that throughout the books there will be temptations for her to overcome…or not who knows.

 

I really liked the bane as a villain; it was always cunning and terrifying at times. The author was very clever to build the banes character long before Tom and the reader come face to face with it. I felt the fear of the Bane from the spooks stories, villagers in Priestown and also from Toms impending anxiety to fight the Bane.

 

I have no complaints for this book, the characters continue to grow and the plot thickens with every new addition to the series. I ‘m enjoying the mystery of Tom’s mam and the Spook’s past, bit by bit new things are revealed.

There were some scary parts which had me at the edge of my seat the Bane was very unnerving.

 

I’m defiantly hooked on this series as I’ve already finished the next book ‘The Spook’s Secret’ and am now reading the fourth book ‘The Spooks Battle’.