Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Friend or Foe? Says the Fiend, August 25, 2008
Taking up immediately after the ending of book four, book five in the Last Apprentice series still delivers the goods. Not a stand alone story, one must have at least read book four, if not all the others, in order to understand what happens in this book and which characters are on which side of the battling forces of good and evil.
This series has not petered out, the action, the frightening events and scenes, the ongoing developments of Tom's apprentice training, and additional insight into the main characters, remains steady and intriguing. I did not feel AS frightened in this book as in the others, but the reader will not be disappointed. The fear and chills are still there to keep the eerie intensity and high suspense alive. There are a good deal of high action scenes to keep you riveted to the book and to keep the pages turning. I found the author put in a lot more character development to the key players, showing us that all of us have darkness as well as light within us. As Tom learns this more in this book it helps him grow and aids him in his ongoing training as he inches toward his eventual graduation to an official Spook himself some day. I also felt that this book had more of an intricate plot that leads the reader down many paths and shows us many twists and turns that are unexpected and surprising. As Tom grows, his experience broadens and the story backs this up with more of a challenging read than the earlier, simpler installments. I enjoyed this book as much as the others, I found no disappointing aspects and in fact, I thought the wonderful surprise elements at the end were quite brilliant and teasing which will have us all eagerly awaiting the next book. It appears that the author is showing us his increasing talent, as well as our young hero's. Delaney has created a fabulous horror series for young adults that just does not stop delivering terrific reads.
One other thing I feel I must add and praise; the illustrations. I truly feel that these marvelous black and white illustrations and almost holographic cover designs add even more appeal to the success of these books. Each illustration evokes such a frightening feeling that the reader just cant help but feel scared to death. The art work here is truly talented and wonderful to behold. How can you not have a winning series with sensational illustrations to accompany very talented and creative stories? Bravo to both the author and the artist!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Something evil awaits you on the next page, July 31, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
For maximum enjoyment, the Last Apprentice series should be read in the order. That said, Wrath of the Bloodeye (volume 5) can still be enjoyed as a standalone novel without having read the previous volumes. I read volume one and then skipped over the next three to read this one. While there is a clear subplot and many references to events that happened in the intervening volumes, the main plot is independent of the others and I still enjoyed it greatly.
In Bloodeye, apprentice Tom Ward is sent to the Lake District for additional training from that area's spook. This new setting is rich in all things wet and soggy; bogs and fogs, swamps and mires, canals, moats and deadly tidal plains. It is equally rich in all the evil beasties that make water their home. There are selkies, skelts, spirits of drowning victims and, deadliest of all, the water witches.
Tom's new master, Bill Arkwright, is a fascinating character, tormented by demons both inside and out. He is a hard and angry man but Tom manages to see the value of his training and accompanies Arkwright on a mission to capture Morwena, the worst of the district's water witches. When tragedy leaves Tom on his own it is up to him to call upon all that he has learned to defeat Morwena alone.
Delaney is great in setting an atmosphere of impending danger and Bloodeye does not disappoint. The reader is always convinced that something wicked is waiting just a few feet away in the fog and Delany seldom disappoints us. Bloodeye was hard to put down.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, scary,and better than Harry, August 22, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This was my first foray into the apprentice series but it won't be my last. Throughout the book, but especially in the beginning, the author acquaints the reader with the earlier works in the series. I did not feel handicapped by being a first-timer.
As for the story, it was scary with plenty of buildup to crucial moments. Delaney knows how to write. There is no dumbing down here. It is as if he sat down to write a book and it happened to be well suited for kids.
Delaney seems to put a positive spin on some facets of Christianity but not organized religion. However, if you are offended by witches and spells and magic, obviously this book is not for you. On the other hand, if you simply like a good read that will get your heart pounding, the apprentice may be just for you.
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