Scan barcode
dullshimmer's review against another edition
4.0
Curse of the Bane is the second book in the Last Apprentice series of books. It continues the story of Tom Ward, who has become the apprentice of the local Spook. A Spook is a profession that fights against the Dark and takes out various monsters and supernatural forces that terrorize the land.
This book starts out with Tom having to face a threat on his own since the Spook, John Gregory, has been severely ill and unable to handle it. This gives us a chance to see how Tom has grown since we left him last book and we see that even though he has only been an apprentice for about a half a year that he seems very capable
Unfortunately, a victim of the threat is John's brother who was a priest and trying to take care of the threat himself. Preists don't seem to be very effective at fighting the dark in the world of the Last Apprentice so it wound up costing him his life. Despite not talking to his brother for many years, John decides to go to his funeral at Priestown to see the funeral and take care of a dark creature there known as the Bane that almost killed John earlier in his life.
The Bane has been growing in power over the year and has started corrupting the priests or driving them mad over time. However, the Bane isn't the only threat in Priestown, the Quisitor has also arrived in Priestown. The Quisitor is man who is cruel and accused people of being witches or warlocks without any evidence and takes great joy in torturing and killing them. He also becomes rich by selling the belongings and property of those he accuses. He also thinks that Spooks are in league with the Dark and are actually Warlocks.
I like the Last Apprentice series pretty well, but I wouldn't call them my favorites. I do like the dark fantasy setting and the interesting battle between Spooks and the forces of darkness. I also like the world building as it creates an interesting world of good and evil even if it often feels a bit like a bleak one. I am interested in learning more about the world and what else awaits our heroes in the future.
My problem is mainly the characters. I really like Tom and he seems to have an overall good head on his shoulders, except maybe when it comes to Alice, but I do understand his conflict regarding her. I also really like Tom's Mam, although I am intrigued to learn more about who she is and just how powerful she is.
The ones that are much more mixed are The Spook and Alice. The Spook is just so gruff and seems to operate with a do as I say not as I do mentality, which just kind of grates on me with time. I mean he definitely is capable and can be likable, he's also rather stubborn and headstrong about certain things that he maybe should know better about. He also has quite a few secrets and who knows how many more there are that Tom doesn't find out about in this book.
Alice is also rather frustrating. I like much of Alice, but she always seems to make some questionable choices in the course of each book. She's one who dabbles a bit too close to the Dark and it makes her hard to fully trust her motivations. I think she does genuinely care for Tom, but she's just a character who is hard to completely embrace.
My other complaint about the book is that I thought the Bane was killed maybe a bit too simply. I mean it appears as this big mystery of how to deal with the Bane, but the resolution to that was a bit more simple than I thought it would be. I wished there was a bit more complexity to defeating it. The battle against it at the end was interesting even without it being a clever or complex way of taking it down, so I guess that's good enough.
Overall I enjoy the world and story these books bring to the table. I have some trouble really connecting or liking some of the characters, but I do really like the main character. While it may not be a series I would consider my favorite, I do consider it a good read and will be looking forward to seeing where the other books take me.
This book starts out with Tom having to face a threat on his own since the Spook, John Gregory, has been severely ill and unable to handle it. This gives us a chance to see how Tom has grown since we left him last book and we see that even though he has only been an apprentice for about a half a year that he seems very capable
Unfortunately, a victim of the threat is John's brother who was a priest and trying to take care of the threat himself. Preists don't seem to be very effective at fighting the dark in the world of the Last Apprentice so it wound up costing him his life. Despite not talking to his brother for many years, John decides to go to his funeral at Priestown to see the funeral and take care of a dark creature there known as the Bane that almost killed John earlier in his life.
The Bane has been growing in power over the year and has started corrupting the priests or driving them mad over time. However, the Bane isn't the only threat in Priestown, the Quisitor has also arrived in Priestown. The Quisitor is man who is cruel and accused people of being witches or warlocks without any evidence and takes great joy in torturing and killing them. He also becomes rich by selling the belongings and property of those he accuses. He also thinks that Spooks are in league with the Dark and are actually Warlocks.
I like the Last Apprentice series pretty well, but I wouldn't call them my favorites. I do like the dark fantasy setting and the interesting battle between Spooks and the forces of darkness. I also like the world building as it creates an interesting world of good and evil even if it often feels a bit like a bleak one. I am interested in learning more about the world and what else awaits our heroes in the future.
My problem is mainly the characters. I really like Tom and he seems to have an overall good head on his shoulders, except maybe when it comes to Alice, but I do understand his conflict regarding her. I also really like Tom's Mam, although I am intrigued to learn more about who she is and just how powerful she is.
The ones that are much more mixed are The Spook and Alice. The Spook is just so gruff and seems to operate with a do as I say not as I do mentality, which just kind of grates on me with time. I mean he definitely is capable and can be likable, he's also rather stubborn and headstrong about certain things that he maybe should know better about. He also has quite a few secrets and who knows how many more there are that Tom doesn't find out about in this book.
Alice is also rather frustrating. I like much of Alice, but she always seems to make some questionable choices in the course of each book. She's one who dabbles a bit too close to the Dark and it makes her hard to fully trust her motivations. I think she does genuinely care for Tom, but she's just a character who is hard to completely embrace.
My other complaint about the book is that I thought the Bane was killed maybe a bit too simply. I mean it appears as this big mystery of how to deal with the Bane, but the resolution to that was a bit more simple than I thought it would be. I wished there was a bit more complexity to defeating it. The battle against it at the end was interesting even without it being a clever or complex way of taking it down, so I guess that's good enough.
Overall I enjoy the world and story these books bring to the table. I have some trouble really connecting or liking some of the characters, but I do really like the main character. While it may not be a series I would consider my favorite, I do consider it a good read and will be looking forward to seeing where the other books take me.
wanderingstories's review against another edition
4.0
This book was even more spooky than the first. Let me rephrase: this one was eerily spooky. Perhaps that's the reason I never picked up the third one in the series. I do like dark fantasy but this one felt more like horror. I don't do horror books. I don't even do thrillers anymore because they are too much for me.
manglitter's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it less than the first one. It just wasn't as exciting as the first book, so that's why I started reading it in September but then I put it down and yesterday I decided to start it over in order to be able to continue the series. I hope the next one will be better with such an ending.
lucymudie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
imscrem's review against another edition
5.0
Another nostalgic reread of a book my dad read us as kids. I’ll always remember this series as the one where people “had no choice” but to “tuck in”
ceena's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I don't know... I'm just not feeling this series. The concept is interesting and I love reading about how Tom grows, learns, and does new things, but I really dislike the Spook and how women are depicted in the story. I feel like Alice isn't given a fair shot. Also the whole ideology of the world being black and white is not very appealing.
I think I'll try one more.
I don't know... I'm just not feeling this series. The concept is interesting and I love reading about how Tom grows, learns, and does new things, but I really dislike the Spook and how women are depicted in the story. I feel like Alice isn't given a fair shot. Also the whole ideology of the world being black and white is not very appealing.
I think I'll try one more.
blondiesreadingcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
5.0
claudiabelcin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Here's a more polished version:
This is the second book in the series, and it’s noticeably longer and more complex than the first. Unfortunately, I’m once again disappointed by the poor translation, but since I’ve committed to reading all the books in the series that I own, I’m pushing through.
One aspect that bothers me is how easily Tom overcomes every new challenge. Everything seems to go perfectly for him, which doesn’t feel very realistic. For instance, when Tom reads the Spook’s notes from his apprenticeship, it’s striking how well Tom performs in comparison, despite being only 13, while the Spook was already an adult during his initial training. I understand that Tom is meant to be a special boy, as his mother predicted, but a bit more struggle and effort on his part would have made the story more believable. I think I would have connected more with Tom as a character if his journey involved facing tougher obstacles.
Another issue I found was the pacing of the important scenes, much like in the first book. The buildup to each dramatic moment feels rushed, with descriptions that are brief and lack complexity. While I understand this is aimed at a middle-grade audience, I still feel the story would benefit from more depth in these areas. Naze’s extreme mercy towards certain creatures, like the Bane, stretches believability to the point of making the character seem foolish rather than kind. Similarly, the Spook’s hesitation to deal more seriously with dangerous characters contrasts sharply with his harsh treatment of Alice. Given how much she tries to help, it’s disappointing that she isn’t shown more kindness and understanding. The general attitude towards Alice from all the characters is frustrating; she deserves more trust and appreciation. However, I did appreciate the Spook’s change in attitude towards her at the end.
This is the second book in the series, and it’s noticeably longer and more complex than the first. Unfortunately, I’m once again disappointed by the poor translation, but since I’ve committed to reading all the books in the series that I own, I’m pushing through.
One aspect that bothers me is how easily Tom overcomes every new challenge. Everything seems to go perfectly for him, which doesn’t feel very realistic. For instance, when Tom reads the Spook’s notes from his apprenticeship, it’s striking how well Tom performs in comparison, despite being only 13, while the Spook was already an adult during his initial training. I understand that Tom is meant to be a special boy, as his mother predicted, but a bit more struggle and effort on his part would have made the story more believable. I think I would have connected more with Tom as a character if his journey involved facing tougher obstacles.
Another issue I found was the pacing of the important scenes, much like in the first book. The buildup to each dramatic moment feels rushed, with descriptions that are brief and lack complexity. While I understand this is aimed at a middle-grade audience, I still feel the story would benefit from more depth in these areas. Naze’s extreme mercy towards certain creatures, like the Bane, stretches believability to the point of making the character seem foolish rather than kind. Similarly, the Spook’s hesitation to deal more seriously with dangerous characters contrasts sharply with his harsh treatment of Alice. Given how much she tries to help, it’s disappointing that she isn’t shown more kindness and understanding. The general attitude towards Alice from all the characters is frustrating; she deserves more trust and appreciation. However, I did appreciate the Spook’s change in attitude towards her at the end.