A review by obsidian_blue
Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney

5.0

 

“I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born.”

Honestly, this to me was the book that really has things set into motion that I assume will play out across the series. We start off with Tom finding out that his family has been attacked, and the trunks his mam left her have been stolen. If you read the last book, you find out that his mam did something to a room in his family’s farm that would keep evil out. However, two witch covens attacked and took his family and the items hostage. The entire book follows Tom, Alice, and the Spook as they work to finally defeat the Pendleton witches to prevent them from waking up Old Nick (the Devil).

Tom in this one is mostly having to fight several big-bads on his own. At one point I went, so the Spook is just hanging out? It was great though to see Tom coming into his power more and more. And still feeling guilty about anything he says that is mean. That said, Tom, people are trying to kill you, talk your shit. We also get a bit of a love triangle going on and I legit said at one point, who are you and what are you talking about? It just came out of the school of delusional and this is stalker behavior.

We get even more insight into Tom’s mother’s background and I got a lot of questions I hope that are answered in the next book in the series.

I will say though, that this book does provide us with a different aspect of the “witches” and even religion in this one. We also get to meet another one of the Spook’s former apprentices. Regarding religion, it doesn’t seem to be a thing in this fantasy series. Or at least not a heavy emphasis by those like Tom and the Spook. We get to meet a priest in this one, but they are definitely less powerful than the witches and boggarts running around.

One thing I should have said in my earlier reviews if I have not is that I love the illustrations in these books. Patrick Arrasmith does them and I think they are phenomenal.

The book ends on a darker note. Tom has two really scary opponents that are after him along with a prophecy about betrayal. He also turns 14 and is setting the stage to be the best and last apprentice the Spook has ever had.