Sunday 15 September 2013

The Spook's Nightmare by Joseph Delaney‏


Summary from Goodreads

The Spook, Tom and Alice return from Greece to find the County under siege - and the Spook's home burnt to the ground. With his precious library of knowledge destroyed, they seek refuge on the nearby island of Mona. But with Mona in the thrall of a twisted Shaman there is little respite from hostility or denizens of the dark. And as Alice dodges the ever-tightening net of the island's witch hunters, a more deadly enemy emerges...

Bony Lizzie, freshly-escaped from the Spook's bonds, has grand ambitions: to take for herself the throne of isle. She has harnessed the services of a tunnel-dwelling buggane, an evil creature which thrives on stealing the animas, or life force, from its unsuspecting victims. With the buggane as her secret weapon can she become an all-powerful Witch Queen?


Paperback
Published June 1st 2011 by Red Fox (first published January 1st 2010)
 
My Review
 
The Spook's Nightmare is a brilliant instalment in the Wardstone Chronicles that pushes the dark into the darkest corners and pushes us to face the most terrifying things along with Tom Ward himself!

This story takes us out of the county and into the remote island of Mona, where chilling unnatural creatures run unchecked. Lots of people are fleeing the county instead of facing the war there. With no Spook's in the island, Mona is a very dangerous place to be, but the islanders themselves surprisingly also pose a big threat!

That's not all though, Bony Lizzie is free and reeking havoc in the Spook's dreams. She has more power than ever and will prove a very deadly enemy to face....

What I liked most in this one was Alice and Tom's bond, it has tightened and strengthened. I love watching the pair work together to try and save themselves and others along the way.

I am very sad that the Spook seems to be showing his age, he is slowing down and doesn't seem to be the feared Spook he used to be. On the plus side, Tom steps up and he shines when faced with dangers and making his own decisions.

The ending is fantastic and the action leading up to it had me on the very edge of my seat! It has left off with a very interesting ending indeed.....

Joseph Delaney writes brilliantly and has very easily thickened this plot. It's hard to believe that with every book he manages to add a whole deeper level of complexity, with more dark creatures coming out of the woodwork and more places, people and ways of fighting the dark to learn - there is never a dull moment!

The Spook's Nightmare is an action packed thrill ride that plunges us into the shadows from the off! The characters are developing beautifully and we were taken on an awesome chilling adventure! A MUST read for fans of the series!

4 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Red Fox for the review copy*
 






2 comments:

  1. I've seen these books around a lot lately, but I still haven't had a chance to pick up the first. I'm glad you enjoyed this instalment, Carly! Fantastic review. :)

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  2. hii! i absolutely love your blog. its beautiful and really engaging. your reviews are amazing.
    It would be awesome if you could check out my blog, maybe we can follow each other? :)

    ~1000thingstodoinalifetime.blogspot.com

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