Book Review
Title: Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice #2)
Author: Joseph Delaney
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Fantasy
Rating: ****
Review: After the end of Revenge of the Witch I was excited to jump into Curse of the Bane as soon as I could. This book opens with Tom binding his first boggart of the most dangerous ranking since the Spook has been taken ill with a fever that is sweeping across the land. This binding was breathtakingly action packed and with real stakes since Tom knows what happened to the last apprentice Billy, he is also aware the priest the boggart is feeding off is the Spook’s brother but he does his job well and binds the boggart although we aren’t sure if the priest will survive having his leg amputated. A few days later the Spook’s brother dies of his injuries and he decides they will go to Priestown to attend the funeral but he also has some unfinished business there in the form of a creature known as the Bane, that he needs to deal with once and for all.
While they journey to the funeral, the Spook tells Tom everything he knows about the Bane. It seems to have only two known weaknesses: silver and women. The Spook tells Tom that it was very powerful when he encountered it years before and it almost killed him and it has been growing stronger while it has been bound to the catacombs. The Bane has the power to get into the minds of people and make them offer it their blood which is what it feeds off but it also terrorises those that resist. When they arrive at Priestown, Tom is warned this is a place where Spook can be arrested and burn as warlocks by the High Quisitor so they agree to stay in different inns and not to use the natural left handedness while they are staying here. On the way to the cathedral the following morning, Tom spots some women who are about to be burned as witches and he realises that Alice is among them. After the funeral the Spook whose name we learn is John meets his cousin and his other brother; Andrew who reside in Priestown and both try to get him to leave although he refuses. Tom when he returns to his inn finds a note from the cousin saying that John is in danger and Tom can save him, the cousin does divulge a lot of information about John’s past but ultimately betrays him to the High Quisitor and basically kidnaps Tom within the cathedral. Tom knows has to escape, rescue his master and he also wants to free his friend, Alice.
With the help of Brother Peter and Andrew, Tom finds a way where he can rescue the Spook and possibly Alice but it means going through the catacombs and possibly facing the Bane alone. Tom has the Spook’s silver chain and staff but this is going to be a worse test for him than the Ripper he faced at the beginning of the novel. As he heads down into the catacombs Tom instantly knows that the Bane is watching him but it doesn’t bother him for the most part. He makes it to the holding cells and manages to release all of the prisoners and prays that Alice and the Spook follow him into the catacombs. While Alice it, he first comes face to face with the Bane and the power it has, however, it is Alice that drives it away as it isn’t comfortable around women. She tells Tom that the Spook was taken for questioning an hour before Tom arrived and hadn’t been returned to the cells. He and Alice take shelter in the basement waiting for the opportunity to find the Spook when someone enters the house above. It turns out to be Andrew who tells Tom and Alice to get as far away as they can, as fast as they can, but Tom refuses to leave his master to the fate he will suffer.
The Bane comes to him in a dream promising him everything he wants in exchange for his blood, but the Spook’s teachings hold true and Tom refuses, however, the Bane has already found it’s way into Alice’s head. By the time Tom wakes up Alice has made a pact with the Bane and set it free. Tom is furious with her as she doesn’t understand what she has unleased but because of their pact it is bound to help for 3 times but then she belongs to it. After rescuing the Spook, Tom takes Alice and his master to his mother for help on what to do next, she tells Tom what will happen to Alice if she is allowed to hold the pact with the Bane and Tom knows she is destined for the pit but doesn’t want to do that to his friend. While he is home his father tells him of how he met Tom’s mother, and it is clear to see that she isn’t human, most likely a witch of some kind. His father tells Tom that when he dies which will be soon with his illness, his mother will leave the family and return to her sisters and their unfinished business but above all she will be free. By the time the Spook and Tom return to their home, the Bane finds them and Alice warns them the Quisitor is on his way as he wants revenge and they head to the grave of the Prince that originally bound the Bane hoping to learn how to do it again by speaking with his ghost. The Spook also tells Tom as soon as the Bane has been dealt with, Alice is next as despite her good intentions she can’t be trusted to do the right thing. While this hurts Tom because he sees her good intentions, he understands why it has to be done but it doesn’t stop him warning Alice even though she chooses to follow him and the Spook on their journey.
The final showdown between the trio and the Bane was interesting and while I did enjoy seeing Tom and Mr. Gregory hunt down one entity for the majority of the novel, the pacing and tension didn’t match up to the first book for me. However, in Curse of the Bane we do see the relationship developing between Tom and Alice and the relationship between Tom and Mr. Gregory is also tested greatly. Overall, I still really enjoyed Curse of the Bane but I enjoyed Revenge of the Witch slightly more but I am looking forward to jumping into Night of the Soulstealer as soon as I can.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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