The Spook's Apprentice

This book (and the rest of the Wardstone Chronicles) genuinely scared the absolute shit out of me when I first read it. It's the story of a young boy being apprenticed to a 'Spook', or exorcist/witch-hunter, and how he is utterly, pants-shittingly unprepared for what he encounters. It's a YA book, but still worth reading for anyone older. It's such a small-scale, folksy story. There's no 'fate of the kingdom' battle, and the protagonist remains a young, terrified boy, and that's the charm of the book. It's like a fairy tale gone wrong, and a single witch provides enough scares to keep a dozen kids under their covers for a year. Rather than relying on violence and gore, Delaney succeeds in getting inside your head and reminding you why you were once afraid of the dark. I think that letting younger teenagers read this technically qualifies as child abuse in seven states. Spooks Apprentice leans more towards horror than a lot of other entries on this list, and it features staples of that genre like a haunted house. Nevertheless, it's still definitely a coming of age fantasy tale. Read this book to your kids if: you want them to be severely traumatised. Or read it yourself if you like fast-paced YA dark fantasy. Either way.

Booklists having this book

Best Dark Fantasy Books

Dark fantasy books are those that contain elements of the horror genre. Terrifying monsters, horrible people and awful violence are all a must. In dark fantasy worlds, the shadows hold... Read more

Other books by Delaney, Joseph

Spook's Apprentice

A fantastic story about a young boy training to be an exorcist in a land where dark things roam the night.One of the best modern children's tales I've read. This... Read more

Curse Of The Bane

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, rid the county of witches, ghosts, boggarts, and other creatures of the dark. And there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown.... Read more

Night Of The Soul Stealer

Attack Of The Fiend

"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." Thomas Ward is the apprentice... Read more

The Spook's Sacrifice

As the Spook's apprentice, Tom's first duty is to protect the County from the dark. But now Mam needs his help in her homeland of Greece. One of the most... Read more

Rise Of The Huntress

Things can never be the same again. After a long journey and a hard battle, the Spook and his apprentice, Tom Ward, have returned home. But the county has been... Read more

Rage Of The Fallen

Apprentice Tom and the Spook for whom he works flee to Ireland, where a powerful witch has joined forces with the dark mages trying to call forth ancient powers to... Read more

I Am Grimalkin

'I am Grimalkin and I have already chosen those I will kill.' Grimalkin has made it her lifetime ambition to destroy the Fiend, avenging the brutal murder of her son.... Read more

The Spook's Blood

The Spook's Blood is the tenth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles - over 3 million copies sold worldwide! 'I am Siscoi, the Lord of Blood, the Drinker of... Read more

Slither

The eleventh volume in the spine-tingling, best-selling Last Apprentice series. In Slither, Joseph Delaney takes us far from the county, to a land where a spook has never set foot... Read more

I Am Alice

The twelfth volume in the Last Apprentice series, the internationally bestselling fantasy adventure books that inspired the forthcoming major motion picture, Seventh Son. Told from the point of view of... Read more

The Spook's Revenge

The Spook's Sacrifice

The Spook's Sacrifice is the sixth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles - over 3 million copies sold worldwide! 'Witches, Mam? We've made an alliance with witches?' As the... Read more

A Coven Of Witches

I Am Grimalkin

I Am Grimalkin is the ninth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles - over 3 million copies sold worldwide! 'I am Grimalkin, and I have already chosen those I... Read more

The Spook's Apprentice

This book (and the rest of the Wardstone Chronicles) genuinely scared the absolute shit out of me when I first read it. It's the story of a young boy being... Read more