The Spook's Battle by Joseph Delaney: Book Review

My Review

My Rating: 5/5

SPOILER FREE

The Spook’s Battle by Joseph Delaney is the perfect example of children’s fantasy being able to accomplish something epic! When I was first reading these books as a kid, this was always my favourite.

So much happens in The Spook’s Battle! We follow Thomas, Alice, and the Spook to Pendle, and as we all know, Pendle is crawling with witches. The set up of the three clans, the map of Pendle, and the influx of new characters and creatures is outstanding.

Reading about the inter-clan politics and learning about new creatures, lore, and mythology, while simultaneously following a terrifying story is exactly what you get with this fourth entry in Joseph Delaney’s The Wardstone Chronicles.

Thomas really starts to come into his own in The Spook’s Battle. For plot reasons, Thomas has to be separated from the Spook a lot so we can see him develop under extreme pressure, and he does just that.

He faces witches, a creepy spider-like blood-sucking creature, and the most terrifying threats he has ever had to face before. He’s in over his head and he knows it, but that doesn’t stop him fighting for what is right, as well as fighting to survive.

The story with Alice is intriguing as she is a witch, and now has to face the life she left behind. It’s fascinating to see how she copes with the temptation and threats from the Dark.

The Spook’s Battle is the book where this series really starts to become huge in scale. The first three books introduce us to the main characters, the magic-system/lore/mythology, and foreshadows threats to come. The Spook’s Battle is where those elements come together and create an epic start for an epic series.