A New Darkness - by Joseph Delaney (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The first book in a chilling new trilogy from the author of the internationally bestselling Last Apprentice series! Tom Ward is an apprentice no longer--he is a full-fledged spook battling boggarts, witches, and other creatures of the dark. A New Darkness is the first in a three-book arc that introduces brand-new readers to Joseph Delaney's haunting world.

Tom Ward is the Spook, the one person who can defend the county from bloodthirsty creatures of the dark. But he's only seventeen, and his apprenticeship was cut short when his master died in battle. No one trusts Tom's skill, not until he's proven himself. And a fifteen-year-old girl named Jenny knows more about the three mysterious deaths in the county than Tom does. She is a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and she wants to be Tom's first apprentice--even though a female spook is unheard of. Together, Tom and Jenny will uncover the grave danger heading straight toward the county, and they'll team up with a witch assassin to confront it.

A New Darkness begins a three-book arc that will introduce new readers to Joseph Delaney's deliciously scary imagination, and electrify his longtime fans. A New Darkness is perfect for every reader who loves thrills, chills, action, and adventure--no prior knowledge of The Last Apprentice series is necessary!

The Last Apprentice series, the first internationally bestselling series about Tom Ward, is now a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin.

From the Back Cover

A bloodcurdling new adventure with Thomas Ward, from the chilling imagination of Joseph Delaney, author of the internationally best-selling series The Last Apprentice

Something is terrorizing the villages of the county. People are dying--covered in blood, their faces frozen in fear--but with not a wound on their bodies. Battling creatures of the dark is the job of the local spook, but seventeen-year-old Thomas Ward never finished his apprenticeship. It will be no easy task to earn the trust of the villagers and to defeat a monster that no one has ever seen before.

Yet Jenny--a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter--knows an awful lot about this new evil. And she's willing to share what she's learned with Tom . . . if he takes her on as his apprentice.

Review Quotes

"Delaney's narrative . . . starts slow, but horrific scenes of grotesque monsters and the threat of danger gradually seep through and heighten the tension all the way up to the cliff-hanger ending. Fans of the Last Apprentice series will be happy to see Tom at work again." -- Booklist

"The first book in a new trilogy featuring a main character from the popular series The Last Apprentice. Fans of the series will enjoy this look at Tom's work as a Spook, but readers fresh to his story will find it equally engaging...Ends on an eerie cliff-hanger" -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

"This first novel of an anticipated trilogy builds from the narrative arc of the extensive Last Apprentice series . . . Terrifying . . . and mesmerizing . . . readers will absolutely be swept quickly into this world." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books