436 pages
"The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, have returned to the county after a long journey and a hard battle. But their troubles are far from over. Their home has been over-run by enemy soldiers. The Spook's house is in ruins, the boggart protecting it has fled, and the malicious witches imprisoned in the gardens have escaped.
Tom, Alice, and the Spook must flee, too, across the ocean to the island of Mona. And it's on Mona that this small band fighting against the dark will face an old enemy grown terrifyingly powerful. Will they be able to vanquish an evil that crawls beneath the ground itself? At what cost? Will Tom and the Spook ever be able to return home?" -Dust Jacket
*SPOILER ALERT*
This 7th book didn't have the twists and turns that the 6th one did, but I'm always amazed when a series that contains this many books continues to stay interesting and keeps the reader wanting more. Parts of this book were very sad, like the realization that Bill Arkwright is actually dead, Daniel Stanton's death at the hand/teeth/claws of the Buggane, the final agonizing moments of Tom's mam's life, and the one that hit home the most--the destruction of the Spook's library. (There's definitely a theme of death and destruction in this book.) It leaves him broken for a time and I think for the first time in the series you get the real sense that Tom is becoming more the Spook, at least in the active, physical sense, than the apprentice. I felt bad for the Spook in the end especially because I think he realizes that he must finally compromise his values and beliefs in order to win the battle against the dark and that's a hard thing for someone with such a sense of honor and duty. I also think he realizes that he's getting old.
I'm sure the 8th book probably isn't the end of this series but at least it will be for awhile, having just been published! Then it's on to the 10th Ranger's Apprentice and then, finally, something new. I'm wanting to read The Help.
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