The Last Apprentice: Slither (Book 11) audiobook

This was my fave of the Last Apprentice series. It's so fun to get the monster's perspective.Review to come.Audiobook CommentsRead jointly by Christopher Evan Welch and Angela Goethals. I would've preferred for just Welch to narrate (after all, he's done the previous 10 books) but I get why they used two (changing perspectives and all).YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

This is another book in Joseph Delaney's fantastic Last Apprentice series. It's dark fantasy. Really dark this time around.I had a little trouble getting into this one, because we're introduced to new characters in a new place. It was highly original, but I really love the original cast of characters and so I was digging in my heels. Yet slowly Slither and Nessa started to grow on me. The creatures, magic, and characters are so wonderfully unusual. It did help when my favorite character in the series showed up. This book adds so many more dimensions to the grand over-arcing story of the series. I can't wait to read more!

The Last Apprentice Slither is a fictional book by Joseph Delaney. This book is by far a unique fictional book that includes many interesting characters. The main character is Nessa and her father dies. The nasty creature of the dark is named Slither and he agrees to try and take Nessa and her two little sisters to their relatives in the south. For this favor Nessa will be indebted to him. The adventure goes in and out of twists and curves. They run into a bunch of problems that thrill the reader and has enough suspense so that you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. This book was really good but not pertinent to the overall story of the series. It curved away from the series and only connects in one way for a little bit yet it still was an exciting story by itself. It almost could be a stand alone book. My biggest complaint was that I didn’t really like how it took a while to get me hooked but once I read about them going into a dangerous tower and almost died I was hooked. I can make connections in the book in the real world because the world is really big and if you think you know everything then you’re wrong because there are so many things in the world to still learn. This book made me feel powerful because there was a main character in the book that was really powerful and could do anything. The theme in the book is that there is always something to learn and that you can never stop learning. In the book it said “there is still a lot to learn about the world”

** spoiler alert ** Book Review Title: Slither’s Tale (The Wardstone Chronicles #11)Author: Joseph Delaney Genre: YA/Paranormal/FantasyRating: *****Review: I was quite hesitant to pick up Slither’s Tale and Alice, books 11 and 12 in this series because they don’t have Thomas Judd as the narrator but I was pleasantly surprised to start Slither’s Tale and quite like both of the narrators voices. Slither isn’t human and is a mage that basically owns a group of villages and towns known as a haizda, where he farms blood from the people and animals in order to survive. He has an agreed with a farmer known as Old Rowler to trade blood for protection for his three daughters, the eldest, Nessa is someone who Slither attacked 7 years before when she was 10. Shortly after awakening from his hibernation in the winter Slither calls on the farmer for blood as he normally does, however, shortly after the farmer is attacked by a bull and is gravely injured. He reminds Slither of the conditions of their trades and he is now bound to take the two youngest daughters, Susan and Bryony to their aunts home and in return he gets the farm, the animals and Nessa. This is fortunate for Slither as every 40 years he has to sell a purra, or human slave at the market or be outcast from his kind and this is what he plans to with Nessa. I has also read in some reviews that this is the first book in the series that doesn’t shy away from sex, so I am intrigued by what is to come.As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we learn that Slither is a Kobalos and lives by a code of honour which is why he didn’t kill the sisters after their father died. He begins the week long journey it will take to get Susan and Bryony to their aunt but the weather is against them and soon they have to shelter in a tower belonging to a Kobalos high mage called Nunc. He locks the sisters in separate rooms which marks them as his property and goes to greet his host as is customary and he instantly knows that Nunc wants to trade, Nunc offers Slither his best purra in exchange for the girls especially Bryony who he wants to devour in a ritual and Slither refuses bound by his promise but this only leads to him getting bitten by a poisonous snake. Nunc’s purrai come to retrieve the girls and they take Nessa to the room where Slither’s body is and she realises she can save him by giving him blood which she does not realising that she just saved his life and she basically orders him to save Susan, who Nunc is feeding from. Nessa acting a rage gives Slither to opening he needs to kill the mage and swiftly sets about getting everything they need for their journey but he believes that Bryony is already dead and won’t even look for her when Nessa acts out. Nessa has a strange effect on Slither and he bends to her will descending below to find Bryony, he also notes that he likes how it feels when she touches him but he is confused by the power she seems to have over him. As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Slither heads to the basement to find the ritual preparations underway, and they are almost ready to kill Bryony when he arrives. He attempts to get them to hand over the girl but this doesn’t work and he has to resort to violence but one of his opponents is a highly skilled assassin. This doesn’t stop Slither as he swiftly deal with him and rescue the little Bryony and hurries to find the other girls in the courtyard being stalked by the purrai, however, they quickly flee when Slither arrives. Slither can’t take the girls to their destination now as he has broken too many rules in killing the high mage but what worries him is the assassin would have relayed to other assassins his name so the only chance he has for survival other than becoming a fugitive which is a fact he as actively avoided up until now, so he has no choice but the head to the homeland; Valkarky with the girls in tow, but he wasn’t planning on coming here until he’d delivered Susan and Bryony and was ready to sell Nessa as a purra. As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, they begin the journey to Valkarky but no one is happy about the trip except Slither as this is the place of his birth and he seems quite pleased to be returning despite the circumstances. Along the way we get quite a few moments between Nessa and Slither that suggests a developing bond between them and we learn for sure that they aren’t in the County as Nessa makes references to Spooks that live across the sea. We also get to see creatures like boggarts who are called by another name and how they react when they are reasoned with rather than threatened which is how Slither deals with them. However, as they get closer to Valkarky they are attacked by enemies who seek to kill Slither before he can demand the right to be heard within the city walls. Slither’s power seems to be increasing as he takes on these foes with little effort and wins, but when they enter Valkarky their worth has to be tested in order to enter. Slither recounts his tale and is given the right to be heard by the ruling council but the assassin brotherhood thwarts him and now the only chance of survival any of them has is a trial by combat which means facing the haggenbrood. It is a creature breed for combat and no one has ever defeated it before. Slither takes Nessa to the arena where the battle will take place as she and her sisters with be tethered to post while the haggenbrood tries to kill them and Slither has to protect them. As he recounts the various rules Nessa comes up with the suggestion that he cuts her free so she can distract the beast so Slither can kill it, while there isn’t a rule against this, it has never happened before but it might be the only chance they have of surviving. As we cross the halfway mark in the novel, Slither learns of a female that killed 4 of their most powerful guards and is being held in a cell reserved for the most dangerous and he has to investigate. Upon entering the cell I know it is a witch by the methods used to bind her but I was in no way expecting it to be my dear friend Grimalkin and she has apparently been waiting for Slither. Grimalkin somehow whether it’s magic or just she proposes a convincing argument and she’s willing to give Slither the help he needs in the arena, he agrees to help her but only after retrieving the head of the Fiend from 2 witches, one live and one dead, something Slither has never encountered before making him see how sheltered his society is and how little they know of the outside world. Grimalkin is going to take Nessa’s place in the arena as they are the most similar in size and she will use an illusion to hide her appearance, by combining their combat skills Slither and Grimalkin have the best chance of defeating the haggenbrood. Right now, I don’t even care about that, the only questions running around my mind are why is Grimalkin there? Is she still on the run? Or on a mission? And why the hell do the Kobalos have no women?As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the battle at the arena goes well as Slither and Grimalkin fight almost as one being. With three of the haggenbrood’s bodies dead, only one remains and rather than trying to take on Slither and “Nessa”, it goes after Bryony and Susan in a last ditch effort of winning. Slither manages to kill it but he realises too late that the haggenbrood’s deadly talons have cut Susan and he can’t save her from its poison. The four return to Slither’s quarters where the real Nessa is waiting but she is distraught to learn of her sister’s death and blame Slither but he did all he could to keep them alive since the odds were so against them even with Grimalkin’s help. Grimalkin does fight for Nessa to go with her sister but since she has already made a trade with Slither, she can’t go against him when he demands that it is his right to keep her and sell her should be choose so she relents. However, she does ask why there are no female Kobalos and Slither explains that three thousand years ago an insanity overcame his people and they slaughtered all the women and now all Kobalos are born from their female slaves otherwise they would have died out long ago but it seems that Nessa’s fate is sealed. As they leave Valkarky, Slither is given a warning that an assassin will be sent after him as it is a way for the ruling government to assert their control over the mages who live solitary lives like Slither. He comes face to face with this mage and despite her anger Nessa tries to save him but all hope seems lost until Grimalkin comes charging in to save the day once again. As we cross into the final section of the novel, Grimalkin saves Slither by loaning him on the destiny blades, the one Tom gave to her until the time comes to destroy the Fiend. She accompanies Slither and Nessa to drop off Bryony and their uncle’s home and travels part of the way with them to the slave markets and then suddenly leaves. Slither does notice Grimalkin and Nessa talking in the night but doesn’t think anything of it. He quickly sells Nessa but something doesn’t sit right with him and as he is delayed by a blizzard he decides he is going to go back in the morning and buys Nessa back and take her to her sister. However, when he returns to the market it is a bloodbath and he realises he didn’t sell Nessa but Grimalkin wearing her illusion and that the witch is responsible for the death of his people. As she has freed a lot of the slaves it isn’t hard for him to track them down but once again it is Nessa that talks sense into him and he makes a trade to fight Grimalkin once more. We know that she is going to forge a new blade for Tom with the star that fell early in the novel, as it was the reason she was captured in the first place and this will be called the Star Blade which is the name of the next series. Nessa is free to return to her sister and live out her life in peace but she has the feeling she hasn’t seen the last of Grimalkin or Slither and actually hopes to see them again.Overall, I really enjoyed Slither’s tale and the narrators were perfectly chosen unlike the narrator in I am Grimalkin, I was misled in the fact that someone mentioned in their review that there was sexual content. While yes it is implied as the purra are used for breeding as well as feeding, nothing is shown. The closest we get to that is a mere hint in Slither’s dream right at the end of the book. I think this has been propelled to being once of my favourite books in the series and I am hoping the narrator for book 12, Alice is just as good. With only 2 books left in this series and 3 in the Starblade Chronicles I am eager to see how this series concludes and links in with the sequel trilogy.

SPOILERS!This book has absolutely SHOCKED me. In the past series, Joseph has told some lore and backstory to some of the characters. But I have never seen him do a backstory on a NEW character that has never been seen before AND continue the plot of the story. This was something I never even expected. And I actually enjoyed the book! I thought I wasn't going to enjoy this newcomer of a character but still, it was pretty cool to see a new character in the book that is based on the point of view of the character. The story was told in a normal matter and wasn't messy at all! It was one of those rare books where I think "I wonder what happens next" It was just perfect! This will definitely be one of my favorite books of this series. It told such a good story and how they told it was unbelievable. I highly recommend you read the Last Apprentice Series. I haven't finished it yet but each book is full of surprises. Can't wait to read on to the next book.

Slither is bound by a trade he made with the farmer. If the farmer were to die, Slither must take his two youngest daughters to their aunt and uncle's house to live. In return for this, Slither can have Nessa, the farmer's oldest daughter, to do with as he wishes. Now the old farmer has died and Slither must carry out his side of the trade.I think this book took a little while to get used to. Not exactly because it is from the view of another character. This was done very well with book 9, as it was from the view of Witch Assassin, Grimalkin. Slither, however, I think is a very different character. It's hard to decide to whether to like him, or not. I suppose one could say the way he thinks is just how his people are. They have their own laws, customs and such, so it's no wonder he doesn't think what he, or his people do, as wrong. Sometimes though, there is a glimpse that there is a different side to Slither. He worries he is softening, which happens sometimes with haizda mages. Perhaps he is, or maybe he just thinks a bit differently than his people.I think Slither is an interesting character and he is complex. I was never really quite sure what to think of him.I liked Nessa. She was as brave as she could be for the situation she was suddenly in. Besides reading the book from Slither's view, there are parts and chapters where it is Nessa's view as well. I think her anger is understandable, considering she is expected to give up her life and it was done without her ever knowing.I also liked that Grimalkin had a part in the book. It made me like her even more. She's just awesome and I won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil what part she played.But with some new characters introduced, new ideas and even this new land that Slither is from, I wonder if it will somehow play a part in the next two books in the series? I guess I will find out whenever they are released.I did enjoy this book. It was a good read and I'm looking forward to September, when book 12 will be released.

** spoiler alert ** Ok - so this is a cross between a review and a summary of the book. This is somewhat weird, it's from another POV than the others have been and the only character that is in this one that I can remember being in the other books at all is Grimalkin. Overall it was interesting, I liked it well enough so 5 stars it gets, however I am glad that the next book (though it is not Toms POV) does not touch on any of these people again.A young girl is attacked by a creature of the dark (called a Kobalos) who drinks her blood. Her father hears this and goes in then makes a deal with the creature named Slither. Slither will leave his family alone as long as the father is alive and when he dies Slither will bring his youngest two daughters (Susan and Bryrony) to their Aunt/Uncle safely, however his eldest daughter Nessa will belong to Slither. The family is left alone until the father dies and Slither comes to collect. Nessa realizes the 'nightmares' she had were not nightmares, a creature really had drank her blood while she was younger - Slither. He reveals the deal that her father made and she agrees to honor it (though she is angry at her father) after reading a letter from her father, to keep her sisters safe. Nessa prepares her sisters and provisions and they set off with Slither the next day. Due to extreme weather the group is forced to stop at a tower owned by another Kobalos - a high mage. Once they settle in Slither goes to speak with the high mage but discovers that the mage wants the sisters - when he refuses the high mage betrays him using a snake hidden in the water he is in to poison Slither. Nessa comes looking for him and saves him by letting him drink some of her blood. Slither then kills the snake and the high mage before returning to 'his' quarters to grab the other two sisters and prepare to flee. Once there they discover that Susan is there but the youngest Bryrony is not - some of the Kobalos creatures came to take her to cook her. Slither has the eldest two sisters go down and try to prepare horses and supplies to flee while he (at Nessas urging) goes to save the youngest sister. They split and Slither sees that there are many armed beings inbetween the girl and himself including a Shaiska assassin. He manages to use magic to hold off all but the assassin who he kills. He then goes to meet up with the others and flee. Meanwhile the eldest two sisters face resistance from some of the purrai slaves - Nessa has Susan prep horses while she holds them off. Just as things start to turn against her Slither shows up and scares them off and all of them flee. Slither decides to set off to Valkary, a city of his people, to plead his innocence knowing that otherwise he will be killed. On the way he is attacked by a Hyb Warrior (half man half horse, super strong) that was sent to kill him. They make it to the city where Slither and the girls are admitted awaiting trial.Once the trial occurs, with damning testimony from the Shaiska assassins, he is sentenced to trial by combat against the Haggenbrood, an undefeated creature made up of a 3 separate entities. Nessa and Slither begin to plan, Nessa tells Slither to cut her free from the post where she (and her sisters likewise) will be bound during the fight, as if 2/3 of his purra die he automatically loses. While Slither prepares for the upcoming battle he has one of his servants go out into the town to gather news and gossip in case any of it is of use. The servant returns revealing that a rare star stone fell to earth near the city and that a lone female Purra was captured and managed to kill 3 oussa (strong, deadly) warriors, a feat unheard of until then. Slither sends the creature back out to gather more info and when it returns reveals that the stone is in the city and that the female Purra is being held in the Yaksa Central District, Level 13, Cell 42 - the most secure cell in the most secure dungeon in the most secure area in the city. Intrigued by this Slither sets out and manages to infiltrate the dungeon by shapeshifting to see the woman.The woman turns out to be Grimalkin who strikes a deal with Slither - she will use magic to Glamour herself into looking like Nessa and help him kill the Haggenbrood IF Slither gets her the star stone, her weapons and a "leather bag" (which contains the head of the fiend). Slither heads off to do so and realizes her weapons and the stone are in the plunder room which is impregnable. He manages to retrieve the fiends head killing 2 witches (1 live, 1 dead) in the process. He returns to Grimalkin and lends her 2 blades telling her what he discovered and that he recovered the bag before loosening the silver chain at her neck per her request. He then returns to his quarters. Grimalkin soon follows. Once she arrives Grimalkin speaks to the three sisters and tells them of her plan as well as asking what has happened with them and if they want to continue with Slither. Too they are taken to fight the haggenbrood with Nessa staying hidden in the room while Grimalkin goes to fight as her. They manage to kill the beast, however it spits a venom that causes the tawny death (painful) to Susan. They flee the city and on the way out are told by the person manning the gate that though Slither is innocent he will be pursued by a Shaksi assassin. Soon after the assassin catches up to them - it is Eblis, the oldest and most deadly assassin, armed with the Kangadon, an undefeatable weapon. Slither and Grimalkin manage to kill him and destroy the weapon, however before they did that Nessa again saves Slithers life by throwing herself into the way of a blow meant for him. Grimalkin asks Slither why there are no females of his kind and he reveals that they were all slaughtered which is why they need purrai slaves to breed and feed off of. Slither drops the youngest sister off with her family and then takes Nessa north to sell her as a slave to fulfill his legal obligation. Grimalkin tries to convince him otherwise but fails to do so and as such leaves the night before he plans to sell her. The next day he sells Nessa and leaves though he ends up returning intent to buy her from whomever bought her. On his way into the city he sees Grimalkins mark and as he enters realizes everyone is dead. It clicks and he realizes that she tricked him, Nessa was the one who left and Grimalkin used Glamour to look like her and thus enter the city and kill everyone. He intends to fight her but she tells him that he is too weak and he should go home, they will meet again in the future and fight then. Grimalkin continues to lead the slaves to get them acclimated elsewhere and also returns Nessa to her family.Grimalkin resolves to one day kill the Kobalos and free all the human slaves they keep.

Slither as a character was complex, teetering between evil and good the entire story, much like Grimalkin. And that is likely why I enjoyed him as a character so much. He fights against his base nature to do what is right, what he has sworn. Also Nessa…such a strong character. I loved her as well. I felt like Delaney was hinting that she had magic though no one else seemed to realize it. Slither wonders, but doesn’t know, and I certainly think that Nessa has no clue what she is doing. How interesting!! Maybe we will get more of these two in the future and that question will be answered.However, I do have one complaint. What did this entire story have to do with the rest of the series?! It’s more of a same world, accompanying story rather than part of the Spook’s Apprentice series. And that irritated me. I shouldn’t have to slog through this book if it isn’t directly related! (Even though I loved it) It was way better than the other filler book, I Am Grimalkin, so that was a plus, but still…Slither deserves a five out of five because it’s a fantastic book! I just wish it wasn’t part of the direct series. Were I to read the series again, I would leave out both Grimalkin and Slither’s tales.Read the rest of the review at: http://readbookwormread.blogspot.com/...!

** spoiler alert ** I know a lot of other reviewers didn't like how it didn't really go along with the series. I thought it was a good read. Also put into perspective how badass Grimalkin is. And how far she will go to destroy the fiend.

This was a creepy but good surprise! I wasn't at all sure what to expect, but as it happens my one of favorite 'Spook' books is 'Grimalkin', so I was curious to see what a book without Tom as the central character would be like. Slither is a strange creature, neither wholly evil not good. I wish Delaney would write a sequel to his story, because it was a great read and I liked the different characters(for the most part) and Grimalkin makes a significant appearance too. Overall, if you are fans of the spook series, this comes highly recommended.Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

Well I got into this series since the 6th grade. Joseph really introduces horror and fear in his writing. It is weird for someone who can't finish a scary movie to put a book about horror in my opinion. I think the book lures me with curiosity to finds out what happens like if a main protagonist dies or overcomes a great feat. In this book Joseph Delaney includes new characters in the book so it is interesting to find out what happens in a sidestory. Most of the events are complex like Silter a thing from Kolabos makes a deal with farmer. Silter takes the farmer's daughter on a journey after their father died. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys horror.

I always like a breath of fresh air. As I put this story, its like one of that. Something that I not used to read. Its good that Delaney somehow changes his ways of writing this time. A different and a new character, it could be a filler but atleast I feel that I miss Tom.Grimalkin, as I say would always be my favorite character. She's Grimalkin the fierce bad witch, she's in the bussiness of dark but she's good enough that could be compared at to a noble man and most importantly She likes Tom and she regard Tom's power.

I love this series!!!Slither as a character was complex, teetering between evil and good the entire story, it was interesting seeing Slither battle his inner voice.Nessa is such a strong character, I loved her.Grimalkin is the best character ever written , once again Grimalkin proved that she absolutely rocks!This book didn't really have much to do with the other Last Apprentice books although I enjoy the book, I miss Tom and Alice but it is still a must read.I really enjoyed this tale and can't wait to see what will happen next.

Was nice to see Delaney write about someone other than Tom. I thought Grimalkin and Slither were going to join together to try to destroy the Fiend. The society Slither lives in is brutal. Slaves and sacrifices, blood and monsters. It was more interesting seeing Slither battle his inner voice than to just have his actions. This book didn't really have much to do with the other Last Apprentice books but it is still a must read.

Slither is a well written next installment in the Wardstone Chronicles. It was interesting to take a break from the main story arc and follow a smaller sub-plot. The new characters were interesting and fun to follow. Slither will not disappoint readers of the Wardstone Chronicles.

I thought this was a nice break in the action from the other apprentice books. I would love to see Slither in more books. Hopefully he'll meet up with the rest of the characters soon.