Just as with the last book in his The Last Apprentice series, Delaney demonstrates his inability to deftly end a series. Basically, with John Gregory gone, there are three main characters left: Tom Ward, Alice, and Grimalkin, the witch assassin. For the most part, this book goes back and forth between the efforts of Tom and his new apprentice (Jenny) and the parallel efforts by Grimalkin to stop the evil Kobalos, who want to kill all males and enslave all females (for breeding.) Alice effectively fades into the background. Too many hanging threads. Disappointing. I did like the creativity of cloned characters that self destructed when they realized what they were. ( )

I have not been a fan of the Kabalos stuff overall, but I did enjoy this particular book and the ending surprised me and made me curious to see what the author does in the future. Will he continue with the 4th book in this series, or will he create a new series to explore Tom's new discoveries about himself. I liked the ending. I was worried after reading some of the very negative reviews, but I found it to be exactly right. His writing is simple but powerful in a style that is quite unique and I look forward to read more of his work! ( )

This was the final book in the Starblade Chronicles/A New Darkness. This book is a YA trilogy that continues the events started in the thirteen book Last Apprentice middle grade series by Delaney. It did an okay job of wrapping up the series. I enjoyed visiting all my favorite characters again but felt like this was just a repeat of the 2nd book; another huge baddie and another impossible battle.

I kind of feel like Grimalkin, not Tom, was the main hero of this book. Tom makes some pretty big mistakes and pays heavily for them.

Delaney’s writing isn’t for everyone, it can be a bit stark and takes a bit to get into. However, I felt the starkness in this book more than the others. When one of the main characters dies it almost doesn’t feel real; there’s just no emotion or urgency to it and I found it kind of anti-climatic.

I also felt like this series was a bit unfinished. Possibly because this introduced another big baddie just like the last book and you are left feeling like there is probably another big baddie out there somewhere still waiting to be defeated at the end of this book.

Overall this was an okay wrap up to the Starblade Chronicles but the whole thing felt a bit unfinished to me. Additionally this story was very much like the last one and seemed a bit repetitive. If you are fan of Delaney’s books by all means get this to finish things up, however I personally will not be seeking out any more of Delaney’s books to read. ( )

Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Okay
Recommended: Yes, for fans of Joseph Delaney and/or Spook's Apprentice series
Level: Grades 6-12

The Dark Assassin is the third installment of the Starblade Chronicles, which follows Tom Ward, a Spook, and Grimalkin, a deceased witch who can travel back and forth between the worlds of the living and the dead. These two come together in an indirect way in order to save the County from the Kobalos mages who threaten to overtake the population via the help of a god. A force of equal nature will be necessary to combat this evil force.

This book follows Delaney's style of writing with to-the-point action sequences and a glossary of additional fictional information at the end of the work. Without reading the first two books in the series, readers will find it hard to bring all of the sub-story lines together. There was one major inconsistency near the end of the book that helped the protagonists. Also, I felt the ending jumped the shark with Tom's newfound power that saved him from the clutches of his would-be killers. ( )