For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried--some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope, the last apprentice.

Beware a girl in pointy shoes

The first thing a spook's apprentice learns is never, ever to trust a witch. Those brave enough to read these pages will find out why. You'll meet a fair and beautiful woman--with green scales running down her spine. You'll encounter a dead witch who lurks under rotting leaves, hunting for blood, and a witch whose cry of revenge can kill. And you'll follow Alice, Tom Ward's best friend, back into her past, when she lived with one of the most dangerous witches of all. Are you ready to face the dark?

Tabby Aykroyd thought she was coming to the dusty mansion of Seldom House to be a maid, but she's not being asked to clean or cook. Then one day a man, presumably the owner of the house, shows up with a small boy. The boy insists he's the master of the house, and curiously no one disputes him. Tabby is to be his playmate. The young master is a savage little creature, but the house itself contains far worse: Scores of dead maids and masters haunt Seldom House. Tabby is terrified for her life and the life of her young charge. But why isn't the young master afraid?

Who will be lost to the dark?

Thomas Ward has served as the Spook's apprentice for three years. He has battled boggarts, witches, demons, and even the devil himself. Tom has enemies: The Fiend stalks him, waiting for a moment of weakness. The terrifying Morrigan, goddess of witches, warned him never to set foot on her homeland, Ireland.

But now war has consumed their own country, and Tom, his friend Alice, and the Spook must flee to Ireland. The dark rages strongly there. No one can be trusted. Can Tom defeat the creatures that hunt him most fiercely?

The book will haunt you.It's an international bestseller.But don't read it after dark

The story of Grimalkin--Book Nine of The Last Apprentice series

Grimalkin never missed--except once. The only victim who escaped her blades was Tom Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son. Since then, the witch assassin has fought alongside the Spook's apprentice. Now you can hear her side of the story. What is Grimalkin's past--and what will her future be? Can Tom trust her to stay on the side of good? Or is the pull of the dark too strong to resist?

The twelfth volume in the Last Apprentice series, the internationally bestselling fantasy adventure books that inspired the forthcoming major motion picture, Seventh Son. Told from the point of view of Alice, best friend--and true love--to Tom, the spook's last apprentice. Alice is the most powerful witch in the world, and she ventures into the dark itself. Will she return?

Alice Dean's destiny is intertwined with Tom Ward's. But he's going to be the next Spook, and she's a witch--possibly the most powerful one the world has ever seen. To rid the world of its greatest evil,...