Review – The Dark Assassin (Starblade Chronicles, Book 3) by Joseph Delaney (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: September 26, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0062334596
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Starblade Chronicles
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“In his job as the county’s spook, seventeen-year-old Thomas Ward is used to battling boggarts, witches, and other creatures of the dark. But now he and his apprentice, Jenny, must team up with former rivals and enemies to fight the evil Kobalos warriors intent on destroying the county. The fight has cost the life of a strong ally, Grimalkin the witch assassin. Determined to end the war with the demons, Tom leads Jenny and Alice to Pendle for one last epic clash. Loyalties will be tested, alliances will be broken, and not everyone will survive.”

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.