The Last of the Spirits (2014)

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The Last of the Spirits - Chris Preistley (2014)

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: Fantasy

Ignorance and Want: beware them both, but beware Ignorance most of all.

A vicar from the nearby church enquired as to what text Sam had taken these words from.

'Experience,' he answered, much to the bemusement of the vicar.

The Last of the Spirits is a reinvention of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have never read nor have I seen the movie but reading this short novel makes me want to do both.

'The chains are not to bind me. They are to remind me'. The word remind echoed round the graveyard, bouncing from tombstone to tombstone.

The Last of the Spirits is a Christmassy short novel that I managed to finish in around 2 hours, it's a really quick read and I found it immensely interesting; a change from what I normally read. Also, Priestley's writing is to die for.

Chris Priestley has written a thrilling story about a young boy named Sam and his sister, Lizzie.

THE PLOT:

- Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London.

- Sam asks a wealthy man for a few coins but is turned away.

- Sam gets angry because he and his sister have been on the streets for months and decides to kill the man.

- Sheltering in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie meet a ghost, one they will soon find out has caused them a lot of trouble in the past.

- The ghost warns them of the dangers that await them, and so begins the adventure that is this book.

'Who are they, Uncle?' asked Fred.

Scrooge had no answer.

'Ignorance,' said Sam. 'My name is Ignorance. This is my sister, Want.'

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Ohmygods so much character development, yet so little time. Sam and Lizzie undergo some major, major character development throughout this book. Well, not so much Lizzie but she certainly does grow up a bit more. As for Sam he goes through some of the biggest character development in the world. EVER! He goes from an angry little boy who refers to himself as Ignorance to a more mature boy who is more aware of his surroundings.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 14+

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