Slither, a creature from the brutal Kobalos land far north of hero Tom Ward's county, agrees to transport two young sisters to safety in exchange for ownership of the eldest sister, Nessa. Alternating Nessa's voice with Slither's is necessary to keep readers' sympathies engaged in perhaps the darkest Last Apprentice book yet. As usual, black-saturated pages are the illustrations' hallmark. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.