The Spook's Apprentice

I have wanted to read this series for something like 6 years now and now seemed to be a good time to go ahead with it. One thing that pissed me off endlessly, though, was the fact that the UK and US releases not only have a different title for the series, but even the individual books go by different titles. Looking anything up online is confusing, because hey, two series in the same universe? No? Which book is this? Which number?
Thank you, publishers, you played us all. It sucks. I mean the situation, not the book itself, don't get me wrong.

Kids eventually reach the age when Harry Potter is not that scary for them. Some of them even like spooky things and monsters and such, but I would rather not drop them from middle grade right into Stephen King. Not just because of the horror, but Mr. King is a bit fucked up in many ways (we are not going to talk about the orgy in IT, no sir).
So what is a horror-loving child to do? Well, for one there is Darren Shan who is a master of gory and creepy and horrible and I love the fact that this corner of the market is used. Just like Rick Yancey's Monstrumologist books (except the last, that was just WTF). Or this! Though I would say this was lighter than Shan's Demonata, but there was still plenty of creepy stuff in it, with witches and blood and a boy who has to learn how to fight the supernatural creatures plaguing the normal people.

Thomas is the seventh son of a seventh son, thus he is perfect to battle all the evil creatures. When it's time to find out what occupation is right for him it's obvious he will become the apprentice of the Spook of the County; the man who keeps them safe from everything unnatural, though such a job is not only very scary and dangerous, but lonely as well. While him and his new master are there to help, people don't trust them and even fear them.
Thomas thinks his life will be spent alone, until he meets a girl, Alice, who seems to be more knowledgeable about the supernatural than he is and really, more than any child should be. But things are not so easy when everyone wants to get their way and a powerful creature is about to escape.

It was short, fast, a fun read. The series is MUCH longer and I am going to go ahead with it for sure.