Sara Hill gets a phone call from her grandmother who
wants her to find some books about Celtic myths Sara
got from when she was a child. Something is
hidden in the books and her grandmother needs her to find
it. For some reason, her grandmother is fearful that
someone is after them because of the books. But why would
anyone want to harm them because of some children's book
about myths? Sara has always loved the books, and her
favorite story among them is the one about the enchanted
twins and the Goddess Morrígna who ruled over the Celts
and the Sidhe, Irish faeries. Morrígna, like the
Christian Trinity has three aspects, Anann who remains in
the
spirit realm as the source of the powers for Anya and
Aisling who periodically were reborn in the human realm
when they were needed. But this is just a myth, isn't it?
THE LAST DAY OF MAGIC is Mark Tompkins debut book. Myth
and history are mixed together into a wonderful magic
story. The book starts off in the present time, but then
quickly moves back in time to the year 1387 where Aisling
and Anya are about to celebrate their fourteenth
birthday, which is also their coronation day when they
will become one Goddess. But danger threatens. There
are those who would do anything to stop the ceremony
from taking place.
At first, I thought THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC would switch
between
present time and the past, but I soon realized that was
not the case as the story progressed. I was curious about
Sara Hill and what she had to do with the story, but that
had to wait until the very end of the book. Instead, the
story focused on the past and on the twins, and I was
quickly drawn into the story where history and myths are
joined together. For instance, magical creatures like
fomorians, gnomes, pixies, witches, and demons are real.
It is fascinating to read about a world where magic
existed.
I found THE LAST DAY OF MAGIC to be a truly well-written
and engrossing book to read and I grew very fond of the
characters, and it was sometimes hard to read since I was
never sure of whom would live or who would die. It's
sometimes a brutal story. And, I even felt sympathy for
those who were acting against the twins, Morrígna, and
the Celts. Their misguide attempt to get what they
wanted, be it an Ireland free of Morrígna or to win a war
where not always successful in the end.
Now I want to read more; the ending clearly shows
THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC is the first book in a series since
not
everything is resolved. That doesn't bother me since I
didn't want the story to end. I'm looking forward to
reading more from Tompkins.
What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away
with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend,
fairy tales, and Biblical mysteries, The Last Days of Magic
brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping
us
back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as
they had for centuries.
Aisling, a goddess in human form, was born to rule both
domains and—with her twin, Anya—unite the Celts with the
powerful faeries of the Middle Kingdom. But within medieval
Ireland interests are divided, and far from its shores
greater forces are mustering. Both England and Rome have a
stake in driving magic from the Emerald Isle. Jordan, the
Vatican commander tasked with vanquishing the remnants of
otherworldly creatures from a disenchanted Europe, has
built
a career on such plots. But increasingly he finds himself
torn between duty and his desire to understand the magic
that has been forbidden.
As kings prepare, exorcists gather, and divisions widen
between the warring clans of Ireland, Aisling and Jordan
must come to terms with powers given and withheld, while a
world that can still foster magic hangs in the balance.
Loyalties are tested, betrayals sown, and the coming war
will have repercussions that ripple centuries later, in
today’s world—and in particular for a young graduate
student
named Sara Hill.
THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC introduces us to unforgettable
characters who grapple with quests for power, human
frailty,
and the longing for knowledge that has been made taboo.
Mark
Tompkins has crafted a remarkable tale—a feat of
world-building that poses astonishing and resonant answers
to epic questions.
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