Magic and Makutu

Aotearoa #6

by David Hair

For Matiu Douglas, apprentice tohunga, the ultimate test of his skill, courage and magical prowess awaits. Hine-nui-te-po, Goddess of Death, is calling and from all across Aotearoa, those who dream of power and immortality are gathering for the struggle. Mat and his friends must face old enemies and new as they seek to prevent the destruction of a city and the inexorable rise of evil. To succeed will bring immortality, power and the love of the goddess. To fail is to die, and doom the land. Return to Aotearoa, where past, present, myth and magic dwell together in one timeless, unforgettable place.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

David Hair is the author of The Bone Tiki, winner of Best First Novel (Young Adult Fiction section) at the 2010 NZ Post Children's Book Awards. The Bone Tiki and its sequel The Taniwha's Tear are fantasy novels set in New Zealand. David is a New Zealander, who has worked primarily in financial services. He has a degree in History and Classical Studies. He has lived from 2007 to 2010 in New Delhi, India, but usually resides in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from writing, he is interested in folklore, history, and has a passion for football.

Reviews

[Lemurkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series draws to a dramatic climax. If you have not read the earlier books in this collection, I highly recommend them. Start with "The Bone Tiki" and work your way through. It is interesting to watch Matiu grow from a boy into a man and to see how his relationships develop, along with - of course - experiencing a lot of action, adventure and a healthy dose of NZ history.

I did feel the ending was a little too neat, like everything had been tied up with a bit of a fairy-tale bow. Happy endings for all! Still, it is nice to have these tales end on a positive, and Riki is an awesome character.

My other complaint is that whomever edited this book did not do a brilliant job. There were more than a few cases of words being joined together, and at least two spelling mistakes or mis-used words. Nothing too distracting from the plot, but rather off-putting in a professionally, traditionally, published book.

Overall, however, this is a jolly fine series and I highly recommend it. It was fun to experience characters that were once real people and that I had learned about in school, plus the character dynamics are well described and interesting. Hair is a fine writer, and I am glad to have picked these up.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome finale!

[D.C. Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have waited a long time for the sixth and final installment in the Aotearoa series which began with The Bone Tiki and I was keen to find out how Matiu and his friend Riki would fare after their last outing in Ghosts of Parihaka which forewarned of an upcoming cataclysmic event. This final installment took some time to get going, there was a lot of info dumps and back story in the first seven chapters to bring readers up to speed and these slowed the story down considerably. However by the eighth chapter “Seeking a Sign” things really got underway and after that there was no putting the book down. Matiu is called to be the lover of Aroha and thus save both New Zealand and the spirit world of Aotearoa from makutu (evil magic) but first he has to undergo a number of tests to determine his worthiness while competing against other contenders for the honour including his arch enemy Byron Kikitoa. There’s a surprise twist that will enthrall readers and the book was generally a fast-paced paranormal adventure thriller that will captivate readers of the previous books in the series.

[St Stephen's C C]

For Matiu Douglas, apprentice tohunga, the ultimate test of his skill, courage and magical prowess awaits. Hine-nui-te-po, Goddess of Death, is calling and from all across Aotearoa, those who dream of power and immortality are gathering for the struggle. Mat and his friends must face old enemies and new as they seek to prevent the destruction of a city and the inexorable rise of evil. to succeed will bring immortality, power and the love of the goddess. to fail is to die, and doom the land. Return to Aotearoa, where past, present, myth and magic dwell together in one timeless, unforgettable place.

[Shannonigans · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was quite difficult to read in the beginning but once I passed that it was a really good read.

[Leanne Neilson]

What a fantastic ending to a fabulous series. I loved this book!