Ostatnia tchnąca magią

by Julie Pike, Dinara Mirtalipova (Illustrator), Maciej Nowak-Kreyer (Translator)

Rayne to 12-letnia dziewczyną, której matka jest Ostatnią Zaklinaczką, czyli osobą posiadającą moc rzucania magicznych zaklęć.

Matka Rayne zawsze używa tej mocy, aby pomagać i leczyć mieszkańców ich wioski. Sama Rayne jest mniej entuzjastycznie

nastawiona do swoich magicznych mocy – nie cierpi ćwiczyć godzinami, nie lubi zwojów pergaminu i kłapiących błotnych czartów,

które siedzą w cennej księdze zaklęć jej matki. A gdy ta opuszcza swoją wioskę, aby błąkać się w krainie potworów z powodów,

których nie może lub nie chce wyjaśnić, Rayne, jest pozostawiona sama sobie. Popełnia wówczas straszny błąd, który pozbawia

mieszkańców wioski ochrony przed atakiem złych mocy. W książce spotkamy potwory błotne, ludzi-ryby, gadające lisy i tajemnicę o

sercu samej Ostatniej Zaklinaczki. Zaludniona wspaniałymi, dobrze skonstruowanymi postaciami Ostatnia Zaklinaczka jest doskonale

opowiedzianą historią.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Childrens, Magic, Fiction, Adventure

296 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2019

About the author

Julie Pike is a graduate of the Bath Spa MA in Creative Writing for Young People. Julie is passionate about adventure stories and volunteers in local schools, helping children find stories that excite them. She loves real-life adventures too, and has travelled to the peak of Kilimanjaro, across the Tibetan Plains to Mount Everest, and skydiving over New Zealand. When not reading, writing or adventuring, Julie works as a sustainability consultant-helping to care for the planet so future generations can enjoy their own adventures.

Reviews

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received my copy as a gift via the Waterstones Bloggers Collective , grateful thanks to publishers OUP.
My intention was to read it with my 9 year old, after reading it first, the blurb looked great, the cover design is lovely, but I just couldn't connect with it unfortunately.
The story starting with the book of spells and Rayne and her mother's roles as spell breathers just kept flashing me back to Harry Potter and the book of beasts.
The conflict between duty, honour and rules is explored nicely but it didn't hold my attention as much as I'd hoped. The style was a little clunky with a lot of repetition of keywords, which I think even my daughter found frustrating after a while.
As an adult reader, I know my opinion is not as valid as a child's, I suffered through half a David Walliams with Miss F before she said stop, she didn't like his style AT ALL which was a massive relief (not a fan of his ). Same thing happened again, her eyes were wandering, she talked over me, asked how long the chapters were, how far to the end etc. despite my enthusiastic voice work.
Apologies, I know it's not great, it's just one reader's honest opinion which I am sure will be a minority!

[Isa · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW: ABLEISM

I'm giving this book 1.5 stars (rounded up to 2) only because I loved the idea behind it, it's incredibly original, and I did love the grotesques and the grotesquery. However, this book never felt real to me, at 256 pages long you'd expect more development, but the typeface is huge and the plot is all action with a few info-dumps scattered about.

This is supposedly a middle grade book, so I guess for 8-12 year olds, but I found it more appropriate for 5-7 year olds. It's very simple and it talks down to the readers, which I hate, but would make sense for such young readers who still lack the ability to interpret what they read unless it's absolutely spelled out for them.

This book's plot is the type that's driven by miscommunication, I find it frustrating that everything could be resolved by people just having one simple conversation. In this book's case the entire plot hinges on Rayne's mother never having told her the most basic information about herself, which no parent in their right mind would keep from their child, not only for their own safety, but for others' as well.

I didn't like Rayne, she was a bad friend, eager to put the blame on others rather than admit to her own mistakes, and she never listened to warnings. Mind you I love flawed heroines, but she had too many flaws - talking to strangers and telling them her whole life and problems even though she's explicitly been told not to trust anyone was the most glaring of them.

But I could have looked beyond all that (even turned a blind eye to the over-the-top absurd and always laughing at their own evil villain) and still been entertained and given this book 3 solid stars, taking into consideration that I was not its target audience, however I found one thing very problematic: the monsters are people with physical deformities - brought on by broken spells, yes, but I think it's immensely cruel and ableist to equate deformities with monstrosity. Furthermore, the villain is punished by having their arm rendered useless and sees the disability as penance for their crimes. Imagine a disabled child reading this? Or any child, for that matter, I don't think it's something children should learn, to equate disability with evil.

[Sinéad O'Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm grateful to the author and to Oxford Children's Books for allowing me to read a proof of The Last Spell Breather - and what a read it was. A charming, gripping, expertly paced and fantastically well written debut, this book was a joy from start to finish (yes, even including the Grotesquery, the scary 'monsters', and the fantastically evil baddie, Mali!) The book follows Rayne, a 12 year old girl whose mother is a 'Spell Breather' (a person with the power to command magical written spells, and - in the case of Rayne's mother, at least - who always uses this power to help and heal the people around her); Rayne herself is less enthusiastic about her own magical powers. When her mother leaves their protected village to wander in a realm of monsters for reasons she can't or won't explain, and Rayne, left alone, makes a terrible error which leaves the people of her village open to attack, she must take action. That action involves mud-monsters, fish-people, wily talking foxes, and a mystery at the heart of Spell Breathing itself. Peopled with fabulous, well-fleshed characters (particularly Rayne herself, and her friend Tom) and complete with a magical system unlike any other I've read, The Last Spell Breather is a perfectly told gem of story, one which left me sighing with happiness as I closed the final page.

[Dani (Dani Reviews Things) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of people, I've been having a hard time reading. I've tried turning to romance, audiobooks, even those bite-sized book apps. As I was browsing through free and 99p Kindle books (I went through a phase in April of buying loads), I came across The Last Spell Breather. I don't usually read middle grade, but the cover was pretty, and the blurb sounded really interesting. I thought maybe, just maybe, a middle grade would be nice and easy on my stressed out brain. And when I say "nice and easy", I say this with a whole lot of respect for the age bracket. The middle grades I've read in the past few years have been great!

And I really did go into this thinking The Last Spell Breather would be one of those great MGs. The potential for this story! Such an interesting concept, having spells live in the power of words, and those words directed at people. Throughout the story, this idea was further developed, encouraging people to have an extensive vocabulary so they could use just the right word.

But sadly, the execution didn't work for me. The proof is in just how long it took for me to read this book. Six weeks for 304 pages? I know I'm not the target audience, so what does my opinion matter here, but I read another review on Goodreads in which a mother read the book to her daughter, and our reactions were basically the same: we both got distracted and kept asking how much was left. It's not a good sign when I'm just pushing through to the next chapter or waiting for the percentage to tick up to 100%.

There was something almost pantomime-like with this book. The plot was very disjointed, and characters seemed to pop up out of nowhere. Nothing was a surprise, or rather, a good surprise. There were a few surprises in the sense that I thought, "really, that's what we're going with here?" And when the Big Bad showed up, I wasn't fooled at all. That was the pantomime where I'd imagine all the audience pointing at the villain and yelling at the protagonist to turn around. I actually feel like this book is maybe a little insulting to the intelligence of middle grade readers.

And it really is all a shame. This could have been something magical, but the words and their arrangement weren't quite right. If it was a spell, it wouldn't work the way the author intended.

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another unputdownable read! I finished the last 52% in 1 sitting. I kept saying, “1 more chapter”..& then the chapters kept ending where it was IMPOSSIBLE to stop reading there! Lol Rayne & her mom are spell breathers. They breath spells onto people to help them in some way. Rayne has never been very good at it, or even wanted to do it at all. She loathes every aspect almost. But spell breathing is what keeps her village safe from the monster curse that plagues their world. It’s very powerful magic, but Rayne discovers, also very fragile. She has a clumsy moment & the magic that has kept them all safe is broken. She & everyone she knows/cares about is in danger. So starts her adventure to fix her wrongs. She takes her best friend Tom w/her, & a talking fox(Frank)joins them right after departing. I can’t believe this was a debut. The world & character building were both phenomenal. The story line itself was so creative & amazing. I loved every aspect of this magic system, & was amazed each time we learned something new. Rayne has a few “what were you thinking moments” in the book-but she’s a kid! W/a LOT just heaped on her shoulders. I thought she grew as a character so well. Loved watching her progress. That fox though, lol, that little rascal has my whole heart. Tom was a great friend, & an amazing kid. She was lucky that he went w/her on her journey. That twist had me shocked, & I loved every minute. Amazing ending too. I was smiling ear to ear. It wrapped up very nicely, but I could see where there would be room to build on, & have more books-🤞🏻🤞🏻Lots of great lessons, including the 1 to be careful what you wish for! It got darker at times, & I just loved this. A dark fairytale adventure. Highly recommend. Look at that absolutely stunning cover by Dinara Mirtalipova too! Ahhh Frank..💜

[(Ellie) ReadtoRamble · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I really wanted to get on with this book and love it, but unfortunately, there were just too many issues and inconsistencies that annoyed me and stopped my enjoyment of the story.

I found the world to be an interesting one but we never get much information about it, same goes for the village where Rayne and her mother live. I was fascinated by the magic system at the start of this book, but as it went along, it just got more and more confusing. Not a chapter went by where I didn't have a question about the magic system or the world. I think it was clever, but sorely lacked detail and it really needed some editing in my opinion. I just don't understand how this magic system can work when everyone can read and write. Why can they not all write spells? It makes no sense.

I also liked the main character less and less as we went along. Rayne comes across as snotty and really mean towards Tom who hasn't done anything wrong and I hated that.

I was very confused by that ending because it didn't make sense to me. It was much too convenient. I think it brings forth an important message, but it flopped for me and I just don't see how they could forgive the villain so easily, how the book could get fixed and so many other things that I just did not understand how it could happen.

I really did want to love the book and while there were a lot of parts that I enjoyed, I just think that overall, in my opinion, it needs a good round of editing and going back on some of the plot twists to make them more believable. I was really disappointed by this book to be honest.

[Best Book by Jagoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐❤️

[Livy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but I feel like it could have been even better if some things had been explained to us throughout the book and the end confrontation had been drawn out slightly more.

The characters were well written and I really liked Rayne as the protagonist and Tom as her companion and best friend. I really enjoyed watching how the two of them grew as characters over the book, being changed by the journey they make to the Great Library and the adventures they have on the way. However, while Mali was a god villain and was sufficiently evil I felt that her ending was quite rushed and not very satisfactory for her, for Rayne it was great as she really came into her spell breathing power, and I just felt like it could have been developed a bit more. That and Frank's storyline because he was a very interesting character that could've played a much larger role if his character had been developed just a bit more.

The plot was very interesting and I loved learning about the world that the book was set in, but I felt that things could've been explained a little bit better and that would've just made it all even better. I did enjoy following Rayne and Tom and Frank on their quest because it was super fun and I loved watching them walk around the Great Library because that was super intriguing and I love the idea of a magic library so much and this one again held so much promise. I would love to know more about how the spellbook was fixed as it wasn't explained as it just kind of happened and I would love to learn more about how that part of the magic system works.

The writing was wonderful though and I could really imagine what was happening at all times because it was so descriptive. It was engaging and fun and I absolutely had a great time reading it, I just feel that it could have all been developed a bit more at certain places.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable, magical adventure. I've never come across a magic system quite like this. And I'm a sucker for a cute fox. 4.5 stars.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book and I loved the idea that was original of a Spell Breather. The plot was different and I was curious enough to keep reading but half way through the book I started to find it hard to follow as more characters were added and more twists and turns. Maybe it was because I was an adult reading a childs book but I was quite glad when I got to the end. A good ending but very confusing on route.
Sadly not one I will be recommend

[Manon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it, though the book lost me a couple of times.

[TheNatalieAnnC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so I DNF this book. The two stars is for what I read so far.

The book, for me, started off extremely slowly and the characters were quite droll. No individuality or great characteristics that stood out.

The concept of Spell Breathing, in my opinion, was great and I think a lot could have come from it if it went in a different direction.

As a disabled person, I did find from what I read that parts of the book came across as abelist. To me monsters and sea creatures, things that crawl in the night , vampires and goblins etc. A monster is not a person with a disfigurement. I understand that this is a fantasy world and these things happened because of magic but I do wonder how a child would take this on board mentally, linking disfigured 'monsters' humans with people with physical disabilities in real life. For that reason, I'm afraid I wouldn't reccomend this book.

[Asha - A Cat, A Book, And A Cup Of Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved 99% of this book, but can't recommend it, because there is an absolutely appalling disablist scene at the end where a character claims that a paralysed arm is 'penance' for their villainous behaviour. I would hate any child with a disability to read this and be told 'you can't fix anything with one hand' or be made to feel that they in some way deserve their disability or are being punished by it. I'm shocked this made it through edits, and it's a real shame as the rest of the book is excellent.

[shl · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

great work as fantasy debut. My imagination really needed when I read this book. but, umm, I think the plot is a bit boring at the beginning. but that's not all anymore, because something tense had happened.

I was surprised when I read this book. Yeah, I'm not really saying that I like this book. but I'm also not saying that I hate this book. Happy reading!

[azka · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, this book was a disappointment for me. The characters' are flat and I couldn't seem to care for them. Rayne was probably one of the worst protagonists I've read.

[Stella_bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seru ternyata... Sarat petualangan, sihir, dan mantra. Barangkali juga merupakan salah satu buku dengan cover tercantik yang pernah di baca❤

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rayne has just become her mother's apprentice, learning how to make spells and recognize them. But when something goes wrong with the spellbook, Rayne decides to leave the safety of the village and go after her mother.
I loved the descriptions of the spells, for example the spell of sleep making her sleepy, however the overall magic system didn't really make much sense to me. There were lots of interesting characters so that you don't really know who to trust. Unfortunately there was a lot that wasn't really explained so I was left quite unsatisfied with the book at the end.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Spell Breather is a lovely adventure story that I'd recommend for children in upper primary school as the heart of the book is about overcoming fear or fixed ideas. Rayne really grows into herself and realises what she's capable of. The world is imaginative and fun. I loved the grotesques and the concept of spells backfiring and creating monsters (a clever twist on careful what you wish for/the dark edge of fairytales). A fun read reminiscent of the classics!

[Marzena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka wciąga od pierwszych stron i trzyma w napięciu do ostatnich (prawie). Samo zakończenie jest nietypowe, może trochę infantylne ale z relacji 7 i 10 latki wynika że jest ono CZADOWE, więc nie będę się sprzeczać ;)

[Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book full of character. The main character was difficult to warm to at first. However, as the plot continued, I grew to like her and how she dealt with the problems around her. My class will definitely enjoy reading this book and I'm sure it will become a firm favourite in the classroom.

[Pi · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Ostatnia Tchnąca Magią", to książka skierowana do młodszego czytelnika, powiedzmy tak 9-12 lat, ale może po nią sięgnąć również ktoś starszy, kto lubi tego typu opowieści. Co znaczy "tego typu"? Znaczy baśniowe, magiczne, z gadającymi zwierzętami i potworami. Jest to historia o czarach, jakie tkwią w słowach - bo wicie SŁOWA MAJĄ MOC.
Julie Pike stworzyła naprawdę interesujący świat, który opiera się na ciekawych zasadach. bardzo przypadła mi do gustu ta słowna zabawa, a czary zawarte w książce brzmią pięknie. Moim ulubionym bohaterem był lis Frank i sądzę, że będzie on ulubionym bohaterem dla większości czytelników. Niestety główna postać, czyli Rayne nie przypadła mi do gustu i wydała mi się nierealna, a jej zachowanie irytujące, no bo jaka 12 latka nie chciała by się uczyć magii? To pierwsze z brzegu nieporozumienie fabularne - szkoda, bo akurat ona powinna być wiarygodna i ciągnąć tę opowieść.
Niestety autorka nie wykorzystała w pełni pomysłu, na jaki wpadła. Najlepszy w tej książce jest środek. To właśnie w środku dzieją się rzeczy ciekawe i poznajemy źródło całego zamieszania. To, co zdecydowanie jest na plus, to idea potworów, to kim są potwory i dlaczego w ogóle istnieją... szkoda, że pisarka nie pociągnęła tego wątku nieco inaczej, z większą metaforą, bo mogło wyjść z tego coś świetnego.
Jej, to brzmi tak, jakby ta książka mi się nie podobała, a podobała mi się. Uważam, że jest bardzo dobra dla czytelników, do których jest docelowo skierowana. Jedyne starszy, taki jak ja "zjadacz słów" może się do tego czy tamtego doczepić, ale dziecko będzie się świetnie bawić, a stworzony świat magii zapadnie pamięć. To, co zasługuje na szczególną uwagę, to relacja matki z córką. Nie jest to częste w książkach tego typu, a tutaj Julie Pike zbudowała na niej całą fabułę. I właśnie to, w tej historii podoba mi się najbardziej - MIŁOŚĆ matki do córki i niezachwiana wiara w to, że jej dziecko sobie poradzi.
Miłym smaczkiem i bohaterami, o których nie mogę nie wspomnieć są POKRAKI - uwielbiam je, chyba nawet bardziej, niż lisa. Pokraki rządzą! Zresztą w tej opowieści jest wiele takich ciekawostek, myślopisanie, to pomysł złoto, a sama idea TCHNĄCYCH MAGIĄ oczarowuje z miejsca. Chyba najlepsza jest tu ta MOC SŁÓW, bo to o słowa w CZARACH się rozchodzi. Myślę, że dziecko dzięki tej książce może nauczyć się wagi każdego słowa, może też zapragnąć poznać jak najwięcej nowych słów - pod tym względem to niezwykle kreatywna i inspirująca pozycja.
Wydanie zaś jest - jak to u :Dwukropka bywa - rewelacyjne. Książka wygląda pięknie i jest idealna na prezent. Okładka została wspaniale zaprojektowana przez niezwykle utalentowaną ilustratorkę Dinare Mirtalipovą. Śmiało możecie podarować ją swoim córkom (bo to raczej książka skierowana do dziewczynek).

słowa pełna magii
7/10
Wydawnictwo :Dwukropek

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author and Amazon’s Vine Programme. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Just like all of the great fairytales, The Last Spell Breather is both magical and terrifying.

The whimsy of breathing magic into words is balanced by the horror of spell books that bite, boneless guides and watching ones friends and neighbours turn into grotesque caricatures of the very things you tried to help them with.

Rayne is a very sympathetic character. Her feeling of being trapped by the weight of responsibilities and expectations, and her fears that she will be unable to meet those expectations and will be humiliated as a result of her failings, are very recognisable and familiar to anyone who was ever once a teenager!

I loved the worldbuilding in the story, and the interesting new take on using magic, with its own set of rules and consequences. Similarly the characters have so much potential and develop in exciting ways as the story progresses.

Along with the lessons about who to trust, responsibility, growing up and loyalty, there is plenty of intrigue, action and adventure to keep you turning the pages and anxious to know what will happen next.

This is a great book for adults, but will also appeal to magic fans from middle-grade upwards and I cannot wait to introduce it to Minishine, as I am sure she will enjoy it as much as I did!





Rayne swallowed. She reached forward.
Grotesque horns surged together forming a large spiky mound. It raced towards her shaking fingers. White teeth gleamed as Grotesque mouths gaped open, ready to bite.
‘No!’ Rayne shoved the book away. ‘They won’t bite me again.’ It slid across the table and shot over the edge. Mam lunged forward and grabbed it. The Grotesques ripped into her hands with teeth and horns, desperate to stop falling. She clutched the book to her chest and gasped. ‘Foolish girl! You must never drop the book. If it breaks… if the Spells break, it’s the end of us!’

– Julie Pike, The Last Spell Breather

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Jenny Caddick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant,compelling and fantastical story which holds a very new,powerful type of magic within.

12 year old Rayne is an apprentice Spell Breather,due to learn the unique skill from her mother who helps,heals and protects the villagers of Penderin. Rayne is less than confident,not the most attentive student and resents her destiny. When the protective barrier her mother had placed around the village is breached ,her mother suddenly leaves on a mysterious quest. Left alone,Rayne takes charge of the precious Spell book and makes a life changing,life threatening and (literally monsterous!) mistake. One she can only hope to rectify by following her mother through the barrier into a world full of unknown monsters.

This is a stunning,heart pounding adventure. The Spell Breathing magic itself is unique,intriguing and intricate.The characters are interesting and endearing because they all have imperfections,insecurities and secrets that mean working together,trusting one another and believing in themselves always seems fraught with drama and tension.

There are some dark,edgy scenes and character creations as spells are broken and chaos ensues.I loved the descriptions of the developing monster plague and mud bound Grotesques;there was a deliciously Tim Burton-like feel to the nightmare-ish visions Rayne and the others encounter. The story holds it tension to the very last drop. Here's hoping it's not the last we will read about the Last Spell Breather herself!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the fantasy elements, The Grotesques are amazing and I loved Frank the Fox. I didn't like the fact that the plot was dependent on the mother not explaining things to Rayne... seriously, just simplify the truth to a point a young girl can deal with and add more information as she gets older. Being told you have to do something because your parent says so, without reasons or explanations leads to rebellion and in many ways this made the book predictable.

[A Severs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very innovative with a great ending and a couple of good little twists. The book starts off, fairly unusually for a children's books, with a rather dire problem which must be solved - for much of the story it does seem desperate and almost unlikely that things will be resolved. A very unique brand of magical method is explored really well - a world where very few people can create a spell AND cast it. This makes for some interesting dilemmas and drives the plot well. As for themes, love is at the centre of the story - particularly relationships between family members - and the book explores real life family issues that exist outside of magical worlds. Really worth a read if you are into children's literature or if you are a child who loves fantasy stories.

[Mary Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book casts its spell from page one. It crackles with imagination and a well-paced plot filled with twists and surprises. With lyrically woven story-telling and wondrous attention to detail, the reader is sent into a dream-like world that is both fantastical and strangely real. Rayne is a marvellous character; young, energetic, flawed and determined. Care is taken with each character, allowing them to shine as individuals. Flawless writing, a unique and enchanted landscape, a touch of humour; all combine to tell a story that is truly magical. And it is an amazing testament to the power of words. I loved every word. Extraordinary and completely spell-binding.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 3* because I really liked the plot. The adventure was great, loved the magic element of the floating words during the spells, that was really nice and original.
The thing that somewhat spoilt it for me was the characters, particularly Rayne and Tom. They didn't resonate with me at all, I thought they were under-developed and a boring. I did like Frank though!

[Harriet Muncaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book and the unique take on the magic system. The world felt so real to me and I loved the atmosphere! Julie Pike is brilliant at world building and I thought the spell book protected by the grotesques was very imaginative. (Loved Frank the fox too!! He was a great character) Very much looking forward to this author's next book.

[Bekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun

This book was great fun and had a great idea for its magic system. Kids will love this adventure, it's full of different characters with different strengths, abilities and weaknesses to carry the story forward, whilst being full morals, spelling practices and learning life lessons in the perfect way for this age group.