Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

1 review

leweylibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

I feel like so much of this book was setting up Aisling to rise up and become her full morrigna self, Even if they didn't end up being successful against the English. But no. We really didn't get to see a whole lot from her because we were bouncing around to so many other people's stories and their role in this wider war, and when we did see her, she was incredibly disappointing. I feel like that's the only reason that I kept reading this book--I just kept waiting for her to have this big heroic moment, and it never came.
I understand that she was only 14 when her twin sister was killed and her heart devoured and I understand going through a dark. For a while because of that. But she also knew that there was bad shit brewing and that she was going to be the only one who had any chance of stopping it, whether on her own or with her death. It took her ages to start coming back into her powers with the help of falling in love with a man, and then just when she starting to really come into her powers, she gets pregnant and the babies are zapping all of her power. Power she has the babies in time to actually make a difference in the fight, but then, like a dumbass, she abandons the fight because she sensed that her babies were in danger. Stupid. Then. She just surrenders herself to the English because she thinks that they at least won't kill her infant child. And then I was hoping that she would have one last moment where she could be a badass at the end, but no. Get her powers back and her kid has powers, but she saves Liam's life and then gets trapped by a stupid tree enchanted tree branch. Stupid.


I also have to say that I'm just not really all that crazy about fantasy books like this that are written by men because they just seem to have a lot of really unnecessary gratuitous sexual scenes that are honestly just awkward and weird. Like why were there so many handjobs and masturbating in very weird moments? Just why? Dudes are so freaking weird and obsessed with her own genitalia.

In that same vein, There were also a lot of moments with the women that were really frustrating. There were so many opportunities for these badass female characters to be fleshed out and explored, and instead they were treated like just sex objects most of the time. And the casual way that one woman died and the guy who loved her so quickly took up with a another woman who he had said before that he found attractive 🙄

It was also incredibly difficult reading. So many biblical references that just go totally over my head and also seeing exorcist and the Roman Catholic Church winning. Obviously from the title of the book, you know that the magic folk do not win , but it's still sucks to read it because that's not the side that you feel like you're supposed to be rooting for and I don't want to root for them. 

Quotes:
  • "Others worship the Earth or the sun or even water, but trees, trees are all three brought alive, living, breathing, talking to our people." (22)
  • "Whoever controls, literacy controls history, and the future." (131)
  • Jordan finally, truly understood why the Roman Church had tried to keep people out of Ireland, why they were determined to destroy its Ardor now. How could they be the exclusive voice with and for God when God was so clearly everywhere here? How could Kings claim to vine selection when so much divinity was in everyone and everything? (255)
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