The Last Spell Breather - Story Snug

The Last Spell Breather by Julie Pike & Dinara Mirtalipova

The Last Spell Breather is a magical, action packed adventure which had us turning the pages until the end of the book. Mam is a spell breather, her spells keep the village of Penderin safe, and Rayne is her apprentice. But Mam has kept secrets from Rayne, secrets that Rayne uncovers when she is forced to make a dangerous journey out of the village to The Great Library.

The Story: Rayne is learning to be a spell breather like Mam. When Mam suddenly has to go away she entrusts Rayne with her spell book. But an accident with the book puts everybody in danger and brings a monster plague into the village. Only Mam can help fix the damaged book so Rayne and her friend Tom set out on a journey into the unknown…

Rayne and Tom travel with Frank, a fox, who accompanies them on an eventful, sometimes scary, river journey to The Great Library. When they arrive they find Grotesques (mud devils with very sharp teeth!), a long lost relative and a wealth of magical secrets. But can they find Mam, restore the words to the spell book and help the villagers?

Mam breathes amazing spells onto scrolls – the Spell of Energy, the Spell of Sleep and the Spell of Finding. Rayne is being schooled in ancient magic but breathing spells takes practice and Rayne is not very good at it at all!

This is a truly magical tale and we were intrigued by The Great Library with its secret rooms and passages and the magical barrier between Penderin and the wider world. We meet a rich cast of characters, including a purely evil villain, and there were several twists that we didn’t see coming. On one page we got so involved in the action that we were almost shouting at Rayne to tell her what she should do!

Rayne is a likeable character and we were totally involved in her journeys, both the physical journey with Tom but also her mental journey as she learns her family history, discovers secrets from the past and realises how important her role is and who she can trust. Tom is sceptical of magic but when the spell book is damaged both he and Rayne discover just how powerful ancient magic can be.

Magical, action packed and sometimes a little bit scary, The Last Spell Breather is a brilliant, fast paced read which leads to a satisfying end.

Age Range: 9 +

Author: Julie Pike / Illustrator: Dinara Mirtalipova / Cover design: Anna Morrison

Thank you to Oxford University Press for sending us a proof copy of The Last Spell Breather which will be published on July 4th 2019.


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14 responses to “The Last Spell Breather by Julie Pike & Dinara Mirtalipova”


  1. Kate Holmes avatar
    Kate Holmes

    Sounds like there is a lot to this book and made me want to discover more. #ReadWithMe


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s a brilliant read. We couldn’t put it down ๐Ÿ™‚


  2. mumjd avatar

    I think my boys would enjoy this. They are big Harry Potter fans.


    1. Catherine avatar

      Yes, this is definitely a story along those lines but the magic is very different ๐Ÿ™‚


  3. Chantelle Hazelden (@MamaMummyMum) avatar

    Now this sounds like a book that I could share with my 9 year old! Love a bit of magic #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      Yes, nine is the perfect age. I hope you enjoy it ๐Ÿ™‚


  4. AliDuke (@weirdoA) avatar

    This sounds like an amazing story. I love a bit of a magical story.
    #MMBC


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s magic with a difference ๐Ÿ™‚


  5. sarahmo3w avatar
    sarahmo3w

    This sounds like a lovely book. My daughter is 13, but still reads a lot of 9+ books. I wouldn’t be able to persuade her to try this one though as she’s very sceptical about books about magic!


    1. Catherine avatar

      Not a Harry Potter fan then! It’s a great story, magically different ๐Ÿ™‚


  6. Jayne SMABL avatar
    Jayne SMABL

    This sounds wonderful! My eldest likes the magical books being a big fan of Harry Potter, so I think I will get him this for his next read. Thanks for sharing and I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. x #MMBC


    1. Catherine avatar

      This is a great story for fans of magical worlds, spells are made in a very original way and we were totally drawn into Rayne’s action packed adventure.


  7. Lilyfae avatar

    I loved this book- The magical System in The Last SpellBreather is one of my most favourite magical ideas in a long time!!


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s awesome isn’t it, a very original fantasy. I love the way that she breathes the words onto a page ๐Ÿ™‚