The End of a Magi by Patrick W. Carr {A Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel creates a select group of men who will count down the calendar to the arrival of Israel's promised king. Centuries later, as the day nears, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are put to death by a ruthless Parthian queen.

Having grabbed only a few possessions, Myrad escapes the city, and searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, he tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant senses that Myrad is hiding secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable traveler, an epic journey filled with peril, close escapes, and dangerous battles begins.

With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can't forget and the promise that the world will never be the same.

Patrick W. Carr is the author of the acclaimed fantasy series The Darkwater Saga and The Staff and the Sword. A Cast of Stones won the 2014 Carol Award for Speculative Fiction and the 2014 Clive Staples Award. The Shock of Night won the 2016 INSPY Award for Speculative Fiction. Patrick teaches high school math and makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Mary, and their four sons. Learn more at www.patrickwcarr.com.

As the holidays draw closer, I find myself trying to fill my TBR pile with more holiday inspired tales. And let's be honest, that mostly means a variety of inspirational tales and holiday romances. When I heard about The End of the Magi, I thought it would be a great addition to my holiday reading list. I loved this idea of getting a different perspective about the nativity and more specifically the wise men. I really looked forward to it, and hoped I would enjoy it as much as other reviewers had too.

Unfortunately, I just really struggled to get into this one. While I generally enjoy historically fiction, I am finding that perhaps this Biblical type historical fiction just may not be my cup of tea. Still, just because I personally could not get into this book doesn't mean that it was a bad book. It had many great things going for it: it was well written and well researched and truly a unique story that those who are into Biblical fiction will likely enjoy!