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Book ReviewsWe have other review pages!
FictionBeneath A Mountain
Moon This book is described on the cover as “A book of suspense and Witchcraft” what an understatement. This is the first book that I have read by Silver Ravenwolf and I can honestly say that it will not be my last. I was hooked from the first page, Silver Ravenwolf has a way of drawing you in to the story as if you are part of it, you feel what Elizabeyta is feeling and you almost feel like another member of this fictional community. I am not wikken and other than the odd spell I had no concept of the power or ceremony of wikken rituals but I can tell you that through the writing in this book I could picture it like I was in the room and I felt the power of the rituals that Elizabeyta performed. I know my infrequent spell work will have more meaning from now on. Any time I had spare minute I found myself reaching for this book so that I could be drawn up again and found myself not wanting to finish it because it was so amazing. Silver Ravenwolf has a gift for describing people and places so that you could pick the people out in a crowd as if you expect to see them tomorrow and you know you have been to a place like she describes. The old lady with the blue face and fangs she describes so well when she appears that it sent shivers down my back and I could picture her so clearly that I would go to sleep after reading at night and hope that she wouldn’t appear in my dreams because I knew it would scare the pants off me! This book is easy to read and expect to be quickly swept away and into the story. You will find yourself laughing at the quirkiness of some of the characters and turning on the lights if you are reading it late at night for you will have a hard time putting it down once you start to read it. I look forward to reading it again just to feel the power of the ceremonies and rituals performed. Reviewed by: Witches' Key
to Terror This book is really good. I really enjoyed how I would be reading about Bethany and all her friends and then on the next page it was talking about the Bindart twins and their family. I have never read a book like this before and I really like it. "Bethany’s mental jaw dropped but she kept her mouth physically closed" I really liked this part of the book because I was not really understanding all of the characters' feelings that well and I found that it really helped me gain a better sense of the characters. I love the way that all of Miss RavenWolf ’s Witches Chillers end. Who you thought was a good person really was not and vice versa. My favorite books are by Miss RavenWolf's and her series Witches Chillers. I would love to read more of her books in the future. Reviewed by: Witches’
Night of Fear I thought the book was good but not as good as "Witches’ Night Out". I thought that the best part was at the end when they were in the woods looking for Nam and Michael. It had the most suspense. In "Witches’ Night Out" every chapter had so much suspense that it made me want to keep on reading. This book didn't really seem to have the same amount of thrill and excitement. When Mrs. Merryday was murdered, for me it came on so quickly and strongly that I had to read the same sentence over a few times. In a real murder it is probably just like that. I found it just too overwhelming. If given the choice, I would leave the murder exactly as Ms. Ravenwolf wrote it. In conclusion, I wish there was more suspense to this book, but I still enjoyed reading it. Reviewed by: Witches’
Night Out I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. It was thrilling, it kept me on the edge of my seat. When I got to the end...I wished that I hadn’t. I wanted the book to go on forever, the world that I found myself in with Bethany was mysterious and scary. Ramona was very spiritual even though she wasn’t a witch like Bethany, Tilly, Nick, Joe and Karen. When Karen ratted on them it made me feel angry and I wanted to jump into the book and tell her off. The “Beast of the East” killed Joe and tried to kill Bethany and this made me angry also. As a witch, I agreed with Bethany and Ramona’s reactions and behavior but not always with the rest of them. I got so immersed into this book that it only took me a week to read. Thank you for writing this book and I want to read the next one! Reviewed by: ParentingPagan Parenting I fully enjoyed this book. I have been searching for an easy to comprehend guide to assist me with raising my three children in the pagan/wiccan traditions. I like the fact that Kristin starts in the womb and goes from there. No phase of life is left out. My eldest daughter should begin menstruating soon and I have been wanting to perform a ritual when she does. Kristin’s ritual for Menarche, page 223, is wonderful. I love the way it empowers the daughter by making her the priestess and ceremonial leader. I never thought of that on my own and I will definitely add this to our ritual when it is time. On page 222 when Kristin writes, “We do our children a disservice when we turn these wonderful physical events into something to be ignored or feel ashamed of.” She strikes a cord deep inside of me. My first moontime was a thing of shame and embarrassment and I feel blessed to be able to stop that cycle and create a celebration in it’s place. I never even thought of doing the same for my son and I am so pleased that Kristin did. I will definitely be performing a rite for him also after reading her opinions and ideas. On pages 112-113, I would have liked it if the dates for the festivals were included. I wrote them in myself, so that the children can look them up and see what and when the next festival happens. I cannot stress enough how connected my own beliefs are to those that Kristen discusses in this book. Her thoughts about children on page 19, that are raised in homes filled with conflict and violence are the same ones that I hold. Her beliefs on soul fragmentation (page 20) shine a light on my youngest child. My husband was sent away to work for 2 weeks earlier this year. Since he left, she became extremely needy and moody. This occurred 4 months ago and she is still suffering from this event in her life. I never thought of soul fragmentation but after reading Kristin’s views, I believe that this is what happened. When children live in a safe, healthy, functional home and this home is disrupted in a brisk and extreme (esp. to a two year old) way, the child suffers from that change. My daughter certainly has. I am definitely going to find a shaman to perform a soul retrieval for her. Thank you, Kristen. I could make this book review as long as the book itself because so much of it struck a cord within me but suffice it to say, I love this book. I would also like to say that I really like the feel of the cover, it makes you want to hold this book. Reviewed by: The Family Wicca Book This is a wonderful book full of enlightened ideas and great “family” stories. I especially like the suggestion of “Elf-Lights” on page 138. This is a wonderful suggestion and if it wasn’t raining out right now I would run outside and build some elf-lights for my yard. When my eldest daughter and I perform spell-work in the yard the darkness can sometimes be daunting especially during the dark moon. These elf-lights will be a welcomed and beautiful addition to our spell-work. ”Rite or Wrong” was an important part of this book. It allowed me to trust what Ashleen had to say because not hexing is a very important part of being Wiccan for me and I was glad to see that we shared this important rule. Reading the chapter “Magickal Children” was very timely for me. I was wondering if I was really giving my children what they needed as Wiccans and after reading this chapter, Ashleen’s confirmation was gladly accepted. The section on “Answering the Hard Questions” was well written with many good ideas. I feel that the answers given regarding “sex” page 97, were lacking in the area of personal privacy of a child’s body. In this age of child-abuse leaving out that no-one should touch your “private parts” is irresponsible. For the most part I agreed with her answers and the questions she chose for this section. My feelings on this book as a whole is wonderful. I found Ashleen to be very informative and her ideas are so easy to implement into our lives. I chose this book so that I could better teach my children (14, 7, &2) the Craft and with Ashleen’s assistance in the years to come I feel my children will greatly benefit from the knowledge I have acquired during this review process. Reviewed by: WiccaThe Elements of Ritual I cannot even begin to express the bold exhilaration I feel when I even so much as think about this book! Deborah has explained the fundamentals of Wicca in a way that is above the basic how-to. Rather than Wiccan kindergarten she has taken us to the next level of understanding. The way she speaks (or rather writes) to her reader is concise and thorough. She not only explains that something is so, but then does two things. She explains why and then explains how it is so. Just the first portion of the book...the way in which she explains the four elements, is worth its weight in gold! Anyone who has never been able to memorize the elements and directions keeping straight which goes with which will not only remember what goes where but will also know why!!! Her book continues throughout with the same common sense and understanding which allows the reader to ‘get it’ in a deep and meaningful way. This is not a book to be borrowed; it is a book to be owned! much light, Llewellyn’s Witches’
Calendar 2002 (I’m not quite sure how to review a calendar.) I found this calendar extremely informative and I feel that it will be very useful throughout the year. I like the fact that your editor, Sharon Leah, allows people to offer information regarding important dates. That shows the reader that this is not a stagnant calendar but one that grows year by year. The explanations of the symbols on each other days was very easy to understand and I find it very usable information. We are in the process of buying a home and I’ve let my real estate agent know what times of the day I don’t want my offer given to the seller. (v/c) The drawings representing every month are beautiful. I plan to frame a few of them when the year is over, specifically, June, July and September. I found it confusing as to who exactly the artist is in the credit section on the back cover. I found the writings on each of the months to be very informative. I never knew the actual story of the 12 days (ending in January). I loved the story of ‘random acts of kindness’ within May. I have been quoting the story about eggs to anyone who will listen (haha) - March. Overall, I would definitely purchase this calendar every year for now on. The information was extemely enlightening. I will definitely recommend this calendar to my friends. Reviewed by: A Kitchen Witches
Cookbook I can’t help feeling that the title of this book does not do it justice and just may be narrowing what may be a wider market. I would probably have never read it or even taken a look at it if a friend had never encouraged me to since I am not wiccan. This book is about ingredients and celebrations and the significance of all ingredients and all celebrations around the world and for every religion and belief. The author is a fountain of information and includes it all in this book. There is a listing of every celebration around the world, it tells the name of the celebration, the country of origin and the date. For example: Smell the Breeze Day (Japan) March 27. Doesn’t that sound wonderful, how often do we take the time out of our busy days to take the time to smell the breeze and now I find out that there is a day to do that very thing, there are Celebrations from Old Russia to Babylonia to Tibet The information on the actual ingredients is amazing, we all know that carrots are good for eyesight but did know that chives are good off protection and breaking bad habits, or that blueberries are good for peace and calm. The recipes themselves are easy to follow and most of the ingredients will already be staples in your pantry, no need to shop for obscure things that you have never heard of. The results are simple but tasty with the knowledge that everything that went in to making it is helping us in some way. If you are looking for certain things in your recipes it is simple to find because it is all broken down for you in the index, I have fairy guides and I found fritters that I can make for them by simply looking up fairy, or if you are looking Energy it will direct you to recipes that will help with that as well as having the celebrations listed so that you are not having to hunt for all the things to make for them from appetizers to desserts. The author has taken the time to make this recipe book fun to read as well as being fountain of information, for it is for Kitchen Witches of every origin and belief from every country in the world. Reviewed by: Magickal Almanac The first thing that I would like to share about this book is how much I love the feel of the cover and the pages. This book kept asking me to hold it. I really enjoyed this book. I will use the info that is offered for each day of the year. I perform alot of spell work so knowing the moon phase and where it is is very important to me. The explanations of the Magickal influences of each day of the week (page 150) and the significance of the zodiac signs was clear and to the point. While reading this book I found the information to be easy to understand, whether the reader is a novice or a high priestess crone with years of experience, everyone can understand and benefit from this book. I have been wanting to make a loose fitting robe as pictured on page 144 and I will be using your instructions because they made it so easy to make and again very clear and concise. It did not, however discuss what appropriate colours to use or what the colours mean, although I am not sure that it matters what colour(s) you use. I would like to make a coloured robe, but I have only seen black robes with coloured lined hood and I had hoped to find out, when reading this section, what colours I could use and why. The sections of this book that gave information about history, and "why we do what we do" sections were so interesting. I never knew alot of this information and I feel so much more connected to my spiritual beliefs now. The section of pagan funeral rites was the answer to a question that I had been asking myself for awhile now. I was wondering how we could have a pagan ceremony and the info on the option of not using embalming fluid was an eye opener for me. The section on crafts to make with (or without) children was one of my favorites. I am collecting paper towel rolls to make all my friends rain sticks for yule this year! I do wish that there was some kind of an index so that I wouldn't have to search the book for the wonderful little articles that I read and want to share with my family and friends. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it. Reviewed by: Magickal Celebrations:
Midsummer This book, for me, was a big eye opener, I thought I knew lots
about " this and that" but as it turns out I didn't. I really liked that it has how to read runes and tarot cards. I already know how to read tarot cards but I didn't know the meaning for the runes. I just love fairy's but I never knew that there is so many different kinds of them. I really enjoyed reading about them that was probably my most favorite part of the whole book. This book has alot of facts. This is very good although I did find myself getting a bit bored here and there. Like when they were talking about the different places people celebrate the celtic festivals. I’m glad she put them all in there but I do wish it was not so long. I found her spells to be very interesting. My favorite ones would have to be the rose tea spells. Thank you for letting me read this book. by J Stephenson Seasons of Magick Season’s of Magick is a wonderful book. I have learned alot about Wiccan holidays. The story about Erin and her journey was great. I really liked the way that Erin was taught all of her lesson’s by Evangeline. I also really liked how there is work sheets in the back of the book. I don’t think that I will ever use them but it is nice to know that they are there just in case someone would. At the end of the book it has all of the wiccan holidays and how to celebrate them I really like that because it is not easy to remember all of them. I found that on Chapter 8 page 83 Erin was crying because Evangeline had passed away but while I was reading that part it felt as if I am missing a page . The way that Mrs. Rinhardt has written it it just did not feel right. Plus I did not explain how or why she died and I feel it should have been alot more detailed regardiing that. Other than that I found this book to be very detailed and well written. Reviewed by: Teen Witch My Mom taught me alot about Wicca and when I got this book I didn't know that this book was for people that didn't know anything about it. I found that the information in this book was all the same thing's that my Mom taught me. I think that this book would be great for someone who doesn't know anything about Wicca. I liked how Ms. Ravenwolf had put "teen speak" in the book, it made it easier for myself to understand what she was saying. I really liked how there were spells listed in this book (Pages 133-228) I thought some of the spells were good and some were not so good, but that would vary with every person. I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends because I think it explains everything about wicca. What it is and what it isn’t and how they can become wiccan if they choose to. I am lending this book to my best friend, Cassandra, because she’s curious about my beliefs. She is christian and she wants to learn about other religions and she says that mine really makes her think. Reviewed by: Teen Witch Kit I liked seeing Tilly and Nick on the front of the box for this kit. It made me feel like I was visiting a friend to learn Magick. I got very bored reading this book. I feel that the written information before the spells was too long and involved. It should be shortened down to just the absolute necessities. Some of spells seemed kind of stupid to me, like the one on page 69, to save money when you go to the mall didn’t seem like a spell to me. You might as well just leave your money at home and go window shopping, tieing your money up with red yarn seems dumb. The healing spell was a good one. I used it on my grandmother and she seemed to feel better afterwards. I have my second degree reiki so I also sent that at the same time. But, I liked the spell. I like using words when I do spells it helps me to keep my mind on the spell. I wear the pentacle everyday. At first I was having very bad luck but then I reikied the pentacle and since then my luck has changed. My mom said that putting my energy into the pentacle was a good idea. It doesn’t suggest that in the book so maybe she could add that in. I used the silver bell to cleanse the room after my little baby sister had a temper tantrum and it felt alot better in the room afterwards. I don’t like the feel of the cloth of the bag. I like the design and colors, it’s just the material that isn’t very nice. On page 71, there is a spell for getting along with your siblings. After they tell you to put your paper people into the bowl, what do you do afterwards? Do you keep them in there, do you take them out, do you bury them, flush them down the toilet? It doesn’t say. I don’t think the kit is worth $40 but maybe $30. Most of the spells were okay but not all of them. Since most teens have to pay for stuff themselves, it’s alot of money to save up for this kit. Reviewed by: Wiccan Warrior I enjoyed this book. It’s really a good book. For somebody who’s trying to find a way to become more confident and comfortable with their beliefs, whether they be Wiccan or whatever, this is a book that would be very helpful in that journey. It has some very good lessons for a beginner and for the advanced student especially if you are Wiccan. It is a good tool for laying out a plan to create your own pathway to enlightenment and spiritual freedom. He draws from life experience and other masters and guides from previous eras such as Carl Jung and Miyamoto Musashi to explain how he came to his beliefs as a warrior. He goes into detail as to how he went along his path to becoming a warrior. He also explains that this pathway worked for him but it may not work for other people. Each individual should find his own pathway and this book would be a great way to begin that journey. I would highly recommend this book to others. Reviewed by: A Witches' Book of Dreams Karri Allrich empowers you. She shows you how to discover a deeper way to interpret your dreams - to unlock your own spiritual self and truly see what it is your dreams are showing you. Unlike other books on dream interpretation, Karri Ann doesn't tell you what your own personal symbols mean instead she guides you, through her own eyes to see how she interprets and invites you to follow her process. I found the way she explains her methods to be extremely simple to grasp but don't think for a moment this is a 'simple' book… it's depth is truly an eye-opening experience. You don't need to be Wiccan to use this book. Being open to the opportunity of learning from your own dream experiences is all that is required! Unlock your shadows, expand your own spirituality and find a new way to look at the obvious using this book. Even your current relationships will be interpreted differently once you begin to embrace Karri's ideas. For people interested in the Tarot, Karri explains the archtypes in an updated way which allows you to really grasp the essence of them. I know many people who have difficulties really understanding the 'court cards' - I suggest you allow Karri to shine her light - I doubt you will look at the Tarot or your dreams the same again! In Karri's own words… her book is summed up nicely… "Books are symbols of knowledge and wisdom. And knowledge is power. Contemporary Witches often educate themselves through voracious reading. A collection of books can mean a wealth of knowledge, ancient secrets, a desire for learning, growth and development." Karri's personal dream interpretation for 'books'. Yule - A Celebration of Light
and Warmth For the most part I enjoyed this book, even though it is no where close to Yule right now. “Yule Traditions and Symbols” was a very educational chapter. My daughter and I enjoyed learning where and how our traditions began. When you know why they are traditions it is easier to follow them (or not). I love the “Tree Blessing Ritual” on page 73-74. I never thought of performing one before and I especially like the idea of bringing our little tree into a blessing ritual. It is something that my children can participate in, each taking a direction and being a part of a simple ritual that they can make their own. (by making up their own words). The “Skirting the Tree” on page 75 however, says that it is easy and won’t require headache medicine. I disagree, it seems complicated and time consuming. Taking a christmassy table cloth and wrapping it around the base of the tree seems much easier than all the cutting, shopping for supplies and sewing involved in this one. I’m rather crafty, but the ornaments seemed a bit too hard for children to participate in but the “Garlands” on page 83 sounds delightful. I never thought of using cranberries, sunflower seeds or acorns. I can only imagine how beautiful and earthy that will make our tree and it is a definite must for our tree for now on. The “Sun-Welcoming Tree Topper” sounds very nice and definitely an option that I have never seen on a tree before. Also, again, something that children could participate in (the older ones doing the painting). As a family of environmental pagans I found the “Holiday Card” section eye opening. We make our own birthday cards all year but have never thought of making our own yule cards. Thank you! As a child myself my grama always had “Pine Cone Fire Starters” page 92, and finding a recipe for them brought a smile to my face and rekindled another tradition for me to share with my children. I really enjoyed this book and I know that I will recommend it to my friends this coming Yule. There were a few things that seemed too complicated when most of the book seemed quite simple to accomplish but I suppose that a balance is required for all. Not everyone is reading this book thinking of sharing the experiences with their children. Thank you for the opportunity to find out more about my pagan celebrations, this book brought many smiles to my lips and ideas in my head. Reviewed by:
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