jaymi elford

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through netgalley in exchange for this review.

Victoria Strauss's The Burning Lands is book one of a two book series on what it means to have faith, influence the corse of humanity, and love. In this book we are introduced to two societies: one who harnesses the uses of Shaping (the magical system employed in this series) and allows those who own it to be free from restraint and another who carefully uses the Shapers to craft a religious tradition built with restraint.

In this book, we meet Brother Gyalo, a devout monk of the Âratist order from the second society. He has been charged with the honor of going out into sacred land to discover whether or not a secular group of Âratists survived the oppression of the Caryaxt who ruled his country for almost three generations.

His travels take him and his entourage deep into the Burning Lands, a vast desert that cannot sustain people well. Misfortune hits and Brother Gyalo is forced to use his powers of shaping to help him and a few of his crew survive, an act that causes his order to cast him out as an apostate. He arrives, along with 2 other survivors to a huge underground cavern where the secular Âratists live. As their beliefs forked off from the main branch for 3 generations, they aren't sure what to think of these outsiders. This is where we meet Axane, a girl who has the powers of Dreaming. She becomes entranced by Gyalo and his stories of the outside and declares her desire to help him escape.

The last part of the book returns Axane, Gyalo, and the others back to society where they are met with resistance and vitriol. Gyalo is banished as an apostate for having used his powers and in failing to bring the lost Âratists back to the modern ways, the Brethren take it upon themselves to destroy them themselves by using any means necessary.

This book is a triumph of storytelling, world building, and restraint of using magical powers. Yes, it's fantasy, but it has this strange undercurrent of what it really means to be alive, to be given gifts of miraculous powers, and which side of the fence is greener.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy epic fantasies with lots of world building that will have you questioning what it means to have faith, then Strauss's The Burning Lands is for you.

Disclaimer: Alinka Rutkowska emailed me a copy of her book in exchange for this review.

I typically dislike small eBooks because often they aren't well written or formatted. Alinka Rutlowska's book, How I Sold 80,000 Books, is an exception to my rule. This slim book takes only 30 minutes to read but it is jam-packed with useful information any author can apply to their publishing process. Rutkowska hooked me from the start when she reminds the reader that not everyone will have the same successes as she does because every author's goals and definitions of success are different. She then goes on to explain how product (aka your book), place, price, and promotion create a cornerstone to reaching that individual success and how authors can use these four Ps to hit their target sales.

What I liked: Rutkowska has great humor. Her bits on finding a proper editor made me giggle, mostly because I do a lot of editing for other authors myself. There were many times in this book where I found myself nodding along with the advice. It's good stuff, and written in such a way that even if you “know it all” you'll enjoy the refresher. This advice isn't just for one platform (print or ebook), it's directly applicable to both. Rutkowska also gives links to some very fun and informative videos on how to do some of the things her book talks about.

What I didn't like: There's a link to a page on her site for a product called “Kindle Spy”. I immediately loaded the page in and discovered how heavily markety-sounding it was. When I tried to close the page, it triggered a pop-up window on my browser (which has pop-ups blocked). This makes me wonder what is under the hood of that app/page. Curiously there's a section in the Promotions chapter called “Picture and Bio” but the only text under it is “see ‘Product.'”— why is this here if she wants readers to go back to the Product section. I'm left wondering how the picture and bio can be a promotional seller.

BOTTOM LINE: If you are an author and want a good, quick read that provides you with tons of traditional, and not so traditional, ways to sell more copies of your book, then Alinka Rutkowska's How I Sold 80,000 Books is for you.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgally in exchange for a review. However, I did purchase the book because I was going to do so anyways. Also, Courtney Weber is a good friend of mine.

I am new to Brigid. I've heard a lot about her, many of my friends devote energy to her and there are many rituals dedicated to her around Imbolc. Since Courtney wrote this book, I felt it was time to see just what she was all about. Needless to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. Brigid has a lot more to offer people than just using her as a goddess head for Imbolc rites.

Brigid is a multifaceted goddess who has roots in Celtic, Christian, and Hoodoo lore. Originally the goddess of the hearth, smith, and springtime, she was elevated to Saint status so that the incoming Roman empire in the British Isles could keep the locals under control. Brigid's domain is wide and she's not just the crafts-hearth-happy goddess that many think her as.

Courtney did her homework for this book. You get a bit of historical lore, and location for Brigid in her homeland of Ireland. You also get to read tales and snippets from the traditional myths discussing the goddess. Most of each chapter and each section begins with a short tale about Brigid and how she fits into being a goddess of war, or of springtime, etc. I loved this because it ties her into the culture AND makes a potential devotee think about the source material and how it can relate back to modern applications. Courtney also weaves practical magic into the book by giving you meditations, rituals (for groups and solo work), and spells to help bring creativity, focus, and other aspects of Brigid into your world.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to know more about Brigid, the “roles” she takes, and have a good foundation (and breadth) of spells, meditations, and rituals to devote to Brigid, then this is the book for you. A side note, author Lunaea Weatherstone is coming out with a book on Brigid this fall and I'm looking forward to seeing her perspective of Brigid and how the two books work together.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley in exchange for a review. I also purchased this book because highlighting PDFs are hard.

The Great Work by Tiffany Lazic is indeed a “great work.” This book is a year-long magical working that has the potential to change your life. It blends psychology, elemental working, divination techniques, breathing meditations, and alchemy in a workbook. It's a huge undertaking and I'm amazed at how well Lazic pulled in all these resources into a successful and cohesive book and program. Yes, this book is a year long program that includes journalling questions for you to answer daily.

It took me quite a long time to read; but it was so well worth it. In just a straight through reading I've learned a lot about myself, some of my own habits and where their source may have come from. Lazic distills the bits of alchemy down so well that I could begin to see the applications in my own personal life.

BOTTOM LINE: If you are looking for a group project book, or a way into doing your own version of The Great Work... then this is the book for you. I guarantee you'll learn something about yourself that helps you stay on your path.

Disclaimer: I received a eARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

If you can get past the similarities to “Cabin in the Woods,” you'll find that J.S. Leonard's Modern Rituals has the ability to become more than just a one off story. In a world where Gods made deals with people, and ritual killings (ala Cabin in the Woods) happen to prevent apocalypses, Modern Rituals introduces us to three unlikely heroes who have what it takes to change fate. Most of the book centers around how the rituals work, what goes on in them on the inside and on the “watchers” side, and what happens when an unknown party changes the score.

I liked the world that Leonard has created here. The tech, the paranormal, even the idea of “the old gods.” I expected this book to be a bit more horror-ish but I'm pleasantly surprised that it's more urban fantasy with a dash of Lovecraftian mythos. The cast of characters in this book seems to be a bit over the top but as the story progresses, we're treated to the main players' points of view, until it all comes down to everyone in the same line.

Bottom Line: Curious as to what would happen if Cabin in the Woods ended differently and gave humanity a fighting chance? Then you'll enjoy Modern RItuals.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC of this book through netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Ah, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. A deck created 100 years ago. A deck that influenced all the decks that have come since. But where did Smith get her inspirations from? What is the real story behind this deck? That's what drove Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin to write Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot. They spent a lot of time researching into the past, to bring out documents, images, and letters to tease apart many of the decks secrets.

What I liked: This book works best like a history story–where we understand who Waite and Smith were as people and mystics. Where we relate real-life locations of Smith's past as backdrops to the cards. I loved learning more about “Pixie” and her design aesthetics, of seeing other paintings she done, and understanding how she translated the design instructions into art. I enjoyed how they related these tidbits back into many of the cards, as a way to unlock meaning inside the cards.

What I didn't like: Once we get out f the extensive card by card descriptions (which were great), we get into a few smaller chapters of murkyness. These chapters have interesting spreads in them but seem to be stuffed in at the last minute. There's no real explanation on how to use or lay out the cards. It's as if the authors decided to “stuff more into an already big book” because they can.

BOTTOM LINE: This book makes me yearn for a first edition Waite-Smith deck. It gives me a connection to the deck in a way that many other books haven't. I feel like I now understand this deck and want to treat it like one of my other, modern day, favorites. Get this book to understand some of the background behind the deck.

Disclaimer: I received a eARC of this through netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Magic realism is one of my favorite writing genres. I spent a lot of time in college reading Angela Carter's works. Nalo Hopkinson's book expands on the tradition and creates a vivid world where a goddess hops into various women to understand the human conditions of love, oppression, and beating the odds. She weaves the stories of three independent woman from three different timelines in such a way that modern audiences can learn to appreciate what they have gone through.

I loved this storyline. It took me awhile to figure out what tied these three stories together. It was when I discovered the use of the “goddess” voice and went back to the beginning that I really understood what was going on. I found that my favorite tale was in Mer, and in Mari (Mary) and their journeys through enslavement and enlightenment.

This book can be a bit hard to grasp at first. But I recommend you stick with it. Hopkinson will draw you in and you'll be wanting to read parts out loud, the voice and lyrical prose is amazing

Thank you for allowing us into a brilliant glimpse of the human soul, and the oppression that the blacks went through and the stories of the woman who dealt with it.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley.com. I also purchased a copy so i could “highlight” and make notes.

Deborah Blake is an every day witch. She's married her spiritual and her mundane life together and has written this book to help guide the rest of us into doing the same. Blake says this is the spiritual successor to her earlier book Goddess in the Details. I have not read that title, yet. However, I do love books that help us witchy types through bringing more of what we believe in our daily life.

Blake's got a great sense of humor. In her “Note on Names,” she discusses how she should've taught us all to be “better Bubbas.” This made me laugh and I can totally envision myself being a “bubba” to others. Ahem.

Okay, the ideas in this book are great. Some are good reminders of how to bring the spiritual back into our lives, no matter how much we're doing. She also includes voices from other pagan authors who are living the life of an everyday witch. Everyday Witchcraft also includes many 5 minute rituals and spells that anyone can use to connect to their divine throughout the day.

Bottom Line: If you live a full life and want gentle reminders and ways to imbue your life in a witchier way... then Everyday Witchcraft is for you.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this from netgalley.

This book caught my eye due to the fact that it promised readers the ability to learn, grow, and increase their psychic abilities. I am a tarot reader who doesn't really apply the psychic tag to her own readings. However, this book, could change my mind one day.

Chauran has written a wonderful, daily workbook that if the reader follows will help them determine what a psychic is, can help others with, and uses to draw out their impressions. Each day has a short essay written about a particular topic and then gives you an homework assignment to focus on. There is no real skipping around in this book, for each exercise builds on the previous one.

I love workbooks. They help teach material on a hands-on way and empowers the reader to really know the work. I can totally see this book being used in circles or covens for study.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this from netgalley.

In A Grimm Legacy, Andi, Quinn, Fredrick, and Dylan are swept away and dropped into the world of Elorium. The world from which fairy tales come from. This whole story revolves around them figuring out how they got there and how to get home. Sounds like a great premise for a new series, right?

It could have been, had the story been edited better, the characters constructed a bit more so they were real (I had issues keeping up with everyone's name and personality), and the twists of what tale belongs to which character been better scripted so that the mystery was harder to figure out.

I had high hopes for this book. It looked like a fun way to describe where our fairy tales came from, but in the end... it failed to captivate me.

Disclaimer: I received a eARC of this book from Netgalley.com.

As pagans, we tend to revere nature. We seek solace in the trees, rocks, animals, sun, and the moon. We know about astrology and how the planets affect our studies and magical workings. But how often do we think about the stars and constellations? I know that when I look to the night sky, I see them but until now, I've never thought much to the stars as magical influencers. Sandra Kynes's book, Star Magic, is a refreshing take on how the stars–through constellations– can impact our magic.

This book is a treasure trove of information. Kynes explains our night sky, science behind the constellations and how to understand “star” names, and using the energy of the stars. The majority of the book is spent detailing many of the northern and southern constellations, the prominent stars from each, and what their magical uses could be.

I love the premise of this book! For most of my magical life, while I looked to the stars, I never really SAW them as the tools they can be. I loved how Kynes blends science, myth, and practical information of the constellations and the stars themselves to give us a new way of seeing the sky. It also includes information for both the northern and southern hemispheres, so those “down under” aren't left out.

However, I gave this book a “liked it” rating because I felt overwhelmed at times with all the info. This is a great book but it can be overwhelming for the lay person.

Bottom Line: Have you been wanting to include star energies into your magic? A fan of the stars but not astrology? Then this is the book for you. You don't need to know astrology or astronomy to use this great guide.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgally in exchange for this review.

I've always wanted to read Datlow and Windling's fairy tale series. Color me surprised when I saw this title being re-released?, eBookified?, on netgalley. I collect books on re-imagined fairy tales. I think it's important to honor both the traditional stories from which we've learned important morals from, as well as updating the stories to fit our changing culture. Datlow and Windling have this to say about these stories, “Like the wizards who roam through enchanted woods, the tales themselves are shape-shifters: elusive, mysterious, mutable, capable of wearing many different forms.” What a perfect description of fairy tales in themselves. With this in mind, I opened the eBook and dove in.

The stories are amazing. Each one has a short preface written by the editors giving information about each author and the original fairy tale from with their adaptation came from. The stories range from traditional fantasy, to contemporary fantasy, to some horror. I also liked the wide variety of sources each story came from. Some are very familiar, while others came from further corners of the world, unknown to me.

If you love mythic fantasy, and have been waiting for this book to come out in eBook format, I recommend you grab it now. So many good stories, and quotes to choose from.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this through netgalley.com. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. DuQuette at various pagan conferences and have enjoyed our conversations.

I've never really read one of Lon Milo DuQuette's books before. It's because of the title, and the fact that I've had some fond memories of the man that I decided to read through Homemade Magick. I'm glad this was my first DuQuette book. As I read it, I hear Lon's voice talking back, and smiling as he tells me a bit about himself, shares his knowledge of magick, and gives us a glimpse into his world.

At it's core Homemade Magick is part memoir, part how-to, but it's all Lon Milo DuQuette. In this fast read, DuQuette shows us that anyone can become their own magician. He disperses 40 years of knowledge in between stories of how he and his family navigated the world. He tells stories of how he got initiated, created his own tools, and transformed his own house (or hotel rooms) into a temple of worship. He then teaches the reader how they can do the same.

I loved this book for blended memoir and teaching style. DuQuette lives the life and talks the talk and he gives how to be a magician to us straight. He allows the reader to understand their work, their place in magick, and reminds us that we do not need the fancy, expensive clothes or tools to DO the work. It's all within us. Also, I loved his sections that included tarot– i'm huge on tarot magic and the uses and it's nice to see that he also notes that tarot can be a great tool for setting up magical spaces, temples, and can be used as the magician's implements.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want a true glimpse into a self-made magician, and want to know that you really can become a “homemade” magician of your own creation, get this book. Thanks Lon and I can't wait to see you next.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this through netgalley.com.

The Raven Cycle series have quickly become one of my favorite fiction settings. Maggie Stiefvater created a world where magic, science, tarot cards, and growing up amongst these feels normal. Blue Lily, Lily Blue is the third book in this cycle where Blue, Gansey, Adam and the rest of the “raven boys” seek to unravel the mystery in where an old King was buried. The book picks up where the last one left off, with Adam learning more about his connection to Cabeswater and helping the mystical area heal itself. Blue is still torn between her passions and worrying about her mother, who went missing.

I loved the budding romance and relationship between Blue and Gansey. They steal looks from one another, brush the tips of their fingertips when they can, and hold late night phone discussions that are short and sweet. This book introduces a few new characters into the mix, Professor Malory, and Piper Greenmantle, Colin Greenmantle's wife. Piper and Colin's scenes are filled with snarky discussion and helps us to understand their strange relationship.

Of course, Stiefvater ends this book on yet another great cliffhanger... which makes me long for and hope for the next volume in this great series. I've also started following Maggie's twitter feed and it's been exciting to watch her create what I hope is to be The Raven Cycle tarot deck. If I can't live in the world of The Raven Cycle, perhaps owning a tarot deck could be the next best thing.

Disclaimer: I received a eARC of this book from Netgalley.com.

I really wanted to like this book. It was line from the review page that pushed me into the decision to get it, “The Simplicity of Stillness® (SOS) is a comprehensive, yet simple method for activating the vital life Energy that accesses deep peace and infinite intelligence.” My expectation was for a book that taught me a methodology of using meditation and other tools to allow me to seek the creativity, peace, and enhance a brighter outlook in my life. Karlin's program may be great in person and in class but it fell flat in the book.

Karlin's program combines the use of recorded meditations (3 of which I received from the publisher to help this review), along with 5 other “tools” to supposedly achieve dreams, higher states, and this Energy in your life. The book, as written, didn't really help me learn those tools. Instead, I felt like I was watching a late night sales pitch. One hundred pages into the book, I expected the pitch to transform into a teaching voice... but that voice never came.

This book included a lot of endorsements on how the program helped various people through sickness, challenges, and other growth opportunities in their life. It was interesting to hear but I felt like I didn't come out of reading this book the way most changed. I suspect that if taking the courses from Karlin are much better than reading the book about the project.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this from netgally.com in exchange for a review.

The Younger Gods is a great book. It blends the urban fantasy genre with HP Lovecraftian vibes. This book tells the tale of Jacob Greene, ex-cultist, as he tries to save the world from the evils of his family. Jacob led a sheltered life, learning magic and prophesies of how his family would release The Younger Gods from their slumber. He escapes their grasp and flees to NYC in hopes he could start a new, normal life. However, his older sister follows and soon Jacob finds himself defending the city against the dark magics of his family.

A quick read, The Younger Gods sticks true to the urban fantasy genre. New York City plays an important part in this story, not just as a setting but as a character. Underwood really understands the importance of place in a story and the characters move in and around the city like dancers in an intricate play. Jacob's archaic voice lends to his ackwardness in a fun and playful way. The baddies in this book, bear names similar to those in HP Lovecraftian stories.

If you love Lovecraft tales and cities who have power all of their own, then you'll love The Younger Gods.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through netgalley.com.

The Journey Into Spirit is an important pagan book. Death, the process of dying, and grieving is a deeply personal and somewhat taboo topic in Western cultures. In this book, Hughes brings all this out into the open and has a wonderful dialog about death, grieving, and what goes on behind it all from a pagan perspective. Hughes is well qualified to write this book as he's not only pagan but has been involved in the death business as a certified anatomical pathology technologist in the UK. Talk about a fascinating job!

Hughes blends personal stories of being close to death in with factual information about what happens when we die and where “we” go when we're no longer around. The stories are poignant and are both human and animal companion based. The book also includes personal and group rituals for saying good-bye to loved ones of all types. It's these rituals and practical advice that really put a good spin on this book and make it easy for those of us who want to include rites of passing in our practices.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the use of the term “muggle” to refer to non-pagan/magickal persons. I love Harry Potter and the wizarding world but I really take offense to pagans who use the term “muggles” as a way to differential ourselves. Im my opinion, everyone is magical. Even if they don't believe in pagan magic.

Bottom Line: Go buy this book. It will expand your opinion of what death and dying is, what awaits us on the other side, and gives some advice about how to mourn and include death into a pagan belief system.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

Shanti and the Magic Mandala is a interesting book. It's been over a week and I'm not sure what to really write about this story. At it's core, Camargo has written a global, multi-cultural story about hope and working together. However, the pacing of the story is rushed and I feel the fast pacing of the plot does and disservice to the characters and their task. It's fast pace leaves you a bit wanting for more and I think this could have been a great start to a series.

This book tells the stories of 6 kids, located around various locations in the North and South American contents. Each one has been selected to participate in defeating the bad guys. Sounds like a great premise but there's not a lot of substance in how the group builds their dynamics and grows together. Instead, they accept the words from their dreams as truth and act out the parts as played.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the multi-cultural vibe to the story. It's why I requested the book. But I just felt that modern kids wouldn't just accept what they're given and leave home and life to do what they're charged to do without knowing what's really at stakes. Likewise, the baddies in this book... lacked a personality. They just operate around and don't seem to have personalities. I also loved the play on the title: Shanti. It's not just the name of a character, but of an action.

Bottom Line: Want a quick read that attempts to break the stereotype of most YA fantasy books, then this is for you.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

Sasha Graham's 365 Tarot Spreads is an interesting study in creating tarot spreads. She wrote the book to fill the gap that appeared on bookshelves, noticing that there was no “daily tarot spread” book out there. Each spread in this book, then, was created by her (or some other notable tarot alums) for practitioners to use on a daily basis. Many of the spreads were created based on: historical information, pagan or astrological date info, or literary and pop cultural reference.

What I liked: This book should be a quick read. Graham includes a wide variety of spreads and topics to fit any request. Readers could use it as a tarot-a-day study guide or just flip through the pages until a spread they need pops up. As one who loves designing spreads for her own uses, I looked at this book as a way to see the wide variety of spreads that a single person (in this case, Sasha) could create. It's a highly creative volume of spreads.

What I didn't like: This book took me forever to read. The layout includes so much side-bar information that it's a bit overwhelming and cluttered. After the book came out and I purchased the epub file, I found the file horribly designed. The spread layout images were tiny and the formatters attempted to design to the print layout, rather than to the device. Ugh. It really made reading the book on a device harder than it should have been.

Bottom Line: Love tarot spreads? Then add 365 Tarot Spreads to your collection. I've flagged many of the spreads that I'm sure I'll look back to over and over again for my own use. I also recommend that you buy the print version of the book (yes, it's huge and heavy) and skip the eBook due to the layout issues. Other than that... it's a great resource for any tarot library.

Disclaimer: Marcy Kennedy offered me a eBook in exchange for an honest review. I accepted.

Social media has exploded onto the internet. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, GoodReads... there's so many ways authors and writers can get out there and discuss their works and their words. Marcy Kennedy's Twitter for Authors takes a in-depth look at Twitter and how writers can get a handle on this medium and how they can create meaningful relationships with readers and other writers while promoting themselves.

This guide allows writers of all levels to get new tricks and tidbits of knowledge.Kennedy spends the majority of the book giving step by step instructions for the technologically shy writer in setting up their profile. But she doesn't stop there. She also gives explanation into why one would want to do things a certain way; giving us plenty of “best practices” to using the tool and getting the most out of the dialogs that happen on Twitter.

I've been an avid twitter user for years. Next to GoodReads, it's one of my favorite social media connections. I thought I knew what I was doing on twitter, but it turns out that I wasn't really using the full power of the service. Thanks to Twitter for Authors, I've gotten more ideas and ways to use the service in helping me build an audience by connecting to readers, other authors. I no longer feel like I'm wondering “why the site isn't working” for me.

Bottom Line: Aspiring writers and authors alike need this book. It will help you understand Twitter and how to use it to converse with your audience. Kennedy gives you tools and insights to connecting with others in deeper ways. It will make you want to use this above many of the other networks out there. I've already told many of my writer friends who are Twitter-shy to get this book so that they can join in on the conversation.

Twitter for Authors is also available in hard copy.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this eBook from netgalley.com in exchange for a honest review.

The cover drew me to this book. That and the short description and the fact that it was a successful Kickstarter campaign. Jeff Seymour has done something interesting with this book. He has blended fantasy, wonderful worldbuilding, and a multiple character story-telling style all in one. This is the tale of six souls brought, or woven, together to save the world.

Multiple personality stories aren't new. I've read a lot of books that alternate between he said, she said stories. But this one... wow... THIS book manages to progress a single story line and keep my interest with six plus different personalities. Each section has it's own flavor and insight and manages to weave a story as it hops from each character.

Parts of this story feels like a typical journey story, where six friends or strangers come together due to a vision to help save the world they know or love. Much of the story wraps around their common bond and the difficulties of growing beyond their home lands. But the story doesn't end where you think it ends. It ends at the end, and that end, is a new beginning. It was a great change of pace and kept my mind guessing as to where Seymour was going. I am definitely looking forward to reading book two!

Bottom Line: If you like getting to know multiple characters closely and like fantasy that has a great world, then this book is for you. It's got hints of Chinese fairytale in this (I'm not sure why I feel this way, but I do.)

Disclaimer: I received a free eBook from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos comes alive in this YA tale of magic and mayhem. Our protagonist, Sean Wyndham finds some strange mythos-related books while visiting in Arkham. One thing leads to another and he's invited to become an apprentice to a master magician. He's tasked with summoning a servitor, and when things go awry, it's up to him and those closest to Sean to set things right.

Now I love the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's works are some of my favorite writings. I even devoted a whole semester to his weird tales in college. So, it was the back copy of this book that caught my attention. I loved how Pillsworth brought the mythos into “our world” in a way that retains some of the magic but also keeps a lot of the skepticism alive. This world felt alive in a way that Lovecraft's monsters could fit into it. Secret societies, magical summonings, and dark secrets are all here. I could see many of the characters reacting to the events just as a normal person would.

That said, my biggest beef was with Sean himself. He's 17 in the book, which almost makes him an adult. However, he's treated almost if he was 13 or so in the book. A lot of his characterization doesn't make him seem like he's a 17 at all. I kept wavering between seeing an adult or seeing a very young 13 year old who makes a lot of weird mistakes. Espeically around how Sean and Eddy dealt with one another. Their relationship seemed very young... as in, “ewww cooties” whenever they got close together. It's fine not to include romance in a book, but the closer you are to a person, sometimes you do develop feelings. Especially at that age.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy a good tale involving mythos characters then you'll enjoy this book. I recommend that young adults read a bit of Lovecraft first before reading this book. It'll make a bit more sense.

Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More attempts to demystify spreads and show the reader how to harness the power of a good spread. Eshey uses the introduction to frame the rest of the book. He explains his philosophy and how a reader can get the most out of the book. The rest of the chapters break down various spreads by theme. He starts out with many of the most common spreads readers use, and then delves into spreads used for love, money and other topics.

This book is a great beginner's guide to spreads. Eshey takes the time to delve into some popular spreads that can often confuse new readers. He shares the layout of what that spread looks like, then he breaks each position down into what it asks and gives you a example from his real life. There is a wide variety of spreads and examples from Eshey's own life in this book.

What I didn't like about Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More is that sometimes the stories Eshey uses doesn't add up and really seem to answer the question that the querent gave at the beginning of the “session.” Many of the stories, don't give a specific card and how that card relates back to the position of the spread. I also found that in Chapter 2, his image for the “Card of the Day” spread doesn't seem to align with the description. This threw me off a bit...

Other than the stories being a bit too fitting and not using actual cards, I liked the book. The introduction was were I got my biggest bang for my buck with how Eshey describes his take on the purpose of spreads and how to get the most out of them. He includes many key tips for getting the most out of a spread and I was impressed how he distilled the purpose of the Major, Minor, and Court cards with ease.

Bottom Line: If you are new to Tarot and want to understand spreads and see how they can work for you, then you'll like this book. Eshey's philosophy of “people like to play,” so “make an experience interesting, you get more and more immersed in it. It really is as simple as that.” I think that beginners and advanced Tarot enthusiasts alike can find insights from this Ian Eshey's Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More.

Editor's Note: I received a free PDF of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Tarot Activity Book, written and published by Andy Matzner, is a wonderful book to explore both the deck and yourself. Andy Matzner is a clinical social worker and Tarot reader who has found how to blend therapy sessions and Tarot in a fun and self-constructive way. With this book, Matzner has created a fun and co-creative way to explore the cards and yourself. Appropriate for all Tarot enthusiasts, this book will get you connecting to the cards in no time.

The Tarot Activity Book has 4 chapters: an Introduction, Conversation Starters, Writing & Journaling, and Arts & Crafts. The introduction gives you the background for why the book was written. Then the next three chapters (and a final appendix) gives you lots of activities that revolve around the topic of the chapter. Each activity follows the same pattern: there is a name, an objective, a background, and then the process. This makes the book highly usable and portable. If you read tarot for others, you can flip to an activity and quickly tell them why the activity will help them with their question or concern.

I love activity books. They're great for advancing your skill set in a wide variety of ways. The Tarot Activity Book doesn't disappoint at all. There are so many activities, it's almost like activity overload. I found myself highlighting and bookmarking activity titles like crazy. And while I have yet to try these, I am so looking forward to testing them out solo and with my Tarot friends. The book is well organized—each activity and section builds off on one another. I love that some give insights into our personalities, while others give us creative outlets (both written and visual). For those of you who love quotes, this

There's not much to dislike about this book. It took me forever to get through it because there's so much good inside it. I almost wish there was an index at the back to break down all the activities by emotional benefit, or objective. Oh, and I wish that Matzner produced this in eBook format.

Bottom Line: If you want to connect to your deck and learn more about yourself as a person, then get The Tarot Activity Book and do the exercises in it.

There are a lot of good tarot books out there that teach tarot. Tarot Foundations is one of them. Styled as a workbook, it gives you daily small focused chunks of learning tarot card meanings, spreads, and interpretations. While it's for those who know nothing of tarot, even us more experienced can find something inside to try and test out. Brigit Esselmont, owner of Biddy Tarot, shares her years of experience with readers and takes the scary out of learning the card's system.

I love workbook style formats. Esselmont does a great job breaking down the bits of tarot and leading readers through a step-by-step format of knowing the cards She stars with the basics, and then moves into the cards by group, before finally showing you how you can read and start your own tarot reading service. There are a lot of activities in this book and it may take readers more than 31-days to finish the work herein.

It took me a lot longer to finish Tarot Foundations than I expected. With this being an eBook, there are also lots of links to Esselmont's blog and other sites. Some of the links are not working but that doesn't deter from the content. She's even included charts and worksheets that you can use to record your own explorations. My biggest problem was wanting to play with the cards after every day.

BOTTOM LINE: If you are intimidated by tarot and want a safe and steady way to learn the cards then give Brigit Esselmont's Tarot Foundations a try.