The Pagan Portals series contains bite sized books about a small section of the pagan world. This installment is about the Fairy Queens of the Otherworld. The book starts with an introduction to the Fairy Queens and then goes into how to work with them. I am fascinated by the fae and enjoyed this book. It's just a start -enough to get you interested. For more in-depth reading, the author has many more books on fairy.

The Fae, especially their queens, are beings you don't want to go into dealing with blindly. This was an excellent guide, especially for those who are unfamiliar with them. This not only covers the more popular lore and stories, but gives the reader some guidance when trying to connect with them. Whether you're a novice or more experienced practitioner, this is an excellent resource.

An interesting look at the mystic world of fairy.

I went into the book expecting it to be more of an intro to the fairy world and its inhabitants and while it offers some of that it is more of a connection tool for connecting with the mystic realm.
While its still an interesting read it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Grab this book for a unique look at things and see if you can see a fairy or two.

They are the Queens of Fairy, noble ladies of the Fae, mistresses of the Otherworld: mysterious, alluring, powerful, and sometimes dangerous. But they can also be great allies and mentors — if they are approached in the proper manner. In this short but informative primer, Morgan Daimler takes readers through a brief introduction to fairy lore and lands; several different fairy Queens; and the means by which to approach and work with them.

Daimler has made a name for themself in the Pagan community as an expert on the Fae, penning half a dozen different books, as well as maintaining a regular blog and online presence (where they constantly correct misinformation). Fairy Queens is no exception: this is a fascinating and well-researched book, filled with information derived from both primary sources and the author’s personal experiences.

The book is laid out in a straight-forward manner. Daimler begins with a discussion of social structure among the Fae, then sets about introducing readers to six different Queens (the Queen of Elfland, Nicnevin, Áine, Aoibheall, Cliodhna, and Una). They close the book with an analysis of Fairy Queens in pop culture and literature (such as Titania and Gloriana), and how to work with the Queens. Personally, I found Nicnevin to be the most fascinating, the Scottish Queen “who rode on the storm and marshaled the rambling host of wanderers under her grim banner.”

If I have one complaint about Fairy Queens, it’s that the book needed a more thorough edit. There are a number of noticeable typographical errors (such as possessive apostrophes where a plural was intended, e.g. “mother’s” instead of “mothers”).

Overall, I found Fairy Queens to be well-written, well-researched, and inspiring. It makes me want to reach out to one or more of the Queens myself. Highly recommended to fans of Daimler’s other work, those with an interest in the Fae, and fans of The Celtic Goddess by Trevor Greenfield, The Cailleach by Rachel Patterson, and Gwyn ap Nudd, Wild God of Faery, Guardian of Annwfn by Danu Forest.

Well written and easy to read and follow along. Fairy lore is a favorite of mine and I learned quite a bit even with all the knowledge I already had. I would recommend to my patrons

Pagan Portals Fairy Queens by Morgan Daimler
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

102 Pages
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing / Moon Books
Release Date: September 27, 2019

Celtic Religions, Spirituality, Paganism & Neo-Paganism, New Age, Goddesses

The book includes many women that are considered Faeries (Fae), Queens, and/or Goddesses. The author does an excellent job including the history and lore of many of these women. She includes basic manners if you meet a Fairy Queen including what not to do. There is a breakdown of the different Courts of Fairies which is important to know if you meet one. There are ways to honor the Fairy Queens along with Journeys to meet them. These Fairy Queens are included:
Queen of Elfland
Nicnevin and Cyre-Carlin
Aine
Aoibheall
Cliodhna
Una
Titania
Morgen le Fay
Gloriana

I really like the meditations she includes along with the different journeys to meet different fairies. I love the mention of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series.

In this book Morgan Daimler takes you on a practically journey to meet the fairy queens. In it you learn how to enter the Fairy realm through meditation, how to work with a guide to traverse the realm safely and successfully and what queen's you can ask to meet with. The book covers fairy etiquette, what not to do, what to offer the queens in order to avoid a negative experience and also to stress the importance of respect for these ancient beings. The Fairy have been spoken of for centuries and are culturally significant in Irish and Scottish traditions and they need to been treated as such. There are suggestions for why you would work with specific queens, when to approach them and what offerings they are likely to appreciate.
The book also covers the various Irish and Scottish Fairy queens mentioned in historical texts/poems etc. as well as how they are represented in modern novels/culture. This is great for the reader who is just looking for background on the Fairy legends and queens without necessarily ever planning to work with them one on one.
Whatever your intention, the book is approachable and easy to follow. It offers more resources for further research if you are so inclined. It's a great gateway to the Fairy World and working with it's queens.

This was a very charming rendition of fairy Queens. It referenced a few of the queens and where they are from as well as behavior in the presence of royalty. Advice on how to reach them and meet them through meditation and journeying is provided of course. I found the book to be very enchanting. I enjoyed reading it very much.

The following is only my personal viewpoint - take my words with a grain of salt. Morgan Daimler provides a folkloric overview on the subject of Fairy Queens. The book is a quick read - I completed the ebook ARC in 2 days. If you are uncertain if you would like this book, I suggest seeking out Daimler's YouTube channel first and listening to her speak. I have watched her videos and feel she has much intelligent thoughtful wisdom to share but her speaking manner is academic. Daimler obviously takes her subject seriously and the reason I watch her videos is I appreciate the intelligence and integrity she brings to her videos. Her written voice is similar. But the clinical way of writing, leads to the reader feeling rather apart and disengaged. Perhaps a more personal and varied style of writing would increase her connection with her reader? My other issue was that she didn't provide any personal anecodotes or examples at all. She would , for instance, mention the need for proper etiquette and then would mention that "in her experience" she found a particular practice helpful. But there was never, through out the entire book, any actual anecdotal material on what she has seen, heard or intuited about faeries. I kept waiting for a page to appear where she'd describe something that had actually happened to her but there was no information provided. As for the guided journey - I could have easily read one suggestion and then implemented my own technique. For those of you who don't want or need personal anecdotes, this book might be exactly what you need. I just felt I wanted to know about what Daimler had actually experienced rather than just being given a general overview of faery queen folklore. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I think the author has much much wisdom to offer - but perhaps an insight into specific experiences of her would provide a warmer tone to the book.

this was a good read, from the moment I saw the premise I was interested and it didn't disappoint. The characters were great and I really liked the world building in the book.

This book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be and I’m surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it anyways.

Pagan Portals:Fairy Queens provides insight into Fairy Queens for students and scholars alike but is also just as appealing to someone who is neither. My interest in the topic comes from the wide range of fantasy fiction I have read that follow pagan belief systems and thus I read it for enjoyment.

This as very well written and excellently researched! Especially for someone new to the subject. It was also quite short which made it easy to follow! While the book is filled with information it is not overwhelming! I found myself wanting to read more and ask questions.

Thank you to net galley for providing me with an arc copy. It was a very happy mistake!

This quick, engaging read is definitely worth checking out if you're interested in bringing fae magick to your practice. I love that it brings three levels of information: historical, anecdotal, and guided meditations so that you can experience the Fairy Queens for yourself.

As far as first looks go, I personally wouldn't use this to dive into Fairy for the first time. That's probably just me, but given how cautionary the author is about not offending them, I want to get to know the other realm before marching into a Fae court like I own the place. And while the cautions start to feel repetitious, what I know about the fair folk says that it's warranted. However, this is definitely recommended for those who want to go deeper into the fairy lands.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Released on September 27th of this year, "Pagan Portals: Fairy Queens" by Morgan Daimler is the most recent installment in Daimler's writings about their brand of Fairy Witchcraft and follows their earlier "Pagan Portals: Fairy Witchcraft" and "Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk." Daimler has, in my opinion, thoroughly established themselves as The Modern Expert on Fairy Witchcraft, and Fairy Queens is a truly excellent addition to their collection of published works.

Like Daimler's other books in the Pagan Portals series, Fairy Queens is a thorough introduction to the practice of and folklore behind working with The Scottish and Irish queens of the fair folk while also helping to open the door for the reader to personally explore a deeper practice. There's a little bit of something for everyone in this book, whether you are brand new to the Fairy Queens, primarily interested in them academically, or looking to build or deepen a personal spiritual relationship. Each chapter begins with information grounded in the myth, folklore, and ballad materials on the Queens, which is great if you're brand new to the Fair Folk or looking to deepen an existing relationship. Morgan also includes some shared and unverified personal gnosis on the Queens, which I appreciate because for me it helps make the material feel more approachable overall. Finally, each of the chapters on the queens ends with a guided meditation to help you meet each of the queens, if you choose to build a relationship with them. There are also chapters to help you meet a spirit guide/ally to help you on your journeys and more modern and pop culture references to the queens.

Fairy Queens is positively chock full of very accessible information and tons of recommendations for further resources to help you learn more about absolutely anything you want to know about The Queens. Honestly, the resources recommended by Daimler are one of my favorite aspects of their work. Seriously, this book would be worth its cost for the bibliography alone, and yet it is a fully fleshed-out resource for everyone who wants to learn more about Fairy Witchcraft. This book gets five stars from me.

I just couldn't get on with the writing style of this one - the sentences felt short and kind of dull, honestly. I can't deny that there was some decent information, and I think I would have really liked this had it been written in a less stilted way. But I also acknowledge that maybe this book just wasn't for me. I also kind of went into this thinking it would be information about Fairy Queens, which there was a little of that, but it seemed more focused on the practical exercises/rituals and I didn't feel inspired to try them out.

Having read some Pagan Portals books before I knew that this would be an intersting and informative read.

Its not too long but is full of information about meeting the Fae and the Fairy Queens. It covers some Scottish and Irish Fairy Queens.

A great book to have on hand as a resource.

Thanks to Netgalley and Moon Books for the ARC. ( My review is my own opinion.)

Pagan Portals - Fairy Queens: Meeting the Queens of the Otherworld wasn't what I was expecting. I had hoped to read the stories/legends of various fairy queens and "meet" them in that way. Instead, there was very little information about each queen followed by a guided meditation to journey into fairy to actually meet these queens.
I wasn't terribly comfortable with the way the information was presented. I am not sure what more needed to be said, but I felt like something was missing.

Thank you to NetGalley and John Hunt Publishing Ltd for this free copy of Pagan Portals – Fairy Queens. The review to follow is my own and honest.
This is my first “Pagan Portals” book and I’ve been wanting to read one for a while as I have read reviews that despite their 100ish pages that they pack quite a punch. This is also my first Fairy only book that I’ve read.

I was not disappointed by the quality of the Fae content, it was in depth, adequate to educate both a beginner as well as keeping someone who is more knowledgeable interested. My only criticism is the amount of meditation information. I feel that it didn’t need to be repeated as often as it did, especially given the small number of pages. I’ll definitely be reading further Pagan Portals books.

Super quick and rather informative read about fairy lore, more specifically Fairy Queens. I did find the descriptions of the lore fascinating. It was obvious the author did a lot of research into the subject.

Think it should do well with pagans wanting to expand their horizons and work within those traditions. Daimer helpfully provides starting points such as guided mediations and other applications to help beginners of the craft on their way.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I'm not a big fan of Fairy and I never worked with them or anything related.
I was curious and and I wanted to learn something more, this book was perfect.
It's well written, I liked how it's organised and I learned a lot about Fairy Queen, how to approach and work with them.
It was an interesting and instructive read.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

.My thanks to John Hunt Publishing/Moon Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Pagan Portals - Fairy Queens’ by Morgan Daimler in exchange for an honest review.

In this short book Morgan Daimler provides a great deal of information along with practical exercises linked to exploring Faerie that are suitable for both those new to the subject and the more experienced. I consider myself in the latter group as I have interacted with Faerie for many years.

Daimler opens with guidelines and rules for interacting with the Good People. Her main suggestion for building these relationships is through guided meditation and inner journeying. She makes the sound suggestion of keeping a journal to serve as a record of these encounters.

She clearly has a strong grasp of both historic and academic literature as well as sources for folklore and includes notes and a bibliography.

In addition, she writes how the Fairy Queens are portrayed in popular culture. She makes the excellent point that in the modern world people often don’t come to the Fairy Queens through folklore or literature but through fiction.

She writes: “Just like Marvel Comic’s Thor isn’t the same as the actual Norse god but can help people take those first steps to meeting him, the fictional Queens should be understood as characters rather than Otherworldly beings. But that doesn’t mean those beings don’t exist and can’t be worked with–we must just work to unwind them from the layers of modern fictional backstory to find their true core.”

Overall, I appreciated her down-to-earth attitude. Although I hadn’t heard of her before reading this book, it was quite obvious that she was writing from personal experience.

While I wasn’t in a position to test her meditations, I have written many guided meditations and so could evaluate them. I found them inspirational and well constructed with clear instructions. I wouldn’t have any hesitation in using them personally or recommending this book to others interested in connecting with the Fairy Queens.