Member Reviews
Perfect gift for any witch or pagan!
Simply amazing!! Everything a witch or pagan needs to begin the new year and use the seasons and sabbaths to bring the power and prosperity of nature to them.
Even someone who only relatively new to the spiritual and metaphysical scene, this book was easy to digest, read and process with pictures to help you out along the way. Especially when it gave advice on how to protect yourself and centre your energies before attempting any of the spells or traditions, it allowed for even newbie witches like me or younger to keep themselves safe when entering the world of magic and metaphysical.
It goes over all eight sabbaths or seasons, and gives interesting history behind each celebration, as well as a small plethora of rituals for each so that everybody can enjoy and partake in natures cycles. (Including thank goodness a notice for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere they may have to go in a slightly different order).
All you need and more wrapped up in one beautiful book.
OK, I've got thoughts that I need to share they have been plaguing me the entire time I have been reading this book and I must get them out of my head. Let's start by saying that this is an ok book in my opinion. There were parts I loved and others that I didn't care much for which evens the score back down to three.
Before we dive too deep into discussing the actual contents of the book I have to speak on the ARC itself. This arc was formated very weirdly and if you have read other reviews from people who also read this as an arc you will know what I'm talking about. I personally read this one on my phone so the issues of pages being flipped around was navigatable for me. I would however recommend against a digital version of this book as I do feel that it would work best as a physical book for a reason I will get into later.
With that out of the way back to the book itself. I quite liked the contents of this book. I have been reading about witchcraft for a couple of months now and I find it fascinating. In some of the other books I have read they have mentioned the wheel of the year and I have been dying to read a book that went more in-depth on that topic. Low and behold one appeared before me, thank you universe. I found this book to be highly informative and loved everything it had to say.
Now onto the bits that I didn't like as much. At times this book felt repetitive. When reading through a section I would occasionally get the thought, didn't you just say that, and that is never a good thought to have when reading. I also found that this book was not all that enjoyable when consumed all at once. To me, this feels more like a coffee table book. The text kind of drags on when you read it all at one and towards the end I found I was skimming through some of the sections. This book was also gorgeous. The images in here were all top-notch and such an aesthetic. The contents also feel like its best consumed in preparation for the holiday so that you can get into the spirit and be prepared. With all of the spells and rituals sprinkled through it also felt like it would serve as a great bit of reference material.
This is what I mean by a coffee table book. This book would do great sitting on a switched coffee table. It looks nice, it's divided into simple and concise sections, and there is stuff to consult back on quickly. You could leave this out and have guests flip through it while your getting refreshments or something and it can be a conversation piece.
For these reasons I probably had a bit of an off experience with this book just because of the way, I consumed it versus how it feels like this book wants to be consumed. Either way I still quite liked this book and would recommend that every witch has a copy for reference.
This is a really beautiful book, filled with gorgeous, dark photos that the author took (always a plus in this day of stock photography). She is apparently well liked on Instagram, and that shows in the photos. I am not Wiccan so I can't speak to how authentic it is. I loved the visual appeal of it and I liked reading the history of each holiday from all different traditions and cultures, plus the many projects and activities.
As other early reviewers have noted, my ARC had pages upside down that made it very hard to read at times. I read it on the new Net Galley app so I could zoom in on the small pages, but if I'd tried to read it on other devices it would probably have been maddening. I won't deduct stars for that, though, since that's not the author's fault and I have no doubt that people who purchase physical or digital copies of the final book will not have to deal with that. Still -- publishers, give reviewers proper ARCs to read if you want us to review your books!
All in all, this is a really moody, beautiful, informative book. I see from looking at reviews by actual Wiccans that they vary widely in whether they liked it or not, though, so you may want to preview a copy first.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
This book is fab!!!
Not only is it pleasing to the eye with some lovely photography and layouts, its incredibly informative - but not so informative that it feels overwhelming like some previous books I have read.
It not only explains what each Sabbat is for, it tells you the dates (in both hemispheres) gives you ideas for rituals, food, altars, tarot spreads, astrology, and the origins too (for a variety of different religions/faiths/cultures)
I loved learning about how the pagans, celts and other cultures would look at each Sabbat - found this the most interesting as I only knew about one area for each, so I feel this has really given me more knowledge.
The book is laid out so well, and is easy to digest. I think this book would be great for more knowledgable readers and beginners alike. It is great to read all in one go, and I would also use it to dip in and out of at the start of each Sabbat session.
Highly recommend this book!
For seasoned practitioners and beginners alike, this book is one I would highly recommend. The cover is a beautiful image of the wheel of the year that sets the tone for the book. It is highly informative and breaks down the various days that make up the wheel of the year. For each of the Sabbats, there is information about the history of the day in addition to practices you can do to depend your connection to not only yourself but the greater universe. The inclusion of a table showing the correspondences of the wheel of the year is handy. I’m not the best at remembering what happens when and this gives a quick visual aid that is easy to read and use. Even better, the book also includes information and correspondences for the Southern Hemisphere! While I live in the Northern Hemisphere, I rarely see information that also considers the whole other half of the world. Overall, the approach to this book is clear and concise. If you need information or a refresher on the basics, this is the book for you!
I adore reading books on the craft and holidays. This book is so well written and laid out that I fell instantly under the author’s spell and could not put it down. Sure, I am familiar with the holidays and rituals, but there is always something new to learn. This book lays out the year for you and gives background, blessings and rituals to enjoy each as the year progresses.
This will make a wonderful book for a few friends who are new to the craft. A great gift for anyone interested in the seasons and holidays. A beautiful book through and through.
This is a great beginners guide to all the seasonal celebrations of the year. I loved the format and the stunning images that went along with the practical applications. I could tell that the author tried to incorporate many different cultures into each segment. Usually the primary focus in books of this kind are mainly focused in Norse and Celtic mythos, and while this did have a lot of that (due to the nature of the history of sabbats,) there were still segments that highlighted different deities as well. I found the rituals and practices easy to follow and there were many that I've never seen before. This is definitely a must have for any new witch's resource library.
This book is just beautiful. The full length color pictures really set the mood and give the reader some inspiration. There is a wealth of information in here, but it manages to balance nicely with the practical. There are so many great ideas in here that most practitioners should be able to find something to pique their interest.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author Anjou Kiernan for letting me read this arc. I identify as a pagan and am very interested in anything to do with paganism, and the occult. This book is full of interesting facts and new things to learn about, reading all about the different sabbats and how to celebrate them in the old ways is something I’m looking forward to trying. I’d recommend this book highly as its incredibly educational.
Actually reading "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year' has proved to be nearly impossible. This is mostly due to the pages being at times turned up side down with absolutely no reason or rotated 90 degrees. I'm really hoping people who are paying for their digital copy are getting one that has ben set correctly since the protected PDF that I got as an ARC is not. I'm also hoping the graphics and pictures are in a way better quality.
So while I really wanted to read everything I decided against ist. Maybe someone who isn't physically affected trying to read this can tell you in-detail about the information. This witch cannot since it's threatening to give her a migraine because her eyes and brain can't deal with it.
But onward to the information that I did read.
I was hoping for well-researched objective book about the Witch's Wheel of the Year. What I got was a mixture of some witchyness, a lot of witccan, and paganess everywhere. Seems like witches have to be pagan nowadays. And as say this as a witch and pagan myself: this is not the case. So why does it go on and on about neopagans here and pagans there and deities everywhere?
I'm used to witchcraft books being Wiccan. It'S damn near impossible to get one that is at the minimum not wiccan-influenced. But now to have paganism being thrown into the well as well?
What I especially did not like was the way different pantheons (at least open ones as far as I've seen) were used like ingredients. This holiday correspondends with these herbs, these candles, these scents, and these deities. Build an altar for Hel and receive this kinda writing.
At least in my practise that*s damn respectless and also, why would someone who is not at least inclined to the Norse pantheon build anything for a Norse god? As long as I'm not working with a celtic deity I for sure won't be demanding anything from someone from that pantheon?
I mean, what? Seriously.
In a way I thought this would be a nice beginner's book. Getting a basic understanding to build your practise on or come back to relearn it. What I got was information like Christmas is an alternative name for Yule (those are very different holidays that aren't even on the same date or in the same religion???) and how to misuse deities as ingredients. Joy.
I'm also seriously bothered by it being supposed to be for witches and then having such a huge focus on religion. There are so many witches who don't work with or even believe in any God or Gods.
Beautifully written and a step-by-step explanation for someone new to the "craft." Beautiful illustrations and practical information. A definite add to the personal library.
Absolutely stunning guide, beautifully illustrated and photographs, wonderful and helpful content to guide you through the practitioners year, will definitely be buying a physical copy for permanent reference, brilliant for those new and the more experienced, wonderful
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
I like how this book is short and to the point but still packed with tons of information. I also liked how it begins with Yule, which is the beginning of the year while most people think it is the end. I learned a lot about specific cultures in this book; while I wish it covered more cultures, I understand that that would be difficult to do. Along with the text, the photography is gorgeous and really adds to the whole feel of the book.