I just completed A Witch’s Guide to Wildcraft. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a cool book! The title gives a clue as to the direction it leads to - witchcraft, paganism, alchemy, etc., but the information on “wildcrafting” plants was fascinating and useful for those using herbs (plants) for a multitude of purposes. The author provides a useful section on the identification of certain plants, their history and their uses. There is are several really cool tables that tie the plants to planets and elements and how to determine those that can work together or cancel out each other’s properties. Fascinating read! I give this book 4 stars.

This is an incredibly in-depth compendium on intentional use and care of plants. It includes a great deal of history and scientific information that I found absorbing. I was excited to get into the individual plants though I felt a bit removed from the material with the photos missing. I really appreciated the genuine care and spirit behind this book and would purchase it.

No matter what type of witch you are, you likely use herbs within your practice. The author provides a great starting point for gathering your herbs from the wild, or your own garden. Covering everything from matching plants to your intent, harvesting with respect, at the right time and with the right tools, and to processing, storing and consecrating them.

Along with some projects, this is a great book for those that are tired of buying plants online and just trusting they’re truly what you need. I’d suggest using an app on your phone to identify materials if you are not certain as they are handy and easy to use, especially if you are taking your phone with you to snap pictures along the way.

My witchcraft/magick knowledge is very limited compared to others and my foraging knowledge is practically nonexistent. I was expecting more from this book to teach me and educate me on the combined skills, but that just didn't happen. The book is rather dry and dull, there's nothing really exciting. It's like having to read a reference book, which I guess it is technically. I would have liked to have gotten more out of this but I also don't feel like I lost anything by reading it either. I think I'd just pick it up if I had a very specific question in mind and probably not for any other reason.

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC of #AWitchsGuidetoWildcraft

I would purchase this title for my library due to the current interest in foraging. However I don't think that the book is as innovative as the author suggests. The only unique aspect is the combination of foraging and a review of the mystical properties of plants

I wanted to enjoy this guide, particularly as someone who has a strong interest in wildcrafting and foraging knowledge. As someone who moved around the country (and across the ocean) often as a child, I've been very happy to become a homeowner and set down roots... as well as studying my permanent home to discover the local flora and fauna. When I saw that there was a witch-focused book on that kind of exploration, I got excited.

This guide wasn't what I had hoped for. The first quarter of the book is focused on the practicalities of foraging, and while those are valid tips, I wouldn't expect or want all of that information from a book that's advertised as serving magical purposes. Between hiking guides and Google, I have access to information on all of those topics that would better apply to my location (the Pacific Northwest) than hers (the South); having lived in both extensively, I can say that the tips and tricks for safety are VERY different for a reason.

Once we finally got to the meat of the book's intended topic, I found myself again put off by the author's attitude toward modern witchcraft. There are repeated dismissals of anything newer than 1900, particularly if the information is found online or lacks roots in a historic text. All references to magical uses for the plants provided are pulled from ancient texts on alchemy or the grimoires of mages from centuries ago. While not a bad starting point, I find it unhelpful to be unbending in your interpretation of magic beyond their time period - as societies have changed, cultures have mingled, and even science has discovered things about plants that change our understanding of their uses (both medicinal and magical). I think the wiser approach is to assume we don't know everything about a plant, regardless of how much it's been studied; as the facts and experiences around it change, so too should we reassess our medicinal and magical associations for it. This is largely a difference in opinion or divergent approaches to spirituality as a whole.

All in all, the actual plant list included in the book left me wanting more. Perhaps starting with commonly found landscaping and "weed" plants makes sense, but I felt a lot of missed opportunities existed as the book would explain one plant by mentioning another common plant in passing... and then never dig into the one mentioned, though the two were unrelated species or are specified as being for completely different uses. If I don't get information on how they differ, why mention them at all? On the flip side, we skip over lookalikes and varieties in places where it might be important - for example, wild onion and wild garlic have lookalikes that are toxic and most similarly look like the edible plants when at a younger stage of growth. I learned that as a child, but someone else picking up this book might not have that pre-existing knowledge to fall back on.

This book describes itself as containing "dozens of heart-and-home herb projects, including cleansers, powders, incense, talismans, sprays, jam and much more". Technically, there are around 32 plants included in Chapter 6: Learning about Common Plants, so there are over two dozen plants involved. Each plant includes one full example of its potential magical use, but that's it. Many of the uses are washes, which feels like a missed opportunity considering the extensive list of use ideas mentioned in the description in the first place! To be fair, more uses can be gleaned from the history of the plant, as folklore and mythology is woven into that section, but that doesn't truly provide step-by-step instructions on those additional uses.

Actual rating: 5/10 (2.5 stars) - I finished it , but I wouldn't want to own a copy or recommend it as a resource to someone else.

This was an interesting read. And definitely worth picking up.
However, I did find myself skimming through some of it. It was too much information and just couldn't hold my attention.
In saying that it wasn't a bad read.
It was probably more of a me problem then the books.