I always enjoy a book that is easy to understand. A little humor never hurts either. This book is perfect for beginners but there's always something to be learned by experienced witches as well.. User friendly, something for everyone. Great as a reference book,. I received this book from Net Galley and Tiller Press for a honest review. This is it.

Fire Lyte's "The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft" is the book I wish I'd had when I first started exploring the possibility of living a more magical life. The combination of encouragement, straightforward advice, and humor made this book not only a pleasure to read, but it also had me thinking more deeply about my own practice, examining not just what I want out of it, but how I can be a good member of the witchcraft community.
Not every topic in this book is comfortable to read; Fire Lyte encourages us to examine our privilege and to question things. Magic isn't just wand-waving and chanting -- the core of it is self-knowledge and growth, both in the mundane and magical aspects of our lives.
His advice to question things, to research, to delve deeper, to recognize when you've made a mistake and learn from it are all so needed at this point in time, not just in the witchy community, but in the world at large.
"The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft" is like having a knowledgable friend (one who's encouraging, but expects you to deal with your own BS and recognize the BS others are trying to sell...) guiding you through what it means to be a witch. Add a dash of humor, lots of practical advice, and the occasional "Legally Blond" reference, and you've got a book that I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the witch life.
I only wish I could give it more than five stars!

This book gives an excellent beginner's framework for the modern practice of witchcraft. I have nearly zero framework for understanding this practice, and I found this to be an excellent introduction to the ideas and range of beliefs as well as good practices for safety and inclusion. This seems to be a great starting point for anyone interested in the subject matter.

I was really surprised by this book. I feel that it really is a perfect introduction to a modern magical practice. Fire Lyte is realistic in his tips and is honest in the important conversations that are going on in the community right now. While addressing that it can be daunting to get into a magical practice this is an engaging read that really leads you into the world and puts all the cards on the table. While reading this it felt like someone was sitting down with you with a warm beverage saying, “So I heard you like that witchy shit, here’s what you need to know.” So often information is either not discussed or you’re expected to know everything right off the bat, and Fire Lyte reveals the man behind the curtain to catch everyone up to speed. I feel that this is a must read for all new practitioners.

I really like how the author lays things out in terms that are easy to understand. He addresses quite a few topics from avoiding being taken advantage of my unscrupulous people who really aren’t there to guide you to forging your own path. I have long held the beliefs that only I can determine my own path and rituals. I couldn’t agree more!

While the book is a little longer than I think it needs to be, I’m not familiar with the author and don’t listen to his podcast. Perhaps that is why I feel this way since I’m not familiar with his style, so take my opinion for what it’s worth.

This is a really good book. The way the author outlines the different senses and how they can relate to witchcraft was extremely well researched and written. This book kept me interested throughout.

I can't say enough good things about this book. For one, I absolutely adore Fire Lyte's style of writing. It feels like you're talking with a super cool magical friend. I love the practicality and no-nonsense approach to all things magic, I definitely giving this book my thumbs up! I voluntarily read this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a good read for those who are interested in learning about witchcraft, especially great for beginners. I thought it would be unique to read as it is something I don't know much about. Personally, I found the book difficult to get through as it doesn't align with my interests. I found the chapters to be quite long and unfortunately, I didn't find myself wanting to learn more about this topic. That being said, I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in learning about and expanding on their spiritual/magical journey!

There are a lot of great things about this book. The first being that it does bring up a lot of community issues that are seldom discussed in-depth in beginner books. It gives a lot of guidance on how to spot people who might be looking to take advantage of your time or money and how to find the people who are genuinely there to help. It also deals with a lot of doubts someone might have when beginning to practice and comes with a healthy dose of skepticism.

I appreciate that the spells contained in this book are framed as outlines rather than instructions set in stone. Included are a lot of variations to achieve different results as well as an explanation of WHY you are doing what you are doing which is generally lacking in other books. You can perform a set of instructions perfectly but if you don't understand what you're doing the results probably won't be great.

With that said, I do think that the style of writing in this book isn't for everyone, myself included. It's very chatty and filled with pop culture references that really aren't my thing. It could have been a lot shorter but then again that would take away many of its unique features. I'm sure this would read better if I was a listener of the author's podcast beforehand and was able to imagine him speaking to me.

This book is a definite 5 stars. I follow Fire Lyte on different social media’s, and this book is very much in his voice and I could actually hear his voice in my head as I read it. I will say this is not a typical beginner book for witchcraft. It’s a let’s look at things and be smart about it kind of book, instead of this is the origins of witchcraft and this is how you do magic kind of book. People do need to realize that before they step in so they don’t wind up upset. However I do think this is a book every beginner should read.

I decided to read this book because I am truly not familiar with nothing regarding these practices or the ideas behind them aside from what I have seen online. While obviously this book is about witchcraft, it starts out with talking about the expectations and ideas that people have about witchcraft on both sides of the aisle and what it can actually be to the people that practice it.
This book was really out of my comfort zone, but it was really informative and I learned a lot. If anyone is interested in a very broad overview of the idea of witchcraft and the realities of it either personally or academically - I think this book is a very good starting point.

This book is a great starting place if you're just starting to explore the world of witchcraft, practicing witchcraft, exploring your spirituality, or interested in Paganism.

This is one of those "witchy" books that go beyond what you would normally read now. I loved how this book was informative and fun to read; I feel like I really took some things from this book. This is one that I will recommend and buy a physical copy of to keep! This book is a lot of fun to read and makes me feel like anyone can be a witch!

A really great addition to the beginner books. Things to consider, to look out for. A theory type of book with some spells at the end. Not a typical beginner book but needed.

This reads as if you’re having a conversation with the author, which makes this book feel both approachable and surface-level at the same time. Somehow it spends a ton of time explaining what a witch is and how media has skewed the average person’s view of the magical practitioner, but it doesn’t get much deeper into the complex and tragic history of witchcraft. I’m torn on how to rate this. The spells at the end were great and made the book itself worthwhile, but the first half just needed something more….

Honestly, I did not get past the first chapters. It talked too much about witchcraft and how it has been represented in the media. I found that chapter to go longer than I would have wanted. I wish the second half of the book was larger, and the first half shorter. All in all, it is a different book about witchcraft, just not my type of book. I did not feel a connection to it and don't feel it's a book I would be coming back to.

The Dabblers Guide to witchcraft by Fire Lyte teeters on the line between beginners and advanced book on witchcraft. This book is a good introduction to witchcraft theory with a very grounded view on the subject. The spells included in the book are few and not difficult but most of the book debunks and questions witchcraft and the magical community. This is why I believe that this book would be better for someone who has moderate experience with witchcraft as this book is a lot to get through. I appreciate how the book talks about the influence of media and how it touches upon different parts of witchcraft.

This book is a modern guide for witchcraft beginners and aspiring practitioners. Basic beginner concepts are introduced in an accessible way through a contemporary lens, which makes the message easy to grasp and fun to hold on to. Geared towards the person who is “spiritual, but not religious”, this book poses an opportunity to open the floodgates for the exploration of the world of witchcraft for the curious beginner. Essential basics, like vetting legit practitioners and dodging common beginners' mistakes, are thoroughly explored. Fire Lyte uses pop culture to reach the reader in a familiar and approachable way, including discussions that vary from American Horror Story to the Salem Witch Trials. His language is witty at times, yet also reassuring and comforting. He mentions moments that are relatable to many beginner modern practitioners, such as the obligatory Scott Cunningham phase. He provides guidance on where readers can go after this book, including tools like Youtube and podcasts to dive deeper into witchy subjects. There are many witchcraft books that leave the reader with no next steps, but this author gently nudges the reader in the right direction. Fire Lyte carefully provides tips and tricks to send the reader on their way, including offering thrifting materials as an alternative to buying new and brings up modern reinventions on the classics, such as using the notes app as a grimoire. As an art history major, I appreciated the mention of the significance of researching non-witchy fields, like art history and chemistry, which is an aspect I often see left out of beginner witch books. Additionally, I especially appreciated the spells in this book because they mostly only include mundane objects. This thoughtful, beginner-friendly spell section allows for the reader to immediately put their witchy aspirations to work. This book challenges popular biases, like “good magic” and “bad magic” while also pushing against UPG. Importantly, he doesn’t shy away from discussing some of the problematic aspects within spiritual spaces, such as toxic “love and light”, spiritual bypassing, gatekeeping, and cultural appropriation. Overall, Fire Lyte provides a conversational and enjoyable first glance into witchcraft for beginners.

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I greatly appreciate the level of skepticism and the depth of explanation provided in this book. It takes a long hard look at aspects of the witchcraft community that are taken for granted and, unfortunately, often used to gatekeep and shame other witches. This is an excellent resource for all witches, whether they be dabblers of the craft or longtime workers.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

This book was informative and interesting. Well done!