Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC to review. Sadly the content within this book is not good for my mental health which I did not realise at the time so I am very sorry for that! I will give this 3 Stars as I couldn't review it properly. Apologies again!

3 stars

This book has a lot of great, detailed background on Norse mythology as an introduction to rune interpretation. I had a hard time getting through some of the rather dense text, but I did learn a lot.

[What I liked:]

•The book is obviously well researched, & seems to be a thorough introduction to Norse cosmology for the unfamiliar.

•The book does a good job of tying the names & meanings of the runes to the myths/stories it provides as background.

•The book has a visually appealing layout, & some basic charts in the front & back of the text as references.

[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Each rune is introduced with pages & pages of very detailed backstory for the characters & concepts associated with each rune. While this is a wonderful resource, I had a hard time retaining the basic information about each rune (name, symbol, basic associations, etc.) because of the long & dense text about each one. It would’ve been helpful to have a section with abridged info on each rune to get familiar with before progressing to the in-depth parts.

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

This volume is a basic guide to learn about runes and how to use them. The book is organized into ten chapters that go from origins and lore of runes to how to read runes and even do some magic with them. The book starts with some general background and history of runes. It goes over the structure in very basic terms. This is just enough to get you started on where runes come from. After that, we get some Norse mythology. This is also basic, but it is enough to provide context. Next the author covers the 24 runes in sets of 8 per chapter with meanings and interpretations. The book goes on to provide lessons on how to read small and large rune spreads. The book concludes with rune casting and rune magic. The last chapter is a good overview of some basic magic rituals. A strength here is that nothing is too complicated nor requires overly elaborate materials.

This is an accessible and easy to read book. It is a good book for beginners. I recently bought a simple set of runes to start learning and studying the runes, and this book can be a good companion source to start learning. It gives you just enough to get started without being overwhelming. In additional features it has an appendix of quick rune meanings and a glossary of terms. I do wish it had a suggested reading list for those who may want to read further or find more advanced material.

This book is a good selection for public libraries that may have pagan and esoteric materials. I would consider it optional for academic libraries, though if you have a pagan group on campus, this may be of interest.

Overall, I really liked this book, and I suggest it for beginners. Advanced readers, however, may find it a bit basic.

Comprehensive without being overwhelming in detail, this book contained all kinds of interesting information, stories, illustrations and history about runes and Norse mythology. Fascinating.

I love the In Focus series, and Runes doesn't disappoint. The information provided is easy to digest, presented in accessible and easily-understood pieces. Illustrations keep the reader engaged, and further demonstrate how to apply the knowledge presented.

I wasn't able to give an accurate review for this novel because it only gave me a "Protected PDF" download which does not work on my computer or tablet. Which is why I gave it 3 stars.

This was such a wonderful dive in to the basics of runes! Really enjoyed the writing style and inclusion of the mythological background. All around wonderful read and resource.

Very well written and fairly comprehensive for a intro book. The Gods are discussed and their rune associations. I found it interesting that Baldur was associated with Jera . I know he is associated with Sowilo but after thinking about it Jera make sense.Each rune is covered in a way that makes them understandable for today. There is even a health part of meaning for each rune which I have never seen before. All in all a great book to get someone started on runic wisdom , Those that know the runes will find it interesting also as many ideas or current uses are given which can add to your knowledge.

Runes are a way of conveying not only a form of ancient writing but a means of magic & divination. According to this author, not only did they stand for letters in the Runic Alphabet, they also symbolized the Nordic gods & deities and held deeper meaning for every day life.

This book focuses the exploration of the runes based on Nordic Mythology by giving an overview of the Norse gods & legends and then explaining each of the 24 Elder Futhark runes in three sections (subsets of 8 runes) each called an “aett”: Freya’s Aett, Hagal’s Aett, and Tyr’s Aett.

For each rune, you will be shown an image of it along with other names it is known by, how it is pronounced, its English equivalent, its upright & reversed meaning, its health interpretation, and background on the god(s)/deity it is associated with.

The author explains different ways to make your own set of runes, how to cleanse & prepare them and how to start a reading.

There are numerous helpful spreads in this book. They are broken down by chapter as to spread size. One is for smaller rune spreads, which includes ones that are great for beginners. Another chapter is for larger rune spreads, which are for more advanced readers, and include more detailed spreads. The last spread chapter contains crossover layouts from tarot and other form of divination such as The Celtic Cross Spread and the Numerology Spread.

The author also has a chapter on how to do rune magic through your rune casting practice, which includes some helpful tips that I wasn’t even aware of like, “Tradition says to use an odd number of runes for your magical message, perhaps three, five, seven, or nine. Frankly, less is more as far as spellcasting is concerned because too many runes will confuse your spiritual guides or gods, so I would recommend using anything from one to three runes.” (p. 113) There is even a handy Magical Rune List to cross-reference the rune you want to use for an intended magical purpose.

There are also handy charts for interpreting numerology through the runes and how to use all of this to make your own talismans and bind runes.

I received this book as an electronic copy for an honest review, but enjoyed it so much that I plan to purchase a copy of my own to keep in my library for reference.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve seen quite a few books on runes and found this one to be easily read and understood. It’s a good place to start, but… I’d also check on other books as there is a bit of controversy between this one and others I’ve read. I am definitely no expert in runes but I am suggesting you look at more than one book on runes if you plan to study them.

As for this book, there are decent illustrations, several charts, and easy-to-read explanations of each rune. I especially enjoyed the background, history, and reading about the legends and mythology surrounding runes. Each runic definition includes the rune name, another name (if one), the pronunciation, the English equivalent, key meaning, attributes, what it is for (in brief), health check, and what it means reversed (blank side up). There are descriptions and illustrations of multiple spreads for a reading (like in Tarot cards) as well as magical uses. The glossary at the back is extensive and is followed by an index to make things easy to find.

Recommendations: Overall, this is a good basic book for beginners, but I would definitely follow it up with other books so you can delve more deeply into the history and meaning of runes.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this digital copy.
Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

In Focus Runes

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review

So this was a pretty good guide. I liked the information that was here as well as how it was all presented. To me, this book was laid out very intuitively and it was easy to find what I wanted. Also as a visual person, I highly appreciated the pictures and charts that were included. I liked the breakdowns on the individual runes and thought those were strong sections. I also liked the last section which had some runes spreads as those are my favorite thing to find in books like this and one of my markers for a well-written guidebook. I would definitely refer back to this book when studying runes further.

While the author does seem to know their archeological history and lore they sadly omitted the fact that the Blank Rune is a modern item and never used before the work of Blum who shoehorned the lack of symbol in to fit Runes to the I-Ching. Odin did not hang on a tree nine days and nine nights as a sacrifice for a blank rune.
Also, rather than use he/him and have a paragraph explaining that, it would be so simple to use the terms They/Them.
Lastly, it needed a UPG disclaimer for some of the sections connecting certain runes to deities. There's nothing wrong with UPG and making these connections but they are not universal and a beginner can be confused by this when exploring the runes further.
In the end, while pretty and containing nice graphics and a few interesting sections of reference, this is not a rune book I recommend to my clients or students wanting to learn.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn as much as I did about Norse tradition and runes. There was a lot of information packed into the book to give a solid understanding to a beginner into learning runes, and a good place to expand upon for future studying.
The author had a solid and welcoming “voice” making it an easy to follow read. Highly recommend!

A helpful and surprisingly wide guide towards runes and casting them.

In truth I expected this to be a lot less helpful than it was, though I am already somewhat versed in runes- this proved helpful for even an intermediate.

The perfect addition for anyone looking to learn more or hone this practice.

Nonostante l'utilizzo delle rune come metodo divinatorio sia più New Age di quanto non si pensi, in realtà questo libricino può risultare molto utile a chi segue quella linea di pensiero e non si è mai avvicinatx a questo strumento di divinazione. Super utili tutti gli schemi, facili da leggere

* 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 (𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒚) 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚, 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘. *

In Focus Runes: Your Personal Guide has a lot of information about the runes, their meaning, origin, how to cast them, practicing magick with their help etc. I must say I was positively surprised by this book, it's somewhat short but it packs more information you would expect. I think it's a lovely introduction to the world of runes, but always cross-reference different sources when learning about an ancient traditions, and take the information with a grain of salt. Anyhow, I really enjoyed the rune reading spreads and magickal meanings chapters and would altogether recommend reading this little book if you're interested in runes!


Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for providing this ARC!

As a baby witch with an interest in runes and divination this book was a really good introduction! I'll definitely come back to reference this as I familiarize myself with runes.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the initial information and I thought it was great for people who have basic or little to no knowledge of Norse Mythology. The way the runes are explained and showcased was simple and practical, and I found it very easy to assimilate. Overall, this is a great little resource if you have any interest in runes.