It was an interesting and informative book, perfect if you are starting the path or you want to refresh some thing.
The explanations are clear, there''s a lot of interesting idea.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

the book mentions the different crystals & herbs & their meaning & uses. also goes over basic materials that would be need to cast spells & learning the different witchy vocabs such as book of shadow. the different water properties & moon phases. explains how to set up an altar & the different divination tools. the importance of grounding / protection. i feel like this book contained a lot of good materials that a new or any witch at any stage can easily follow along with.

Spells for change by Frankie Castanea is a captivating book with well articulated information about beginner witchcraft, activism and empowerment through your craft. This beautifully presented book inspires the reader to take action in their lives - in their internal worlds and through societal change. Spells for change touches on key subjects which are linked to witchcraft, that are so often left out of discussion. For example the history of witchcraft and the suppression of communities and cultures are recognised in this book. Important components of a materialistic world are also mentioned, such as not purchasing endangered white sage.
The book also helps a beginner witch build a strong foundation to craft their practice upon. This is done by offering the reader a plethora of crystals, herbs and other material correspondences
I found the correspondence section of the book to be extremely useful, with information about the practical, commonly found materials as well: salt and lemon etc. The author shares knowledge that could shake even the most advanced of witches. For me as a semi-beginner witch I learnt a variety of fascinating facts. The author further provides several links and resources for those who wish to venture down different paths, learning more about the specific chapters.
For instance at the end of the book, a series of links to further research are provided.
This book is a currently up to date piece, with intentional, aware writing, mystical illustrations and a captivating tone. I only wish that the book’s practical spells and techniques offered more alternatives for witches who don’t have access to different coloured candles or types of crystals.
But this is constructive criticism because as a whole this book inspired me to advocate for a better, more positive witchcraft future.

Overall I would recommend this book to all witches, because it is my view that you can learn something from any piece of work. For me personally, the key points I have taken are: to advocate for the future, the environment and for change within society.
Thankyou to Netgalley, Andrew McMeel Publishing and Frankie Castanea for the DRC!
(For transparency: I only realized halfway through the book that the author is ChaoticWitchAunt, but this does not influence my review)

This book is the book I wish I had when I first started practicing. The book touches on the questions most beginners ask, in enough detail that you understand, without overwhelming you. I’ve read a lot of beginner books that left me with more questions than direction. Which isn’t always a bad thing but I think beginner books should give a jump start not feel like a road block. This book walks that line really well. The book also talks about inclusion and appropriation which are important topics.

For transparency, I do follow the author on TikTok, but that does not sway my review. Overall I think this is a really great beginner book, and it does stand out among others by addressing a broader range of occult topics and cultural conversations. That said it very much felt like this is a book for someone just starting to dip their toes in the Craft. I know that this is the purpose of this book, and I do hope that Frankie writes more in the future with the darker parts of their practice at the focus. I do think that they need a new editor because often thoughts were left unfinished, or there was an expectation that the reader knew what they were referring to. Also just grammatically there was a lot of run on sentences, which I myself struggle with but it does become distracting in a book.

This is a wonderful guide book for beginners. The book covers meditation, grounding, cleansing, banishing, shadow work, cultural appropriation, and desettling the craft.

Frankie Castanea easily breaks down the steps to spellcraft, including herbs, crystals, and sigils. For the herbs sections, she discusses the cultural appropriation of herbs like white sage and palo santo to the point of almost extinction. She also discussed the importance of sourcing sustainable herbs and crystals.

One of the topics covered heavily towards the end of this book is cultural appropriation and desettling the craft. This is the first book that I have read that actually goes into detail about cultural appropriation in witchcraft and the importance of decentering the craft. I will definitely be checking out some of the books she recommended in the future on this topic because it is an important thing that all witches should learn about, and really should be covered in more beginner books.

Overall, this was a very good beginners guide that covers some very important topics in witchcraft. I highly recommend this book for any beginner and hope it will push them, like it has me, to read more about cultural appropriation, desettling, and decentering the craft.

Great holistic view of the practice. This book gave me quite a bit of insight and is definitely a great starting point for beginners.

Unfortunately I am unable to view the PDF on my device nor the Netgalley application. I sincerely apologize but unfortunately due to my inability to access the book, I am unable to provide a review.

Nonetheless thank you for this opportunity.

Great topics covered here! While these are considered basic subjects, they aren't touched on enough and it's very well written in this pages! I definitely loved reading this one and the information that helped me in my craft as well! Very well done!

The projects in this book are completely doable. No trips to the new age store( unless you want to ) to get herbs or stones you have never heard of. Instead this book lists spells that are going to remove evil. Encourage love or happiness. Become more healthy or able to live your life your way. The author obviously knows what they are talking about as the spells are very workable and successful. Cultural appropriation is a subject brought up and the works are doable by anyone regardless of their lineage. Substitutions and other possibilities are discussed and given. Overall an excellent and new book giving advice for empowerment.

I may be biased considering I follow Frankie on tiktok, but I simply could not give this book any less than five stars.

It's a great book for both beginners and well established witches and I absolutely adored that they recommended books that will help us further in the path. I learned a lot from reading it and will definitely be getting a physical copy once its available in my country (fingers crossed)!

A common complaint in the witchcraft community is how many of these guides for the modern witch are centred on Wicca, and not all of us are Wiccan. This one has a much more eclectic tone, and the benefits of Spells for Change do not end there.

In this book, there is an emphasis on decolonizing witchcraft and your practice. And it’s targeted to meet the needs of new, emerging witches at a time when it’s harder to define what may be closed to them.

It has all of the basics, and explains them quickly and concisely. I have read a lot of these beginner guides, and I kind of wish I had been able to start with this one. It has a little of everything, and it includes a lot of things it’s predecessors did not.

I would recommend to all beginners interested in witchcraft, and I’d direct you to the author’s TikTok “chaoticwitchaunt.”

Spells for Change offers a blend of new and old ways for manifesting positive change. I was drawn to this book because I enjoy learning more about crystals, meditation, grounding, and manifestation. It was wonderful learning new ways to connect with yourself, the earth, and the energy around you. I really enjoyed this simple guide and the cute illustrations throughout this book as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a practitioner of witchcraft, I felt that this book is a great overview, especially for new witches. It covers most of the basics AND gives practical tips for actually casting a spell (beyond just the ingredients) that I found helpful. The author is clear about manifestation and the connection between energy and the outcome of the spell, yet there are also easy-to-follow recipes. I especially liked the beginner's focus on grounding and cleansing since these basics cannot be overstated.

I would recommend this installment to any beginner or intermediate practitioner!

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

this is a fine introductory book on modern witchcraft. there is not a lot of in dept discussion on the topics discussed as there are many throughout the book, including: the basis and materials of spellcraft, meditation, grounding, energy manipulation, shadow work, manifesting, and witchcraft as activism.
I think this book could have been better with more information on the topics the author feels more strongly and suggested further readings on others that could be covered elsewhere. the author has a large social media following and some of the information in the book was redundant for viewers. The last section of the book is what relates to the title the most but it makes up the least about the book, overall I wish these topics were discussed more.

This book seems like a reasonably well rounded and straightforward introduction to the practice of witchcraft. It introduced some symbolism, historical details, and different types of practice one could consider.

Highlights for me included the more contemporary concepts, like the references to other resources, activism, and environmental concerns.

I would have liked to have seen some of the chapters delve a little deeper into the material. While I'd consider this an adequate introduction, it feels like there were some missed opportunities for the author to engage the reader in a meaning way.

If I were a beginner, this might be a book I'd use as a starting point to generate some ideas or find new resources, but probably not a book I'd keep around as a resource.

As someone who had been a practicing witch since high school in the 90s. This is honestly the kind of book I wish I could have had when I first started. I feel like it easily covers the first things that you should be first learning about. Grounding and cleansing are so important, but they often get over looked. And this book gives such wonderful instruction without getting bogged down with too much exposition.

I also really appreciate that is brings up decentering and decolonizing witchcraft. As well as what is and isn't cultural appropriation and closed practices. These things don't get brought up in older books and they really should be covered when given to a beginner.

Overall I really loved Spells for Change and plan to share this with other practitioners that I know.