This is quite a treat for mushroom lovers of all types.

POWERFUL MUSHROOMS is a pop-informative book all about the different types of mushrooms that can be found in the wild. Each mushroom has a page of information, including composition, safety, and where it can be found.

The images are really the highlight of the book. Each mushroom has a psychedelic illustration, some showing the various grow stages of the mushroom, and others with a colorful images of what the mushroom looks like. I liked the visionary section of the book as it really defends the reputation of mushrooms. Mushrooms have been used for various ceremonies and practices for centuries, and this book respects the roll that the mushroom has played in human history.

I also had no idea that we're only informed of about 6% of all mushrooms in the world! What a treat for us that there's so much to discover.

While this book wouldn't be suitable for people who are starting their foraging journey, it would be excellent for people who appreciate art, mushrooms, and would love to have a beautiful book to showcase their loves in their home. It would also be great for inquisitive children who are interested in science and nature.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc! I’m excited to look into more work from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Powerful Mushrooms. This botanical treasure is a fascinating exploration of 60 mushrooms, rich with cultural tales, scientific revelations, and vivid visuals.

Overall, I found the book enchanting—truly something that would make for a stunning coffee table piece. The illustrations are playful and captivating, lending the book a cohesive and artistic flair. However, I was a bit torn by the non-realistic depiction of the mushrooms. While these imaginative images add charm and elevate the aesthetic, they wouldn’t serve me well if I ever needed to identify these fungi in the wild. The actual photographs provided at the end were much appreciated.

Despite this very minor concern, Powerful Mushrooms is a fun read with short, engaging entries that pique curiosity. It’s a blend of art and information that, with its visuals and insights, truly captivates both the curious and mushroom connoisseur.

While this is a nice reference to fungi, the layout is weird. The fungi is sectioned out according to the main attribute to that fungus (edible vs. nonedible) without a photo to accompany the mushroom. However, at the end of the book, there are actual photos of the mushrooms discussed. I wish the little picture was with the information. It would be so much easier to reference and learn.

Thank you to #NetGalley for #PowerfulMushrooms by #FedericoDiVita

This is a neat account of various mushrooms but I did not find it as helpful as I would like. The neon pictures are cool but don't do a lot in terms of ID-ing the fungi. The author also features a lot of"out there" fungi, not the things you would normally find in your woods or backyard.

3.75☆

Powerful Mushrooms is a non-fiction anthology of fungi. After a brief introduction, we delve into the 60 different fungi the author has chosen to showcase, across 6 different categories: delicious, visionary, poinsonous, medicinal, mycorenewal & incredible.

Each mushroom/fungi had it's own vibrant, beautiful illustration which I loved. There's also some photographs at the end of the book for more 'accurate' identification.

This was a great overview of the Mycete Kingdom, with wonderful illustrations, and interesting but concise information. It would be a great introductory reference book for someone interested in learning more about fungi.

This is a lovely book that is both informative and aesthetically pleasing. The stunning illustrations set it apart from other books I have read on the subject. I would definitely recommend this work to anyone who is curious about the largely untapped power, mystery, uses--both for good and evil, and beauty of mushrooms.

A fun and light reference guide to fungi with beautiful illustrations. I would describe this as a lighthearted guide with basic information. Users looking for more in depth information about types of fungi will want to do additional research.

Absolutely stunning illustrations and interesting enough tidbits of information on each species.

This would be a great coffee table book or a fun introductory guide for beginners interested in learning about mushrooms.

I do wish the formatting of this book was a bit different - while the illustrations are stunning they are not great examples of what these mushrooms look like in real life. The addition of photos in the back of the book seems more like an afterthought than intentional. I would have preferred a mix of both illustrations and photographs within each section.

Overall its a really pretty book! Perfect for gift for a novice mushroom lover or an art fan.