Book Review: Tarot for Beginners by Ann Crane

Title: Tarot for Beginners

Author: Ann Crane
Genre: Spirituality - Divination - Tarot
Publisher: New Shoe Press - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Read: November 9-11, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Unlock your own innate psychic potential with this accessible tarot reference 

This is your step-by-step guide to learning to read and interpret this mystical deck of seventy-eight cards. Tarot for Beginners explains the mystery and power of tarot through easy-to-understand text and simple, interactive lessons and exercises. Learn the symbolic mirror of opportunity that tarot provides to help you to make crucial decisions, confirm your true desires for the future, and enhance self-understanding. 

Tarot for Beginners will help you build your skills and learn all there is to know about reading the tarot without the complication and confusion that burdens more advanced books on the subject. You will be successfully channeling the messages offered in the tarot almost immediately. This essential reference features: 

*Tarot basics—Perfect for the absolute beginner, learn the history of tarot, what deck to choose, how to care for your deck, the significance of card-selection order and card positions, and how to access and learn to trust your intuition. 

*Paths to connect with the meanings of the cards—The book includes a survey of the meanings and example interpretations of every card of the major and minor arcana accompanied by exercises for connecting with their individual energies. 

*Tips for building confidence—Get acquainted with a variety of different spreads, learning from example interpretations, and build your intuitive power culled from the cards for your growth and self-awareness. 

Build your confidence quickly as you learn to harness the psychic power of the tarot deck, and soon you will begin to see what you couldn’t before. This new power will strengthen your decision-making at work and with money, relationships, family, and your own path to happiness.

Review: I love tarot cards almost as much as I love crystals and gemstones. At last count, I've collected somewhere between 20 and 25 tarot decks, and each has its own unique art, suggested layouts, and suggested interpretations for cards. However, to paraphrase a statement by Crane in Tarot for Beginners, the tarot is based on archetypes and symbology that speak to a universal language so regardless of the deck, anyone can learn to understand this language through practice. Tarot for Beginners is a great place for those just starting to learn the tarot as well as seasoned users.

Crane breaks the book down into four primary sections: The Basics, The Major Arcana, The Minor Arcana, and Interpreting Spreads. The first sections covers precisely what it states--the basics. Crane begins with a brief history of the tarot and then moves into how to choose the deck that is right for you, caring for your deck, the deck's structure, and finally, using the cards. Exercises, affirmations, and rituals are sprinkled throughout to help you in choosing, maintaining, and becoming familiar with the deck so you aren't always relying on the suggested interpretations provided by deck creators. These also build confidence in the user's abilities and are a great way for someone new to divination with the tarot to learn to trust their intuition. 

The next two sections cover the Major and Minor Arcana with exercises, rituals, and suggested interpretations for each card. I really like that Crane takes the time to address the Major and Minor separately and then further breaks the information down to individual cards all the while encouraging the reader to follow their own intuition for interpretations. There are many books on the tarot and all provide slightly different approaches and suggested ways of finding meaning within the cards. The fact that Crane states multiple times that the user shouldn't simply rely on suggested interpretations from a deck's creator but should develop their own approach and intuition is refreshing. 

The final section offers several different spreads that range from a simple three-card daily draw to a nine-card complex reading. Each spread has its own benefits, but when presenting each, Crane offers an explanation of the cards' positions and an example reading. I'm always searching for new spreads to try and found a couple I hadn't tried here so I can't wait to but them to use. 

Overall, Tarot for Beginners is a perfect book for anyone looking to start working with tarot cards or a seasoned reader who may be looking for ways to deepen their connection to tarot. Crane's easy writing style and conversational tone make for a quick read. This is one book that's found a permanent place on my shelf.

Book Review: The Beginner's Guide to Crystal Healing by Ashley Leavy

Title: The Beginner's Guide to Crystal Healing

Author: Ashley Leavy
Genre: Spirituality - Energy Healing - Crystals
Publisher: New Shoe Press - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Read: November 9, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Discover 100 of the most empowering crystals for promoting spiritual balance, protection, and healing. 

The Beginner’s Guide to Crystal Healing, adapted from Ashley Leavy’s Crystals for Energy Healing, offers the perfect amount of information for the budding crystal enthusiast, including a range of crystals and their natural attributes, legendary powers, and holistic benefits along with information on each crystal’s specific energy and how the channel it for protection and healing. 

This essential guide features beautiful photography of every stone for clear identification as well as charts and illustrations detailing the basics of crystals for chakras, energy, and psychic healing. You will gain an essential understanding of crystals and how to use them, and help finding the right crystals for your own needs, as you explore: 

*Crystal basics, including what they are, how they work, and some of the common ways to use them 

*How to choose, cleanse, and dedicate your crystals 

*How to incorporate crystal healing into your daily routine, including affirmations, chakra balancing, crystal grids, and meditations 

*A crystal directory divided into three sections by purpose (emotional healing, spiritual healing and guidance, and shielding and protection) that helps you select the right crystals for each situation and use them effectively 

Protect your energy-body, change your mindset, and balance your emotions with this easy-to-use crystal guide.

Review: First, let me begin by saying I love crystals and stones. I have them placed all over my house, and every year, my husband and I travel to a gem & mineral show that's held around the same time as my birthday so I can add to my collection. So when I say I've read a lot of books on crystals and how they can be used for healing, wellness, and magic, I mean I've truly read a lot of books. 

Now, with that said, I can honestly tell you that Leavy's The Beginner's Guide to Crystal Healing is one of the best I've come across in recent years. The book is written in a plain manner that is both engaging and informative. Leavy takes the time in the beginning of the book to explain what crystals are, how they naturally form, how they've been used over time for everything from healing to magic to simple decor. 

The book is divided into three main sections dealing with the basics, crystal healing, and a crystal sourcebook that's further broken down into three subsections dealing with crystals for emotional healing, crystals for spiritual healing, and crystals for shielding and protection. I really like this layout for the sourcebook because while most books list stone and crystals in alphabetical order like an encyclopedia it can often been hard to find the right information in a hurry. If you're an energy worker, such as a Reiki practitioner or empath, then you know there are times when you need critical information at your fingertips. Although the sourcebook provided here is not exhaustive, it does cover many of the most commonly used crystals used in healing.

In addition to an easily searched sourcebook, "The Basics" of crystals are discussed with topics such as the history of crystal healing, ways of using healing crystals, sensing energies and selecting crystals, as well as how to properly cleanse and maintain your crystals. I especially like Leavy's suggestion to begin a crystal healing journal. This is a fabulous idea for someone who is just starting out because it allows you to see how your relationship with crystals grows over time, what works for you, what doesn't work, and how you're progressing. Leavy also addresses shapes and colors for crystals and how these can affect the energy. This isn't a topic I've personally seen covered in too many books and found it to be a welcomed addition here.

The section for crystal healing includes topics on how to get started, incorporating crystals into your personal and sacred spaces, and combining crystals with positive affirmations as well as exercises for including crystals in meditation. The exercises are simple and yet so effective for helping to open the senses to working with crystal energies. Again, this is an often overlooked topic in some books and an overly complicated one in others. I appreciate Leavy's deft touch at balancing between information, effectiveness, and ease. 

Overall, The Beginner's Guide to Crystal Healing is a great source book for anyone who is interested in learning the basics of crystal healing. Even seasoned energy workers will find helpful information and exercises to enhance their relationship with crystals. 

Book Review: Moon Energy for Beginners by Simone Butler

Title: Moon Energy for Beginners

Author: Simone Butler
Genre: Spirituality - Astrology
Publisher: New Shoe Press - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Read: November 8, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Awaken, heal, and manifest your goals by connecting with the sacred feminine powers of the Moon 

The Moon, which waxes and wanes in predictable cycles, is the symbol and path for finding empowerment and strength in the cycles of birth, growth, death, and renewal. Moon Energy for Beginners, adapted from Simone Butler’s Moon Power, shows you how to honor the primal feminine powers—intuition, emotion, sexuality, creation, communion with nature—as they have been in the past by connecting spiritually with the Moon as you learn how to read and act on the lunar astrological signs and cycles. 

This empowering book explores: 

*The history of Moon worship and introduction to the phases—This accessible guide provides a basic history of ancient Moon worship, a simple introduction to the Moon phases, and the meanings of New and Full Moons. 

*The 12 Moon signs—You’ll find details on working with each sign as the Moon passes through it, a goddess and power animal for each Moon sign, and activities and rituals for connecting with their energy during certain Moon phases. 

*Recognition and development of your lunar nature—Even if you are completely new to harnessing lunar energy, you will learn how, through reflection, ritual, and purposeful action, you can connect to your emotional nature and inner spirit more deeply. 

Moon Energy for Beginners offers a simple path to reuniting with your inner Goddess in ways that deeply satisfy your soul. 

Review: There are many books on the market that deal with the subject of drawing on the moon for energy, inspiration, and magic. So what makes Simone Butler's any different from all these others? Simply, the book is concise, easy to read, and doesn't overly complicate the subject matter nor does it attempt to shoehorn the subject into a specific spiritual path. Butler approaches moon energy from an astrological standpoint and keeps things simple so that anyone--beginner, intermediate, or experienced--can incorporate her information into their path, whatever it may be. 

Special terms and concepts are highlighted in the text in call-out boxes that give more detail where it's needed. Butler's explanation of terms like "Super Moon," "Blood Moon," and the differences between lunar and solar eclipses are detailed and yet easily understood. She offers simple rituals and exercises to tune into lunar energies and how these may be used to enhance daily life. The fact that she's able to do all this without referring to an overarching path and stick to an astrological basis is undoubtedly the most helpful aspect of the book.

The reader is prompted to visit two separate websites to learn their own moon sign and moon phase at the time of their birth. (I found this really helpful as I was able to determine my moon sign to be Capricorn with a moon phase of waxing crescent. Something I didn't know until I read this book.) Once the reader has determined both, the book is divided into individual moon signs and each has helpful information such as lunar superpower, lunar shadow, sexual nature, karmic path, and moon qualities. I especially enjoyed reading about the moon women, or ancient goddesses, associated with each moon sign. Also included with the goddess information is sections about animals sacred to that goddess, how to set up an altar, and both full and new moon rituals. Activities and inspiration round out the individual moon signs. 

Overall, Moon Energy for Beginners is a great resource for anyone interested in astrology, lunar goddesses, and working with moon energy. It certainly has found a home on my bookshelf. 

Book Review: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw

Title: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen

Author: Shea Ernshaw
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Disney Press - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Read: October 23 - November 4, 2022
Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Jack and Sally are "truly meant to be" ... or are they? 

Sally Skellington is the official, newly-minted Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love, Jack, who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams-- if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town. Cast into the spotlight and tasked with all sorts of queenly duties, Sally can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr. Finkelstein for a different cage. But when Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a long-hidden doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town, she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen, and the future of Halloween Town itself, into jeopardy. Can Sally discover what it means to be true to herself and save the town she's learned to call home, or will her future turn into her worst... well, nightmare?

Review: I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton's classic The Nightmare Before Christmas and have always loved the relationship between Sally, the rag doll, and Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. So I was incredibly excited when I learned there was to a book exploring their relationship and the events after that fateful year when Jack tried to take over Christmas with disastrous results.

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is a slow building story. It begins with Jack and Sally's wedding and then follows the efforts of the denizens of Halloween Town to make their new queen into...well, their idea of a queen. Naturally, Sally isn't sure about her new role since she's only ever been an unwilling "daughter" to Dr. Finkelstein before she and Jack found one another. Sally looks for a way to escape the demands of being the newly-crowned Pumpkin Queen, but inadvertently sets off a chain of events that threatens Halloween Town, the other holiday realms, and even the Human World when she finds a passage into the mysterious and unknown realm of Dream Town.

I love the expansion of the holiday worlds and the new characters introduced in this book. However, I had some issues with Sally. At the end of The Nightmare Before Christmas, it seemed as though she had grown as a character and found an inner strength she didn't know she had when she tried to stop Jack from entering the Human World to take over Christmas and then attempting a solo rescue of Sandy Claws from Oogie Boogie. After these heroic actions, she seemed a great fit for Jack and as the future Pumpkin Queen. However, that isn't the Sally presented at the beginning of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. 

Sally seems to have reverted to her more withdrawn self in the beginning of the book. While it's easy to understand she'd have some trepidation regarding her new role as co-ruler of Halloween Town, she comes across as...for lack of a better word, whiny. Yes, she does grow throughout the story and once again comes out as a strong character at the end, but I wanted to see that strong Sally from the end of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the beginning and then see her become even stronger. Sadly, that's now how the author chose to write her character.

Overall, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is an enjoyable read and is a welcomed addition to Tim Burton's world of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I hope more books will come that continues to expand the holiday worlds and the legend of the Pumpkin King and Queen.

Book Review: Into the Well by Bobbie R. Byrd

 

Title: Into the Well (Warlock Chronicles, Book 2)

Author: Bobbie R. Byrd
Genre: Science Fiction with Fantasy Elements
Publisher: Dragoncrest Publishing, LLC - Copyright 2021
Publication Date: September 8, 2021
Read: October 23-29, 2022
Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warning: This book contains references to sexual assault, violence, and slavery.

Synopsis from Publisher: The Well is forbidden space. Dangerous, deadly, unpredictable, unforgiving. 

A forgotten planet. Dark secrets buried for millennia in dark magic. 

Not for much longer... 

INTO the WELL continues the treacherous journey of Bryanna D'Isaac, the warlock known as Lady Silver, and Admiral Devon Bastion deep into the Well in search of the lost homeworld of their ancestors. Convoluted space-time, dimensional rifts, and festering conflict brought the Cataclysm that took humans and warlocks to the brink of extinction millennia ago. 

History is about to repeat itself.

Review: Into the Well by Bobbie R. Byrd has been sitting on my To-Be-Read shelf for over a year. Not because I had no interest in continuing the story of Bryanna and Devon from the first Warlock Chronicles installment, Lady Silver, but because as often happens with readers/reviewers, I was distracted by other books. Some good. Some not so good. Some that made me question my life choices. And some that were life changing. Into the Well falls solidly in the "Very good" category.

As with the first book, there are some issues with minor typos, formatting (at least in the paperback copy I read--some of the pages had faded print that made reading a little challenging), and truly hardcore science fiction fans will find some of the science/engineering parlance a bit jarring. (Sticklers for science fiction grounded in science realism, even if theoretical, may want to skip certain bits or read them with a grain of salt.) The fantasy element dealing with the Warlocks and their magic is solid, however. The budding romance between Bryanna and Devon is in full swing, and the android T'Laan steals the scene more than once throughout the book. Overall, Into the Well is a nearly perfect compliment to Lady Silver.

While the ending of the book suggests there will be at least one more installment in the series, I've found no mention of the title or an estimated date of publication. I hope Byrd continues The Warlock Chronicles and continues expanding the unique worlds she has created.

Book Review: The Tome of Syyx by Stavros Saristavros

Title: The Tome of Syyx (The Fateful Force Series, Book 1)

Author: Stavros Saristavros
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-published - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: April 1, 2022
Read: Sept. 13-Oct. 19, 2022
Disclaimer: Author requested a review and sent a free paperback copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Ancient evils stir. Deals must be brokered. But who can be trusted?  

On the fringes of civilization, the town of Sanctuary embarks on a mission to legitimize its existence and that of its monstrous inhabitants. 

Under the Leadership of its Mysterious Lord, four young adventurers set out from the town on a dangerous mission into the Wild Moor. 

But they discover that armies of orcs and hobgoblins are far from the only threats to the Free Cities of the frontier. Ancient evils stir, dragons are rumored to once again fly, and an imprisoned god returns to plague the world. 

Unlikely alliances must be forged and rivalries put aside. But not all Friends are what they seem…

Review: Fantasy is my first love among all genres. From childhood, I've loved stories of valiant heroes, epic evilness, and fantastical lands populated by denizens who may or may not be human. Throw in a dragon (or two) and an ancient death god, and you've got The Tome of Syyx by debut author Stavros Saristavros. You've also go the beginnings of one helluva a great
series.

(One item I'd like to mention before continuing with my review, Saristavros gives thanks in his Acknowledgements to a few people, including his wife, for providing time and inspiration for the book through Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. I'm a huge D&D fan and have been playing since I was ten. I can definitely see the D&D-inpsired elements in The Tome of Syyx, and I love them! Yes, I totally geeked out over the D&D elements. And, yes, the fact that the book arrived signed and with an inscription only made me geek out even harder. What can I say? I'm a dork. Now, on with the review...)

The Tome of Syyx opens with an epic battle, and Saristavros's writing paints a clear picture of the events to the point I could smell the smoke from the fires, hears the battle cries of the combatants, and taste the acridness of....well, I probably shouldn't mention that because potential spoilers. Let's just say, I was completely in the moment while reading the prologue.

The writing continued to paint vivd pictures throughout the book. Never did I feel as though I was a reader scanning words on a page. I felt as though I was in the scene with the characters, taking part in battles, sharing drinks in taverns, celebrating victories, and commiserating losses. Multiple points of view give depth to the story and keeps the reader on their mental toes wondering who can be trusted, how will the story end, and most importantly, when will book two be released because by the end of The Tome of Syyx you'll be so invested in the characters and world you'll want to keep reading and reading and reading and... You get the idea.

The Tome of Syyx is an emotional rollercoaster interspersed with high-stakes battles, intrigue, and a cast of lovable characters. I can't wait to see what the next installment will bring.

Book Review: The Prisoner of Fear by Chad Miller

Title: The Prisoner of Fear (Book 1 Doyle and Braham Series)

Author: Chad Miller
Genre: Horror - Gothic Fiction
Publisher: Hear Our Voice LLC - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: October 1, 2022
Read: Oct. 8-11, 2022
Disclaimer: Author requested a review and sent a free paperback copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher:  It is 1889 in Philadelphia, and detective John Doyle is restless. Along with his miserable partner, Thomas Braham, Doyle pursues mysteries, strange sightings, and other obscurities tossed aside and disregarded by the police. For years, Doyle has taken on these cases in the hopes of discovering something supernatural - something that could upend and dispute his long-standing, debilitating fear that immortal souls do not exist. 

Doyle's search for the supernatural remains unsuccessful until he receives a strange letter from an old doctor friend regarding a young woman with a mysterious and rather disturbing illness. When the doctor goes missing in the same town that this young woman resides in, Doyle and Braham decide to take on the case and search for clues regarding their missing friend. In doing so, they discover that there is no longer any suffering young woman, but a dangerous abomination whose origin cannot be explained by science nor modern medicine. 

Meanwhile, an unnamed victim has been kidnapped. Trapped in a cell with nothing but a journal to document their experiences, this mysterious Prisoner must undergo terrifying scientific experiments while trying not to lose all hope and sanity.

Review: Anyone who knows me know I'm a huge fan of Gothic literature and its contemporary descendent, horror. My friends (and family) have heard me expound upon the virtues of dark fiction over the years. If it's dark, disturbing, psychologically scarring, and even the tiniest bit creepy, I'm all over it like flies on a corpse. 

So, dearest reader, you can imagine my excitement when I was offered a review copy of Chad Miller's The Prisoner of Fear. I waited with antici...............pation for it to arrive. When it finally landed on my doorstep, I was giddy, and yet I was in the midst of reading another book for review so I set Miller's book aside. Still, the cover haunted me. The promise of a Sherlockian-style mystery combined with the Gothic epistolary-based chills of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley seduced me like a siren's call. For a week, I held firm and didn't give into that call. However, curiosity soon gave way to desire and I had no choice but to dive into those dark waters, whether for good or ill.

Oh, dearest reader, why did I wait to satisify my dark urges? Why, oh why, did I torment myself with fleeting glances at that haunting cover? Once I read the opening line, my resolve crumbled, and I came undone. Although I continued to read the other book in line for review during the day, I secretly stole precious hours each night to navigate the twists and turns and delightfully view the dark images Miller skillfully paints on the pages of The Prisoner of Fear. Yes, I lost hours of sleep, but what I gained is so much more valuable: a new "must-read" author. 

At the heart of Miller's work is a mystery that seems simple enough to solve. However, that simplicity is deceptive. I've admitted in other blogs that I'm often able to figure out the Who in most WhoDoneIt book, but Miller kept me guessing to the end, and then had the nerve to end the book with a cliffhanger. (AND the sequel isn't scheduled to be released until next year? WTF? Cue the hellish wailing and gnashing of teeth... *deep breath* It's fine. I'm calm. I can wait.) The plot twists were subtle and yet my mind was continually blown. Although I could tell a twist was coming soon the shapes those twists took were unexpected and shot the story into a completely different direction than I'd predicted. 

It wasn't until I'd finished reading the book that I realized the title didn't actually refer to a single character: The reader is The Prisoner of Fear, and like any good horror author, Chad Miller is the puppet master gleefully pulling strings. I, for one, will happily take up the roll of marionette. 

But....Miller, if you're reading this review, I have two words for you: Write. Faster.