This book has fabulous illustrations but in my opinion is a little lacking when it comes to the information provided. I do think it provides a rudimentary introduction into the history of witchcraft.

It's obvious that it's aimed at a younger audience but even then I'm not sure that I would be comfortable giving such a book to a tween with the mentions of the herbs etc.

As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

A beautifl book with lovley illustrations and fun reading on witches and the craft throughout the anges. Would buy this as a hardback.

Funny thing: before reading this book I started a course by the artist who illustrated this beautiful book,
I was so fascinated I bought myself two books, this one and the other one in the series about vampires.
The books give out a nice aura of magic and when you read them you get sucked into this world,

Esse livro é extremamente lindo. Eu já havia me encantado pela capa, mas por dentro ele é ainda mais maravilhoso. Além das ilustrações belíssimas, o conteúdo também é muito muito muito bom. Adorei saber mais sobre o assunto. Ai, lindo demais.

If I rated this book based solely on the illustrations, it would be a 5. The illustrations are beautiful. This book is supposed to be a history of witchcraft and is written, it seems, for young girls. I have a problem with the writing because it glosses over things, completely leaves other things out, and is historically inaccurate in some places. I also cringe at any books that contains the trite and inaccurate phrase "we are the granddaughters of the witches you didn't burn." It could still work as an educational tool for young ladies if parents had open discussion, and encouraged critical thinking and cross referencing with other books.

An interesting treatise on the history of witchcraft that focuses on the essential facts, providing an informative overview of the dramatic events of the witch hunts. In doing so, the reader is directly addressed and thus made a part of the story. In addition to the occasional interspersed questions and food for thought, this stylistic device enticed a more personal engagement with the effects and origins of the Inquisition.
Almost playfully, different stylistic devices and narrative perspectives were experimented with within the texts, making what was read not only interesting but easy to retain.
The somber, extremely expressive illustrations complemented the atmosphere of the book perfectly and were very nicely arranged. Some quotes, on the other hand, seemed a bit lost due to their placement. The different font sizes were also irritating in places.

This was a very interesting peek into the history of witches and witch culture. I definitely enjoyed reading this one.

"Secrets of the Witch" by Julie Légère; Elsa Whyte is a beautiful short book detailing the history of witches.

Firstly, the artwork in this book is absolutely stunning and such a great addition to the book overall. The book itself was wonderfully detailed and the history was told very well. It's informative, feminist, and powerful. I would have loved the book to be longer because I enjoyed it so much. I think this is a wonderful read for anyone interested in witches and magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions for this e-arc of "Secrets of the Witch" in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve gotten very interested in knowing more about witches and their practices recently. Luckily for me this book was just right there when I was looking for something like it! :)

In “Secrets of the Witch” we get to learn a lot about history, including famous witches and witch hunts, and the role witches played and how they were perceived by society. We also learn about things related to witchcraft, like crystals, familiars, runes, and so on.

It kind of feels like a history book, but a very entertaining one at that, and very easy to read, I think it would appeal a lot to young readers too.

Definitely would recommend it to anyone who wants to know a bit more about witchcraft and the history of witches, especially if they’re interested in pretty books with beautiful illustrations! :)

Very interesting study of the history of witchcraft. I found myself rushing through the end a bit, but that could definitely be boredom due to the many witchy things I read this month.

I found Secrets of the Witch to be an interesting and informative read! I learned a bit that I didn't already know about the history of witches and I loved that!

A quick, interesting read, filled with information on witches and witchcraft, aimed at tween girls. There's bits of all kinds of stuff here, in easily digestible chunks- witches of the past, changing ideas about witchcraft through the ages, persecution of witches, witches in pop culture, plus sections on magical symbols and the use of herbs, crystals, and talismans. The layout is nice, with groovy artwork throughout. Sure to be a hit with young girls interested in all things witchy.

#SecretsoftheWitch #NetGalley

A beautiful and informative look at the history of witches and a basic introduction to certain symbols and tools. This is a great book for new witches to understand the who came before them and how magic and witchcraft developed over the centuries. Most introductory magick books deal with the practical, spellcrafting, alters, correspondences etc. but very little about the history. It's important to know where you've come from and to honor the sacrifices of the witches before you.

Secrets of the witch is easy to follow, beautifully illustrated and a very quick read.
3.5 stars!

A beautiful book with unique and lovely illustrations perfect for anyone looking for an intro to witchcraft. The history in the beginning brings about some beautiful insight into past famous witches and witch hunts is quite enthralling. While the second half of book has wonderful basic knowledge of crystals and such.

There is a tone of bias to the book but as with any book on witchcraft, take it with a grain of salt and draw your own opinions.

I requested this one by accident, thinking it was an adult title and not YA. But I think it will appeal to a wide age range of readers. Includes profiles of witches, a history of witchcraft, and more. Visually appealing pen-and-ink art style with pops of color.

This book is a beautifully illustrated introduction to a history of witchcraft and witches, in addition, it also provides basic information about herbs, crystals, symbolism, amulets, and more.

I think it is very clearly written and gives an overall summary of the history behind witchcraft and magic so it is a great place to start for younger readers, who can then search for more information. I also think it is a very useful introduction for every reader of fantasy books with witches. The same applies to the second part of the book functioning as a grimoire.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! I wish I had a book like this when I was 13-15.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Some things introduced and images are really nice. Good starting point on the basics and history - persons, witch trials, the black cat, owl, runes, etc.

'Secrets of the Witch' is a lovely introduction to the history and theories of witchcraft and magic. Running through some of the tools and terminology, as well as the changing perception of magic throughout different time periods. I found it very interesting and adored how the illustrations played with the text. The illustrations in general were stunning and a real highlight. On its own the book would be worth purchasing for the illustrations alone.

My only gripe was that in the review copy there were quite a few spelling mistakes and places which were in French or not translated from other languages. If this is meant to be an introduction for younger children, these things would have to be addressed in the finished product.

First thing's first - these illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! I have to admit, they really drew me in and kept me going, because I wanted to see more and more.

I really appreciate how much detail went into giving a history of witches, and adding in useful information like etymology and definitions for terms that get brought up. Overall, this was super informative for someone like me, a person without much knowledge on this topic but has a large curiosity and interest. I love that it explores the history of witches from different times as well as different places around the world.

This book does not go very in-depth with witchcraft and magic, but rather gives a very informative foundation. I think it's a great place to start if you're interested in learning more about the history of witches and learning about some of the symbols and tools that they use!

Book Review: Secrets of the Witch: An Initiation into our history and our wisdom by Elsa Whyte, Julie Legere and Laura Peraz (illustrations)
Genre: Spirituality, YA, Teens
Publishers: Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions
Release Date: 4th August, 2020

If you are looking to be initiated into the world of Witchcraft then this book is a great place to start. Even though it is only a small book, at 80 pages, it packs in a lot of information about the history and philosophy surrounding Witches.

I would say that this book is definitely for beginners and is aimed at the younger audience. It is a great starting point and breaks the information down into small chunks, covering: etymology and definitions of key terms, history, symbols, crystals, lore and tools associate with the Craft.

As the guide is short and aimed at a younger audience it doesn't go into great depth, certainly not the detail a more advanced practitioner would be looking for in terms of the history of Witches.

Most of the book, about three quarters, covers the history of Witches. It explains the basic roots of Witchcraft from the Greek Gods and Goddesses, through to Ancient Egypt, the Druids of Celtic societies, the rise of Christianity in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and finally, the 20th Century's melding of Witchcraft and activism and portrayal of Witches in popular culture. It was interesting to read a book that considers the history of Witches after the Witch-hunts and the way Witches were viewed during the Victorian era and the years preceding and succeeding.

The last quarter of the book focuses on a brief guide to: magical symbols, animals, tools, crystals and herbs. But again this is very much a guide for practitioners when they are just dipping their toes into the Witchy pool.

What I really loved about the book was the message that is delivered throughout; the idea that Witches were and are women who want freedom and independence. Therefore, this book does have a feminist vibe throughout. As I mentioned it looks briefly at pop culture representations of Witches such as, Hermione from Harry Potter and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how they are positive role models.

Even though the book doesn't provide the depth I usually like, it did offer references to other literature, written by figures throughout history, that I will definitely be adding to my reading list. There were quite a few quotes that stuck with me, non more so than one from Matilda Joslyn Gage, who was a Women's rights activist;

"When for 'Witches' we read 'women', we gain a fuller comprehension of the cruelties inflicted by the church upon this portion of humanity"
- from, Woman, Church and State (1893)

One way in which the book did not work for me was that some of the information given about notable 'Witches' throughout history was given in first person; as though they are talking to the reader. This was definitely not something that appealed to me, but may to younger readers. It felt very odd the way it was delivered, as if they were putting words in to those people's mouths, when really we have no way of knowing what they were really experiencing internally.

Overall this was a quick read, with some notable pieces of information that I added to my Book of Shadows. I imagine the physical copy of the book, with the illustrations, will be really lovely and something to show off on your witchy bookshelf.