Whether or not you are seeking insight or guidance regarding your own practice, this is a charming, engaging, earnest and deeply sincere and illuminating introduction to Welsh magical practice and the magical and mythic traditions of Wales. You will feel a deep connection to Mhara Starling and will come away, perhaps, with a new appreciation of the Land of My Fathers, ("Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"), and maybe even just a touch of hiraeth.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m in love with this book. It’s an amazing beginner book because it shows (without telling) how research about witchcraft can be done. Even if you’re not studying Welsh/Celtic witchcraft, there’s a great discussion about antiquity and authenticity that is important if you’re going to pursue deity work. Instead of relying on doing the research yourself without any guideposts, the author gives recommendations and citations (be still my beating heart) for everything and I LOVE IT.

The author admits when something is not in her wheelhouse. Even more important, this book doesn’t have any Wiccan influences since the author isn’t Wiccan. (Side note: do you know how many witchcraft books there are without Wiccan influence? It’s difficult to find them.)

The exercises in each chapter are what you want to see if this is the first time you’ve picked up a witchcraft book. The author even provides a peek into her herb journal is amazing since it’s more than just correspondences, it’s very detailed. Also, there’s a Welsh glossary and pronunciations at the back of the book.

This book really shows how much of the Neo-Pagan stuff that uses Welsh witchcraft is heavily misinterpreted and honestly, I’d be pissed if I were a Welsh witch.

As I said, I ADORE this book. It’s well researched with being personal, with citations all over the place.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Excellent book, very educational and interesting.

This one is a breath of fresh air. The author is Welsh, for starters, and comes over as very down to earth and practical in her approach to magic and how her heritage has guided her to relate to it.

I particularly liked her explanation of what it means to be Celtic, which clarifies that being Celtic isn't a matter of belonging to a specific bloodline, but is a wide term that encompasses many tribes of ancient peoples. This is something a historian friend of mine explained to me once and which is misunderstood by many people.

The book speaks of Welsh witchcraft traditions that pre-date Wicca and tell the stories of familiar deity names, including Ceriddwen, Rhiannon and Llyr. How these relate to the connection to the land and suggestions to connect with your own land are included, as well as many exercises across all the sections.

The author tells the story of Annwfn, the Celtic underworld and some of the fairy tales of Wales, including the Tale of the Red Dragon. The Welsh beliefs of fairies and how to work with the seasons and the natural world, even ancestral magic are also covered.

Overall I thought this was a wonderful book. I got a clear feeling of Wales and the magical history of the place, though I've only been there once on a tour round Anglesea and to a couple of the amazing castles of the country. I came away from this with the feeling that I now had some understanding of what it means to be Welsh and a witch.

This book had everything you could ever want from a guide to Welsh magickal tradition. Starling beautifully weaves together her personal narrative, Welsh history, myths, traditions and practices in a way that allows the reader to deeply explore this part of Celtic practice. While the book is highly informative, it reads like a novel. As a reader you are moved seamlessly from history and background, to practice including guided exercises. This makes the book very beginner friendly, but really moves the reader past the (often overwhelming) “getting started” phase of practice that dominates many other resources. This one will be a hit for all levels of practice, especially for those of us with familial roots in Wales.

As I traced my family roots I knew they led to the UK. I also knew the women in my family were always cunning. What I didn’t know is exactly which areas they were from outside of Cornwall as I went back into time before the 1800s;. I discovered that they came from Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well. What a treat to be able to explore the craft among the regions!

This book as been such an emotional and blessed read for me as I connect with my ancestors and their traditions. My heart is full, I learned much and will be reading this book many times over and over again. The author is well versed and the content is well written. The exercises really reinforce things and I can’t say enough positive things about this book.

Wales has always seemed like such a magickal place to me, there is something about the nature, the Celtic roots and the people that made me want to learn more about the pagan and witchcraft practices there. Also Mhara has somewhat of a similar path to witchcraft as me, so it was easy to jump into her shoes and see where the beautifully written book led me. Included are some fun exercises and a ton on information, I ( a grey witch) especially appreciate the subhead on "baneful" magick, more specifically the fact that so called "baneful" magick shouldn't be condemned before you explore your own views of ethics. Other great chapters include info on connecting to the land, honouring ancestors, welsh deities, practical witchcraft (healing, cursing, protection...), nature's cycle and more. I highly recommend checking this book out!


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

My family hails from all of the British Isles (and Prussia) apart from Wales. Recently I've been learning as much as I can about Celtic people, myths, traditions, and magic, and this is a great resource for that!
Chock full of myths and rituals derived from them, this book offers a unique insight into Welsh witchcraft!