Writing is easy to read and explained. Things to consider and some information to look at - a mix of information and ritual. There are rituals and spells for coven work. Things to think about if wanting start or join a coven.

*ARC REVIEW NETGALLEY

This author is seriously a joy to read. Her perspectives, and concept are solid. Highly recommend if your beliefs align with hers, and what her book covers.

Deborah Blake has been one of my favorite pagan writer for ages and was happy to read this book which can be useful for anyone who's starting the Path or more seasoned pratictioner who want to learn something new.
There's plenty of ideas, personal experiences, and it helped me to clarify a lot of doubts.
A very useful book, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Basics for A Coven

The author discusses the background of covens, some of the basics for covens, distinguishes and discusses the two different kinds of covens: open and closed. She discusses the structure and and laws which covens abide by, and the various Pagan holidays. Each coven member is made aware of their position, responsibilities, and each member of the coven participants equally within the coven, under the direction of the coven leader.

The various full moon and the lunar Cycle are discussed. The author provides a great general blessing and consecrating spell, which can be used to bless and consecrate all the coven's tools and supplies.

The author provides several rituals that the coven participates in jointly.

This is a very good for for anyone seeking to start a coven, join a coven, or just want to know how covens are structured.

A warm thanks to Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC!

As someone who's been a solitary witch for many years, this book is meaningful to me. It wasn't until recently that I found another. The coven that I am in consists of me, my wife, and the love that we share. To me, there is no magic more powerful and personal than that. I have always been skeptical and suspicious of covens, hearing stories about abusive leaders and peer pressure from toxic groups. Reading this has changed my perspective, and while I'm still a happy camper in my circle of two, I now feel more positively about magical workings in a group setting in a way I never have before. I'm tempted to even attend a gathering, if I can!

I find Mrs. Blake's writing to be funny, candid, and incredibly helpful. This book has answers to all the questions I didn't know I had! I never considered who would be responsible for bringing supplies to the ritual, arranging your workings around your life schedules, and when you should have an honest conversation with Sue about her horrible tuna casserole. This is one of the best explanations I've heard for the importance of casting a circle and how it can have more utility than the protection of the members. The author is careful to be inclusive to gender identities, sexualities, health conditions, and differences in stages of life. The rituals and terminology are explained in accessible language that I believe any witch could understand, plus there is a helpful appendix for anyone that needs further assistance.

A note for the reader: Blake's perspective on practicing Paganism seems to be limited to her previous experiences. For example, she states, "Most witches worship both the God and the Goddess, although a few only follow the Goddess." While she mentions those who worship other deities or honor the Universe, it is in passing and feels more like an afterthought. This continues to be a theme throughout the book, not really acknowledging the vastness of Pagan beliefs and boiling them down to one God and one Goddess. I feel the book could benefit from changing the phrasing in the rituals to just "deity", but I'm afraid that the structure of them would ultimately fall apart in the process. The symbolism and language used is distinctly Wiccan in nature, even if the author identifies as being an eclectic practitioner. This is worth keeping in mind if you, like myself, were never initiated into this school of mysteries.

In summary, this was a book that not just piqued my interest but gave me a new outlook on what it means to practice magic with another person. I will be purchasing Everyday Witch's Coven as soon as it releases and am very excited to add this to my household. May you all find ones to work your magic with and blessed be!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a well presented guide to finding or setting-up a coven as well as troubleshooting any issues that can arise from both. There were plenty of practical how-to sections to guide readers who want to set up their own coven and important questions to address before moving forward.
I would have given this a 5 star, but two things stood out to me.
1. I wouldn't recommend putting glue on a candle as described in one spell. That would create toxic fumes when burned which is not healthy for anyone, especially if the space is used later by animals or small children.

2. some of the dates in the back section on history were off by a few decades and I imagine will probably be fixed before printing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for honest review.

As a solo practitioner I often think about whether or not I’d like to join my sisters, even if only one or two. However we all have our own practices established and it could be either a good or bad thing. Thus I waiver back and forth on making a decision at times.

This book helped me to address a bunch of questions and scenarios that would need to be addressed, making a decision a tad bit easier. I intend to ask my closest sisters if they’re interested as we celebrate our next festival and at least broach the subject and were where it takes us. I’ll also be recommending this as a read first if they’re interested as it has some great information. I recommend this book for anyone considering starting a coven…it should be required reading for everyone.

The Everyday Witch's Coven is packed full of knowledge and it's clear the author has a lot of experience in the subject. I really enjoyed being able to learn from someone so much more experienced and found this to be a valuable resource.