Spellwork & Magic
Teenage Witch’s Book of Shadows
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Teenage Witch’s Book of Shadows
by Anna de Benzelle and Mary Neasham
Green Magic
Teenage Witch’s Book of Shadows was much easier to read than it was to review.
I am usually a person of strong opinions — about everything.
Unfortunately, this book did not leave me with much of an impression: It was one of those that you don’t really remember once you are done reading it.
My first impressions were good. I liked the style of the cover art, and I think Trystan Mitchell did a nice job with it. Once I started reading the book, I found that it was easy to read and informative without being preachy. The book is peppered throughout with British phrases and spelling, which made it fun to read, even though it made me pause sometimes to try and figure out what they were saying!
There were several things I didn’t like about the book. For one thing, the concept of deity is hardly even broached. Since the book is supposed to be an “Introduction to Sympathetic Magic,” deity is easily overlooked. However, their chapter on Romantic Sun Signs read like it was taken out of a Teen Magazine, and one wonders why it was even included in a book on sympathetic magic.
I also did not like the way the chapters were set up. It seemed as if the book jumped around too much. For instance, the chapter on the Sabbats was Chapter 3, and the chapters on ritual feasting and ritual drinking (where it went over the foods and drinks to consume on the different Sabbats) were Chapters 14 and 15 consecutively.
The other thing I didn’t like was that the book sometimes contradicts itself. For instance, in Chapter 4: “Moon Magic,” they say about magic done on the Full Moon, “It is best not to start new work at the Full Moon, as it may well go off in all sorts of directions. Use it for celebrating your achievements, consolidating, or moving an already established project into a different direction.”
In Chapter 7: “Simple Candle Magic,” it says that the Full Moon is okay for most spells except banishing. I know that two different authors wrote this book, but this problem should have been fixed in editing.
All in all, I would recommend this book for people who don’t really know that much about Paganism, but are interested in a little magick. This book is very basic and introductory, and anybody with a little knowledge isn’t going to find it very interesting. It’s not one of those books that stick in your mind. In a year from now, I probably won’t recall reading it.
TINA ANDERSON
RATING: 3 Broomsticks
» Originally appeared in newWitch #02
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