Joyce Miller

I enjoyed the information shared in this book and the author's effort to educate the readers. I felt that some of the information may have been gathered by word of mouth or other non- accepted methods when offering it as fact in the book. I've read contradicting facts in other books. I had the impression that it was written more as fables and folklore rather than a serious research presentation. But I appreciate the effort the author put into gathering her information and that it was presented in a way that was pleasing to read and not boring. One more thing but certainly not any fault of the author, there are a considerable number of editing errors and I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't stopped in so many places. So, if you want an easy, pleasant read about Magic and Witchcraft in Scotland, this is a great choice.… (lisätietoja)

If you are a beginner starting to research the history, and practice of witchcraft in the Scottish region, then this book is a good start. It is not an overly academic tome; it reads easily and can be digested in one sitting.
The bibliography gives you material with which to widen your knowledge and there are maps and information aplenty on the various sites mentioned in the chapters, so you can take the book on tour with you.

Although the book is divided into sections, there is considerable overlapping of subject matter.

This brings me to my main quibble. The book is badly edited. The grammar is appalling and quite a few sentences are repeated within the same paragraph; and it is the same with whole subject matters, where there is a doubling up within the book and the wording appears to vary only a little. It can be somewhat jarring to the reader.

There are some matters presented as fact, which are in dispute within the historical community and the author seems to make the decision for the reader by not offering alternative viewpoints. Anyone who is genuinely interested, however, will find this out for themselves upon further research.

Still much better than many other books about Scottish magical traditions and practices. Well done to the author; may she find a better editor next time.… (lisätietoja)