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Celtic Folk Magic
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 24, 2026
This was such a fascinating book!
The art throughout was gorgeous and truly enhanced the reading experience.
I really appreciated how many topics this covered and in such digestible portions. I particularly loved learning about the different plants and their uses, the different spirits and deities and the historic figures! Mórrigan and Boudicca were especially fascinating to me!
I think this would be a great introduction for anyone interested in learning more about Celtic culture!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review
The art throughout was gorgeous and truly enhanced the reading experience.
I really appreciated how many topics this covered and in such digestible portions. I particularly loved learning about the different plants and their uses, the different spirits and deities and the historic figures! Mórrigan and Boudicca were especially fascinating to me!
I think this would be a great introduction for anyone interested in learning more about Celtic culture!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review
June 8, 2026
Celtic Folk Magic offers a thoughtful and accessible entry point into a complex and often misunderstood tradition. Giulia Manzi approaches the subject with respect for its cultural roots while still making it usable for modern readers. The result is a practical guide that avoids being overly abstract.
The book’s strength is its clarity. Manzi breaks down concepts into manageable sections without oversimplifying them. Practices, correspondences, and rituals are explained in plain language. This makes the material usable even for readers with limited background in folk magic. At the same time, she maintains a clear link to Celtic traditions, which helps ground the work.
The emphasis on everyday practice stands out. Manzi does not present magic as something distant or specialized. Instead, she ties it to daily life through nature, seasonal rhythms, and simple rituals. This approach makes the book feel grounded rather than performative.
The structure is logical. Topics build on one another in a way that supports learning. Readers can move through the book in order or use it as a reference. That flexibility adds to its usefulness.
Where the book falls slightly short is depth. Some areas feel introductory when they could benefit from more detail or historical context. Readers looking for deep academic analysis or extensive sourcing may find it limited.
The book’s strength is its clarity. Manzi breaks down concepts into manageable sections without oversimplifying them. Practices, correspondences, and rituals are explained in plain language. This makes the material usable even for readers with limited background in folk magic. At the same time, she maintains a clear link to Celtic traditions, which helps ground the work.
The emphasis on everyday practice stands out. Manzi does not present magic as something distant or specialized. Instead, she ties it to daily life through nature, seasonal rhythms, and simple rituals. This approach makes the book feel grounded rather than performative.
The structure is logical. Topics build on one another in a way that supports learning. Readers can move through the book in order or use it as a reference. That flexibility adds to its usefulness.
Where the book falls slightly short is depth. Some areas feel introductory when they could benefit from more detail or historical context. Readers looking for deep academic analysis or extensive sourcing may find it limited.
June 8, 2026
Celtic Folk Magic by Giulia Manzi is a gorgeous deep dive into the myths, folklore, and magical traditions of Celtic culture. If you're someone who loves learning about ancient beliefs, legendary figures, sacred plants, and folklore, this book is packed with fascinating information.
The real standout for me was the artwork. Every page feels like a treasure, with beautiful illustrations that bring the gods, goddesses, magical creatures, and folk practices to life. I found myself lingering on pages just to take in the details. The sections on Brigid, Lúg, Ogham divination, and the sacred plants were especially interesting.
While I loved the wealth of information and the immersive feel of the book, at times it felt a little more like an illustrated reference guide than a narrative journey, which made it harder for me to stay fully engaged from cover to cover. That said, it's the kind of book you'll find yourself picking up again and again to revisit different topics.
Overall, Celtic Folk Magic is a beautifully crafted introduction to Celtic folklore and magical traditions that balances education with stunning visual storytelling. Perfect for mythology lovers, folklore enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys collecting beautiful books.
The real standout for me was the artwork. Every page feels like a treasure, with beautiful illustrations that bring the gods, goddesses, magical creatures, and folk practices to life. I found myself lingering on pages just to take in the details. The sections on Brigid, Lúg, Ogham divination, and the sacred plants were especially interesting.
While I loved the wealth of information and the immersive feel of the book, at times it felt a little more like an illustrated reference guide than a narrative journey, which made it harder for me to stay fully engaged from cover to cover. That said, it's the kind of book you'll find yourself picking up again and again to revisit different topics.
Overall, Celtic Folk Magic is a beautifully crafted introduction to Celtic folklore and magical traditions that balances education with stunning visual storytelling. Perfect for mythology lovers, folklore enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys collecting beautiful books.
June 8, 2026
Celtic Folk Magic is a greater primer for those interested in Celtic folklore with practical observations about the practices associated with it. It gives a solid overview of magic, mythological and historical beings, and different traditions in a highly influential culture.
The art in this is absolutely stunning.
Where it fell short for me, personally, is not entirely the fault of the book itself. This falls into a category of what I like to call "coffee table non-fiction" which is often beautiful and does have useful info, but is often such a broad overview I'm not sure I felt like I learned much. That being said, it is a great introduction to certain topics and did send me off with ideas for more research.
All in all, this is a weird one to rate because personally it is fairly average. I've read a few similar books and I don't know how much this adds outside of stunning aesthetics. But if you want a broad overview or nerdy, folkloric decoration then it is one of the better options out there!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
The art in this is absolutely stunning.
Where it fell short for me, personally, is not entirely the fault of the book itself. This falls into a category of what I like to call "coffee table non-fiction" which is often beautiful and does have useful info, but is often such a broad overview I'm not sure I felt like I learned much. That being said, it is a great introduction to certain topics and did send me off with ideas for more research.
All in all, this is a weird one to rate because personally it is fairly average. I've read a few similar books and I don't know how much this adds outside of stunning aesthetics. But if you want a broad overview or nerdy, folkloric decoration then it is one of the better options out there!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
June 11, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to have an ARC of this book.
When I was a wee kid, I had fixation over Celtic witchcrafts since my OC was a wiccan (DeviantArt era, duh).
This book just awaken it again. This book is brief and concise, straight to the point without fillers. I didn't realize it was ended because I flipping through the ebook like madman.
Every single chapters accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Alice Guidi.
As self-proclaimed artist (faux), I want to know what the name of the typeface she used. I really like the different typeface for a specific passage in this, it create emphasis, buy I hope it use typeface with more clarity. The typeface suited for the chapter titles, but not so much when it used as paragraph, but this is just my opinion.
When I was a wee kid, I had fixation over Celtic witchcrafts since my OC was a wiccan (DeviantArt era, duh).
This book just awaken it again. This book is brief and concise, straight to the point without fillers. I didn't realize it was ended because I flipping through the ebook like madman.
Every single chapters accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Alice Guidi.
As self-proclaimed artist (faux), I want to know what the name of the typeface she used. I really like the different typeface for a specific passage in this, it create emphasis, buy I hope it use typeface with more clarity. The typeface suited for the chapter titles, but not so much when it used as paragraph, but this is just my opinion.
July 1, 2026
A great introduction to mythology and magical traditions of Celtic culture
With beautiful illustrations helping you to immerse yourself into a world from hundreds of years ago.
It was really exciting to read about the spirits and deities I've encountered in some of the fantasy novels I've read in the past
I'm eager to check if in any stories with the legendary island of Avalon you need to hold a branch of an apple tree to pass to the fairy world!
The form of this book is short and easy to digest but I wish there would be more in-depth information provided. Still, Celtic Folk Magic does a really good job of pulling you into a world ruled by druids and spells and makes you want to learn more about Celtic history and mythology.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.
With beautiful illustrations helping you to immerse yourself into a world from hundreds of years ago.
It was really exciting to read about the spirits and deities I've encountered in some of the fantasy novels I've read in the past
I'm eager to check if in any stories with the legendary island of Avalon you need to hold a branch of an apple tree to pass to the fairy world!
The form of this book is short and easy to digest but I wish there would be more in-depth information provided. Still, Celtic Folk Magic does a really good job of pulling you into a world ruled by druids and spells and makes you want to learn more about Celtic history and mythology.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.
July 3, 2026
*ARC Review- Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster/Vivida for the opportunity to read this book and review it fairly.*
This was an accessible and pop knowledge intro to some Celtic folklore and general knowledge on some of the plants that they found significance with. The art work in this book was also very beautiful.
I don't think this book serves as a resource for those interested in Celtic Folklore or knowledge unless they are a ground floor entrant to the information. This was an overview at best and seemed weirdly organized. As a starting point for those that have a casual interest in the subject this is perfect. Although I do wish it had pronunciations for the Gaelic words and names that are very frequently used.
This was an accessible and pop knowledge intro to some Celtic folklore and general knowledge on some of the plants that they found significance with. The art work in this book was also very beautiful.
I don't think this book serves as a resource for those interested in Celtic Folklore or knowledge unless they are a ground floor entrant to the information. This was an overview at best and seemed weirdly organized. As a starting point for those that have a casual interest in the subject this is perfect. Although I do wish it had pronunciations for the Gaelic words and names that are very frequently used.
June 6, 2026
I felt the title and description were slightly mismatched (this wasn't really a how-to guide)
This book was something far more interesting to me:
a beautifully written and richly fascinating history.
Giulia Manzi's storytelling offers glimmers of insight into which trees and plants held deep significance to the celts, their mythology, historical figures, and yes their magic too.
I wish it was longer, as that's exactly the kind of book that resonates with me. Gorgeous illustrations. I ended up reading it twice.
Thank you to the author & publisher for allowing me to read this book early in return for my honest thoughts and review.
This book was something far more interesting to me:
a beautifully written and richly fascinating history.
Giulia Manzi's storytelling offers glimmers of insight into which trees and plants held deep significance to the celts, their mythology, historical figures, and yes their magic too.
I wish it was longer, as that's exactly the kind of book that resonates with me. Gorgeous illustrations. I ended up reading it twice.
Thank you to the author & publisher for allowing me to read this book early in return for my honest thoughts and review.
June 10, 2026
This book surprised me in the best way. I don’t usually read this genre, but the title and cover immediately caught my attention. Inside, the illustrations are absolutely stunning — every page feels like a piece of art. The content is brief but engaging, offering a clear overview of Celtic traditions, deities, and mythical beings. It’s not academic and doesn’t include research references, but as a visually immersive introduction, it’s wonderful.
June 18, 2026
I love exploring all practices and this was a wonderful read. Short and sweet, but chock full of everything I could have ever asked for. If you have an affinity for learning more about other paths? THIS IS FOR YOU! You can explore further with other books, but this is a great introduction to Celtic Folk Magic for sure.
June 5, 2026
This is a quick read with a nice focus on herbal remedies/herbal use and deities within celtic folklore. I also appreciated the included artwork in this book. Thank-you, Simon and Schuster and Guilia Manzi, for this complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
June 30, 2026
This is a good quick overview for those who may be unfamiliar with the topic and it gives the reader some direction if they want to dig deeper into any of the beliefs or mythologies mentioned.
June 28, 2026
good and easy reference guide for those who are just looking for basic knowledge about Celtic folk magic. I wish there was more information though.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews