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Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development
Many different systems and traditions of magic, divination, spirituality, and esoteric religion exist, but at their core, they share the need for practitioners to safely and successfully experience the reality that lies beyond the physical senses.
Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development is a collection of proven and tested methods, rituals, and systems that will help you deepen and clarify your capacity to sense and understand the rich worlds beyond the veils of the ordinary. The material in this book derives from decades of work by the author and his students.
Dominguez offers the reader practical techniques for increasing psychic aptitude and ability. Methods featured include chanting and working with crystals, chakras, oils, herbs, and potions, as well as a variation on the Middle-Pillar Ritual.
Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development is a collection of proven and tested methods, rituals, and systems that will help you deepen and clarify your capacity to sense and understand the rich worlds beyond the veils of the ordinary. The material in this book derives from decades of work by the author and his students.
Dominguez offers the reader practical techniques for increasing psychic aptitude and ability. Methods featured include chanting and working with crystals, chakras, oils, herbs, and potions, as well as a variation on the Middle-Pillar Ritual.
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 14, 2017
In this book the author shares the keys to perception and walks readers through a variety of exercises he's developed that can be used to cultivate psychic abilities. What I think stands out to me about this book is how the author manages to make the book relateable to people regardless of what their spiritual background is. So while Pagans and magicians will get a lot from this book, so will anyone else who has psychic abilities or simply wants to learn more about them. The exercises are well developed and described and its clear the author has done the work, but he also makes a point to describe the mechanics of the workings, which is helpful if people want to experiment with it.
April 26, 2024
Having attended this author’s lecture on working with deities, I was excited to read his words on psychic subject matter. His book exceeds expectations.
To be frank, there is quite a bit here that I don’t see myself making much use of immediately. But, having learned more about such things as herbalism and chakras, it’s altogether possible that I may revisit those chapters.
Where this book really wins me over is in the personality behind the presentation. Dominguez presents his convictions in a calm manner that speaks to his experiences in learning and teaching. Much like his aforementioned lecture, here he explains it all with relatable language that can make the lesson once-confounding more understandable.
To be frank, there is quite a bit here that I don’t see myself making much use of immediately. But, having learned more about such things as herbalism and chakras, it’s altogether possible that I may revisit those chapters.
Where this book really wins me over is in the personality behind the presentation. Dominguez presents his convictions in a calm manner that speaks to his experiences in learning and teaching. Much like his aforementioned lecture, here he explains it all with relatable language that can make the lesson once-confounding more understandable.
September 27, 2024
For anyone seeking to develop their psychic abilities through a grounded and structured approach, Ivo Dominguez Jr.’s Keys to Perception offers an invaluable toolkit that bridges traditional practices with modern techniques. Unlike many books on psychic development that focus narrowly on a single method or philosophy, Dominguez provides a comprehensive system that draws on decades of personal experience, presenting a wide variety of exercises designed to refine and expand the reader’s psychic senses.
Dominguez’s methodical approach to psychic development sets this book apart. Each chapter builds on the last, guiding the reader through a series of exercises and rituals that progressively sharpen awareness of energies and spirits. What makes Keys to Perception particularly effective is the balance between theory and application. Dominguez carefully explains the underlying principles behind each technique, ensuring that readers understand the why before delving into the how. This structure not only demystifies the process but also empowers practitioners to adapt and evolve their skills based on their unique strengths and experiences.
The book’s emphasis on safety and ethical practice is another of its strengths. Dominguez takes care to address common pitfalls and misconceptions around psychic development, offering clear guidelines for grounding, shielding, and maintaining energetic integrity. His inclusion of the Middle-Pillar Ritual, along with a variety of chants, crystal exercises, and techniques involving herbs and oils, provides multiple avenues for practitioners to experiment with and find what works best for their own energy body.
One of the highlights of Keys to Perception is its adaptability. Dominguez encourages readers to treat the material as a starting point, emphasizing that psychic development is not a one-size-fits-all process. His insights on integrating these methods with different magical and spiritual systems make the book a versatile resource for a wide audience, from beginners to experienced practitioners. This adaptability ensures that Keys to Perception will continue to be a relevant and valuable reference as one’s psychic abilities evolve over time.
Ivo Dominguez Jr. offers a practical yet profound guide for anyone looking to deepen their connection to the subtle realms. By presenting a structured approach that blends traditional techniques with innovative adaptations, this book stands as a foundational text in the field of psychic development. It will undoubtedly be appreciated by those who seek to unlock the full potential of their inner senses.
Dominguez’s methodical approach to psychic development sets this book apart. Each chapter builds on the last, guiding the reader through a series of exercises and rituals that progressively sharpen awareness of energies and spirits. What makes Keys to Perception particularly effective is the balance between theory and application. Dominguez carefully explains the underlying principles behind each technique, ensuring that readers understand the why before delving into the how. This structure not only demystifies the process but also empowers practitioners to adapt and evolve their skills based on their unique strengths and experiences.
The book’s emphasis on safety and ethical practice is another of its strengths. Dominguez takes care to address common pitfalls and misconceptions around psychic development, offering clear guidelines for grounding, shielding, and maintaining energetic integrity. His inclusion of the Middle-Pillar Ritual, along with a variety of chants, crystal exercises, and techniques involving herbs and oils, provides multiple avenues for practitioners to experiment with and find what works best for their own energy body.
One of the highlights of Keys to Perception is its adaptability. Dominguez encourages readers to treat the material as a starting point, emphasizing that psychic development is not a one-size-fits-all process. His insights on integrating these methods with different magical and spiritual systems make the book a versatile resource for a wide audience, from beginners to experienced practitioners. This adaptability ensures that Keys to Perception will continue to be a relevant and valuable reference as one’s psychic abilities evolve over time.
Ivo Dominguez Jr. offers a practical yet profound guide for anyone looking to deepen their connection to the subtle realms. By presenting a structured approach that blends traditional techniques with innovative adaptations, this book stands as a foundational text in the field of psychic development. It will undoubtedly be appreciated by those who seek to unlock the full potential of their inner senses.
January 4, 2021
Full of practical exercises, this book is what it says it is.
I wish there was a section where the author explains how the spirit realm works; like, if you wanted to be a mechanical engineer, shouldn't you have a basic understanding of thermodynamics?
I wish there was a section where the author explains how the spirit realm works; like, if you wanted to be a mechanical engineer, shouldn't you have a basic understanding of thermodynamics?
August 17, 2026
There are a lot of books about psychic development, but Keys to Perception is one of the few I would confidently recommend to someone who wants to seriously train their abilities rather than simply read about them. Ivo Dominguez Jr. approaches psychic perception as a collection of capacities that can be deliberately developed, strengthened, clarified, and integrated into magical practice. That alone puts this book in a different category from the endless books that give you a quiz to determine whether you're clairvoyant and then spend the rest of the pages telling you to trust your intuition.
What I love about Ivo's approach is that he understands psychic ability as foundational to an enormous range of spiritual practices. Magic, divination, energy work, ritual, spirit communication, and mystical experience may belong to very different traditions, but all of them eventually run into the same problem: how do you perceive something that isn't presenting itself through the ordinary five senses? If you can't reliably notice subtle information, it becomes much harder to interact intelligently with anything happening beyond the immediately physical.
Keys to Perception actually trains that interface.
The variety of methods is one of the book's greatest strengths. Ivo works with chanting, crystals, chakras, oils, herbs, potions, ritual techniques, and his own variation on the Middle Pillar rather than insisting that everyone develop psychically through one specific method. That makes sense because people aren't identical. One person's perception may open dramatically through energy work while another responds more strongly to sound, ritual, trance, or another sensory doorway. The goal isn't loyalty to a technique. The goal is developing perception.
I also appreciate that these practices come out of decades of work not only from Ivo himself but from students he has taught. That matters enormously in a psychic-development book. A technique that works beautifully for its inventor may not translate well to other people. Teaching the same material repeatedly shows you where students struggle, which instructions need clarification, what produces consistent results, and where different people require different approaches. You can feel that accumulated teaching experience here.
There's also a sophistication underneath Ivo's writing that becomes more apparent the further you go. He doesn't reduce psychic development to “opening your third eye.” Perception involves consciousness, energy, attention, interpretation, discernment, and the ability to distinguish an actual impression from all the noise surrounding it. Becoming more sensitive isn't particularly useful if you can't make sense of what you're sensing. Clarity matters just as much as receptivity.
This is also one of those books that rewards practice far more than passive reading. You could finish it quickly and come away with a lot of interesting information, but that's not really what it's for. The value is in choosing the exercises, doing them repeatedly, observing what changes, and learning the particular language through which your own subtle perception communicates.
As someone who loves serious books on psychic training, including Christopher Penczak's The Inner Temple of Witchcraft and Mat Auryn's Psychic Witch, I think Keys to Perception belongs right alongside them. Each author has a distinct system and perspective, but all three take psychic development seriously enough to treat it as something requiring actual practice rather than a mysterious talent you either possess or don't.
Ivo Dominguez Jr. is one of the most intelligent teachers writing about magic and psychic development today, and Keys to Perception deserves to be much more widely read. This isn't a book promising that you'll discover you're secretly psychic. It assumes perception can be developed and then gives you ways to get to work developing it.
Five stars without hesitation. If psychic development is part of your magical path, this belongs on your shelf.
What I love about Ivo's approach is that he understands psychic ability as foundational to an enormous range of spiritual practices. Magic, divination, energy work, ritual, spirit communication, and mystical experience may belong to very different traditions, but all of them eventually run into the same problem: how do you perceive something that isn't presenting itself through the ordinary five senses? If you can't reliably notice subtle information, it becomes much harder to interact intelligently with anything happening beyond the immediately physical.
Keys to Perception actually trains that interface.
The variety of methods is one of the book's greatest strengths. Ivo works with chanting, crystals, chakras, oils, herbs, potions, ritual techniques, and his own variation on the Middle Pillar rather than insisting that everyone develop psychically through one specific method. That makes sense because people aren't identical. One person's perception may open dramatically through energy work while another responds more strongly to sound, ritual, trance, or another sensory doorway. The goal isn't loyalty to a technique. The goal is developing perception.
I also appreciate that these practices come out of decades of work not only from Ivo himself but from students he has taught. That matters enormously in a psychic-development book. A technique that works beautifully for its inventor may not translate well to other people. Teaching the same material repeatedly shows you where students struggle, which instructions need clarification, what produces consistent results, and where different people require different approaches. You can feel that accumulated teaching experience here.
There's also a sophistication underneath Ivo's writing that becomes more apparent the further you go. He doesn't reduce psychic development to “opening your third eye.” Perception involves consciousness, energy, attention, interpretation, discernment, and the ability to distinguish an actual impression from all the noise surrounding it. Becoming more sensitive isn't particularly useful if you can't make sense of what you're sensing. Clarity matters just as much as receptivity.
This is also one of those books that rewards practice far more than passive reading. You could finish it quickly and come away with a lot of interesting information, but that's not really what it's for. The value is in choosing the exercises, doing them repeatedly, observing what changes, and learning the particular language through which your own subtle perception communicates.
As someone who loves serious books on psychic training, including Christopher Penczak's The Inner Temple of Witchcraft and Mat Auryn's Psychic Witch, I think Keys to Perception belongs right alongside them. Each author has a distinct system and perspective, but all three take psychic development seriously enough to treat it as something requiring actual practice rather than a mysterious talent you either possess or don't.
Ivo Dominguez Jr. is one of the most intelligent teachers writing about magic and psychic development today, and Keys to Perception deserves to be much more widely read. This isn't a book promising that you'll discover you're secretly psychic. It assumes perception can be developed and then gives you ways to get to work developing it.
Five stars without hesitation. If psychic development is part of your magical path, this belongs on your shelf.
September 1, 2026
I knew Keys to Perception was going to be different when I realized Ivo Dominguez Jr. wasn't spending pages trying to convince me that psychic abilities exist. He assumes I came here to learn how to develop them and gets to work. That may sound like a small distinction, but after reading so many books on psychic development that recycle introductory explanations of intuition followed by the same handful of exercises, I found it incredibly refreshing. This book feels like it was written by someone who has spent decades actually teaching psychic development, observing where students struggle, refining techniques and figuring out what produces results. That is exactly where the material comes from: Dominguez's years of personal practice and work with students.
There are techniques in here I had never encountered elsewhere. Dominguez moves from opening the inner senses into what he calls the Engine of Memory and “far memory,” the Three Selves, prophecy and oracular vision, managing psychic sensitivity, spirit communication, collective visioning, skrying and chakra pathworkings. He also gives a variation on the Middle Pillar ritual, methods involving minerals, herbs, oils and potions, and practices for strengthening what he calls the spiritual immune system. It is an unusually eclectic collection, drawing techniques into a larger psychic-development curriculum instead of presenting them as disconnected occult curiosities.
What really elevated the book for me was Dominguez's interest in mechanics. He doesn't only tell you what to do. He frequently explains what a technique is intended to accomplish and gives you enough understanding to begin experimenting intelligently with it. One of the earliest principles concerns attention itself: sharpening ordinary perception and learning to consciously allocate attention becomes preparation for sharpening the inner senses. That immediately clicked for me. Psychic development is so often described in mysterious language that we overlook the fundamental skills underneath it: concentration, sensitivity, memory, discernment, visualization, shifting awareness and learning how our minds translate subtle impressions into something intelligible.
I was equally impressed by the attention given to managing sensitivity. Opening psychically is only useful if you can function afterward. The inclusion of the Cord Ward, spiritual immunity, grounding practices and an entire chapter on managing psychic sensitivity makes this feel like training rather than thrill-seeking. I also appreciate that Dominguez isn't prescribing one spiritual worldview as a prerequisite. Readers from Pagan and magical backgrounds will recognize plenty here, but reviewers have specifically noted how readily the techniques can be used outside those traditions.
This is one of those books I finished knowing I hadn't really finished it. I need to go back through with a notebook, spend weeks with individual exercises and find out what happens when they become practices instead of things I've read about. That is probably the highest praise I can give a psychic-development book. Keys to Perception expanded my toolkit, gave me new ways of thinking about abilities I already practice, and introduced enough unfamiliar material to make me feel like a student again. There are shelves full of books promising to tell you that you are psychic. This is one of the comparatively rare ones that seems genuinely interested in helping you become better at it.
There are techniques in here I had never encountered elsewhere. Dominguez moves from opening the inner senses into what he calls the Engine of Memory and “far memory,” the Three Selves, prophecy and oracular vision, managing psychic sensitivity, spirit communication, collective visioning, skrying and chakra pathworkings. He also gives a variation on the Middle Pillar ritual, methods involving minerals, herbs, oils and potions, and practices for strengthening what he calls the spiritual immune system. It is an unusually eclectic collection, drawing techniques into a larger psychic-development curriculum instead of presenting them as disconnected occult curiosities.
What really elevated the book for me was Dominguez's interest in mechanics. He doesn't only tell you what to do. He frequently explains what a technique is intended to accomplish and gives you enough understanding to begin experimenting intelligently with it. One of the earliest principles concerns attention itself: sharpening ordinary perception and learning to consciously allocate attention becomes preparation for sharpening the inner senses. That immediately clicked for me. Psychic development is so often described in mysterious language that we overlook the fundamental skills underneath it: concentration, sensitivity, memory, discernment, visualization, shifting awareness and learning how our minds translate subtle impressions into something intelligible.
I was equally impressed by the attention given to managing sensitivity. Opening psychically is only useful if you can function afterward. The inclusion of the Cord Ward, spiritual immunity, grounding practices and an entire chapter on managing psychic sensitivity makes this feel like training rather than thrill-seeking. I also appreciate that Dominguez isn't prescribing one spiritual worldview as a prerequisite. Readers from Pagan and magical backgrounds will recognize plenty here, but reviewers have specifically noted how readily the techniques can be used outside those traditions.
This is one of those books I finished knowing I hadn't really finished it. I need to go back through with a notebook, spend weeks with individual exercises and find out what happens when they become practices instead of things I've read about. That is probably the highest praise I can give a psychic-development book. Keys to Perception expanded my toolkit, gave me new ways of thinking about abilities I already practice, and introduced enough unfamiliar material to make me feel like a student again. There are shelves full of books promising to tell you that you are psychic. This is one of the comparatively rare ones that seems genuinely interested in helping you become better at it.
September 6, 2026
Psychic development books usually become less interesting to me the moment they start promising that everyone can see auras by Thursday. Ivo Dominguez Jr. has a much more mature understanding of the problem. Becoming more sensitive is only useful if you also learn what your perceptions mean, how your particular mind translates them, and how to keep increased sensitivity from making ordinary life unbearable. Those questions occupy a surprising amount of this book, and they are exactly the questions that tend to appear after the beginner exercises have stopped being exciting.
There is an enormous amount here. Dominguez works with the inner senses, memory, the Three Selves, divination and prophecy, psychic sensitivity, scrying, collective visioning, crystals, herbs, oils, chakras, a variation of the Middle Pillar, and exercises for spirit communication. I was particularly interested in the Engine of Memory and the Eternal Now exercise because they approach psychism through faculties we already use constantly. Memory, imagination, attention, association, and perception are not treated as enemies of psychic experience that must somehow be eliminated before the "real" signal can arrive. They are part of the apparatus through which the signal is experienced.
That is one of Ivo's great strengths as an occult writer. He is comfortable saying that subtle perception is filtered through the practitioner without concluding that it must therefore be imaginary. If I perceive something psychically as an image while another person receives it as bodily sensation or sudden knowledge, the useful question is not which of us saw the objective spiritual photograph correctly. The question is what information each perception carried and whether it proves meaningful. That approach is enormously helpful for anyone who has spent years wondering why their psychic experiences refuse to resemble somebody else's descriptions.
The book does occasionally suffer from Ivo's enthusiasm for giving you every tool in the workshop. Crystals lead into energy practices, which lead into ritual structures, which lead somewhere else entirely, and there were moments when I wanted to remain with one method longer before being introduced to another. But I would rather have that problem than the opposite one. Keys to Perception treats psychic ability as a complex human faculty that deserves training, experimentation, discipline, and discernment. It does not ask you simply to become more open. It asks you to become better at understanding what comes through when you do.
There is an enormous amount here. Dominguez works with the inner senses, memory, the Three Selves, divination and prophecy, psychic sensitivity, scrying, collective visioning, crystals, herbs, oils, chakras, a variation of the Middle Pillar, and exercises for spirit communication. I was particularly interested in the Engine of Memory and the Eternal Now exercise because they approach psychism through faculties we already use constantly. Memory, imagination, attention, association, and perception are not treated as enemies of psychic experience that must somehow be eliminated before the "real" signal can arrive. They are part of the apparatus through which the signal is experienced.
That is one of Ivo's great strengths as an occult writer. He is comfortable saying that subtle perception is filtered through the practitioner without concluding that it must therefore be imaginary. If I perceive something psychically as an image while another person receives it as bodily sensation or sudden knowledge, the useful question is not which of us saw the objective spiritual photograph correctly. The question is what information each perception carried and whether it proves meaningful. That approach is enormously helpful for anyone who has spent years wondering why their psychic experiences refuse to resemble somebody else's descriptions.
The book does occasionally suffer from Ivo's enthusiasm for giving you every tool in the workshop. Crystals lead into energy practices, which lead into ritual structures, which lead somewhere else entirely, and there were moments when I wanted to remain with one method longer before being introduced to another. But I would rather have that problem than the opposite one. Keys to Perception treats psychic ability as a complex human faculty that deserves training, experimentation, discipline, and discernment. It does not ask you simply to become more open. It asks you to become better at understanding what comes through when you do.
November 22, 2024
After finishing Mat Auryn's "Psychic Witch," I was eager to dive deeper into the world of psychic development. So, I reached out to Mat himself and asked what he would recommend next. He pointed me toward Ivo Dominguez Jr.'s "Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development," and I'm so glad he did. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book is an absolute gem! Dominguez Jr. has crafted a comprehensive guide that's both practical and profound. He doesn't just offer a handful of techniques; he provides a rich tapestry of methods drawn from decades of experience and various esoteric traditions.
What I love most is how accessible and grounded his approach is. He covers everything from chanting and working with crystals to exploring chakras, oils, herbs, and potions. His variation on the Middle-Pillar Ritual was particularly enlightening and has become a staple in my own practice.
The exercises are thoughtfully laid out, making it easy to incorporate them into daily life. Dominguez Jr. emphasizes safety and ethical considerations, which I appreciate immensely—it's crucial when delving into the deeper aspects of psychic work.
Reading this book felt like unlocking doors to new realms of perception. It's helped me deepen my understanding and sharpen my abilities in ways I didn't expect. The blend of practical advice with esoteric wisdom makes it a valuable resource for both beginners and seasoned practitioners.
A big thank you to Mat Auryn for the recommendation! If you're looking to expand your psychic skills and want a guide that's both insightful and hands-on, "Keys to Perception" is definitely worth exploring.
This book has become a cherished part of my spiritual journey, and I know I'll be revisiting its pages for years to come.
This book is an absolute gem! Dominguez Jr. has crafted a comprehensive guide that's both practical and profound. He doesn't just offer a handful of techniques; he provides a rich tapestry of methods drawn from decades of experience and various esoteric traditions.
What I love most is how accessible and grounded his approach is. He covers everything from chanting and working with crystals to exploring chakras, oils, herbs, and potions. His variation on the Middle-Pillar Ritual was particularly enlightening and has become a staple in my own practice.
The exercises are thoughtfully laid out, making it easy to incorporate them into daily life. Dominguez Jr. emphasizes safety and ethical considerations, which I appreciate immensely—it's crucial when delving into the deeper aspects of psychic work.
Reading this book felt like unlocking doors to new realms of perception. It's helped me deepen my understanding and sharpen my abilities in ways I didn't expect. The blend of practical advice with esoteric wisdom makes it a valuable resource for both beginners and seasoned practitioners.
A big thank you to Mat Auryn for the recommendation! If you're looking to expand your psychic skills and want a guide that's both insightful and hands-on, "Keys to Perception" is definitely worth exploring.
This book has become a cherished part of my spiritual journey, and I know I'll be revisiting its pages for years to come.
February 19, 2023
I'm tempted to give this book five stars because it's really good. However, I'm trying to keep five stars only for those books that are truly life-changing, or so deeply meaningful, that I'm left in tears from the beauty of it all. It wasn't that. So, four stars it is!
The book is well-written, organized, and easy to understand, but also thought-provoking enough to keep you on your toes. I can't say that I agreed with all of his conclusions, or statements, but it got me thinking - and a book that can do that, is worth my time.
The book is well-written, organized, and easy to understand, but also thought-provoking enough to keep you on your toes. I can't say that I agreed with all of his conclusions, or statements, but it got me thinking - and a book that can do that, is worth my time.
December 31, 2025
This book took me a while to get through as it’s more of a primer or textbook than a straight nonfiction read. I took notes and attempted many of the exercises and recipes in here. The author speaks with a gentle balance of authority and understanding that each is on their own journey and no two are alike. This is rooted in practicalities so it lacks some of the cultural, political or historical context but overall as a reference text this one is generous and full of wise & interesting actions you can take right away to explore and develop psychic abilities.
October 1, 2025
Ivo Dominguez Jr. offers an excellent guide for developing, expanding, and honing your psychic senses.
I would say the book is for advanced beginners to more experienced practitioners. He often assumes a certain level of competency with moving energy and creating sacred space. The book offers a mix of practice and theory and although it is not laid out like a structured course, I was always able to relate the material to my own practice.
This is definitely volume to keep in my collection.
I would say the book is for advanced beginners to more experienced practitioners. He often assumes a certain level of competency with moving energy and creating sacred space. The book offers a mix of practice and theory and although it is not laid out like a structured course, I was always able to relate the material to my own practice.
This is definitely volume to keep in my collection.
October 20, 2017
This was an excellent book to increase and build on psychic skills. It is filled with exercises to develop and expand your skills. This is a book you will continue to come back to. After reading it through once I plan to go through it again to begin uses the exercises more deeply.
January 9, 2019
A very good book on awakening, developing, and maintaining your psychic abilities. The exercises are all fairly good and well, and I was happy to discover that there wasn't much fluff to the book. It was an above average put in the work and benefit from it kind of book, which is much appreciated.
June 7, 2019
While the material the author presented was fascinating and extensive, the way it was presented was quite tedious to read. I would have appreciated a more conversational tone, and I felt like this read more like a manual. It took me a long time to finish it, and it was a real slog through.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews