Ancient Fayerie by Melanie Godfrey

 

This book is not just about fayeries, although they do feature heavily. It also looks at other spirit folk such as dryads, stone beings, mermaids, dragons and trolls, as well as exploring ley lines, sacred sites and sacred energies. The book contains guided meditations to meet fairies and other beings as well as guidance on creating ceremonies.

It is a book that made me think. Some of the things that happen to the author are quite fantastical and stretched my credulity but a small part of me wondered if these tales are actually true. Is there a land of fae, and dragons living on cliffs, and mermaids taking care of the sea, and invisible codes in the Earth’s matrix? I realised that I really do want this stuff to be true because the book provides not only lessons in how important it is to honour nature and the beings that share it with us, but also delivers a message of hope for the future, that all is not lost and the fayerie folk and their allies are working to bring us humans back to a place of closeness to nature and harmony with each other. To know we have these invisible beings helping us is comfort indeed.

There is a definite echo of Diana Cooper in the ideas shared in this book, so if you enjoy her books I urge you to give this a try. It is a book where the mythology of Britain is made true, and those stories had to come from somewhere, right? Why not believe they have a thread of truth in them? Britain is one of the most magical places on Earth. Anything can happen.

With thanks to Netgalley and Moon Books for this advance review copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thunderstone by Nancy Campbell

I absolutely loved this book, truly I did. I admit I wasn’t too keen on the first part when Nancy was caring for Anna but as soon as she left to live in the caravan, the book picked up.

Written in journal form, the book not only covers Nancy’s day to day life, it also introduces us to some fabulous characters such as Sven and the assassin, and includes wider research about the history and other facts concerning Oxford and the surrounding area. I have to say that Sven was portrayed as a wonderful person; I wish I had my own Sven in my life!

While living in a caravan may appear to be a carefree existence, Nancy does not romanticise it and tells us all about the problems she experienced, such as broken boilers and heaters and how making coffee nearly killed her. It’s true life stuff, no gloss. 

One thing I loved was how Nancy showed the passing of time - not just through her journal entries, but by reporting what was happening in nature, such as which flowers were blooming or which fruits were ripening. The reader is immersed not only in Nancy’s daily life but also the natural world on her doorstep and really made me feel like I have to ditch my screen and get out more, to see what is growing around my home and learn to identify them. Because of this and so many other reasons, I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like an undemanding, gentle read. Even if you don’t like reading journals, because I don’t either, yet I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐