Excellent information and beautifully written, just like all of Maia’s books. I think this makes for an excellent stand alone in the wild wisdom cannon too. Highly recommended

This book is absolutely gorgeous. Just skipping through it makes my heart smile. I love that the book encourages you to find your own "thing" to nurture what is right for you, and doesn't tell you "you have to do this" or "that way, and only that way is how it's supposed to be". The only thing I found a little bit weird was that the book starts with late autumn and ends with early autumn. I mean, I understand the wheel of the year and all, but splitting autumn was a little bit, well, different I guess.

I found this book very interesting. Learning about each time of year and how to celebrate. I definitely took notes on plants and things for each section.

I love it when a book that has been written for adults holds my attention like those non-fiction books written for children. I'm drawn to the beauty of books and the wonders opened up through the power of illustrations and this book delivers on this front. It was the images that I was first drawn to but the writing is clear and enjoyable and makes you want to continue reading. Maia writes in a way that invites you into a magical world, a world that you too can enjoy.

Thank you #NetGalley for the eARC.

What a beautiful wild and witchy book! I will refer to it over many times I am sure! Such rich illustrations and very awesome information to enrich anybody's world, witch or mundane!

This is such a beautiful book. I love everything Maia writes and this is no exception. Will definitely be getting a copy for my shelves.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

Maia Toll’s books never disappoint and this one is right up there with her others in the series. She is known for The Illustrated Herbiary, The Illustrated Bestiary, and The Illustrated Crystallary but this book, The Wild Wisdom Companion, goes full on with the witchy subject matter by taking it one step further by showing the reader how to take their spiritual knowledge of these items into practice using rituals, spells, recipes, prompts, and other exercises that follow the seasonal changes of the year.

The book is divided into twelve chapters that cover different stages of the four seasons and break down into different practices that give focus to plant, animal, and mineral medicine.

The book is heavily rich in Toll’s beautiful illustrations PLUS 28 pop-out oracle cards and four bound-in pocket pages, which makes this not only a book but a handy oracle deck as well. All of Toll’s books include cards like this and it is what makes he work extra special.

Would I recommend?

5/5 Stars: This book is highly recommended for its clear organization, quality of illustrations that are enjoyable to look at, and the ability for this book to double as an oracle deck as well.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable read, however struggled with the format of the arc I received. Will definitely be picking up the physical copies of all the books in this series as not only are they informative but the covers and illustrations throughout are gorgeous and I need them for my physical collection.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This book was organized so well and the pictures were so wonderful. It allowed me to get in touch with nature in all of the seasons. It was inspirational and helped point me in the right direction with crystals, seasonal plants, nature, and cycles of the year. It helps me have things to write in my journal for the way I feel as the seasons change. This is my first book in this series and I am going to look into the books in the series. The book says it came with cards, but I received a digital version so no cards, but I have seen pictures and they are lovely.

This book is incredible!!!!

Because apparently it comes with pop-out oracle cards I will have to look into buying a physical copy.

It really helps one to get into the habit of flowing with nature rather than struggling against it.

OH I CANNOT WAIT TO BUY THIS BOOK AND GET THE ORCALE CARDS!

I used to get seriously depressed in winter,. I got Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Then I started to read books like this one. They totally changed my life!

My life has improved tremendously since I decided to go with the flow of nature instead of opposing it!

And this book will help me an others to continue that path. It's the kind of book you want to keep on your night stand so you can read it throughout the year and find inspiration in the quotes and go try the recipes and journaling prompts. The beautiful illustrations are so uplifting!

Not everyone would be interested in all the information offer (I don't really care about crystals and chakras) but there is something for everyone embarked in a self-improvement/spiritual journey

Can't recommended enough!

This is a really beautiful book. It's best suited for those who are Wiccan or Pagan, and apparently comes with pop out oracle cards. The illustrations are just beautiful, giving it a really evocative feel. The text is very introspective and well written. It covers the 12 mini-seasons of the year (early fall, late winter, summer equinox, etc.) and talks about what to do and learn in each, regarding nature, the cycles of time, crystals, etc. While it does touch on some seasonal plants it is not an herbal book. Highly recommended for those who are looking to get in touch with the natural cycles of the year.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

This its another gorgeously-illustrated release from author Maia Toll and illustrator Kate O’Hara, which takes the reader around a full turn of the year with seasonal practices and wild wisdom offered to encourage and inspire.

Starting in late autumn and following the year-wheel around, Toll guides the reader through the seasons, equinoxes, solstices, and fire festivals with journal prompts, questions for reflections, and suggested practices designed to honour the turning of the year and encourage self-awareness and personal growth. The book itself it split into twelve chapters, each with its own elements, symbols, animals, crystals, and plants. There are also energy centres, which are basically the chakras, recipes, and relevant quotes.

This book is packed full of information and would be great starting place for anyone wanting to work more consciously with the seasons, and it is suitable for both North and South Hemispheres. I like how the seasonal symbols are given with both gifts and challenges, so that they are offered with perspective and balance. I’m not sure I understand why Toll chose to include the Witch as a season symbol of late summer, however, but I appreciated the inclusion of making and working with flower essences. The additional cards at the back are great for working spreads and going further with meditations or journal prompts, and many of the questions sprinkled throughout the book are meant for deep personal inquiry, which is a nice touch.

Speaking as a Witch myself, there were only a few things that stopped me short of fully enjoying this book. One was in the Late Autumn chapter, where Toll advises honouring and connecting with “those you had a troubled relationship with who have passed on”. I appreciate the attempt at some ancestral healing here, but working with toxic and troubled ancestors is not easy work nor advisable for beginners, so I would be highly cautious with this suggested practice. Another thing was the glossing over of chakras as “energy centres” and the repeated use of “animal medicine”, a concept that comes from indigenous cultures and peoples; Toll doesn’t appear to acknowledge these roots, despite pulling freely from other religions and cultures (e.g. Taoism, Celtic spirituality, etc).

Overall, this a good introduction for beginners to seasonal rhythms and the year-wheel, with some good practices and excellent prompts for self-reflection. It’s also gorgeous — Kate O’Hara has outdone herself with this one.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Storey Publishing, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a beautiful book. From the words to the artwork, you get immersed in the story Maia tells. I can see myself referring back to this book many times and can not wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

Where do I start? Yet another magical and magnificent book my the amazing Maia Toll. I have all of her other works and this was was just as enchanting as the rest. I highly recommend this and will be referencing it again and again. Thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am kind of in love with this book. Oh my goodness. I'm already familiar with Maia Toll's work, as an owner of her Illustrated Herbiary (book + cards) and her Illustrated Crystallary (why haven't I gotten her Illustrated Bestiary yet?! Um, just ordered it!). Anyway, I'm not at all surprised by the phenomenal beauty of this book, yet somehow it still blew me away! The complete design -- from the illustrations to the page layouts, down to the representations of the season on the top of each page -- was extremely well thought out and executed beautifully! Oh, right, and the content? Holy crap. This was exactly what I needed right now, especially beginning with the Early Autumn season in which I read this book. The breakdown by season and the assortment of practices and symbols for each one is a really nice approach. The general practices outlined in the beginning of the book are all ideas that resonated with me. I can't remember the last time I read a book that got me so eager to *take action* that I was itching to actually get out a journal and a pen and start immediately! The content for Early Autumn was so poignant and relevant to where I am in life right now that I actually started crying as I was reading through one of the practices. This book is an incredible companion (what the PERFECT word to use for its title), and I can't WAIT to get my physical copy so that I can keep it with me all the time and use the cards and connect even more to my own inner wild wisdom.

First of all, the graphics, illustrations etc. are beautiful and very inspiring. I think they represent perfectly what the author is trying to convey. I like the multimedia nature of this too, with the pockets and the cards. I liked the tips a lot and the little story that unfurls each chapter about the sun and earth (it helps a lot to understand what the earth is doing in each part of the cycle).

I adore this book. It is so well written, defined, and laid out. The author lays out a foundation in the beginning and then you can jump to the seasons as needed. Each season is filled with so much great content, some of which will be new to most everyone. This allows you to embrace some new practices and infuse them into your own wheel of the year. Did I mention that I adore this book?

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Despite living in a geographic area that doesn't have seasons (hot, hotter, hottest, still hot), I was raised in a place that did and frequently travel back and forth, and often reminisce about fall and winter. I also enjoy books that are almanacs, devotionals, workbooks, etc.., basically adore any books that take their time.

Wild Wisdom Companion is one of those books. It's not a book that you sit down with for a couple of hours and digest all of it in one sitting (like I did with my ARC because sadly they have time limits). It's also not a book filled to the brim with words on every page. It's separated into 8 parts - times of the year such as early summer, late summer, early autumn, and so on. In each section, there are lovely images, quotes, inspiration from animals, symbols, crystals, recipes, signs, and meditation and journal exercises that correspond to each time of the year in which to reflect. I believe that when read in this way, this book will give the reader some knowledge not only about various topics (like the aforementioned crystals, symbols, etc) but knowledge about themselves from the practices suggested within Wild Wisdom Companion. Bonus, it comes with oracle cards!

I plan to purchase this book when it comes out and use it along with my journals, daily reads, and favorite almanacs as a tool to incorporate into my daily morning routine. The only negative, which many won't find as a negative because it's personal preference, were the chakra references/information for each section, as it's something I've read about but not really that interested in nor find much substance in as a topic. Though, I'm sure many will find it a plus or at least an interesting idea to read more about, 4/5 stars

"Wild Wisdom Companion" is a beautifully illustrated guide for the magical year. The book is divided into 12 sections focusing on the yearly cycle of natural change. Every chapter brings us closer to the energies of each season. Including information about elements, energy centers, plant wisdom, animal medicine, crystal medicine, and seasonal symbols.

This is a lovely guide for the upcoming oracle deck.

Who is this book for:

✦ Someone who would like to live their lives in tune with the natural cycles.
✦ A person that is looking for guidance from nature.
✦ A practitioner who uses oracle cards for self-empowerment and improvement.

What could be improved:

Nothing! The book is really beautifully designed and contains a short and informative description of each element presented in it. Definitely looking for the publication and working with this oracle deck!

* Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.