This is a good intro for anybody who wants to learn more about folklore, herbology and modern witchery. I liked the spotlights on different herbs.

If you’re a fan of witchy vibes, ancient wisdom, and all things green magick, The Witch of the Forest’s Guide to Folklore Magick is like stepping into an enchanted forest. Lindsay Squire weaves together folklore, plant magick, and historical witchcraft traditions in a way that’s both informative and inviting — perfect for beginners or anyone wanting to deepen their practice with a bit of old-world charm.

This isn’t just a spellbook; it’s a walk through the past, connecting modern witches to the wisdom of those who came before. And that’s where the real magic lies.

✨ What’s Inside?

The book explores how folklore and witchcraft have always gone hand in hand. It covers a wide range of topics, including:

- The folklore of plants and trees — from protective charms to healing remedies.
- Historical witches and wise women — and how their stories have shaped modern witchcraft.
- Seasonal rituals, Sabbats, and how they’re rooted in ancient traditions.
- Practical tips on incorporating folklore magick into your daily practice, with spells, charms, and herbal lore.

♥️ What I Loved: A Personal, Down-to-Earth Approach

What sets this book apart is how personal and grounded it feels. Squire doesn’t just present facts — she shares insights from her own grimoire, making it feel like you’re sitting down with a knowledgeable friend who’s excited to share what she’s learned.

There’s also a strong focus on connecting with nature and trusting your intuition. The book invites you to slow down, notice the world around you, and tap into the wisdom that’s been hiding in plain sight — in the trees, the seasons, and even in old superstitions your grandmother might have shared.

🎯 Final Thoughts: A Magical Walk Through History

The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick is a charming, accessible book that makes you feel like you’re uncovering ancient secrets hidden in the natural world. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to infuse their witchcraft practice with a little old-world wisdom.

Whether you’re brand new to witchcraft or simply looking for a fresh perspective, this book reminds you that the magic of folklore is all around us — in the plants, the seasons, and the stories we carry from generation to generation.

I really enjoyed this book as someone new to medicinal plants. I loved the lore for each plant and learned a lot of new things. The illustrations were very nice, but I did have a few formatting issues. While I wouldn't feel confident making many of these in practice, this was a great intro guide!

This book was very informative, and perfectly written for beginners, a very nice reference guide.
The illustrations were beautiful and kept me wanting to turn the page for the next.

Did you know that basil has many magickal and medicinal properties? I learned in “The Witch of the Forest’s Guide to Folklore Magick” that basil can be used for peace, courage, love and protection. It also can be used to soothe an upset stomach or to ease anxiety! There are so many more uses, and if you end up making some basil pesto, you can save some basil for one of these things.
“The Witch of the Forest’s Guide to Folklore Magick” is very informative for witches and mortals alike. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. It’s a great read!

The book is as it says: a guide to folklore magic and witchcraft. Even if I don’t practice witchcraft, i do find this book quite interesting and informative. It gives you simple knowledge on the folklore but also herbs and flowers. The illustrations brought everything together, giving a beauty to the book.

Overall i think that if you have a like for witchcraft, either practicing or just curiosity, this book will be of interest.

thank you NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy!

As a big part of my practice as a witch consists of folklore, plants, and using them in all different manners, I simply had to pick up this book. From its stunning cover, its promising description, ahd its very thorough index: it absolutely appealed to me.

Besides the visual issues (images being too blurry, pages turned upside down), this book seems to be a great one at face-value. However, information is really basic, lacking depth, and aimed at a young audience. As a somewhat older person, with quite some years of experience under my belt, it was a bit too simple for my liking, and it read to me more like a small handbook to start dabbling into green magic as opposed to the deepdive I thought it would be.

I do love how all plants, herbs, flowers, and trees do have their own "cheat sheet", where correspondences are listed (including element and zodiac sign, besides the basics as uses), which have stunning artwork (as far as I could see through the aforementioned issues), and are easy to look up when the need arises. I also appreciated the chapter on baneful plants being singled out, including a hefty dislaimer, which was repeated on every page.

What I missed in this book, were recipes, perhaps dedicated to their own chapter and pages. I also think a short disclaimer on making herb oils would have been a good idea, considering a few herbs can create botulism when put into oil at room temperature.

All in all, I'd give this book a 2. It's a good starter book, but more experienced practitioners might prefer other compendiums. I also hope the visual issues will be resolved before printing, as they're distracting from the text in this book.

Interesting and check full of information. The lore was my favorite part along with the practical uses.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

*The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick* is an insightful and practical resource for those interested in connecting with the ancient wisdom of folklore and magick. With its well-organized structure, the book makes it easy to reference key information quickly, whether you're a beginner or an experienced practitioner. Each page is clearly defined, offering detailed explanations of folklore traditions, magickal practices, and their meanings, making it a great tool to revisit specific topics as needed. Additionally, the guide is visually stunning, with every page adorned with beautiful botanical artwork that enhances the overall experience. This combination of informative content and artistic imagery makes the book not only a useful reference but also an inspiring and enchanting companion for anyone on their magickal journey.

This is the perfect gift for the kitchen witch in your life! 🧙🏻‍♀️🌿☕️

Definitely a beginners intro to herbs and their magical properties (as well as medicinal value and folkloric history). The information was interesting, but very basic for anyone with any background in the subject.

Still! I found this to be a well thought out guide, with many GORGEOUS illustrations found on nearly every single page.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Leaping Hare for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

This had to be read via the Netgalley app and it tends to be a downsized for illustrated books. Also the formatting was terrible and pages were upside down, I hope this is remedied prior to publication.

This is a beginner guide to herbalism but I expected more/difference information for something labeled “folklore magick”. What is provided is simple to understand and follow and the illustrations are beautiful as always.

This was a lovely book! I really enjo9yed the illustrations and the information throughout the book. The combination of folklore, magical, and medicinal information to each herb, flower, and tree was a delightful reference read.

This is a short but interesting insight into some of the unexpected properties that certain herbs and flowers have. I read it through the Netgalley app which isn't the best for such lovely illustrations so I think it would do better as a big hardback book that you could proper enjoy.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. I really loved the general instructions on how to make various things like salves and tinctures. This book has inspired me to add those to my practice. The folklore on each plant was really interesting and I’m excited to use this book to add more herbs and plants and natural elements to my practice. I definitely plan on buying a physical copy of this book to keep for reference. The book isn’t super in depth, but it is a nice overview of each plant and its uses. I also appreciated any disclaimers that the book had because it just made it seem really transparent and there for knowledge if that makes sense. My favorite section was definitely the baneful plants part even if that part is more for educational purposes than actual use. Overall, it was a nice guide and I would recommend it

Fundamentally, this is a reference or guide book for those who are interested in herbalism, as the primary function of the book is to teach the medicinal and magickal properties of a vast selection of herbs and flowers. In addition, the author gives snippets of history and folklore about each plant, which I absolutely adored!

For the avid folklore lover, this isn't the selection for you. For the beginner witch, this might be a good addition to your shelf if you're looking for an excellent resource on herbs and flowers.

Beyond the contents of the writing, I adored the included art, though I worry how it'll turn out in print as the quality seemed lackluster and as if the images were blown up and lack clarity.

As for the description of this book, I feel it lacks depth when explaining "what folklore is, and how it connects to the practice of witchcraft." I felt it was missing something deeper. A longer foreword about this would have been beneficial to the overall tone and depth of the book.

The formatting of the book made it hard to read at points. I’m hoping this is just a Netgalley issue and pages aren’t upside down when printed. It would’ve been probably easier to read on my kindle, but wasn’t an option.
With that said, I enjoyed the content of the book. I love all the herbal information. I have many books on how to use medicinal herbs, and I feel it has a lot of useful info. I liked how it described how to make tinctures and poultices, as not everyone knows all the uses of herbal medicine. The illustrations in the book were great as well, and the cover really drew me in. I will definitely get myself a copy once it comes out!

The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick by Lindsay Squire is such a good book. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't stop reading it.

The formatting of this book is terrible. This was exported as two pages per sheet, which does allow you to see the beautiful artwork as it was intended to be viewed, but requires you to zoom in pretty heavily to be able to read. A low quality screen wouldn’t be able to make it out. And a significant number of pages were upside down. I sincerely hope this is corrected before publication.

Upon reading the description of the book, I was expecting more of a deep dive into folklore and history of folklore, but this is mostly a quick reference of various herbs and flowers. The descriptions and explanations that exist are extremely brief and read like a hasty student trying to make a deadline. While I’m aware this was written as a guide book, the tone of the description led me to believe this was a more thorough resource.

The artwork is absolutely beautiful, though.

Highly recommend for anyone who loves folklore, nature-based spirituality, or simply wants to infuse a little magick into their life. I loved all the info about every plant mentioned, as well as their folklore! 10/10 would recommend

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read dozens of books on witchcraft and folklore, and I feel that this book has some particular qualities that make it stand out. One of the best aspects of this book are charts that go along with each plant discussed. If I had a hard copy of this book I would be tempted to cut it up and put the pages into my BoS. The medicinal and magickal properties discussed in the book are spot on and would be a wonderful introduction to incorporating herbs and plants into your Craft. In the actual folklore sections of each plant discussed, I feel that more information would be a welcome addition. This was a nice primer, but I expected the folklore part of the book on Folklore magick to be more robust. I also found it distracting that the author used Roman names for Greek gods and vice versa. Overall, it was a lovely book and I learned some new things about beloved herbs and plants. I would definitely recommend this book as an introduction to the Craft!