Magic, Pure and Simple
355709
Seeing this play is perhaps the most exciting moment of my life of enjoying live theatre.  We all know the story of the "Wizard of Oz" and this is the music that explains why one witch is good while the other is "evil" (really, she's just a misunderstood animal rights activist).  The songs are just perfect, and there is never a dry eye when Glinda and Elphaba sing "For Good" which is perfect.  Even if you've not seen the play, you will enjoy this music for sure.
3264496
This album is pure magic. Since early medieval music is so different from ours it is easy to make it "boring". Not so with The Rheigold Curse sung by Sequentia. They manage to stay true to the original style while still keeping the music dynamic and magical. It really feels like you are transposed to a world where the sword rules and dragons hide in the depths of rivers. For a real outerwordly experience try and listen to it in the darkness of winter - you will not regret it.
1307519
Straight forward, simple, sweet, sexy, loving, all with drama and witchcraft.  Two thumbs up.
3677343
Very nice, I enjoyed it a lot.  Interesting magic and good relationship developing between the characters without being boring about it.
1299140
As a magician and frequent reader of both fantasy and SF, what struck me the most about this book was the novel use of paper folding as a magical system, in a well built world where each material has its own related magical system. This provides a strong framework on which to hang what starts out to be a fairly ordinary plot.

The apprentice was assigned to a material she did not want, and to a master that is initially more mysterious than masterful. Narrative necessity would naturally have our young female apprentice falling in love with her young for his rank master, and give her something easy to accomplish while he realizes the obvious.

While some of that does happen, it is for none of the obvious reasons. Through the course of the story, the world is revealed to be a much more complicated place than school had taught the apprentice, and her master is revealed to be a much more complicated person.

The story is told mostly from the viewpoint of the apprentice, so the reader gets the same introduction to the world of paper magic as she does. While this is a literary trick that allows the author an excuse to explain how things work to the reader by teaching them to the novice character, it is done with a deft hand and the reader is carried along for the learning experiences which naturally include periods of easy progress and abrupt barriers, frustration, and sudden epiphanies.

This book was a fun read, with interesting characters, well designed magical systems, and a surprisingly complex plot.

I was very glad to find a sequel had just reached print, and a third book announced. I will be following this author with interest if the second book holds to the high standard she set for herself with this one.
1651215
This was a new world, but in our time, of magic mixing with normal. It has mystery but nothing to complex. I like that you learn along with the main character, and her powers are deffinately not something I would have guessed. I won't mess it up for anyone,  but if you like a little romance, the paranormal, and a few interesting characters try this out.
3056110
This is a fantastic book of magic and action! The magic is simple and deeply intricate, the world is storied with layers of history and the characters are vibrant and memorable. Any lover of high fantasy should read this.

Full review at ReadingOverTheShoulder.com
156150
This is the best spell book I've read. From A to Z you'll find an alphabetical list of spells that the modern day witch will love. Practical and magical all at once this is a must have for your witchy bookshelf.

The spells are simple and useful and there's a spell for just about everything the average everyday witch may need a spell for like: money, prosperity, anxiety, appetite, banishing, beauty, child protection, closure, depression, detox, heartache, home blessing, job hunting, job improving, marriage healing, poverty, even one for potty training your child (which I am going to use right away because my 4 year old is being really stubborn he's almost there but not all the way).

There's even a s*** happens spell which is for helping you cope with the everyday crap of life.

One spell I came across elicited a giggle from me, not because the spell itself is silly but because it is something I have never come across in another spell book and it is is something I never would have expected to find.

It is a Kinky spell. The spell will help you attract others who have the same kinks as yourself. Now this could be very useful. Most of us know that being in a relationship that leaves us sexually unsatisfied can be hell and sometimes we end with people who don't share our kinks- which can lead to trouble and infidelity down the road. It is so much better to share your life with someone into the same stuff as you. That's where this spell could come in handy. All I can say is use it wisely. ;-)

The book is filled with so many spells I want to try- almost every page has a sticky note bookmark to guide me back to a spell I found interesting.

In the beginning of the book Deborah also offers some great advice about casting and writing your own spells. And while her spells are complete and she doesn't over complicate them or fill them with so much stuff that you have to spend a fortune just to cast one spell.

Which leads me to another thing- another one of her books is all about casting on a shoestring budget.

That's a book I can't wait to read because one of the things that has held me back over the years was forking over all that $$$ just to have all the ingredients for one spell. I can't wait to see how Deborah tackles that problem.

Deborah's magical writings have me hooked. I'll be adding more of her books to my collection soon.
2504001
The book that contains all one needs to know to become a highly developed, spiritual, happy, prosperous, loved, complete human being! The book astounded me with its simplicity! Synthesizing elaborate techniques and wisdom that might fill a library, in a clear, focused simple way, this book contains more true wisdom and authentic good willed magic than any person may expect to get to know in a lifetime. This is not one book. It is all books of Occult truth, presented simply so that every human being may benefit. It is an act of love, of dedication to humanity.
3560417
Magic is fascinating.  The simple things that once explained make sense and how they seem complicated, perhaps mysterious, magical if you will if you don't know.

This isn't a book of tricks and how to do them, but rather a journey into the world of magic.  Sleight of hand, mind functioning, math... all play a part in a magician's bag of tricks.

Lots of interesting info on the evolution of magic.  An easy read too.

If you have any interest in magic you should enjoy this book.
1505133
I am not sure how I happened to come across The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, but it is a book that kept me reading all weekend. I was looking for a little steampunk or maybe an urban fantasy, and instead I found this morsel of exquisite beauty.

This is an unusual book. It is most certainly not written in the dumbed-down 60-second sound-bites current wisdom tells us we must write all fantasy in. The beautiful, dreamlike prose is written with an Edwardian flair and care for the crafting of the words, yet it is written in modern English.

The magic is completely unexplainable, and is meant to be that way. No believable explanations are given for how each of the protagonists create their magic. It is a performance, solely for the amazement of the reader and is completely in keeping with the mood and ambiance of the tale. I know I am a stickler for realistic magic systems but in this case I am letting that criteria slide, because the magic is not the point of the plot.

The contest, the minor characters who are unaware they are caught up in the contest, and how Celia and Marco counter each other's moves is the central facet of the tale.

The characters are not fully fleshed when they are set before you. Instead they are revealed slowly, with each revelation enticing you to stay riveted to the book.

What IS fully fleshed is the dreamlike environment of Le Cirque des Rves, the amazing, mysterious Circus of Dreams.

This is a beautiful, dark and moody book. The characters and the Cirque des Rves stay with you, long into your own dreams.
298831
A standard Regency romance comprises 70-75,000 words. Of those words,  probably 60-65,000 of them are the ordinary, mortar-like glue that holds  the story together. A, an, and, the, it, he, she, they, them, his, her,  town, country, and so on. Everyone uses them. It's the *other* words and  how the author uses them that either makes magic or boredom. Poetry or  hogwash. If only there could be a magic formula to imbue all authors with  the ability to make magic or poetry, instead of the much-more-often found  boredom or hogwash. (It is this latter ingredient that is most responsible  for those books referred to as 'wall-bangers'. I've certainly encountered  my share of these, just as you have.)
An author who always spins a tale  of magic and poetry, of such life and tenderness and longing is Elisabeth  Fairchild. She wields her wand of magic once more in this book,  breath-taking in the beauty of its words, as the tale is told of two  victims of a separate Breach of Promise; one the day after the marriage,  one the day of the marriage.
Susan Fairford of Chipping Camden, orphaned  young, and husbandless now, must remain in a small rented house in her  hometown, although not in her childhood home, which she still owns, as it  is beyond her capabilities--financial and otherwise. She now raises bees,  and the reader is privileged to learn about this activity, never too much  or too little, but just enough to provide a glimpse into the life and times  of the buzzy little sweet-making creatures.
Philip Stone (or is he  really someone else?) enters the village and being told that the manor  house is to let, engages it for a fortnight or two. But soon, because of  the ever-present fascination with gossip (such fascination apparently  unchanged through the centuries) it appears that he is not what or who he  says he is.
These two wounded souls must reach out to each other and the  world around them. How fortunate they are to do this in a world made  beautiful for them by the magical and poetical words of their creator. How  very fortunate WE are to be able to read about them. Life is good, indeed.  As long as there are books by Elisabeth Fairchild in it.
4249488
23 years ago, aged 11, I walked into a library in the tiny town of Pietersburg, South Africa and booked out an unknown title by Hugh Lofting called The Twilight of Magic. Little did I know then that this story would  leave such an indelible mark on my childhood giving me a sense of unabating  awe and wonderment. Set in Medieval history, the story chronicles the  childhood search of brother and sister, Giles and Anne for proof of magic .  It is a time in history when the boundaries between infant science and the  supernatural are blurred and it is here that Giles and Anne meet Agnes the  Applewoman and her Whispering Shell.
Agnes is a witch - or is she? The  Whispering Shell is magic - or is it? These are the questions which follow  brother and sister through a series of adventures with philosophers, ghosts  , black cats and Kings. Beyond, into adulthood they go with Agnes and The  Whispering Shell weaving in and out of their lives,constantly leaving them  to ponder if magic or science hold the answers. Ultimately however we are  left with more questions than answers and it is this very approach which  sets The Twilight of Magic apart from many other children's books of its  day. There are no easy answers in life and we may always be questing to  differentiate the boundaries between fantasy and reality, fact and fiction;  science and magic. The message that Hugh Lofting imparts with this unique  story however is: there is no difference. Magic is to be found all around  us, as with Giles and Anne: Giles in love; watching a setting sun over the  sea; the mysteries of a Whispering Shell.
This is The Twilight of Magic  and the Dawn of Science where the enigma of science and the mystery of  magic have become one and the same.
4536556
I have become accustomed of late to deep, rich intricate stories such as those by R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson.  To a certain extent it was actually a refreshing break to read a simple, linear, unpretentious book such as this.  Sort of like going from watching exclusively deep, foreign films to sitting back and catching a rerun of Batman on TV.  This book is mindless fun.  I actually chuckled when, after reading the book, I saw that it's sole accolade on the back cover was written by R.A. Salvatore.  There are a lot of similarities between their works.  For one thing this is easy, accessible reading.  Five pages in you know the plot and there is absolutely no thought required.  Like Salvatore's works, the characters are completely unmemorable, depthless and generic.  You could care less what happens to them except that it advances the storyline.  Also like in Salvatore's books, there is absolutely no consequence to anyone's actions.  The heroes are all virtually omnipotent, if they do get hurt or even die, they come back several times before then end of the book.  There could not be a more simple story.  It is the story of a single assault on a single keep with a requisite love interest thrown in for good measure.

This is junk fantasy but it was kinda fun to read.  It makes no pretentions.  I read it in 3 days while working nights as well.  If you are a discerning fantasy reader you may well scorn this book as overly simple.  I found it to be a nice sorbet in-between more serious reading.  I would not, however, buy any more Gemmell books though.  I require a bit more sustenence than this for regular reading.  Perfect for a young reader.
3983616
This book explained well what witchcraft is. Very Interesting and beautiful, this one are great for anyone into magic or fantasy, even if you don't believe any of the stuff in it. This is the first spell book I ever read, for a beginner it was relatively easy to follow and doesn't require a lot of complicated or hard to find ingredients. For those interested in witchcraft spells, this book would be a wonderful to read.
2872738
I really love the simplicity on the authors way of explaining things and the examples of magic that one can perform on their own. Nothing that was asked, in terms of materials, are out of my reach and I feel more confident in my abilities after having read this.
3741617
Can I even write a review on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, when so many reviews have already been written by so many people that love it? I shall. I must. Because I love it too. I love it first and foremost for one simple fact. Harry Potter is pure storytelling. There is no lengthy descriptions, no droning on and on pages of dialogue, or side-plots that lead nowhere and leave you puzzled. Every single little detail has its place, everything is used, from a card in the chocolate frog to Scabbers the pet rat to Quirrell being accidentally knocked over by passing Hermione Granger to... I can go on and on. In other words, as Chekhov said, if you introduce a rifle in Chapter 1, in Chapter 2 it better fire. And fire it does.

Harry Potter is the perfect likable character you can imagine, an orphan, set up to live with terrible horrible Dursleys. He's a boy who wasn't killed by the most powerful dark wizard Voldemort. Due to this fact alone, Harry Potter is destined for greatness. It's the perfect fairy tale about an underdog who becomes a celebrity overnight and has now to live up to the hype. Or else. It's a story about love and death, albeit decorated profusely with such amazing things as baby dragons, trolls, magical alleys, flying broomsticks, invisible cloaks, the incredible game of Quidditch, a sorcerer's stone and much much more, set against the background of a boarding school in the green valley somewhere far away in England. In one word, it's magical. It pulls you in, grabs you and doesn't let you go until you're finished, making you want more. Isn't that what books are about, about losing oneself in them?

Harry Potter will do that to you. It did it to me. Into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets I go.