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ladymeowmix's review against another edition
3.0
I was really into this at first, and I do love the historical aspect of what is given. But admittedly, I kind of lost interest about halfway through. I wasn't connecting with the book itself, I personally do not believe in casting any kind of work that goes against someone's free will (love spells, in particular), and mostly, a lot of the work mentioned involves doing things that are quite honestly no longer safe to do so. Such as traveling to the woods alone, or at midnight, or to graveyards at night, as a brief glimpse.
I respect the author and the Baba Yaga, but I did not feel the connection or information from this book was usable in a way I could digest.
I respect the author and the Baba Yaga, but I did not feel the connection or information from this book was usable in a way I could digest.
kristyloves2read's review against another edition
4.0
So this book has an interesting premise. Each chapter begins with 1 part of a story carried through the whole book. The story tells the journey of how a young girl to meets and learns with Baba Yaga. The snippet of the story you read at the beginning of each chapter immediately correlates to the chapter's theme. The next section of the chapter is written through the voice of Baba Yaga, it’s Her voice/thoughts/words you are reading and hearing in your head via the author’s words. The next segment in the chapter is Ms. Pamita’s words, giving you a piece of her life. The rest of each chapter is filled with information regarding the chapter's premise.
I really enjoyed the story and I like how Madame Pamita incorporated the story to tell her story about Baba Yaga. I’m not sure how I feel about some of the information provided. But I do think that overall the information was interesting to read.
What I didn’t like: some history wasn’t explained very well and how it correlates to today’s society seemed forced or lacking. But that is understandable as some items she speaks about like a loom are not common in today’s society. I also feel like we got a glimpse of Baba Yaga, not an intensive on how to work with her. Instead of it being about her witchcraft, the seemed to be a folk tale that provided more background notes on what happening in the story.
Overall I enjoyed the book and the information.
I really enjoyed the story and I like how Madame Pamita incorporated the story to tell her story about Baba Yaga. I’m not sure how I feel about some of the information provided. But I do think that overall the information was interesting to read.
What I didn’t like: some history wasn’t explained very well and how it correlates to today’s society seemed forced or lacking. But that is understandable as some items she speaks about like a loom are not common in today’s society. I also feel like we got a glimpse of Baba Yaga, not an intensive on how to work with her. Instead of it being about her witchcraft, the seemed to be a folk tale that provided more background notes on what happening in the story.
Overall I enjoyed the book and the information.
imscrem's review against another edition
3.0
This was overall a pretty okay book. I was hoping that it would be more hands-on — the beginning instructions about how to make motanky and embroidery definitely set the bar a bit higher than the rest of the book delivered for me. I also found that a very large amount of the material mentioned seemed pretty inaccessible to me, since I live in a city and don’t have too much access to, say, dew.
I really enjoyed the central story about Baba Yaga, particularly since I recognized a lot of it from other Slavic stories I’ve read (eg the water of life & death, the pich). It was definitely a cute throwback to the sort of story I’d hear in my childhood! It threw me off a little bit to keep being interrupted by more drily delivered writing between story parts.
I found it nice that the book included sources, but the way that they were cited was a little bit odd to me. Some pages contained three or more references to outside sources, while some had absolutely none despite making confident assertions about what “used to be done.” This makes me unsure how reliable large chunks of this book actually are.
Overall, it was a kind of meh read, and by around the middle I was ready to finish. But I do believe I’ll go back through some sections of it, particularly the more hands-on crafting related ones.
I really enjoyed the central story about Baba Yaga, particularly since I recognized a lot of it from other Slavic stories I’ve read (eg the water of life & death, the pich). It was definitely a cute throwback to the sort of story I’d hear in my childhood! It threw me off a little bit to keep being interrupted by more drily delivered writing between story parts.
I found it nice that the book included sources, but the way that they were cited was a little bit odd to me. Some pages contained three or more references to outside sources, while some had absolutely none despite making confident assertions about what “used to be done.” This makes me unsure how reliable large chunks of this book actually are.
Overall, it was a kind of meh read, and by around the middle I was ready to finish. But I do believe I’ll go back through some sections of it, particularly the more hands-on crafting related ones.
darcyhendershott's review against another edition
4.0
This book was beautifully made in writing, structure, and artwork. I loved the multiple components in each chapter, but the parts written as though Baba Yaga herself were speaking didn't hold my interest well. Shout out for the references being included in this book, I greatly appreciate that!
amessina3399's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I really liked the format of this book--each chapter/topic started with a segment of a classic fairytale, followed by an introduction from the point of view of Baba Yaga, and finally fleshed out and concluded by information from the author themselves. It was highly informative and incredibly interesting, although a little bit more dense/lengthy than I prefer. This book is an incredibly informative read that provides a different cultural view of folkmagic and witchcraft outside of the common Western/Modern POV, so it is well worth the read.
wickedmitch's review against another edition
5.0
A very nice primer on Slavic folk magic. I enjoyed the narrative elements woven into the book as well which made this even more enjoyable to read through.