.My thanks to John Hunt Publishing/Moon Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Pagan Portals - Fairy Queens’ by Morgan Daimler in exchange for an honest review.

In this short book Morgan Daimler provides a great deal of information along with practical exercises linked to exploring Faerie that are suitable for both those new to the subject and the more experienced. I consider myself in the latter group as I have interacted with Faerie for many years.

Daimler opens with guidelines and rules for interacting with the Good People. Her main suggestion for building these relationships is through guided meditation and inner journeying. She makes the sound suggestion of keeping a journal to serve as a record of these encounters.

She clearly has a strong grasp of both historic and academic literature as well as sources for folklore and includes notes and a bibliography.

In addition, she writes how the Fairy Queens are portrayed in popular culture. She makes the excellent point that in the modern world people often don’t come to the Fairy Queens through folklore or literature but through fiction.

She writes: “Just like Marvel Comic’s Thor isn’t the same as the actual Norse god but can help people take those first steps to meeting him, the fictional Queens should be understood as characters rather than Otherworldly beings. But that doesn’t mean those beings don’t exist and can’t be worked with–we must just work to unwind them from the layers of modern fictional backstory to find their true core.”

Overall, I appreciated her down-to-earth attitude. Although I hadn’t heard of her before reading this book, it was quite obvious that she was writing from personal experience.

While I wasn’t in a position to test her meditations, I have written many guided meditations and so could evaluate them. I found them inspirational and well constructed with clear instructions. I wouldn’t have any hesitation in using them personally or recommending this book to others interested in connecting with the Fairy Queens.

We begin this story with the rules for the proper conduct to use when dealing with the Goo People, fairies, most especially Fairy Queens. Especially for pagans who wish to establish a relationship between themselves and the Queen of each Fairy Kingdom.

There is just over 100 pages in this quick and informative read. It's not usually my type of read, but I did enjoy learning about the lore and the descriptions of Fairy Queens. The book has been well researched.

I would like to thank Netgalley, John Hunt Publishing Ltd and the author Morgan Daimler for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book by author Morgan Daimler should have wide appeal. While Ms. Daimler included step-by-step instructions for those who have the desire to visit with the queens, she also recognizes that there are readers who are curious or just wish to add to their personal knowledge of fairies. The author is respectful toward all readers, never shutting anyone out.

Ms. Daimler begins with the rules of proper conduct when dealing with the Good People (fairies), especially with the Fairy Queens. She explains that in the upcoming chapters, outlines are provided for those who wish either a guided meditation or a journey to Fairy. The initial meditation involves meeting your Fairy Guide who will help you in your future journeys into the Otherworld.

The author then takes us on journeys to visit with the Scottish and then the Irish Fairy Queens. These are not descriptions of Ms. Daimler’s personal journeys; rather, they are built for the reader to use for a journey to Fairy. Each also includes a section to allow the traveler time to experience the visit.

The last part of the book covers the Queens in literature before moving on to what the author refers to as Pop-Culture Fairy Queens (those featured in modern writing). The book concludes with a final chapter aimed at those folks who are seeking to journey to Fairy and connect with the queens.

For a small book, there is much knowledge and Ms. Daimler is diligent about presenting the information in a manner that will be interesting to people studying the folklore while still function as a guide for those who wish to actively engage with the Queens. I recommend this book to both groups. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Moon Books for a complimentary ebook of this title.

Alluring, engaging and refreshing with a new look on Fairy Queens and their world. I enjoyed this book, especially the lore and descriptions. The book seemed well researched as well as entertaining.

A very good introduction to Fairy Queens and their world. Get a look at how to honour them, journeying to meet the fairies introduced, and a few other topics. A small introduction to them and a good starting point to the Queens and the world they live in.

5 out of 5

I love Morgan Daimler's books!

**OMG! I cannot believe that these reviews haven't been done! I am so sorry they are so late!!!**

This short missive, at not much over 100 pages, is very specifically for pagans who wish to establish a relationship between themselves and the inhabitants of Faerie - most specifically for the queen of each fairy kingdom. By the way, the writer keeps it simple: 'faerie' here is 'fairy.' At least it isn't fairyland.
This is a practical guide for those engaged in work that includes this kind of entity and whether it not the said Pagan practitioner believes in them. Either way, there are stern warnings to treat this world, and especially its female monarchs (is the realm of Fairy essentially a matriarchy, as well as a medieval-style monarchy?), with the greatest of respect. These tutelary spirits can be quick to anger and take umbrage, then to seek restorative revenge: this can be a perilous road to tread. This book does agree with the available folklore that time passes differently in Faerie. Here there are also warnings not to make rash promises in this world: the mortal may be called on this in ways they may not expect.
Questions on what these beings actually might be are not really explored here - the fairy theorist will have to resort to Wiki for accessible theories on that.
It seems to be very much a Celtic thing, at least within these pages: three or more Irish fairy Queens are described, alongside descriptions of their appearances and personalities, correspondences in how to gift them, There are guides to the plants or objects associated with then. The writer discusses, however, the most important Scottish fay queens first. The Scottish fairy kingdoms are divided further into the Seelie and the Unseelie, the latter being less well-disposed towards mortals (though all fairy folk can be tricky). Legally too, in times past , it could be dangerous to admit to consorting with elfish spirits: this was deemed witchcraft and punishable, of course, by death.
The book also looks at fairy queens depicted in poems and literature.
This book therefore should be a very helpful guide for whomsoever may be called to seek out this hidden realm, along with how to do it.

I don't think I was the target audience for this book. While I did enjoy the lore and descriptions of the fairy queens, I collect folklore and think those parts of the book were interesting and we'll researched, I really didn't care for the other parts (guided meditations, practical applications and such) it is not my kind of thing but I know there are many that enjoy that kind of practice.