Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free digital Advanced Reading Copy (ARC e-book) of this title. I really enjoyed it! The Illustrated Crystallary by Maia Toll was a great read. I love books about healing crystals so I was very excited to jump into this book. I have been interested in healing crystals since I was a teen and I was very excited to add this book to my collection. I really related with the idea that crystals grow and change in the same way that humans do. I thought that good point that different crystals contain minerals that are used in the body as nutrients, but that is just one way that the book connected crystals to the body. I liked that the book provides different rituals to use to get the most out of each crystal, and I am excited to try out some of these techniques!

I absolutely loved this! Despite the fact that it wasn't really great to read it on an e-reader, I really enjoyed reading about all the crystals and their use.
I cannot wait to have the full-coloured version on my shelf!

This is a most unusual book on crystals! The information on the relationship of hardness on the mohs scale with softer stones fast acting and harder stones taking longer to work and used for more stubborn conditions was a concept I had not heard before.
I also found interesting the fact that different chemical components within a crystal are nutrients for different organs in the human body and that each organ in our body has an emotional and spiritual state. For each crystal there is a short background paragraph, a reflection on the stone and its use along with a ritual to do. This is by far one of the best crystal books I have read,

A lovely book about all things crystal! The illustrations were fabulous and added greater depth to the book, I spent ages studying them. I would definitely recommend anyone that is interested in crystals to take a look at this book.

I am the proud owner of Maia Toll's previous books and I was eagerly waiting for this book's release. I was not disappointed. It follows the same format as the others focusing on crystals rather than the flowers and animals. The illustrations were not as appealing as the previous editions but were striking and colourful. The guidance for rituals and meditation were wonderful and the added information on the crystals were just what I needed. I was given a digital copy to give my honest opinion but I have pre-ordered a physical copy to join the other books on my forever bookcase.

Fabulous addition to Maria's collection. I loved the illustrated herbiary and this crystal addition fits perfectly. The illustrations are beautiful and I'm sure in colour, they are even better. I can't wait to buy this book to add to my shelf.

I am a huge fan of Maia Toll books and couldn't wait to jump into the third book in her "Illustrated" trilogy, The Illustrated Crystallary. The artwork in her books is beyond gorgeous and a feast for the eyes. The Illustrated Beastiary and the Illustrated Herbiary were previous books by Toll that I loved and she does not disappoint in her newest release as it, too, contains the beautiful artwork of Kate O’Hara. The crystals are introduced in a simple, easy to understand manner that reflects the spiritual qualities they carry. If you are looking for a miners guide or a crystal encyclopedia, this may not be the book for you. If you are instead looking for a mystical book that will deepen your connection to the earth, than this my be it, as it is filled with metaphors and myths that allow the reader to self reflect and come away with an understanding of crystals through poetic verse and exercises.

Many thanks for the eARC provided by Storey Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a highly atypical book on crystals and thank goodness for that! Beautifully illustrated and full to the brim with self reflection exercises this book calls the reader to work slowly and thoughtfully with each stone.

Don’t let the light tone and colorful imagery fool you; the reflection work offered with each stone is psychologically powerful stuff This is a great read for the pagan or witch who loves stones and wants to incorporate them into the start of shadow work. .
* The author includes the mohs hardness scale number for each stone which is super enjoyable though I am not sure what to make of their assertions that harder stones are better for more stubborn conditions/energy.

As with her past few books, this is a richly illustrated beautiful book that nourishes the soul. The kindle version is adequate, but to fully appreciate it Id advise getting your hands on a hard copy version.
The Illustrated Crystallary includes gorgeous illustrations (obviously!), history and lore around each stone and then self help and journalling suggestions that will help tap into the crystal itself, and your own connection with the world.
A beautiful addition to the collection.

Another wonderful offering from Maia Toll in the same series as the Illustrated Herbiary and Illustrated Beastiary. Again containing 36 gorgeous oracle cards and divination spread examples. This is not a Crystal encyclopaedia but more of how to work with crystal for self reflection. The Illustrated Crystallary is a beautifully illustrated and engaging read for those who love crystals and tarot.

*eARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley

Having read Maia Toll’s previous books The Illustrated Herbiary and The Illustrated Beastiary I knew I had to read this one too. I absolutely loved it. The book will come with cards. Having read the digital copy I missed that part. The illustrations are gorgeous. Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to learn about crystals. I will be buying a hard copy once it’s released.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

And honestly? This was my first book on crystals(as I am just now getting interested in them)and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought it would be full of pictures of the crystals and what each one would be used for...and while there was some very interesting and useful information in this book, I was looking for more info, less ritual. I highlighted quite a bit, don't get me wrong, and I will come back to it again in the future but it wasn't quite the reference book I was hoping for. It's a very spiritual book with many great poems and sayings from many people and the illustrations are quite pretty. So in this case, I would say don't go by my review because there are many great reviews about it. It's more my fault for expecting something else. :)

5 out of 5 stars

This isn’t a typical crystal guide as to me it felt poetic and more spiritual and that was refreshing.

Even the imagery really draws you in. I loved the connections of the crystals and gives you things to do.

Some guides are more science based and this is more aimed at the feeling and the uses over their origins in my opinion. (Although there is some mention)

For a small book it doesn’t feel like that in the best way possible.

Great gift option for those interested in crystals. I will definitely purchase this for my shelves.

I am very interested in holistic medicine and alternative healing so I am always interested to learn about something new. This book is divided into different types of crystals and what they can do for you. The author begins the introduction of the book by suggesting that there will be both medical and historical research provided for the crystals. I was very interested in this aspect of the book; however, there was not much medical or scientific context provided. The historical uses was interesting to be sure and the images in the book are beautiful. Overall this was not my thing and it did not seem to deliver the information suggested by the introduction.

Maia Toll is a true inspiration! Everything about them makes me smile, the colors, the drawings, the writing all of it equally as beautiful. Perfect to hold the book in your hand, close your eyes and open to a page for a delightful surprise. Thank you Maia for yet again another delightful book!

Please access my full review at the following link:

http://magentastardust.com/blog/the-illustrated-crystallary-a-modern-guide-to-crystal-healing/

This is a very unique crystal book. It provides deep insights into each of the gems it includes making it a great guide for the slightly more advanced crystal user, or anyone trying to work with each crystal individually in a specific way.

Along with each poetic, beautifully worded insight into each stone is a ritual & reflection with it. This book dives much deeper than the basic uses of each stone. The illustrations are interestingly gorgeous & unique. They really capture attention & have a lot of detail. I'd literally recommend it to anyone for the visuals alone. Overall, this book really gets you thinking & working

This very small book has a lot of information about crystals. For a book thats under 200 pages long I could not believe how much was packed into its pages. No matter if you are new to crystals or advanced this book will have something for you!!

First off I’ll say I am in the process of learning more about crystals and while I don’t know a lot right now I do know that this was absolutely gorgeous to read through. The illustration aside the information was knowledgeable and inspiring. And I learned about some the crystals that I’ve not used, or seen talked about a lot.
An absolute “ gem”if you will! The visual makes it easy for the reader to see and understand what crystal is speaking takes about. The rituals and lessons are something I’m interested with and I found them to be quite easy for a beginner.

ARC from NetGalley

This book wasn't really what I had expected. It's really spiritual and poetic, but it doesn't really hold any useful information, for me at least. I was hoping for some folklore and maybe some pre-existing rituals or explanation of magical workings/spiritual teachings associated with stones, but this is more like the author is coming up with her own stuff with little information about the stones aside from a drawn picture and their hardness on the Mohs scale interspersed with her insights and what seems to be like guided meditation almost.

"This book blends learnings from modern science, mysticism, ancient lore, Taoist Stone Medicine (a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine), and the songs of the stones themselves." I didn't actually find that to be true.

"Unlike plants and animals, minerals have no scientific nomenclature. So, in these pages, instead of a latin name under the stone's common name, you'll find the stone's hardness on the Mohs scale."

The first stone is Garden Quarts. The image shows clear quartz embedded with seashells and plants. I wondered to myself if this was a natural phenomenon. A simple google search came up with

"Lodolite is a kind of included quartz that has different color and type inclusions.

These inclusions often look like underwater scenes, landscapes, and gardens. Lodolite is also known as Inclusion Quartz, Lodelite, and Lodalite.

It’s sometimes called Scenic Quartz, Landscape Quartz, and Garden Quartz as well.

The inclusions on this stone usually consist of Chlorite, Feldspar, and other materials that give different colored inclusions.

These inclusions can be cream, orange, green, or red in color, and they have a healing vibration that’s also magnified by the clear quartz."

There is no mention of any of these other names in this book. It does briefly mention the inclusions, but mostly it is stuff like this: "Come in, Garden Quartz whispers. You are welcome here. So often we turn outward, seeking to understand the world around us, while neglecting the worlds that thrive within. Garden Quartz invites you to remember that each organ in your body is a constellation, each cell a star. Every emotion is a trailing vine ripe with flowers..."

I can't rate this book because I'm biased. It's just not what I wanted or expected, and I don't think I would rate it fairly.