Ellen Dugan (1) (1963–)

If you're a teen interested in Wicca or nature, you won't want to skip this book. This book provides an excellent introduction to the Craft, chockfull of information presented in such a way as to avoid being overwhelming. The tone is personal and humorous, with stories and speech directed to the user to lighten the mood or enforce a concept. Worksheets and a practice test help to drive lessons home. Chapters devoted to the elements begin with a brief description of the properties, go into show more detail, and end with a visualization that puts the knowledge into practice. Appendices at the end list important properties and provide a quick and easy referral. Exercises give ideas that excite the reader with possibilities for practical usage, making the learning truly interesting. Never pedantic or dry, this is an excellent, engaging text for all beginners to Wicca. show less

Another beautiful deck from the wife's collection. Again, the art is the main attraction, but the book does tie the tarot to it's theme (Wicca) very well, and the author is clearly a long time user of tarot cards for divination. The only minor flaw is the lack of a history of either the cards or the theme in the book - but if you're looking at decks like this you probably already know a great deal about both. More gorgeous artwork, please!

Secret of the Rose is the second book in the Legacy of Magick series by Ellen Dugan. We pick back up with Autumn and the search for the Blood Moon Grimoire. There is (another) ghost haunting the Bishop family manor, someone is after teenage girls in the town and things are heating up with Autumn’s love interest, Duncan. Family secrets emerge which could split the family apart as they try to come together to learn the secrets of the Blood Moon Grimoire.

The Lovely: This book was an show more improvement over the the first book of the series as the romace was more realistic. The sub-plot with the incidents happening to the teenage girls was actually my favorite. The twist at the end was unexpected and gut-wrenching.

The Mundane: Again, even pace, even characters. In some ways, this book just chugged along.

The Dreadful: Again, Autumn just does not come across as a 24 (now 25?) year old. She seems almost as immature as her teenage cousins and does not learn from her own actions.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommendation: Again, another quick read (or in my case, an audiobook). Much like the first book, it still reads more like a YA book and I didn’t connect to any of the characters. Even four months later I haven’t gotten past the first chapter of the next book of the series, although I do plan to at some point. show less

Legacy of Magick by Ellen Dugan is the first book in a series that follows Autumn Bishop, a young women that moves back home to attend graduate school near her father’s family, family she hasn’t seen since childhood. Autumn quickly learns of her family’s magickal legacy and exactly where she fits into that legacy. Woven next to that storyline is Autumn’s chance meeting with a romantic stranger who just happens to be on the other side of a family feud. This feud develops and darkens show more as Autumn learns about her family history, culminating in a dangerous and dramatic collision of the feuding families.

The Lovely: The author excels at illustrating the characters and how they develop. I can picture Autumn and her cousins in particular.

The Mundane: There was an even pace to the book as events kept happening just fast enough to hold interest.

The Dreadful: The romance is predictable and it is just one cliché after another. They literally run into each other while out jogging. It became a bingo game of romance book clichés and sadly went on like this for the first 2/3 of the book. The main character is 24 years old but feels younger most of the book based on how she thinks and acts.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Recommendation: This is a cute quick read (or in my case, an audiobook) that weaves together a romance, witchcraft and, later in the book, some mystery and tension. That said, it does read more like a YA book and I just didn’t connect to the characters. Perhaps most telling of all, I didn’t run out and plow through the sequel immediately, which is what usually happens in a series. That said, I did listen to the second book and a lot of issues were improved. show less