#witchbound

[never-sated]

I had shipping notices for two games, only one of them is pictured here (7th Citadel expansion).

I mean, did I know these were outstanding? Yes. Would I have preferred some notice that more games were coming? Also yes.

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (12/15/24)

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (★★★★★)

A good indicator of a good twist is that when you do catch on, you're kicking yourself for not figuring it out sooner. Tamsyn Muir does that in every book of this series, but it was such a kick in the pants this time around. I spent the last 100-200 pages of this book absolutely freaking out and pacing around my room. The character work in this book was really the stand-out between Nona, Camilla, Palamedes, and Pyrrha. I was also overjoyed to see the return of a beloved character (I thought maybe she Came Back Wrong but she's just having some weird quarter-life crisis). It was incredibly interesting to get some more context about the world, both before the Houses and outside them. I was utterly devastated by everything that happened in the last 50 pages and the only reason I didn't leave this mortal coil upon finishing was because I need to read Alecto.

More under the cut

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (★★★★★)

Oh, Naomi Novik, you are cruel. It's truly a miracle that I made it the whole year it took for The Golden Enclaves to come out when I read this for the first time. Anyway, I feel like ADE and TGE sometimes overshadow this one, ADE because it's the first and introduces us to so many beloved characters and TGE because it's insane, but this one is probably my favorite in terms of El and Orion's relationship. They are such fumbling teenagers (made infinitely worse by their magical whatnot), and it's adorable. This is also the book that really makes you feel for the Scholomance itself. As readers, we're told it's alive to some extent, but this is the book where it truly becomes its own entity or character. This was just as fun the second time around, and I grabbed some great evidence for my thesis.

For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga (★★★☆☆.5)

This book reverses what often happens; it has a bit of a weak beginning and end but the middle is just amazing. When Dani is enacting her revenge, the tension is high, the backstory is juicy, and her strengths get their moment to shine. The mystery of what is going on with the magic is great, and her tension with the love interest, Mazin, is quite well done. The beginning is a little contrived (really, of all the places to just dig into?) but moves quickly. I found the ending incredibly rushed; with the scope of Dani's goals, I really thought this was going to be a series, but it doesn't seem like it. The last ~20% or so is just jam-packed with every possible thing the characters can do, major moments getting barely more than 5 pages each. This book hovers at just under 400 pages, and I think extending it to around 450 just for more space in the climax would do wonders.

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (CR 30%)

Even if I haven't made much progress, the politics of this story continue to draw me in. This is what a political fantasy should be: me flipping back to the cast of characters every five pages to check who's related to who. Jokes aside, I am genuinely enjoying myself. I continue to find Phedre a delightful protagonist, and I'm really interested in what this is all building up to. Also, I think the main love interest was just introduced, and their dynamic is entertaining so far!

Witchbound by Sable Cross (DNF) and Daughter of Truth by S. Frasher (DNF)

I'm just putting these together because I DNF'd them both pretty early in for the same reason: bad writing. As it turns out, metaphors and pretty language don't automatically make your writing good; you have to be able to string a coherent sentence together for that. Once the poor writing made itself known a couple times, I knew it wasn't going to get any better.

[themirroredmoon]

Methods of Spell Work

To Banish: • Burning to ashes and sweeping away the ashes • Cast out a window, down a cliffside, etc • Bury it and spit on the spot

To Bind: • Wrap in black thread • Cover in wax or other material • Seal in jar and hide in dark spot

To Hide: • Wrap in ribbon • Place in a (painted) black jar or other container • Cover in cloth or other material and bury

To Encourage: • Plant or bury near the front door/steps • Plant or bury near a window • Place near a window

To Communicate*: • Anoint a candle • Leave out an offering • Meditate • Open the front door and/or windows

To Glamour: • Leave under the full moon • Work with its reflection

To Cleanse: • Bury in salt • Burn herbs and pass through the smoke • Let it bathe in the moonlight

To Protect: • Leave sigils/wards on doors and windows • Carry sigils/wards on every day items (keys, phone case, etc) • Enchant jewelry with protection spells

*: Communication with deities, spirit guides, etc

[witchesbe-like]

Some people think that you find witchcraft when you’re looking for something that you don’t have in your life. That thing you can’t describe but fits you perfectly once you seek it out. But I think witchcraft finds you. It puts things in place, runs books or titles across your phone, haunts you in your sleep and finally when you’ve had all you can take, you open the door. And it’s not scary, or strange, it just feels like it was right there the whole time. 

If you’ve been called to practice magic, then chances are there were signs and signals long before you realized what the heck was even going on. Maybe you’ve dreamed about things before they happened, or maybe your empathic abilities were shining bright as a kid, bringing your moods up and down. We’ve probably all had one or more of these experiences. So read on to see, were you born a witch? 

[This post is mostly just for fun… because we are really all natural witches]

You heard people talk in your head before they spoke aloud

Ever hear someone say something before they say it, just to announce the answer out loud and have them look at you like you shocked the Hell out of them? Then they swear they didn’t say it out loud. It’s because you heard it in your head first. 

You knew something was going to happen just before it happened

Maybe it was just a gut feeling, or a heightened intuition, either way you called it, and it happened. 

You got a sick or gross feeling around someone and later learned that person was trash

Everyone LOVES person X, but you always got a horrible vibe around them. Later on you hear that they did this really nasty thing, and you’re all like, I told you so. Boom. 

You had dreams about things that didn’t happen yet

Dreamed of the house before you moved in, of a visit that didn’t happen yet, or a trip in the making. You are basically a walking psychic. 

You had imaginary friends (ghosts) and talked to them as a child

You had all the friends. Only all the friends were dead. But that either didn’t bother you, OR you didn’t realize you were the only one playing dress up and tea with your dolls. 

You could step into a room, and it could really bring you down if it was depressing or lift you up if the mood was right

Hop into a room or space, and you immediately pick up the vibe, good or bad, and it can really affect your mood. Sometimes for a while too. 

When a song plays you really feel the lyrics

Maybe it’s not a pop song, but when the lyrics play the notes speak directly to your soul. 

You are well liked by animals

Go to a friend's house and her cats are all over you. Even your neighbor iguana sits on your lap. Animals know a witch when they see one. 

You were drawn to natural things as a child like being outside, playing with rocks or bugs

You liked to play outside but it was overkill. Not only that, but you walked around barefoot, collected rocks or just felt the Earth over being inside anyway.

You never really felt like you belonged

There was always this eerie feeling that you didn’t belong. Now I know we all kinda feel that way but you're particular, like something was missing...

You lived in your imagination and made up stories and could visualize them as a kid

Imagination was your jam. You always made up wild stories with vivid imagination and could see every single detail in all its glory.

You liked to read and could see the images play in your mind like a TV show

Reading is still your favorite hobby. And you can still play out every scene from all your favorite books in your head. 

You said things about dead relatives to your family members that you have never met 

You knew Great-Grandma had dark brown eyes and wore a pink cardigan to church even though you never met her, and she died 8 years before you were born.

You talked to trees and plants

Trees seem alive to you. You can feel their spirits and sometimes like to walk up to them and give them a high five. 

You feel called to the ocean, rain or a specific element

The ocean is a special place for you. Its mystic energy pulls you in, and you can’t ever get enough. 

You have a natural aversion to helping people

You always volunteered to babysit the class pet, help your friend move, or just be an ear when someone needed a cry. 

People seem to tell you their darkest secrets for no reason

The grocery store checkout lady spills the tea on her divorce, or the lady you babysit for vents to you about a long stressful day at work. People seem to open up to you, and you don’t really know why. 

Graveyards never bothered you

Maybe it just seemed more like a natural ending to things than a big scary end all. Either way even when you were a kid, visiting the cemetery was never even a thrill. 

The moon has always been a big deal

Were you fascinated with the moon as a child? Spend nights staring at the stars? Or was astronomy your favorite subject?  

Have you had an unusual experience that happened to you before you discovered witchcraft? Drop a line below and share your experience…! 

[odinsson2021]

[nintendocafe]

Project Spellbound is now Witchbrook!

[themirroredmoon]

10 Easy Protective Habits

Carry Rosemary and salt in your pocket, purse, or keep in a satchel.

A lit white candle in a circle of salt will protect a room.

A lit black candle repels and banishes unwanted energy quite well.

Hang Garlic in your kitchen to ward away mischief and evil.

Add Pine essential oil to cleaners for an added cleansing boost when washing tile/hardwood floors.

Grow Rosemary, Lilac, Lavender or Rose at your doorways to protect them.

Use knot magick when tying shoe laces, bows, headbands, etc for added protection.

Draw protective sigils or wards onto your skin with make up or lotion/moisturizer before blending.

Hang protective charms off your pet's collar.

Sprinkle a combination of Salt, Lavender, Rosemary and/or Rose onto a hard surface and sweep/vacuum the next morning for a cleansing sweep.

[themirroredmoon]

☾ Rose Salt ☽

One of my personal favorite things to make, Rose Salt has a variety of uses. Whether you use it as a scrub in the shower to cleanse yourself and your energies, as a relaxing soak in a warm bath to relax in, or sprinkle it in doorways and on windowsills as a form of protection, it’s multipurpose and very easy to make! What You’ll Need: - Dried Roses - Salt - A Vessel With a Lid to Keep It In - A Mortar & Pestle Optional: - Rose Essential Oil Steps:

Take the petals and buds of your Roses, save the stems and thorns for other spells, and grind them finely with your Mortar & Pestle.

Add Salt.

Mix both well until they are combined well.

Add the mixture into the vessel you chose.

Add the essential oil, seal the vessel, and gently shake to combine everything together more easily.

One of the many properties of Roses is Protection as is with Salt so combining the two gives you a simple, fragrant protective material to keep around your home.