Initiation at Beltane: Book One of the Ezmereld Chronicles

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Summary: Inspired
Review: A wonderful journey. More that a read this book is a treasure trove of journal ideas. Read it as a novel or take a good look at yourself

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Summary: A Realistic View of an Individual's Magickal Training
Review: I found the previous reviewer's note on the fact that you can't have to much going on in your life to get the full benefit of this book, to be very accurate.

When I read this book while thoughts of what I had to do in the mundane life were swimming around in my head, made me feel like the book was going nowhere.

It wasn't until things in my life settled down that this book really made it's impact.

I think it is a great book! There are no Hollywood versions of what magick should look like. No shooting fireworks from the fingertips right away. As who can do this when they are brand new at magick?

I could really identify with the character. At times I thought the author must have met me because I thought I was the only person that was that confused about my destiny and how to find out who I really am!

I can't wait till the next one and I highly recommend the book to anyone starting their journey or needing to tweak up their skills.

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Summary: Rreview by Mike Gleason
Review: Initiation at Beltane (Book One of the Ezmereld Chronicles) by Tamarind Laurel This book is written like Harry Patter for adults. It has many of the same themes - seven terms before graduation (although each term here is not restricted to one year); the hero has no idea why is where he is at the start; he has no idea about his background to begin with, etc.

There are lots of "insider" references in it (Grandmother Doreen [Valiente], Azure Green, Magickal Childe, etc.), but one need not know the references to enjoy the book. It also contains a lot of material that is, intentionally, useful for one's own magickal training.

This book is probably not for the reader who has a lot of things happening in her or his life. It does take a bit of concentration to get the most out of, although if you are simply looking for a well-written, entertaining book with a strong magickal theme, this will fill that spot as well.

Perhaps the thing I find most enjoyable about this book is the "scatter-gun" approach of the lessons the young hero learns. In most magickal novels I have read, the hero is committed to s single path of experience, whether it be ceremonial magick, or witchcraft, or some other particular approach. This novel avoid that by exposing the hero to a variety of teachers, with a multitude of viewpoints, none of whom are in competition with each other. In fact, they work together to see to it that the widest possible experience is available to each student, so they can find their own way and their own methods.

Each student in this book is encouraged to step outside their preconceived boundaries.. As an example, Morgan is a student in the Magickal Department, yet he is encouraged to become a chronicler of another individual's experiences - even though that would be expected of a student in the Arts Department. Each student (including those reading this book) is reminded that one's life touches all aspects of the larger world, and cannot be confined to "just magickal," or "just school," or "just' anything.

For every technique that is taught, alternates are provided and illustrated to show that a common goal may be achieved by a variety of methods and experiences. Throughout the work, individuality is encouraged and, indeed, praised. The advantages of having more than one mentor are constantly shown through the differing approaches of each of the mentors

The appendices contained in this book (side question - how many novels have you read with an appendix?) allow one to begin to formulate their own magickal training. They provide a good, solid, foundation on which to build, while encouraging the reader to follow their own heart in the design and construction of that training. Questions are provided to help you find out things about yourself, guided meditations are here for looking within yourself, and methods of self-evaluation are included which, if used honestly, will be of great benefit for anyone, not just the budding magician.

I look forward to following the adventures of self-discovery that young Morgan will evolve through during the upcoming books. It is, after all, self-discovery which is the greatest work of magick that we can engage in. I expect that I will learn (or re-learn) a great deal of magickal training and thought as I work my way through this series.

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Summary: NON-HARRY POTTER FAN
Review: Ok, first of all, I'm not a Harry Potter fan. Let's just get that out of the way, and let me add that the people who were looking for a book similar to Harry need to find something else and have to realize Tamarin was never intending for this to be Harry Potter-esque AT ALL!!!! Ok, now that I've gotten that off my chest....if you app[roach this book with the open minded thought that this will NOT be like Harry Potter, I think you will be wonderfully surprised. It is written in a style that lets anyone feel as if they are actually taking the journey themselves. And, along with that, the reader does actually take a journey: into themselves and their magick. The book gives us a chance to look at outselves and everything around us, without sounding preachy or religious, and while entertaining us with the great characters you meet. Overall, a terrific book for entertainment and one that makes you proud to be Wiccan/a witch/Pagan and wanting to explore more.

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Summary: NON-HARRY POTTER FAN
Review: Ok, first of all, I'm not a Harry Potter fan. Let's just get that out of the way, and let me add that the people who were looking for a book similar to Harry need to find something else and have to realize Tamarin was never intending for this to be Harry Potter-esque AT ALL!!!! Ok, now that I've gotten that off my chest....if you app[roach this book with the open minded thought that this will NOT be like Harry Potter, I think you will be wonderfully surprised. It is written in a style that lets anyone feel as if they are actually taking the journey themselves. And, along with that, the reader does actually take a journey: into themselves and their magick. The book gives us a chance to look at outselves and everything around us, without sounding preachy or religious, and while entertaining us with the great characters you meet. Overall, a terrific book for entertainment and one that makes you proud to be Wiccan/a witch/Pagan and wanting to explore more.

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Summary: This ain't no Harry Potter
Review: The truth is, if you aren't into Wicca, New Age, fantasy or even science fiction, this book will probably not draw you in as Harry Potter does to most people.

I have to admit that this is an excellent textbook covering subjects that the Wiccan religion claims as its own. That's okay, Wiccans will be thrilled.

The average, or non-Wiccan (that is not to say non-witch) reader just looking for a Potter-buzz is in for a dandy cure for insomnia. This may be a great textbook, but it's a poor excuse for engaging fiction.

That's not the worst problem. The very worst is that this author seemed to think that she could pluck various characters out of mythology and/or pagan traditions and cram as many as she could onto a page and VOILA -- instant characters. It doesn't work that way. The book ends up sounding like a description of a Wiccan runway show: everyone's a cardboard cut-out "model person"(be they good or bad) and ultimately they all begin to look the same.

Except for the lead character. He's just annoying. But that doesn't mean he has a personality, because he doesn't. Worse, the "voice" of this character is more that of a woman guessing about men than the actual voice of a young man. Getting inside the mind of a character of the opposite gender is a gift that few writers possess. J.K. Rowling has it. Apparently Tamarin Laurel does not.

The other big problem is the dialogue. People -- and I suspect even your average, garden-variety mythological characters -- don't talk the way they do in this book. Everyone at Ezmereld parades around displaying their profound wisdom, insight, and encyclopedic knowledge, even on the most banal subjects. For instance, I'd hate to have to ask someone at Ezmereld where the bathroom is; the answer may very well be 10 pages of, "why did you ask that question? Go away and comtemplate the answer in a beautiful place on these idyllic grounds and come back when you've had an epiphany....blah, blah, blah." Then the tale would go on to include at least a half dozen glorious creatures popping up mysteriously to ask more questions, be gorgeous, be mysterious, and just plain be a long-winded pain in the rear. At least 15 pages later, the whereabouts of the bathroom would remain a mystery.

All in all, if you're into Wicca (or fantasy novels, or even science fiction), you will likely adore this book. If; you're not, wait for Rowling's next Potter book. Rowling entertains but does not teach magic (she does teach other things, however); for the majority of us, this book does the opposite.

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Summary: Truly Uplifting and spiritual
Review: This book i could never put down. Everytime you read chapters of the book, you want to move on to the next one and the next one and so on and so on. Each time i read it the image of greatness came out of the pages. The author took time to write this great book. Now, for those that say "its like Harry Potter for adults" i truly never got that feeling at all cause i thought the book was bigger than that. If your a wiccan, i truly hope that you'll read this book, its well worth the time.

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Summary: This ain't no Harry Potter
Review: This is an excellent story of a boy's journey of self-discovery. It is a relaxing read and very enjoyable. The approach that the author takes with the plot with embrace you and will not let go until the very last word. If you are a practitioner of magick or if you are getting started you will find exercises in the back of the book that will aid you in your own journey of self-discovery and self-knowledge. I would give this book 100 stars if I could. Simply a must read.