Review: The Zenned-Out Guide to Understanding Auras by Cassie Uhl

I first discovered Cassie Uhl’s work when I read The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals (see review here) and practically devoured it in one sitting. I knew immediately that I wanted to check out the other two books she has available as part of this series on auras and chakras. If you’re familiar with any of these books, you’ll already know that they provide a wealth of information on the topic in an easy-to-understand and visually-appealing way. 

I was excited to dive into The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Auras because the subject has always fascinated me, even long before I started trying to figure out my spiritual beliefs. The book covers a wide range of knowledge that readers of all experience levels will be able to appreciate. It begins by giving background information about auras, including what they are and the various ways people can experience them. Explanations behind the various colors and what they mean about you and your energy are provided along with very pretty illustrations and infographic pages that sum up key ideas. Uhl teaches you how to protect, cleanse, and heal your aura. She gives a variety of options for each of these so every reader can find the method that works best for him/her. The final part of the book is about how to conduct aura readings for others, both quickly and more in-depth. This is not probably something I will try, at least not until I become more experienced in reading my own aura, so I didn’t try any of these techniques myself.

While I was skeptical when Uhl claimed that almost everyone is capable of “seeing” at least parts of auras in some way, I gave the exercises she suggested a try. Much to my surprise, after using a piece of amethyst on the third eye and a brief meditation, I was able to determine three colors of my aura. I kept an open mind and had no preconceived notions about the colors I might “see” during my meditation. Uhl says that it might take some time of practicing the various exercises she gives in the book before you can determine your aura’s colors, but she also provides a simple quiz that could help with this information too. I’ve been doing a lot of intuition work recently, so I believe that’s why I was lucky enough to get results on my first try. I plan on continuing to use the techniques daily and work them into my regular spiritual practices.

While I still have some questions, this book gave me the foundation and the confidence to continue exploring auras. Since auras and the chakras are connected, I think I’ll have a better overall understanding once I get a better handle on my chakras. If you’re new to the idea of auras or want to know more about them in depth, I highly recommend The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Auras!

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Quarto Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: She Lies Close by Sharon Doering

I just finished reading She Lies Close by Sharon Doering and I have to say that it exceeded my expectations! I've read a ton of mysteries involving missing children, but if you asked me to give you details about one, I probably wouldn't be able to. While plenty have been great- full of suspense and shocking twists- they just don't have characters that stick with me. Doering's take on the popular theme caught me by surprise as I found myself laughing and connecting with the protagonist in a way I hardly ever do. There's one point in the story where the main character is annoyed at being delayed on her way home because all she is looking forward to is taking off her pants. (Lady, I feel you!) That's not to say the plot doesn't check all the genre's boxes; it is suspenseful and creepy and sad in all the right ways.

Grace Wright is a recently divorced mother of two who is just trying to survive each day. Her first priority is taking care of her young children, which seems all the more challenging when she realizes her next-door neighbor is a suspect in the disappearance of a local girl, Ava Boone.  Grace does her best to appear "normal," but it's not hard to see that she's a hot mess. She already struggles with ADD and anxiety, and on top of that her insomnia is keeping her up for days at a time, causing her to hallucinate and black out in the middle of the night. She obsesses over her neighbor, convinced he is grooming her three-year-old daughter to be his next victim. One day, she thinks she sees little Ava in her neighbor's house and that pushes Grace to act. She breaks into his house and finds disturbing evidence that only make her all the more certain he is responsible for kidnapping Ava, but no one will listen to her concerns. When the neighbor turns up dead, Grace finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

This novel has a lot of dark humor that makes it stand out from typical books in this genre. Grace is snarky and sarcastic, which I loved! If I could choose a fictional best friend, she'd definitely be in my top three. She comes across as so real and vulnerable which is so refreshing. The plot itself is solid, but I will remember She Lies Close because of the life Doering brings to her characters. Readers who are not fans of crass language or sexual details in their books should probably stay away from this one, but I'd highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a well-written mystery with memorable characters.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Titan Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals by Cassie Uhl

I am very new to crystal work, but have dipped my toe casually into other forms of magick over the years (tarot, meditation, spellwork, etc.). Crystals just never seemed to

interest me in the past, partly because I was skeptical of their power since I didn’t have a good understanding of how they work. In recent weeks, I’ve made more of an effort to at least learn more about crystals before judging them. That’s where “The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals” by Cassie Uhl comes in.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in working with crystals, but it is an especially useful resource for those who were a lot like me. The author provides a comprehensive (but not overwhelming!) background on the

science behind crystals and how they work. This was my favorite part of the book because it truly made me a believer and eradicated all my skepticism.

After the educational introduction, the book continued to wow me as it answered every beginner question I had regarding crystals. From how to connect to various stones to the cleansing, charging, and programming of your crystals, Uhl thinks of everything. I loved the informative and beautifully illustrated infographics that are scattered throughout the various chapters to review key ideas and useful information.

Even more advanced crystal users can appreciate parts of this book, such as the chapter on crystal grids which was definitely too advanced for my current abilities. The crystal guide at the end of the book which shows many useful correspondences is worth the price of the book all by itself! I've read that this author has similar titles on auras and chakras, so I'm definitely going to be checking those titles out.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Quarto Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Flowers for the Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite

Flowers for the Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite follows protocol for the all-too-familiar thriller/police procedural plot, but still manages to create a very unique and terrifying serial killer. 

The novel bounces back and forth between multiple characters, including Mike who is a recently widowed police detective. Nothing stands out about Mike. He's the typical damaged detective trying to balance his life as a single father with his career hunting the bad guys. He may be a little rough around the edges, but it's a given that he has a heart of gold. Laura is a young woman trying to bring herself out of the pits of depression after being the sole survivor in a horrific car accident that killed her entire family. There's nothing too memorable about her, but I did enjoy watching her evolve from a victim to a proactive and confident woman. 

While dealing with her grief, Laura unknowingly catches the attention of Adam, the psychotic serial killer and star of the story. Adam is unusual because he spends a significant amount of time wooing his victims. When he finds a woman who seems perfect for him, he falls fast and he falls hard. He sends these unlucky ladies messages via the types of flowers he sets on their doorsteps. He buys them groceries and tidies up their homes for them while they're sleeping. He puts their every need in front of his own. Sounds like a catch, right? The only problem is he does all of this in complete secrecy, using hidden surveillance systems to spy on the women who have no clue who Adam is. They all react to his attention differently. Some start to believe they're going crazy, while others just assume an ex is pulling out all the stops to get back together. One thing that stays the same, however, is that Adam eventually feels unappreciated, hurt, angry, etc. That doesn't bode well for the current recipient of his affections.

What I found to be unique about this novel was that the reader spends much of his/her time watching the story unfold through Adam's perspective. Most thrillers I read either ignore the serial killer's POV entirely as a way of keeping the mystery and fear factor high or they only give brief glimpses into the bad guy's thought process. In Flowers for the Dead, the author uses flashbacks to show the reader Adam's entire life, beginning with his childhood as a young boy and up to the present time. His younger years are not simply glossed over. While this does make the story's presentation stand out from a lot of the other novels in the same genre, I'm not sure if it was the best use of the reader's time. In fact, one of my complaints is that I feel there was far too much time spent on Adam's backstory. His experiences are quite heavy and if the point was to show how he evolved into becoming the monster he is later in life, that could have been accomplished in about half the number of pages. The extra background slowed the momentum of the story and caused me to feel like I was slogging through at a glacial pace.

Overall, the writing was great and the storyline was definitely very creepy. Readers with sensitivities should be aware that there were grotesque descriptions as well as disturbing child sexual abuse in the novel. Had I known about the latter, I probably would have skipped this read altogether, but that is my personal preference. If you're looking for a scary thriller to keep you up at night, this would definitely do the trick!

My Rating: ★★★★☆

*Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!