I'm not giving this a star rating because I simply can't. I could not tell you once, during this entire book, if Rowland was trying to be legitimately informative, or simply piecing together social commentary and jokes with a little splash of beliefs from cultures around the world. It doesn't help that discussing fae from so many cultures would require far more pages than this book allows for, and half of the book is compiled of illustrations and graphic design art.

It's a difficult book for me to review because I understand that I'm coming at this book from a different angle than many people are (which is the other reason I won't give it a star rating). Most readers I know are going to pick this up looking for fun stories and illustrations; those of us looking for something deeper, like many practicing witches, are probably going to be left feeling about as let down as I was.

On a positive note, I really appreciated how much attention Rowland gave not only to the impact that climate change and humanity's abuse of the planet has had on fae populations, but also to the impact that colonialism has had on society's general perception of spiritual beliefs that don't align with the more widely accepted religions (such as the author's complaint regarding US scholars' dismissal of Native beliefs as "superstitions" and "myths").

The bottom line is this: if you're someone who thinks of fae as pure fantastical fiction and you want to learn more about the history there, this would probably be a great, fun fit for you. If you're someone who is actually invested in the idea of recognizing fae in our modern reality, I'm not so sure. I'd love to hear the thoughts of other readers, though, especially ones who are coming at it from the same angle I am!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!