Book Review: The Illustrated Crystallary by Maia Toll
The Book: The Illustrated Crystallary: Guidance and Rituals from 36 Magical Gems and Minerals by Maia Toll
Source: I purchased this because it looked amazing
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)
After discovering Maia Toll’s Illustrated Herbiary, I immediately went out and pre-ordered this one. I mean, at that point in my life I knew and loved crystals even more than herbs, so it was a no-brainer! I eagerly awaited the book’s release and was delighted when it finally showed up on my doorstep!
It’s no surprise that this book is absolutely beautiful. Every single page is fully illustrated in vibrant colors. The cover and the endpapers even have a foil shimmer! This guide covers 36 crystals, gems, and minerals (and tells you how to understand the difference). Each crystal has a gorgeous full-page illustration that encapsulates much of its symbolism. It provides a general+magical description (including its number on the Mohs hardness scale), a ritual, and some journaling and reflection prompts.
I would have liked to see a list of magical correspondences for each of them as well, and find that I need to turn to other sources when I am seeking that sort of information. One thing I would have appreciated in this book (and in Toll’s other -iary books) is to have the crystals in some sort of discernible order. They’re not in alphabetical order, nor are they in color order (or even, as far as I can tell, are they organized by type - gem/crystal/mineral). There is a table of contents, at least, to help me find things a little faster.
I bought the version that comes with a deck of cards as well. Instead of a full box set like the Herbiary, this one came with an envelope fastened inside the back cover. It contains all the cards in sheets of 4 that you need to pull apart in order to use. This makes it hard to keep them with the book, since once they are separated you can’t really keep them in that envelope as easily. Thus, most of the time, I don’t use the cards and just use the book as a reference and inspiration guide.