Step into a world where fairies, dragons, and other magical beings converge in a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by the celebration of Litha, the Summer Solstice.Meet Drac, a dragon cursed by his own poisonous deeds, and two pixies who help an old man remember a lost love. You’ll meet a pair of fairies with a sense of humor, and a young girl who fulfills her destiny after being … after being struck by lightning. Learn what happens when a modern witch’s spell goes terribly wrong. Meet the Sisters of the Fey, a group of Slavic Witches who sign a pact with the Rusalki Fey to preserve their magic for the good of all.
Atmospheric and haunting, the prose and poetry, will rewrite the mythologies of the past bringing them into the future.
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Fairies, Myths, & Magic ~ A Summer Celebration is the first book I’ve read by Colleen M. Chesebro. This collection of poems and short stories is a fantasy book and was published in 2018. I discovered the author’s blog several months ago and began following her posts and author promotions. This week, it was time to read one of her books too.
As you know, I’m not a regular reader of poems, short stories, or fantasy; however, I’ve been reading more poetry this summer, and when the subject in the fantasy are about witches, ghosts, or magic, I tend to be much more interested. This book is organized as the title suggests, with three key sections dedicated to some of the best parts of the sub-genre that I know. Within each of the three, the author has provided facts, poems, and short stories, all in the effort of creating a wonderful setting and immersive experience in the unknown realm. I also learned of the origins of ‘Sisters of the Fey,’ as I’d noticed in on the author’s blog many times.
Of all the short stories, my three favorites were: “Just What the Doctor Ordered,” “A Fairy Love Spell,” and “Halloween Havoc.” In the first one, we learn what really causes tinnitus — both scary and comforting all at once. In the second one, I found the ending humorous, and to picture freshly cleaned underwear floating through the air made me chuckle loudly. In the last one, I found it apropos for the upcoming season, one of the best parts of autumn. Chesebro knows how to use her word wisely, designing an easily-readable and picturesque scene all within just a few pages.
The poems were also on the short side, making it easy to devour the meaning and words, connect with the author’s magical prose, and imagine the world as she sees it. I loved hearing how it all began for her, that is, her belief in fairies. I wonder if that was just a story too! The book isn’t all fiction, as we get a history of the subject matter, establishing the constructs of what we’re about to be reading. Learning about the wider category of what constitutes a fairy was very cool and fun. I hadn’t realized the world could be divided into different species and types, but it makes perfect sense.
I’ve read more in this sub-genre than I realized, and thanks to Ms. Chesebro, I’ll look for more in the future too. Kudos to the author for making this a great reading experience and lovely way to let creativity take over.
A wonderful collection of poetry and short stories, perfect for those warm days in the garden!
The cover tempted me to give a new-to-me genre a try and I’m so glad I did! The poetry flows easily and takes the reader on a magical journey that compliments dreamy, entertaining stories of pixies, fairies, and a mystical world I was more than happy to escape to on these hot and hazy days of summer.
I give Fairies, Myths, & Magic 5 lovely kisses- A wonderful celebration of fantasy!
I don’t really do wet and grey winters so I was badly in need of a tonic. This was very effectively supplied by the delightful collection of poetry and short stories by Colleen Chesebro.
Fairies have fascinated me since childhood, but my knowledge of the elves, pixies and other magical creatures, pales in comparison to that of the author. Clearly an observer of nature and the hidden worlds that only a chosen few have seen, she brings her cast of players to life delightfully. You will discover the different forms of fairy you might meet if you are lucky during a walk in a garden or lane, and you will find out about a chance encounter that was life changing.
You will also be introduced to some humans such as Roger who find themselves living in close proximity to these ethereal creatures. And there is definitely mischief afoot when two pixies get their hand on a potent spell… One of my favourite poems was The Fairy Spider’s Lair, but to be honest, I was spoiled for choice.
There is so much to enjoy in this book that celebrates the magic world and summer, that I am sure that you too will lose yourself in its pages. Great for all ages and children will love it too.
A charming collection of short stories and poetry which I read through in delight, enthralled by it all. It would particularly appeal to those who love the allure of fairies, myths, fairy-tales and magic.
It begins with a short introduction to Lithia – the Midsummer Solstice – the longest day of the year which begins on June 21st.
There is a section on the different kinds of fairies: brownies, elves, pixies, sprites, dryads, leprechauns, and the author’s own amazing experience seeing her first fairy!
All the stories and poems are fantastic.
Below are my personal favourite stories and poems in the collection:
‘Just What the Doctor Ordered.’ – a couple of pixies get up to some cheeky mischief!
‘The Fairies Spider’s Lair.’ – evocative poem.
‘The Sisters of The Fey: The Beginning, A Short Story.’
‘A Fairy Love Spell’ – this is what happens if you play with magic – so funny!
‘Believe’ – A short story with the bees!
‘Waiting For A Summer Love’ – a poem.
‘The Healer – A Short story’ – with a dragon, and a blood witch. Fantastic.
‘A Litha Celebration – a poem.’
‘A Fish Tale – Short Story’ – so charming.
‘Halloween Magic’ – anyone who has had their fill of laundry will love. It is so funny!
‘The Leaving. A Story of Supernatural Magic.’ Definite favourite.
This is a magical collection of poetry, myths, short stories, and personal insight. I loved the whimsical theme of the book and was drawn into the world of fairies through Ms. Chesebro’s skillful prose. The poetry deserves multiple readings, and the short stories were very entertaining. “Halloween Havoc” still has me laughing at what was traipsing about the front yard. This is a great book to get lost in and be reminded of the magic surrounding us. I highly recommend this celebration!
Colleen Chesebro introduces the reader to the magical world of brownies, elves, pixies, sprites… in a beautiful collection of short stories and poems.
She also shares her own experience of meeting a swamp fairy.
I particularly enjoyed “Halloween Havoc,” a short story that will make you smile, and “The Leaving” a magical story of Miss Pensie Taylor and green fog and dancing lights.
A wonderful gift for fey friends.
This book is a collection of entertaining poems and short stories along with interesting facts about fairies and magic. The author also shares her own beliefs and experiences, which makes this book delightfully unique.
Author and poet Colleen Chesebro includes a varied selection of poetry styles inspired by magic, fays, and the summer solstice. Some of the stories and poems will make you laugh while others will inspire you, enchant, and even haunt you.
Although I enjoyed all the stories and poems in this book, “The Leaving” and “Halloween Havoc” were two of my favorite stories, and “The Magical Tree,” was one of my much-loved poems.
I recommend this book to lovers of fairies, magic, nature, poetry, and engaging stories.
Colleen in her book Fairies, Myths and Magic begins each section by an introduction. In the Fairies section, she describes the origins, the forms, and appearance of fairies. In the Myths section, she explained that myth is the oldest oral or written storytelling method to explain the strange natural or supernatural phenomena. In the Magic section, she points out that magic is defined as the supernatural power over the natural force and magic happens to us every day.
The short stories and poetry seamlessly weave into a pleasant dream that one wishes to stay in. The story of “Just What the Doctor Ordered” grabbed my attention because I have tinnitus. Roger’s tinnitus was cured after the fairs’ visit while he slipped into a dream over the Mojitos. I love “The Pond” A Haibun/Tanka Poem with the line “As I gaze into the pond, I see the reflection of the woman I’ve become. Past and future meld as one.”
The short story “The Leaving” was engaging from the first line to the end. It’s eerie but not too scary.
I love poetry so it’s enjoyable to read Colleen’s many poems forms.
There are so many intriguing short stories and poems that one must read them to experience the delight of the book.
This novel is a collection of stories, poems, and introduces us to a keep sake collection to read over again. Remember when someone read you bed time stories out of your favourite book? If you do, then this is a book for you. A definite keeper.
The tag line on this book is A Summer Celebration, and what better day to read it than on the summer solstice. Chesebro’s book is a collection of poetry and short stories that celebrates not only the presence of summer, but the connection of spirit to the Earth that is ancient, new, and eternal.
Some of the selections are playful like the mermaid bedtime story “A Fish Tale,” or endearing like “Just What the Doctor Ordered,” in which two pixies get soused in a pitcher of mojitos. Others like “The Healer” take on mythic proportions and read like ancient legends.
But most delve into the mysterious and magical nature of the world around us and our journey through it. The theme of rebirth and self-discovery appear in both story and poem form, and these were perhaps my favorites because they felt both personal and universal. “The Rebirth” is a gorgeous haibun/tanka poem. “The Fairy Spider’s Lair” is full of Earth magic, and “The Pond” is a story that spoke to my soul. Just gorgeous. I could go on and on, but you’ll have to pick up this book and read them yourself.
As a follower of all things magical and mythical, Colleen Chesebro had me at the title. “Fairies, Myths & Magic” is a wonder-filled collection of poetry and prose, ending with the Summer Solstice. Colleen touches on the plights of the Earth, damaged by human hands, particularly, the honey bees. In the poem “Wet Ink”, she takes you to Pearl Harbor through a tattoo artist with magical hands. In one short story, you’ll meet a sly fairy who tries to cast a love spell on his female friend. Oh, the fun of this tale!
Colleen weaves tales of fairies and pixies, spells and promises, with imagery that takes you into the story, as if you were one of the characters, all the while teaching you about the points of a Septagram and the magic of this fairy star. My very favorite story in this book is, “Halloween Havoc”. As an October baby myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the lightheartedness of this tale, especially the ending. It had me smiling and laughing, as the story kept me entranced.
Colleen Chesebro’s use of different poetry forms keeps the reader interested, and adds a nice element to the book, one that will keep you turning the pages. I found it difficult to put down! I truly enjoyed her tales and poems, and I highly recommend this book to any and every one. Even if you don’t believe in fairies and magic, you will when you’ve finished this masterpiece of writing.