Reddit reviews The "Guardian" Cryptic Crosswords Setters Series

Get yourself a cryptic crossword book, and read through some clues thinking about them, then looking up the answers. Start on the next crossword, and before you look the answer, underline the word you think might be the definition, or mark those that you think are anagrams of some kind (always remember to count letters and compare to how long the answer should be!), or jot down thoughts one what a certain word might mean - flower can be river (something that flows), so bear that in mind for wordplay clues. As you go through one to the next, phase out looking at the answers, and phase in answering the ones you are now able to do (personally, I find anagrams the easiest to identify and the easiest to solve).

Also, what really helped me is to try and make them yourself! Take one that already exists, or auto generate one, and then try to build clues that lead to the answer. Doing it this way forces you to think of words in new ways (backwards, mixed up, bits of other words, different languages, etc). And you get the satisfaction of completing a grid.

Have fun!