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telltalepage's review against another edition
4.0
The thing with anthologies that follow such a nitch of a theme...after a while, they all start to sound the same, or they all start to feel underwhelming.
None of these stories were bad. I usually find like ONE story in an anthology that I just....cannot connect with and I give one or two stars. These were all three or above! Which is impressive. I've read a few of these authors before, so I knew what to expect of their styles (and was no disappointed) and I also found some new authors I will be looking into.
There was one particular story about midwives and devils and priests that I swear is in EVERY SINGLE YA anthology lol. I feel like I'd read that same exact story five or six times already, which was pretty much the only story I really didn't like. A few of the stories, the witchery was a little too vague or barely mentioned. Some stories were so flawless I would read novels written about them!
All in all, I'm thoroughly impressed with this and it was the perfect book to kick off the fall season with!
None of these stories were bad. I usually find like ONE story in an anthology that I just....cannot connect with and I give one or two stars. These were all three or above! Which is impressive. I've read a few of these authors before, so I knew what to expect of their styles (and was no disappointed) and I also found some new authors I will be looking into.
There was one particular story about midwives and devils and priests that I swear is in EVERY SINGLE YA anthology lol. I feel like I'd read that same exact story five or six times already, which was pretty much the only story I really didn't like. A few of the stories, the witchery was a little too vague or barely mentioned. Some stories were so flawless I would read novels written about them!
All in all, I'm thoroughly impressed with this and it was the perfect book to kick off the fall season with!
pages_oflau's review against another edition
3.0
**ACTUAL RATING 3.5⭐️**
I was so so pumped to get this and read it this October, I’ve heard so many good things about it but for me it was a little boring and some of the stories just didn’t really do it for me.
When I went into this I decided that I would rate all of the stories individually out of 5⭐️ and for me honestly only 5 of the 15 were above a 3⭐️...the ones I rated lower just didn’t make sense and I don’t understand why they are part of a ‘Toil & Trouble’ book.
I guess I thought that the stories would all be about witches and Salem and stuff like the history of witches but I soon found out they weren’t.
I’m also not sure why most of the main characters being female fell in love with other females...I have nothing against it and I find it great when it does happen in books, but when it’s in nearly all of the stories it gets a bit tedious after the second time.
So here are my ratings for each individual story.
⭐️ - 1 star
✨ - .5 star
STARSONG - ⭐️⭐️✨
AFTERBIRTH - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE HEART IN HER HANDS - ⭐️✨
DEATH IN THE SAWTOOTHS - ⭐️⭐️
THE TRUTH ABOUT QUEENIE - ⭐️⭐️✨
THE MOONAPPLE MENAGERIE - ⭐️
THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY - ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
THE ONE WHO STAYED - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
DIVINE ARE THE STARS - ⭐️⭐️
DAUGHTERS OF BABA YAGA - ⭐️✨
THE WELL WITCH - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS - ⭐️✨
LOVE SPELL - ⭐️⭐️
THE GHERIN GIRLS - ⭐️⭐️
WHY THEY WATCH US BURN - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
As you can see from my ratings, for me most of the stories didn’t hit the mark but my god that last story blew me away. I was told but a very amazing friend it was the best story in the book and it really was!
That last story saved the whole book in my opinion, otherwise it was only going to be a 2.5⭐️ book for me.
I was so so pumped to get this and read it this October, I’ve heard so many good things about it but for me it was a little boring and some of the stories just didn’t really do it for me.
When I went into this I decided that I would rate all of the stories individually out of 5⭐️ and for me honestly only 5 of the 15 were above a 3⭐️...the ones I rated lower just didn’t make sense and I don’t understand why they are part of a ‘Toil & Trouble’ book.
I guess I thought that the stories would all be about witches and Salem and stuff like the history of witches but I soon found out they weren’t.
I’m also not sure why most of the main characters being female fell in love with other females...I have nothing against it and I find it great when it does happen in books, but when it’s in nearly all of the stories it gets a bit tedious after the second time.
So here are my ratings for each individual story.
⭐️ - 1 star
✨ - .5 star
STARSONG - ⭐️⭐️✨
AFTERBIRTH - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE HEART IN HER HANDS - ⭐️✨
DEATH IN THE SAWTOOTHS - ⭐️⭐️
THE TRUTH ABOUT QUEENIE - ⭐️⭐️✨
THE MOONAPPLE MENAGERIE - ⭐️
THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY - ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
THE ONE WHO STAYED - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
DIVINE ARE THE STARS - ⭐️⭐️
DAUGHTERS OF BABA YAGA - ⭐️✨
THE WELL WITCH - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS - ⭐️✨
LOVE SPELL - ⭐️⭐️
THE GHERIN GIRLS - ⭐️⭐️
WHY THEY WATCH US BURN - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
As you can see from my ratings, for me most of the stories didn’t hit the mark but my god that last story blew me away. I was told but a very amazing friend it was the best story in the book and it really was!
That last story saved the whole book in my opinion, otherwise it was only going to be a 2.5⭐️ book for me.
ashezbookz's review against another edition
3.0
3-5 stars - average for any bindup like this - I liked a few of the stories A LOT and I hated some of them (2 in particular) and a lot were just average. Overall it was interesting to read though if you're into witchy things/FF romance (quite a few stories like that)
pragreads's review against another edition
5.0
girls supporting & uplifting girls will never not be my favourite thing to read about
whoisshelby's review against another edition
3.0
Overall: 3.4/5
1. Starsong: 1/5 This story kind of made me think I don’t enjoy YA anymore. I rolled my eyes quite a bit.
2. Afterbirth: 3/5 A bit meh just fine. Almost like it could’ve taken place in The Crucible. The ending was very sweet.
3. The Heart in Her Hands: 3/5 Some of this felt super interesting and like I’d love to see a novel from it so everything could be more fleshed out. The ending, however, felt super deus ex machina to me.
4. Death in the Sawtooths: 4/5 I really felt for our main character and was drawn into this one. Very good stuff.
5. The Truth About Queenie: 4/5 Really great character development with unexpected but realistic relationships. You really feel for Queenie.
6. The Moonapple Menagerie: 5/5 Felt like an episode of My Little Pony in the best way possible
1. Starsong: 1/5 This story kind of made me think I don’t enjoy YA anymore. I rolled my eyes quite a bit.
2. Afterbirth: 3/5 A bit meh just fine. Almost like it could’ve taken place in The Crucible. The ending was very sweet.
3. The Heart in Her Hands: 3/5 Some of this felt super interesting and like I’d love to see a novel from it so everything could be more fleshed out. The ending, however, felt super deus ex machina to me.
4. Death in the Sawtooths: 4/5 I really felt for our main character and was drawn into this one. Very good stuff.
5. The Truth About Queenie: 4/5 Really great character development with unexpected but realistic relationships. You really feel for Queenie.
6. The Moonapple Menagerie: 5/5 Felt like an episode of My Little Pony in the best way possible
thebookberrie's review against another edition
4.0
Ahhh this was so good! There were of course some stories I didn't like (and kind of skimmed because I was bored) but there were also a lot of stories that I absolutely loved. So many of these stories are full of revenge and/or queer witches and it was glorious. My favorites were Why They Watch Us Burn, The Legend of Stone Mary, and Death in the Sawtooths.
Probably the best anthology I've read, highly recommend!
Probably the best anthology I've read, highly recommend!
my_life_full_of_stories's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
When I first saw this, I though «this is going to be a good read for halloween» and I was right.
1. Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia: 4 stars (really cute story and an amazing writing)
2. Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer: 3 stars (this was spooky and creepy and I liked it)
3. The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe: 3.5 stars (so adorable and cute. I loved the message)
4. Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith: 3 stars (dark enjoyable story but a little slow)
5. The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert: 4.5 stars (really good, I love the fact that it's about her believing in herself)
6. The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: 2.5 (not my favourite)
7. The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley: 4 stars (I enjoyed it)
8. The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suns: 5 stars (really powerful story, I wished there was a little more to it,but wow)
9. Divine Are the Stars by Zoraida Córdova: 4 stars (beautiful lyrical writing)
10. Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff: 4 stars (enjoyable, fun read)
11. The Well Witch by Kate Hart: 2.5 stars (i didn't like the ending)
12. Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: 4.5 stars (heartbreaking and I need more)
13. Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore: 5 stars (lovely story, perfect writing, i am speechless)
14. The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord: 4.5 stars (this is really sad, and sisters are everything)
15. Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: 5 stars (my heart just broke in little pieces, this story is so powerful)
I never though that this was going to be so powerful.
I recommend it even if you don't want to read in Halloween or if you don't have time...just read it... this is way more than just witches.
I need this in my shelves.
When I first saw this, I though «this is going to be a good read for halloween» and I was right.
1. Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia: 4 stars (really cute story and an amazing writing)
2. Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer: 3 stars (this was spooky and creepy and I liked it)
3. The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe: 3.5 stars (so adorable and cute. I loved the message)
4. Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith: 3 stars (dark enjoyable story but a little slow)
5. The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert: 4.5 stars (really good, I love the fact that it's about her believing in herself)
6. The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: 2.5 (not my favourite)
7. The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley: 4 stars (I enjoyed it)
8. The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suns: 5 stars (really powerful story, I wished there was a little more to it,but wow)
9. Divine Are the Stars by Zoraida Córdova: 4 stars (beautiful lyrical writing)
10. Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff: 4 stars (enjoyable, fun read)
11. The Well Witch by Kate Hart: 2.5 stars (i didn't like the ending)
12. Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: 4.5 stars (heartbreaking and I need more)
13. Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore: 5 stars (lovely story, perfect writing, i am speechless)
14. The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord: 4.5 stars (this is really sad, and sisters are everything)
15. Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: 5 stars (my heart just broke in little pieces, this story is so powerful)
I never though that this was going to be so powerful.
I recommend it even if you don't want to read in Halloween or if you don't have time...just read it... this is way more than just witches.
I need this in my shelves.
jem_of_the_brew's review against another edition
3.0
I was really looking forward to reading this, and in the end it was ok. I only really enjoyed about half of the stories, and of those only three or four were really memorable. I also skipped two of them after reading the first few pages because they just didn't do it for me.
I enjoyed the short story form as much as the content of the stories themselves; the use of multiple perspectives and timelines, and the skill with which some writers move the plot along and create complex character arcs in such a short amount of pages is always thrilling to read. Several of the stories were also very well executed historical fiction, which is always a pleasure to read.
I would recommend this book mainly to lovers of YA, and secondarily to those interested in witchy stories.
I enjoyed the short story form as much as the content of the stories themselves; the use of multiple perspectives and timelines, and the skill with which some writers move the plot along and create complex character arcs in such a short amount of pages is always thrilling to read. Several of the stories were also very well executed historical fiction, which is always a pleasure to read.
I would recommend this book mainly to lovers of YA, and secondarily to those interested in witchy stories.
orangejasmine's review against another edition
3.75
Toil and Trouble
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 3/5
Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer - 3/5
The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe - 5/5
Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith - 4/5
The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert - 4/5
The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar - 3.5/5
The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley - 2/5
The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma - 3/5
Divine Are The Stars by Zoraida Cordova - 4/5
The Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff - 4.5/5
The Well Witch by Kate Hart - 3/5
Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood - 3/5
Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore - 4/5
The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord - 5/5
Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May - 3/5
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 3/5
Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer - 3/5
The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe - 5/5
Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith - 4/5
The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert - 4/5
The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar - 3.5/5
The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley - 2/5
The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma - 3/5
Divine Are The Stars by Zoraida Cordova - 4/5
The Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff - 4.5/5
The Well Witch by Kate Hart - 3/5
Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood - 3/5
Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore - 4/5
The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord - 5/5
Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May - 3/5