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blowp0p's review against another edition
4.0
The last two stories....second to last started me crying and last one just continued.
allyardon's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Witches tend to have a specific appearance and reputation within society, but they are so much more than the cookie-cutter representation we may associate with the word. In a collection of 16 diverse tales of women and their connection to magical or mystical power, Toil & Trouble: 16 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edited by Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe, demonstrate that witches are far greater than any stereotype or cliché we know.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Including witches of various backgrounds, cultures, epochs, sexual preferences and identification, the tales are diverse in both who and what they present to readers, offering a little of something for everyone. As in any collection, there are stories within that are stronger and those that are weaker. The magical or mystical talents that these women have run the gamut, from the familiar to the novel, the highly fantastical to the the more subdued and spiritual, but all speak to the innate power that these women carry and come to embrace instead of fear, which serves as a wonderful manifestation of females embracing who they are and feeling empowered by what they're capable of.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Including witches of various backgrounds, cultures, epochs, sexual preferences and identification, the tales are diverse in both who and what they present to readers, offering a little of something for everyone. As in any collection, there are stories within that are stronger and those that are weaker. The magical or mystical talents that these women have run the gamut, from the familiar to the novel, the highly fantastical to the the more subdued and spiritual, but all speak to the innate power that these women carry and come to embrace instead of fear, which serves as a wonderful manifestation of females embracing who they are and feeling empowered by what they're capable of.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
laurenbookishtwins's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, oh wow. This was such a fantastic and compelling anthology full of women and witchy stories. I adored literally every second of it. There is definitely a lot of heavy and triggering content in here, specifically: sexual assault, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, and the death of a mother during childbirth. I'm going to talk about a few of my favourites, though the list is quite long.
The first story in Toil & Trouble is STARSONG by Tehlor Kay Mejia -- I adored her short story in [b:All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages|35140599|All Out The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages|Saundra Mitchell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514494195s/35140599.jpg|53278915], and most recently her debut [b:We Set the Dark on Fire|37868569|We Set the Dark on Fire|Tehlor Kay Mejia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528832670s/37868569.jpg|54785162] so it's really no surprise that this was one of my favourites. It has a Latina lead, it's sapphic, magical, and is a lovely, quiet contemporary romance short story, and I loved every second.
THE HEART IN HER HANDS by Tess Sharpe was another quick favourite. It was about fighting against what is expected of you, fighting against the restrictions others put on you, and choosing who YOU want to love, and definitely feminist. It's sapphic, magical, and finding strength, love, and life, and I loved it.
THE ONE WHO STAYED by Nova Ren Suma -- this one has really stuck with me. It's angry and powerful, and about sisterhood and revenge. It's beautifully written, compellingly atmospheric and I would definitely read a full-length novel based on this short story.
WHY THEY WATCH US BURN by Elizabeth May followed a group of girls arrested and accused of witchcraft purely for accusing men for sexually assaulting them. It's a heavy topic and an upsetting story, but I loved it nonetheless. It's about strength and resilience, and it's also sapphic, and I felt myself just falling in love with the characters.
I cried when reading THE GHERIN GIRLS by Emery Lord. It features domesic abuse so I would be careful when reading this as it does feature triggering content. It's about family and sisterhood and finding strength and courage where there seems like there is none. It's was a such a moving and heartfelt story and I'm always here for sisters supporting each other!!
Another couple of favourites are Zoraida Córdova's short story DIVINE ARE THE STARS, and Anna-Marie McLemore's LOVE SPELL -- both are magical realism, and Zoraida's is about family, magic, and legacy, and Anna-Marie's is about love and being you, and is such a beautiful romance. Some more include THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY by Robin Talley, BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS by Jessica Spotswood, and AFTERBIRTH by Andrea Cremer.
I've included most of the stories in this review, but the ones I've missed out are still phenomenal. There was no bad story in here, just some I loved more than others. There were so many stories about strength, love, hope, anger, justice, vengeance, resilience, and if you want books about empowering women, supporting women, loving women, and being inclusive, all with a touch of magic, then I would definitely read this one.
The first story in Toil & Trouble is STARSONG by Tehlor Kay Mejia -- I adored her short story in [b:All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages|35140599|All Out The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages|Saundra Mitchell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514494195s/35140599.jpg|53278915], and most recently her debut [b:We Set the Dark on Fire|37868569|We Set the Dark on Fire|Tehlor Kay Mejia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528832670s/37868569.jpg|54785162] so it's really no surprise that this was one of my favourites. It has a Latina lead, it's sapphic, magical, and is a lovely, quiet contemporary romance short story, and I loved every second.
THE HEART IN HER HANDS by Tess Sharpe was another quick favourite. It was about fighting against what is expected of you, fighting against the restrictions others put on you, and choosing who YOU want to love, and definitely feminist. It's sapphic, magical, and finding strength, love, and life, and I loved it.
THE ONE WHO STAYED by Nova Ren Suma -- this one has really stuck with me. It's angry and powerful, and about sisterhood and revenge. It's beautifully written, compellingly atmospheric and I would definitely read a full-length novel based on this short story.
WHY THEY WATCH US BURN by Elizabeth May followed a group of girls arrested and accused of witchcraft purely for accusing men for sexually assaulting them. It's a heavy topic and an upsetting story, but I loved it nonetheless. It's about strength and resilience, and it's also sapphic, and I felt myself just falling in love with the characters.
I cried when reading THE GHERIN GIRLS by Emery Lord. It features domesic abuse so I would be careful when reading this as it does feature triggering content. It's about family and sisterhood and finding strength and courage where there seems like there is none. It's was a such a moving and heartfelt story and I'm always here for sisters supporting each other!!
Another couple of favourites are Zoraida Córdova's short story DIVINE ARE THE STARS, and Anna-Marie McLemore's LOVE SPELL -- both are magical realism, and Zoraida's is about family, magic, and legacy, and Anna-Marie's is about love and being you, and is such a beautiful romance. Some more include THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY by Robin Talley, BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS by Jessica Spotswood, and AFTERBIRTH by Andrea Cremer.
I've included most of the stories in this review, but the ones I've missed out are still phenomenal. There was no bad story in here, just some I loved more than others. There were so many stories about strength, love, hope, anger, justice, vengeance, resilience, and if you want books about empowering women, supporting women, loving women, and being inclusive, all with a touch of magic, then I would definitely read this one.
megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
5.0
I've been waiting so long to read Toil & Trouble and I finally did while away on holiday. It is a brilliant anthology full of magic, witches, and anger. So many great stories about anger, justice, love, courage, strength, and resilience that it is really hard to pick a favourite, but i'll point out a few that I really loved.
The first story in Toil & Trouble is STARSONG by Tehlor Kay Mejia. It follows Luna, a bruja and an Instagram model as she flirts with a cute girl who doesn't yet believe in magic. It is a lovely contemporary story full of subtle magic and sapphic girls.
Another favourite of mine is AFTERBIRTH by Andrea Cremer. Afterbirth alternates between the POV of an apprenticing midwife, and of a witch trial for her teacher - a woman accused of witchcraft for saving the life of a newborn who appeared stillborn, and because of the stillbirth of a twin who the town believed to be the work of the devil. It was very atmospheric and eerie.
I'm a huge fan of Tess Sharpe, so it came as no surprise that I also loved her story, THE HEART IN HER HANDS. Bettina Clarke is a witch, a healer, who has just felt the burn of the soulmark, a mark that tells her who she is destined to be with. But she loves another, Augusta Bell - the love of her life and even Lady Fate won't keep them apart. It is a powerful story full of magic and love.
Shveta Thakrar's story, THE MOONAPPLE MENAGERIE, is another brilliant story. Shalini is tasked with writing a play, but she is struggling with the ending, so she reaches out for help from a churel. However, it comes at a price. This story was beautiful - it was atmospheric, lyrical, and magical, it truly read like a fairytale. I will definitely be keeping my eye on more works from Shveta Thakrar.
Nova Ren Suma's story, THE ONE WHO STAYED was fierce and full of rage. A group of witches circle a fire, each has their own story of hurt and pain at the hands of men. They are waiting for another girl to come to them, hoping she will stay. This story was about solidarity and vengeance, it was beautiful, empowering, angry and heartbreaking at the same time.
BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS by Jessica Spotswood was an eerie and witchy read. This family of witches are burdened with a curse. In each generation, only one girl is fated to live and carry the family until the next girl takes over. Three sisters have lived with this curse hanging over their heads but are determined to beat it. One day, one of the sisters has a vision, she finds out that they can all survive if they leave each other and never return. It was a unique story that was really atmospheric.
It is practically a given that I will love anything from Anna-Marie McLemore, so it came as no surprise that her story LOVE SPELL was beautiful, magical, and lyrical. It is a story about a bruja who can cure lovesickness. She falls in love with a trans boy, and he falls in love with her. However, is a forbidden romance of sorts as he is an acolyte. It was a beautiful and lyrical story, which I never expected anything less.
There were so many great stories, not one of them bad. Some other great ones include THE GHERIN GIRLS by Emery Lord, THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY by Robin Talley, DIVINE ARE THE STARS by Zoraida Córdova, and WHY THEY WATCH US BURN by Elizabeth May.
If you want books about supporting women, loving women, angry women, sapphic women, empowering women, and all with a touch of magic then Toil & Trouble is one I highly recommend. It is also the PERFECT Halloween read - it is eerie, witchy, and atmospheric.
The first story in Toil & Trouble is STARSONG by Tehlor Kay Mejia. It follows Luna, a bruja and an Instagram model as she flirts with a cute girl who doesn't yet believe in magic. It is a lovely contemporary story full of subtle magic and sapphic girls.
Another favourite of mine is AFTERBIRTH by Andrea Cremer. Afterbirth alternates between the POV of an apprenticing midwife, and of a witch trial for her teacher - a woman accused of witchcraft for saving the life of a newborn who appeared stillborn, and because of the stillbirth of a twin who the town believed to be the work of the devil. It was very atmospheric and eerie.
I'm a huge fan of Tess Sharpe, so it came as no surprise that I also loved her story, THE HEART IN HER HANDS. Bettina Clarke is a witch, a healer, who has just felt the burn of the soulmark, a mark that tells her who she is destined to be with. But she loves another, Augusta Bell - the love of her life and even Lady Fate won't keep them apart. It is a powerful story full of magic and love.
Shveta Thakrar's story, THE MOONAPPLE MENAGERIE, is another brilliant story. Shalini is tasked with writing a play, but she is struggling with the ending, so she reaches out for help from a churel. However, it comes at a price. This story was beautiful - it was atmospheric, lyrical, and magical, it truly read like a fairytale. I will definitely be keeping my eye on more works from Shveta Thakrar.
Nova Ren Suma's story, THE ONE WHO STAYED was fierce and full of rage. A group of witches circle a fire, each has their own story of hurt and pain at the hands of men. They are waiting for another girl to come to them, hoping she will stay. This story was about solidarity and vengeance, it was beautiful, empowering, angry and heartbreaking at the same time.
BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS by Jessica Spotswood was an eerie and witchy read. This family of witches are burdened with a curse. In each generation, only one girl is fated to live and carry the family until the next girl takes over. Three sisters have lived with this curse hanging over their heads but are determined to beat it. One day, one of the sisters has a vision, she finds out that they can all survive if they leave each other and never return. It was a unique story that was really atmospheric.
It is practically a given that I will love anything from Anna-Marie McLemore, so it came as no surprise that her story LOVE SPELL was beautiful, magical, and lyrical. It is a story about a bruja who can cure lovesickness. She falls in love with a trans boy, and he falls in love with her. However, is a forbidden romance of sorts as he is an acolyte. It was a beautiful and lyrical story, which I never expected anything less.
There were so many great stories, not one of them bad. Some other great ones include THE GHERIN GIRLS by Emery Lord, THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY by Robin Talley, DIVINE ARE THE STARS by Zoraida Córdova, and WHY THEY WATCH US BURN by Elizabeth May.
If you want books about supporting women, loving women, angry women, sapphic women, empowering women, and all with a touch of magic then Toil & Trouble is one I highly recommend. It is also the PERFECT Halloween read - it is eerie, witchy, and atmospheric.
rabidmunkee's review against another edition
3.0
I want to start out by saying that I did not read Tristina Wright's short story in this collection since it will not be in the final copy.
I had high hopes for this story collection. I guess I was expecting the stories to be like the Sweep series by Cate Tiernan. So I was a little let down with some of the stories. I did enjoy aspects of every story I read, but none of them really stuck with me after reading them. I found a few of the stories to be very empowering, but I found quite a few had some hard to knock witch tropes that I didn't connect with. Then there were two stories where I'd rather have just read full length novels about the characters. My favorite short story was The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord. I couldn't get enough of that story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I had high hopes for this story collection. I guess I was expecting the stories to be like the Sweep series by Cate Tiernan. So I was a little let down with some of the stories. I did enjoy aspects of every story I read, but none of them really stuck with me after reading them. I found a few of the stories to be very empowering, but I found quite a few had some hard to knock witch tropes that I didn't connect with. Then there were two stories where I'd rather have just read full length novels about the characters. My favorite short story was The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord. I couldn't get enough of that story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
wisteriamoon's review against another edition
4.0
I adored this genre-defying anthology of witches and women, and this was a perfect intro to fall! The narrator was fabulous and I loved so many of these feminist stories!
notrealytea's review against another edition
4.0
The first story sucked, but the last five or so were pretty great reads. It was overall a pretty fun read.
other_worlds_than_these's review against another edition
3.0
For the most part, this was good. The majority of the stories were simply okay with very few amazing ones. I thought this would be a lot darker than it was and some of the stories I just didn’t get. Average Rating: 3.25 ⭐️ Individual ratings:
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 3.5⭐️
Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer - 3.5⭐️
*The Heart in her Hands by Tess Sharpe - 4⭐️
Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith- 3⭐️
The Truth about Queenie by Brandy Colbert - 3⭐️
The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar - 2.5⭐️
*The Legend Of Stone Mary by Robin Talley - 3.75 ⭐️
The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma - 2⭐️
Divine Are The Stars by Zoraida Cordova -
3⭐️
Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff - 3⭐️
*The Well Witch by Kate Hart - 3.5⭐️
Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood - 2⭐️
Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore - 3⭐️
*The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord - 4⭐️
*Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May - 5🌟
*my favorites
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 3.5⭐️
Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer - 3.5⭐️
*The Heart in her Hands by Tess Sharpe - 4⭐️
Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith- 3⭐️
The Truth about Queenie by Brandy Colbert - 3⭐️
The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar - 2.5⭐️
*The Legend Of Stone Mary by Robin Talley - 3.75 ⭐️
The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma - 2⭐️
Divine Are The Stars by Zoraida Cordova -
3⭐️
Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff - 3⭐️
*The Well Witch by Kate Hart - 3.5⭐️
Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood - 2⭐️
Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore - 3⭐️
*The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord - 4⭐️
*Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May - 5🌟
*my favorites