I'm all about the anthologies but this had more disliked stories than liked stories and I'm having a hard time because I would have loved to get some fantastic witchy stories. I appreciated that they were diverse in both time period and characters but nothing popped out as being particularly well-written, well-plotted, or super creative to raise up the collection as a whole.

Can't win 'em all but it will certainly have fans!

I received Toil and Trouble as an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of stories is the perfect thing to set the mood for October. Most of the stories were really good, such as “Divine are the Stars” by Zoraida Cordova where a young woman named Marimar travels to her childhood home to witness her grandmother dying. Cordova has a beautiful writing style that sets the tone for the scene.

I loved that several of the stories had to do with sisterhood—both in a familiar and sorority sense. One of those was "The Gherin Girls" by Emery Lord, which has three sisters coming together after one of them leaves an abusive relationship.
I really enjoyed how some of them put a modern twist to witchcraft like "Starsong" by Tehlor Kay Mejia, which has a young witch reading horoscopes on Snapchat; while others were set in the past such as "The Well Witch" by Kate Hart. It's set in the late 1800s in Texas where a young woman is alone in the wild west, but has a knack for sensing the life-giving water underneath.
There were a few that fell flat for me like “The Moonapple Menagerie” by Shveta Thakrar. A small coven of teenage witches can shapeshift and put on a play every year, but the young witch who is supposed to be writing the play has trouble creating--until a churel (a demon) offers to help. I just felt like there was a lot going on in such a short time. I couldn’t keep track of who was who, especially with the reference to their animal shapes and then their actual names.

The one that made the most impact to me was "Why They Watch Us Burn" by Elizabeth May. This was about a girl who was sent to a labor camp for "being a witch." Though, as the story progresses, we see that she was sexually harassed and named her accuser. All of the thirteen women who were at this camp were there for naming their assaulter. Considering the news headlines right now, it just made me ache. Not only for these women, but for all women who have been sexually assaulted. Nothing was too graphic; there were mentions of bruises and victim blaming. The women proved their strength at the end, however. This was definitely one that will stick with me.

What a cool book.  As everyone knows, I love witches, so I snapped up the chance to read this collection of short witchy stories as soon as I saw it on Netgalley.  It is a collection of 15 short stories, all written by different women, involving magic, witches, and femininity.  The most amazing thing about this collection is the diversity.  Every story is vastly different from the one before, including the characters, writing styles, forms of magic, concepts, etc.  We got so much variety, and yet they all worked well together as a cohesive collection.  There were definitely some stories that I enjoyed and connected to more than others, but I think there is truly something for everyone in this collection.  My favorite stories were "The Gherin Girls" by Emery Lord, "Beware of the Girls With Crooked Mouths" by Jessica Spotswood, and "Why They Watch Us Burn" by Elizabeth May.  "Beware of the Girls With Crooked Mouths" was so captivating, and I loved the system of magic and the plot of the story.  I could have easily read (and want) an expansion of this story into a novel.  "The Gherin Girls" I loved because of the sisterly relationship (I really connected to these characters) and the subtle, yet well developed magic in it.  "Why They Watch Us Burn" was an incredible way to end the anthology.  It was completely haunting, terrifying, and scarily relevant.  I rated each story with a star rating and then averaged them to get my overall rating for the collection and it came out to a solid THREE STARS, but some of these stories are worth so much more to me.  There was a quote from "Why They Watch Us Burn" that really resonated with me, and I'm sure will with a lot of women.  "The most terrifying thing in the world is a girl with power.  That's why they watch us burn."

I can't say I really enjoyed the stories as I didn't. Were they bad the answer is no they just weren't for me. They all seemed too similar for my liking and the witchcraft aspect always left me wantngnfor more.

Like any anthology there are peaks and valleys throughout this book, but I will say that is is much more up than down! In a world which is currently sending messages to girls ad women that their worth is not valued, this collection of short stories stands up and shows the power we possess. There are stories where the evil is leaders, the men, siblings, and power itself but all of the stories prove that we will not go quietly as one story comments. I would recommend this to all women, and to scare some of the less enlightened men ;) but many of them would be wonderful to be read and studied in hs and college English classes,

I love the witchy vibes that are popular right now, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book! I love that it brings together female voices from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Plus, the feminist vibes are just an added bonus! I was especially looking forward to Zoraida Córdova and Brandy Colbert. I think within this book everyone can find a story that appeals to them.

I love spooky stories about witches, but they can get a bit trope-y at times. Variations on the same theme. Black cats. Warts. Spells. Incantations. It gets a bit repetitive. Toil & Trouble is a story anthology about witches that gives a new spin to the classic tales. These stories are diverse, creative, and entertaining, with a dash of spooky witchiness.

From love spells that go wrong to witch hunts, these 15 stories celebrate all things Witch....with a empowering, feminist overtone.

Each story gives a bit of a new spin to the witch tale. Creative, entertaining and thought-provoking anthology! I really enjoyed this book! Each story is different and interesting. I tried to pick a favorite, but it was pretty much a tie between two: Daughters of Baba Yaga and Why They Watch Us Burn. But, all of the stories are good!

Stories included are:
Starsong - Tehlor Kay Mejia
Afterbirth - Andrea Cremer
The Heart in Her Hands - Tess Sharpe
Death in the Sawtooths - Lindsay Smith
The Truth about Queenie - Brandy Colbert
The Moonapple Menagerie - Shveta Thakrar
The Legend of Stone Mary - Robin Talley
The One Who Stayed - Nova Ren Suma
Divine Are The Stars - Zoraida Cordova
Daughters of Baba Yaga - Brenda Yovanoff
The Well Witch - Kate Hart
Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths - Jessica Spotswood
Love Spell - Anna-Marie McLemore
The Gherin Girls - Emery Lord
Why They Watch Us Burn - Elizabeth May

This book is definitely intended for a young adult audience. I still enjoyed it, despite having passed the Young Adult stage a few decades ago. The stories seek to empower women and show a different side to witch tales. A bit of diversity mixed in with the spookiness was a nice change!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Harlequin Teen via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

What magic is this? This anthology is diverse, and rich, and sweeping. My average rating is 4 stars, because I really enjoyed most of these stories.
And I even did this thing where I reviewed each of these short stories individually? What kind of magical creature am I becoming?

🔷 Starsong by Tehlor Kay Meijia // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

➤ ownvoices Latinx, sapphic characters
CW - drug use

“People find me when they need to see the beauty they feel.”


Okay, this was seriously cute. I love how even short stories can convey so much about a person. Luna was engaging and adorable, and I loved the way she narrated. The instagram DMing was adorable, from the way Luna counted each minute, and holder breath. And it was just a seriously fluffy story, ok?

🔷 Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: childbirth, blood, death

“In the eyes of the village, my truths cannot be suffered to live.”


Golly, that was a DARK read. Good, but so dark. I actually wanted a tiny bit more closure? Just a reassurance that everything was actually going to be alright.
Set in Puritan New England, with a midwife accused of witchcraft. A bit gory, because childbirth isn't pretty.

🔷 The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
➤ sapphic characters and sapphic relationships
CW: loss of a parent

“He can’t fill the empty space in her because there are none. There is no emptiness in a devoted heart.”


Ah, I LOVED this short story SO MUCH. I'll admit, the very beginning was a touch confusing. I had no idea what was happening and who liked who, and when this story was set. Because there's cars and phones and magic? That's a weird mix.
But I DEF liked the matriarchal society and the strong message of girl power. SO COOL.
And the sapphic ship? WOW. And straight up, throw out the heteronormative life for running away to a sapphic coven hidden up in the mountains. YAY.

🔷 Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith // ⭐️⭐️
CW: CW: death, corpses, bullying

“A person can tell you anything, but bones—those tell the truth.”


I'm still trying to feel out my thoughts on this short story? Like, I really liked the message. But the delivery was a bit too weird? And not just in a storyline, but the tone. The accent really, really threw me. The main character seemed to have a regular voice, but one of the characters had a very weird accent that was difficult to read.
And I didn't really like the overall theme of bullying. This girl was bullied, and she's rightfully angry. But the kids who bullied her don't seem to have learned? It was just mixed messaging for me and not my cup of tea.

🔷 The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert // ⭐️⭐️⭐️
➤ Characters of Color

I thought this was really great! Super touching story about growing to accept who you are and your own strengths. Maybe the love triangle was a tad cliche, and I felt really bad for Queenie. (Come on, Webb)
I also really, really loved the conversation about how people of color are stigmatized while white people can get away with being witches. I definitely saw this growing up in conversations about traditional African religious practices.

🔷 The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar // ⭐️
➤ South Asian rep
I was so confused. So confused. I'm not sure what part of this is part of a dream sequence and what part was actually happening? The writing was very picturesque but the story just didn't make much sense.

🔷 The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
➤ Sapphic Rep

“Everybody for miles around used to remember the story of Mary Keegan’s curse, but you wouldn’t know it now.”


Oh my goodness, this is my favorite! (at least so far) I LOVE the story, and the way it's told, and the rumors of curses and legends. And just EVERYTHING!
It's spooky and mired in mystery and sapphic and just GOOD.

🔷 The One Who Stayed by Nova Ten Suma // ⭐️
CW: rape, sexual assault

Um, I did not like this story. It's realistic to the feelings associated with sexual assault, but I just didn't appreciate the story. It was the vibe, people watching but doing nothing to stop the assault? I know some people really liked the empowering message, but knowing the girl was going to be assault, but doing nothing to actually STOP the rape from happening made me ill.

🔷 Divine Are the Stars by Zoraida Córdova // ⭐️⭐️⭐️
➤ Latinx rep
“…But memories make things grander and more beautiful when you want to think fondly on them.”


Um, I have no real idea what was happening most of this story. But it was lyrical and kind of pretty? I was just very confused and it was hard to keep ALL the names and characters straight.

🔷 Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: bullying, gore

"I was born to bury saints in the yard."


Ok, I really, really liked this story! It kept me very engaged and I wanted to keep reading. and I was sad this was a short story because I could have kept on reading.

🔷 The Well Witch by Kate Hart // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
➤ Native American rep
CW: racism, animal cruelty, death

"She brought nothing but the water along behind her."


Oh my word, this is definitely my very, very favorite. Everything about this story made me fall in love. The setting, in West Texas. Elsa, and her resilience. Zeb, and his kindness.
I just LOVED this story. Now, parts of it made me very, very angry. But it just resonated with me so deeply.

🔷 Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
➤ Sapphic
“But she would trade it all to be able to remember her little sister’s smile.”


How could this story end??? I was NOT prepared for this story to gut me. It had a very colonial vibe but it wasn't exactly colonial. There were sapphic characters and pirates and Scottish witches. Gosh, it was dark and gay all at once. I LOVED it and wish desperately for a full length novel. Because it was SO GOOD.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending because it just ended? And it definitely did not feel concluded.

🔷 Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The way my mother told it, girls always held on tighter than boys. A boy moved on while the girl still scribbled her first name with his last."


Oh my goodness, I did not know this anthology could get even better, BUT IT DID. This story is sweet, and heartwrenching. It drags you on this breathless step into first love. I loved it so damn much.

🔷 The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: Absuive relationship

"In a way, you're related to many women who have suffered for misunderstanding and fear."


What a story. This is so powerful and beautiful. This is the sisterhood story we all need to read. It's moving, and emotional, and healing.

🔷 Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: assault
➤ Sapphic characters, F/F relationship with a POC

We are thirteen. We have always been thirteen. And we are wolves, and goddesses, and witch."
Wow, wow, wow. This story is just, so powerful. I cannot stop thinking about it. And reading this week, during the Supreme Court hearing, and seeing a woman testify, this story just resonates so powerfully. I will keep coming back to this and reading it, because it's so deep and powerful.

Toil & Trouble is an excellent collection of bewitching short stories just in time for Halloween. This anthology is filled with tales following witches and is filled with magic. Readers who enjoy fantasy or witches in fictions will want to pick this one up!

Has there ever been a better collection of short stories? The answer is no. At least not that I’ve read so far. I adored this SO MUCH! Incredible stories about witchy, strong, amazing women.

I did something a little different while reading this anthology. I knew with as many books as I read I wouldn’t be able to remember every detail of each story, so as I finished a story, I jotted down a few words or thoughts I had while reading and I’m going to share those with you along with some quotes I highlighted!

Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia: Magical, powerful. I love that this story forces me to use google translate.

“That our magic is restless and wild and trouble-bound. But I don’t know if I agree. Maybe we were just two people chasing numbness because we didn’t know what the stardust inside us was for.”

“I, Luna Mendoza, was part of the swirling color and dancing light of a sky that had never seemed so close.”

Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer: LOVED! Classic “towns people don’t understand so it must be the devil” story, but written so well.

The Heart In Her Hands by Tess Sharpe: Food love! Also tea! Beautiful story about choosing your own path.

“This is the thing about falling: It’s tricky. Sometimes you’re tumbling down into love before you realize your feet have left the ground. But it’s a choice too.”

“‘Sweets, we can be scared together,’ Auggie says. ‘But we can’t be scared here. Not anymore.'”

Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith: Reminded me of an episode of Supernatural.

The Truth about Queenie by Brandy Colbert: OMG Brandy Colbert! A new favorite author and I’m so excited to see a story by her here. I loved the contemporary setting so much.

The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: Beautiful and atmospheric.

The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley: Love! I would read more of Wendy and Karen’s story!

The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma: Subtly powerful.

Divine Are the Stars by Soraida Córdova: So magical!

Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff: Loved this story so much. Everyday witches!

The Well Witches by Kate Hart: OMG Give me MORE!

Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: The saddest story so far. 😦

Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore: So so beautifully written.

The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord: FAVORITE. I have so much love and feelings for this story and the sisters. I relate to Rosemary on a level that is still hard to talk about, but this story resonated with me so much.

“Tea won’t make it not true. Of course it won’t, Novy wants to snap. Tea doesn’t fix anything. It’s just comfort you can hold.”

Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: So Fucking Powerful. The perfect way to end a beautiful collection.

“Then I think of witches, and understand that there are too many people in this world who would rather see a woman burn than wield power.”

“You understand the truth, though, don’t you? The most terrifying thing in the world is a girl with power. That’s why they watch us burn.”

*Please note, these quotes are from an ARC copy, so they may change in the final copy.

Witches!! Perfect fall vibes from this one. I really enjoyed the stories and found it to be super entertaining but also informative in a way.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was an excellent and quick read, and there were so many stories that I absolutely loved in it. There were a couple that were just misses for me, but overall I loved it so much. I would highly recommend you all pick it up, especially with Halloween right around the corner :)

*I want to first thank Net-galley for giving me a copy of this book for an honest review.*

I really enjoyed all the stories in this anthology. They were all so diverse and interesting, as soon as I read that this would be a witchy read I just had to pick it up. This book contained 15 different diverse stories of depicting the lives of all different kinds of people. There was LGBTQ representation as well as different races Andre classes. I loved how these story showed us not just scary and spooky stories nut it’s zhowed us the history of women empowerment. I hope to read more anthologies just as these. I gave this book four stars mainly for its meaning behind each story. As for each single story I believe I only rated one of the 5 stars. They were all really interesting I wasn’t just having problems connecting with the characters and some of the stories I believe mainly because they’re around 20 to 30 pages each. I felt like they were really well written and very thought out. My main problem was how hard it is to fall into a story within a few pages. For some of them I really wish I had more of it or even a back story into the magic and what led the characters to be in the spot they are in now.

My all time favorite was the last story Why they watch us burn by Elizabeth May. This one broke my herT in so many ways. It’s more of a modern story depicting women being called witches for standing up for theme selves. The main character stood up for herself against a man who said he was tempted by her. A lot also has to do with men in church such as the Priest of the church. They accused women of witchcraft sting they’re hand tempted them to sin. This story was powerful at this time to read because of the the contradictions that have been coming out to light with Priest and Popes sexually harassing and raping girls and boys since a young age. I cried at the end of this and I want so much more of it. I definitely recommend this book mainly for this story here.

This review is based on an ARC of Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (HarlequinTeen).

"This is what witchcraft looks like: it is women holding hands, harnessing power, and changing their fate. If every woman practiced such a thing, we would learn what Eve did after she ate that apple. When she held knowledge in her hands. We would upend the world."

The problem with all anthologies is that they are extremely hit and miss, having so many authors given the same prompt and making something of the same idea; some stories just won't be for you. To get my rating I rated each short story on a 5-star scale and found an average (3.1), and rounded to the nearest .5-star. In this anthology there were more stories I didn't like than that I did.

The second story, Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer, was by far my favorite, followed by Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths and The Tale of Stone Mary. After these, the rest were pretty forgettable.

I do need to give honorable mentions to 1) the gorgeous cover art!!!, 2) the diversity in these stories, and 3) the queer rep.

A few stories in Toil & Trouble made it worth the read, but I wouldn't bother to read this entire anthology again.

Normally with anthologies, I have a hard time connecting with all of the stories. Most seem to have really good short stories but also have some that aren't so great and lead to a "meh" feeling.

But this was not one of those anthologies. Even the stories that ended too soon (in my opinion) or were weakly written I found something to relate to in each one of the stories. Some made me tear up, some made me angry, and some filled me with hope and in my opinion any book that can do that is a powerful book; especially when that book is an anthology. (less)

Instead of doing a review of all of the stories (15 of them) I am only going to review the four that I really enjoyed and gave 5 stars to. Everything else was a case of me going what did I just read, or feeling as if the story in question had too many holes or was incomplete in some way. All together I gave a collection a solid three stars. That is usually the way with anthologies unless the majority of the stories area home run.

Here is a list of the 15 stories in this collection:

Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer

The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe

Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith

The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert

The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar

The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley

The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma

Divine Are the Stars by Zoraida Córdova

Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff

The Well Witch by Kate Hart

Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood

Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord

The Only Way Back by Tristina Wright

Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May


My four favorites are:

Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer. This takes place in the 1600s in New England. An apprentice to a midwife is witnessed to a strange birth with a lot of details leaking out that this birth was not a result of the woman in question having sex with the devil, but more like with the master of the house. This is a great callback to the Salem Witch trials and since I just read a book about Salem, this story was uppermost in my mind while reading it.

The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert. Ugh. I wanted more. I was so ready to slap the dude in this story. So we have a story about a family of witches who are African American. The main character, is dealing with a lot of guilt we find because she believes (and is probably right) she threw a hex on a former friend who was bullying the love interest in this story. We also have her dealing with the fact that the boy in question is in love with someone else. When someone needs healing, he comes to her and asks for her help.

The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord. Touches not only upon magic, but about mental and physical abuse. Reading about this family who love each other and won't let one of the daughters/sister disappear with a man that they know can and will hurt her. It was lovely.

Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May. You will cry. You will rage. This is a great short story that feels like it was written in response to the Women's March as well as kind of companion to "A Handmaid's Tale". Considering what is in the news cycle right now you will think that Elizabeth May has a damn crystal ball. Going into why men would want to lock these teen girls up and not allow them to live is soul shaking. That all of the girls are punished for using their real names and then whisper them to each other at night.

“Here’s how to fulfill a prophecy: you are a woman, you speak the truth, and the world makes you into a liar.”

As someone who loves all things witches and magic, Toil and Trouble did not disappoint. I loved this diverse collection of short stories and the way each story highlighted powerful young women as well as tackling relevant and timely themes such as race, class, sexuality etc.

I especially loved Star Song, Divine are the Stars and Why they Watch Us Burn. I will definitely be recommending this breathtaking anthology.

Oh my god, this was fantastic. I don't usually like reading anthologies at all. I usually find that the stories are just too varied in quality and only one or two work for me. I also think a lot of writers struggle with writing a true short story; so much of the time the stories end too abruptly and feel like a first chapter. So I was apprehensive when I picked this up. But it actually blew me away! I don't know if it was just the subject matter that pulled me in immediately, or if this really is the best YA anthology ever, but this was so, so great. It blew me away.

Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia: This was the perfect start to the collection. I knew after reading this that Toil & Trouble was going to be such a good reading experience. Starsong has the perfect blend of magic and spirituality with technology and modern teenage-ness. The texting and flirting were adorable; I shipped the two girls big time and would have gladly read an entire novel about Luna. I can't wait to read Mejia's debut!

Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer: Not gonna lie, this was pretty gross at first. The descriptions were, well, descriptive. I loved the format; it reminded me of reading a play, especially The Crucible. This story definitely served to make me angry about the Salem witch trials all over again. And even though it was bittersweet, I really, really liked the ending.

The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe: This was really good! There was so much world packed into such a short little story. I always loved stories about girls forging their own paths and Bette was a trailblazer for sure. I do wish we got to see more of her magic, though. There was one scene where a witch was using a skillet as a wand, which REALLY pulled me out of the story. It was just so endlessly silly.

Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith: This was not my thing. If it had been a full-length novel, I probably would have picked it up, but as it stands, there just wasn't enough time to establish the world and the history between the two main characters. We didn't even know the villain, so his impact was entirely diminished. And he gave one of those long, ridiculous monologues.

The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert: I really loved the voice of this one and it makes me want to pick up the rest of Colbert's work. That said, I didn't love this as a whole. I wish there was a bit more magic. I also felt the ending was very rushed; there simply wasn't enough time for Queenie to naturally come around and find herself on her own. I really, really liked the best friendship though.

Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: This was a total case of "it's not you, it's me." I just don't click well with stories when I know there's going to be a heavy-handed lesson to learn by the end. Plus, the story itself was just plain weird and I couldn't get a handle on the setting at all. What I did love was seeing all these creatures and gods and goddesses from a culture I know nothing about; there was a lot of further reading on my end once the story finished.

Stone Mary by Robin Talley: This story had such a strong sense of voice, which pulled me in right away. Plus, a story about small-town legends, family secrets, and bloodlines is sure to be my kind of thing. I do think it went a bit off the rails with the whole witch-hunter thing, and the story would have been just fine without it, but it was still really good.

The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma: Right off the bat I have to say, content warning for rape. It's not graphic or described at all, really, but it's there. That being said, this was still fantastic. I always love Suma's writing and the worlds she creates right inside our very own, very familiar world. I do wish it was longer; the story was just getting started.

Divine are the Stars by Zoraida Cordova: So good. I liked the main character, Marimar, a lot, and her relationship with her cousin Chuy. Cordova packed so much love and history into one small story. I found the magic to be absolutely beautiful, just the kind of magic I love to read about. Another one that started and ended well, but I would have gladly read 300 more pages.

Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff: This was also really good! I'm not at all used to this type of magic or this culture. I really, really enjoyed the writing and the revenge. I do think it lacked focus a little bit, and there should have been more time devoted to developing the friendship between the two girls. But still a very solid, fun read.

The Well Witch by Kate Hart: I wanted to like this, but it really wasn't for me. While I enjoyed Elsa, I didn't really love anything else. I didn't believe the romance at all. While the ending was kind of sad, I just found the whole story altogether pointless.

Beware the Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: This is the story I'm most bitter about. It had so much wonderful potential, but it felt like I was thrown in halfway through a book, and the ending was just as abrupt as the start. For a historical story with an arranged marriage between two women, a trio of magical sisters, betrayal, heartbreak, and poison, I was left cold at the end. How pointless and unresolved! This absolutely should have been an entire book, with enough time to flesh out the characters and the relationships. Short fiction was just not the right medium for the story.

The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord: So this one is a bit slice-of-lifey, which isn't my favorite thing, but I still ended up enjoying it. I loved the relationship between the two sisters, and their bond and the way they supported one another made me a bit teary at one point. That said, I really wish it had been more witchy.

Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: This is one I really wanted to love but it felt like there was a wall between me and the story. I couldn't get a handle on time and place at all. At one point it seemed like the girls weren't actually witches at all, but just punished for being women, which is fine with me, but then everything changed and they were performing magic later on. I like the sentiment, but the elements all together as one just didn't come together for me.

So while I wouldn't say Toil & Trouble is the perfect short story collection, it comes damn close. Not every story was magical for me, but they all came together to form one wondrous whole. This was perfectly witchy, amazingly queer, with almost every story featuring an f/f romance along with other wlw side characters. I absolutely loved reading this and was so sad when the ending came; I want to read witchy little stories for the rest of my life, please.

This collection includes delightfully spooky stories, each of which will leave you wondering at the end. Each author has a totally different writing style, and the editors have done a wonderful job of weaving the individual stories into a cohesive work.

This is is an engaging and entertaining read for anyone who enjoys spooky stories of magic.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital review copy of this title from Net Galley.


#ToilandTrouble#NetGalley

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2018 August 21

BOOK REPORT for Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft by various authors, edited by Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood

Cover Story: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The Charmed: “Starsong” by Tehlor Kay Mejia,“The Heart in Her Hands” by Tess Sharpe,“The Truth About Queenie” by Brandy Colbert, “Daughters of Baba Yaga” by Brenna Yovanoff, “Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths” by Jessica Spotswood,“The Gherin Girls” by Emery Lord
The Spellbinding: “The One Who Stayed” by Nova Ren Suma, “Love Spell” by Anna-Marie McLemore, “Why They Watch Us Burn” by Elizabeth May
The Spooky: “Afterbirth” by Andrea Cremer, “Death in the Sawtooths” by Lindsay Smith, “The Legend of Stone Mary” by Robin Talley
The Cursed: “The Moonapple Menagerie” by Shveta Thakrar,“The Well Witch” by Kate Hart
Bonus Factors: Diversity x15,Witches
Factor: Trigger Warnings
Break Glass In Case Of: Misandry and Mischief

Cover Story: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

This cover is cute, and fun, and contains pretty much everything we’ve been taught to associate with witches. I personally felt the stories inside were a bit darker and more nuanced than the cover suggests, but it’s pleasing to the eye none the less.

The Deal:

“Eve was the original witch, a woman whose curiosity changed her entire world. And you would have burned her for it.” – Elizabeth May, “Why They Watch Us Burn”

As long as women have existed, so have stories of witches and witchcraft. The 15 stories in Toil & Trouble explore witchcraft through the ages. From the dark, violent histories we’re taught in school to modern day incarnations of spells and magic—there’s a story for everyone.

The Charmed: “Starsong” by Tehlor Kay Mejia,“The Heart in Her Hands” by Tess Sharpe,“The Truth About Queenie” by Brandy Colbert, “Daughters of Baba Yaga” by Brenna Yovanoff, “Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths” by Jessica Spotswood,“The Gherin Girls” by Emery Lord

Tehlor Kay Mejia’s “Starsong” is a delightful, #ownvoices tale about Luna, a bruja I found so relatable as she obsessed over makeup and skincare while staying up late at night reading people’s star charts. The way Luna finds connections with people via her social media following while she recovers from substance abuse added just the right amount of weight to this story.

“The Heart in Her Hands” by Tess Sharpe had everything my witchy heart desired: magical kitchen and garden witches, soulmates, family connections, tea!, plus a sweet f/f romance.

Colbert’s “The Truth About Queenie” felt more like a love story than a story about magic, but it was charming none the less.

The Craft fans will love Brenna Yovanoff’s “Daughters of Baba Yaga,” a story about three sisters who are ready to make some changes, written in Yovanoff’s signature wry style—the same one I fell in love with in Places No One Knows. (Just beware of some graphic animal corpse descriptions.)

Jessica Spotswood’s Cahill Witch Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite witchy sister series. Her story “Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths” features a new trio of witchy sisters attempting to outsmart a deathly prophecy. No doubt about it: I was HERE FOR IT.

Real talk: I stan Emery Lord’s writing, and “The Gherin Girls” is no exception. The voice is haunting and beautiful, and follows a trio of sisters whose powers are less magic and more like…special talents. But even the lack of overt witchiness didn’t stop me from loving everything about this story. (Bonus points for an MC who shares my unusual name!)

The Spellbinding: “The One Who Stayed” by Nova Ren Suma, “Love Spell” by Anna-Marie McLemore, “Why They Watch Us Burn” by Elizabeth May

Some stories are too intense to be considered “charming” and three of the tales in this collection fall under that category. Haunting and powerful, Suma’s “The One Who Stayed” cranks the tension and dread up to 100 with a group of women who lean on one another for survival. It’s empowering, to be sure, but you’ll need to walk it off when you finish.

A Latinx story about a bruja learning magic from her tia, Anna-Marie McLemore’s “Love Spell” explores the bypassing of witchcraft and religion, and features a love story with a trans character that will make you feel all the love and heartbreak at once.

I’m dubbing Elizabeth May’s “Why They Watch Us Burn” as the official story of the #MeToo movement—a tale of women who are blamed and punished for the actions of men. It was the perfect ending to this anthology.

The Spooky: “Afterbirth” by Andrea Cremer, “Death in the Sawtooths” by Lindsay Smith, “The Legend of Stone Mary” by Robin Talley

Toil and Trouble wouldn’t be a witch anthology if it didn’t contain at least a handful of spooky stories. Cremer, Smith and Talley excel at weaving tales that are a bit chilling and spine-tingling and perfect for Halloween bonfires.

The Cursed: “The Moonapple Menagerie” by Shveta Thakrar,“The Well Witch” by Kate Hart

I use “cursed” in the loosest sense of the word here—both of these stories had merit, but of the 15 tales in this anthology these two left me wanting.

Bonus Factor: Diversity x15

Truly, this book is about as diverse as it gets in every sense of the word. The sexual, racial, socioeconomic, geographic, and religious representation within these pages is second to none.

Bonus Factor: Witches

I know this bonus factor should come with a big, fat “NO DUH” attached to it, but seriously, I really love stories about witches, and now I have 15 of them bound together in a single book. I’m especially fond of witchy sisters and generational magic stories, and Toil & Trouble delivers on all accounts.

Factor: Trigger Warnings

Many, heck, most of the stories require a trigger warning of some sort. As you dig into this book, know that you’ll be reading about physical and mental abuse, sexual assault, molestation, drug use, death, bullying. These stories do not gloss over the hard topics. It’s hard out there for a witch, y’all.

Break Glass In Case Of: Misandry and Mischief

Whether you’re feeling one with nature, hating men, or just need a little magic in your life, there’s a story for you in this anthology. It’s at times empowering and feminist, scary and sad—some of its stories are sweet and others are gut-wrenching. But they all have one thing in common: bad ass girls and women, which I’m always in the mood for.