Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edited by Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood
Published by Harlequin Teen on August 28, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Anthology, Short Stories
Pages: 304 Format: eARC Source: NG
4.5/5 Stars
Image and Description Credit: Goodreads
I acquired this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. This does not impact my thoughts and opinions in any way.
Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
Glinda the Good Witch. Elphaba the Wicked Witch. Willow. Sabrina. Gemma Doyle. The Mayfair Witches. Ursula the Sea Witch. Morgan le Fey. The three weird sisters from Macbeth.
History tells us women accused of witchcraft were often outsiders: educated, independent, unmarried, unwilling to fall in line with traditional societal expectations.
Bold. Powerful. Rebellious.
A bruja’s traditional love spell has unexpected results. A witch’s healing hands begin to take life instead of giving it when she ignores her attraction to a fellow witch. In a terrifying future, women are captured by a cabal of men crying witchcraft and the one true witch among them must fight to free them all. In a desolate past, three orphaned sisters prophesize for a murderous king. Somewhere in the present, a teen girl just wants to kiss a boy without causing a hurricane.
From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely–has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored.
Anthologies and short stories never truly capture my interest like novels do but I appreciate the change of pace. Plus I get to read more from my favorite authors as well as discover new to me writers which is always a win. Toil & Trouble though has the added bonus of focusing on women and witchcraft so it actually passed the four star threshold that most other collections I read get stuck at.
While I enjoyed must of the stories and I did have some prominent favorites that I am absolutely head over heels for. The first two come from authors I know and love. Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore wove religion and magical realism into a gorgeous tale and I will shout my adoration for her always. Zoraida Córdova’s Divine are the Stars was another magical realism story focus on family, belief, and the messiness that ensues.
Other faves include Tess’ Sharpe’s The Heart in Her Hands which deals with being controlled, making your own choices, and openly loving; The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord was much more slice of life, sisterhood, and dealing with emotional abuse; and Elizabeth May’s Why They Watch Us Burn was a powerful declaration of womanhood and truth that was utterly gripping.
Overall Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of of Women & Witchcraft was an incredible compilation of authors and stories. With a dynamic and diverse cast of characters and settings, this collection delved into a whole host of issues, lessons, and morals that left me reeling from all the emotion. Without a doubt this anthology is a must read especially as autumn approaches.
Are you excited for Toil & Trouble? A fan of anthologies?
Let me know in the comments below!
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