I was absolutely floored by this anthology. I don't normally enjoy the majority of the story stories in anthologies but I loved all but two of these stories. I skipped the story written by Tristina Wright because of the scandals surrounding her. I won't support her or her writing. There was another one that just wasn't quite my cup of tea. However, all of the other stories were lovely. They were across all different time periods and different worlds, even those that were made up. I loved the included queer representation.

I also really loved the different variations of witches. I loved that there were witches who were aware of their powers and others who were coming into their powers. There were witches whose mother's disapproved of how they were using their powers and others who supported them in their actions.

I loved Emery Lord's story and as always Anna-Marie McLemore's. These were delightful. I also loved that I saw old faces, such as Andrea Cremer, who I haven't seen a book from in ages. All of these styles fit together well and I loved the order that these came in. I specifically loved the sentiment of the ending story. It reminded me of the witch doesn't burn in this one by amanda lovelace and I think it fits the political climate of the times. It fits with the #MeToo movement and I think it's just an all around book of female empowerment.

My Review!
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia was really good! Enchanting writing, pulling me in from the start, with a latina who's trying to find herself and her magic, who just wants to move on from the past and do better for herself, and a barely-there cute exchange with another girl. I gladly would have read more of it, so this makes me even more excited for Tehlor's debut next year! This anthology is off to a strong start.
Rating: 4 stars


Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer was about a witch trial in 1650, told by a combination of storytelling from the young midwife apprentice, Deliverance, and testimony and interviews that result in the death of an innocent. A complicated birth questions everything, and throws the people into chaos, and it's a stark reminder of the way that women were accused of witchcraft and persecuted. But I really liked that ending!
Rating: 3.5 stars


The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe: "I didn't have a choice before. Now, I do." I LOVED this one. It's about girls who spur fate, who take matters into their own hands, to fight for a love worth turning their backs on their teachings and community. But through that, they find so much MORE, and they are strong enough to handle whatever comes their way. I especially loved the way that Bette takes back her choice in the beginning, by burning bonds that would try to sever a power that is hers. So great!
Rating: 4.5 stars


Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith was more fantastical than the previous stories, which I really enjoyed. It's hard to get that in such a short amount of pages, but it felt effortless, and not that hard to follow. And I so liked the bit of darkness to it, the way that the MC, Mattie, could sympathize and understand the "villain" but who chose a different path, a better one, even if a lonely one.
Rating: 4 stars


The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert was a lot less focused on the witchy aspect, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was kind of bored, to tell you the truth. I wasn't hooked on this story. I just wanted it to end so I could start the next one. I'm sad because I loved Brandy's Little & Lion but this one did not work for me. I liked that ending, but that was about it.
Rating: 2 stars


The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: "Next summer's just a year away. I've got another play to write." I loved this one so much!! It was dazzling, beautiful, full of magic and sisterhood and even the trial and error of what it means to be a writer. Shalini had to trust in herself, and in her coven, to tell the story right, and she almost didn't. But she had to remember that she had worth, and a powerful friendship at her side, and that theater is a place to lay it all on the line.
Rating: 4.5 stars


The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley was a little disappointing because it went in a direction I didn't care as much for, than the one I was hoping it would be. But I still really liked this story. I've a particular fondness for curses, and I thought the way that this one was wrapped up in Wendy's present was interesting.
Rating: 3 stars


The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma was told by a collective of girls; girls who had been wronged, who had been broken. Girls who wanted something they shouldn't: revenge and justice and a safe place to let their anger breathe fire. Girls who protected each other, and those who couldn't protect themselves. This was my first foray into Nova Ren Suma's writing, and I loved it. SUCH a good short story!
Rating: 4 stars


Divine Are the Stars by Zoraida Cordova was, at its core, about family. Even when family doesn't always mean love and joy, but anger and hate too. It's complicated, and I liked how that was shown here. But I adored the relationship between Marimar and her cousin, Chuy. This seemed much shorter than the previous stories, though, so I didn't feel as pulled in. It had seemed so abrupt, the way that it ended. But I enjoyed it all the same!
Rating: 3.5 stars


Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff: I was born to bury saints in the yard. I reaaaally liked this one! I wasn't always a fan of the MC's voice, or the way it was written. But it wasn't hard to like the butcher girl and her new friend, witches who just wanted to exact revenge on those who deserved it, who wanted to make the bullies and the assholes feel as small as they make others feel. IT'S MY FAVORITE THING.
Rating: 3.5 stars


The Well Witch by Kate Hart was a lot lighter on the witchery than I expected, and wanted. It was set in 1875, about a girl living alone while her father's off trading, sparing kindness for strangers who turn on her by the end. It was a bittersweet story, one that focused more on the historical fiction than the paranormal, which saddened me, but I definitely still liked it. It just wasn't as great as I'd hoped.
Rating: 3 stars


Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: "You cannot survive together. But it's not so easy surviving apart, either." The Campbell curse is AWFUL, and I hate it, and I just wanted the three sisters to be able to have everything they wanted without losing how dear they are to each other. I honestly want a full book of the prophecy Jo had seen, of a new Campbell generation fighting to break the spell, and Jo and her sisters reunited and happy together. I want MORE, damn it!
Rating: 4 stars


Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore: "If you let fear be your voice, you will never have sure hands." This was one of the stories I had been waiting for, and it did not disappoint me. I will say this every single time I read an Anna-Marie book; her writing is gorgeous, and I settle into the story, sinking into the words and staying there until I'm finished. I loved the MC, Adrian, and their romance. It was soft and sweet, and I'm so glad they found their way to each other. And I adored her relationship with her tia. SO GOOD.
Rating: 4.5 stars


The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord: In a way, you're related to many women who have suffered for misunderstanding and fear. Gah, I LOVED this one. It's a bit quieter on the witchery, on the gifts that Willa, Nova, and Rosie have. But through everything that happens, the thread of love and protectiveness and warmth that binds them together is a magic all its own. This had the trademark Emery Lord goodness, full of family and strength and feminism, and I loved that it was told in 3 POVs, that we got each of their thoughts and feelings. I could see myself in each of them, these girls who breathe fire and love fiercely.
Rating: 4.5 stars


Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: Destroying a girl is one of the easiest things in the world. And: The most terrifying thing in the world is a girl with power. This was an anthem, a war cry. A story to invoke anger at injustice and rape and the pain from those who choose to speak the truth even when it costs them. That ending was bittersweet, but still full of fire and magic. I loved it.
Rating: 4.5 stars


Overall, I freaking adored this anthology, as I was sure I would. Not only did it have so many of my favorite authors in it, but it was about witchcraft and the way that women are magic and fire and life. This was one of my highly anticipated books of 2018, and it did NOT disappoint. SO, SO FANTASTIC.

Overall Rating: 4 Paw Prints!

Here is my ratings for each story:
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia : 3 stars
Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer: 5 stars
The Heart in Her Hand by Tessa Sharpe: 3.5 stars
Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith: 3.5 stars
The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert: 2.5 stars
The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: 1 star ( I could not even finish this story because it was so bad. I had absolutely no idea what was going on and I was extremely confused that I just skipped this story)
The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley: 4 stars
The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma: 4 stars
Divine are the Stars by Zoraida Cordova: 5 stars
Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yokanoff: 5 stars
The Well Witch by Kate Hart : 5 stars
Beware of the Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: 5 stars (One of my favorite stories in this whole anthology)
Love Spell by Anne-Marie McLEmore: 5 stars
The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord : 5 stars ( I loved this story because it showed how important family is. It reminded me of how I would do anything for my brother and he would do anything for me)
The Only Way Back by Tristina Wright: 4.5 stars
Why They Burn Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: 4.5 stars (This was the most impactful story to me. I loved how it was the last story because I know it will stay with people for a very long time)
Here is a quote from this story that resonated with me. " Here's how to fulfill a prophecy: you are a woman, you speak the truth, and the world makes you into a liar"

Those were my ratings for each individual story; As a whole, I loved how the story had diversity, inclusion, LGBTQ rep. I would like to say a warning that there are a couple of stories that discuss sexual assault, so trigger warning for that. I honestly loved the second 50% of the book over the first 50% of the book. The first half left me extremely disappointed but I am so glad I continued because the second half of this anthology was amazing. I definitely will be reading a majority of these stories.

This anthology is definitely one of the stronger ones that I've had the pleasure of reading. Honestly, though, if you're not into anthologies or short stories to begin with, then Toil and Trouble won't exactly be your cup of tea. But if you enjoy stories that celebrate the coming of age for young girls who are on their ways to becoming fully fledged coven witches and practitioners of a spooky sort, then I'd say this might be up your alley.

Toil and Trouble have some great stories; this book also has some rather boring and filler stories. No worries - all anthologies go through this issue. It's just how they work - you have some good ones and you have some bad ones. It's kind of like buying fruit by the bundle - you get a great deal, but some pieces are more likely than others to be riper than wanted.

That being said, I don't want to spoil any of the stories or give undue bias before you've even opened the book. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. I like romances and tend to be nicer to stories that even mention it. I don't particularly like gore or horror, even if it may be written fantastically. It's not my cuppa, unfortunately, but it may be someone else's.

Nevertheless, even as summer reaches its peak, this book will be available by the end of August, close to the beginning of September. I'm not expecting anyone to really start digging into this book until the first or second week of September, and by then, everyone will be more than aware of Halloween approaching. And this book will be perfect for a sleepy evening spent by the fire.

4/5.

I always love an anthology, because it gives me a chance to try out authors that are new to me. As with all anthologies, I loved some stories and disliked others, but that's purely my personal taste, and oh so subjective.

I recommend giving this anthology a whirl, you will absolutely find something worth reading!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. There are two books in this set and they are a set of Halloween themed cozy mysteries about Lucy Stone. I was drink some iced chai since it was too hot for a heated beverage. Relaxed to read these two cozy mystery tales. I enjoyed them and they were quick reads for me. They made me relax and just enjoy the mystery of what was happening.

Do I Recommend this book? Yes

Notes and Opinions: Each of the stories had there ups and downs. I obviously loved some more than others but as a whole, I loved it! It had a whole lot of powerful women and it was just beautifully written. Each author's writing complemented each other and their worlds. It was so beautifully crafted
and I know I'll be recommending this book to everyone. I mean, who doesn't love stories about witched??

I always love a good YA anthology! Add in witches and strong, powerful girls and I'm 100% sold. I really appreciate the diverse cast of characters, and though there are some stories I liked better than others I thoroughly enjoyed this collection overall. I can't wait to recommend it to readers in my new library!

This is probably without a doubt my most favourite anthology that I've ever read to date. It conjured up so many emotions during my reading experience, grief, happiness, inspiration. These stories made me feel things, which is certainly always a plus when rating a novel. Also, this book was pretty gay, which I always appreciate.

I've savored this slowly, enjoying a story here and there between books, and while I'm not much a short story collection aficionado, this was charming. Not every story enchanted me—it'd be true witchcraft if it did, because let's face it, I am a witch like that—but overall, this collection has a gleaming spark to it (which includes gay witches, poc witches, awesome witch friendships, witches getting witch shit done, #ov, fun historical fiction which is my ultimate jam as of late, and awesome interpretations of witchiness). *

* Yes, I overdid the cliché witch phrases.
* Yes, I regret nothing.

As is pretty typical of short story anthologies, this was a mixed bag. I loved the amount of diversity and representation in the collection (culturally, lgbtq+, etc.), yet as is often the case, I liked some stories far more than others. I also felt like many of these stories had beginnings and middles, but no conclusions. An additional purchase for libraries where short story collections are popular.

This is a brilliant anthology about women. I usually don't reach for anthologies since I would only like at most 2 stories out of a book but I liked the majority of them in this one! This book presents witches which were often women that were educated, unmarried, or didn't follow traditional expectations put in place by society in various eras of humanity. There's some stories in it that I wish would become a standalone book like Lindsay Smith's Death in the Sawtooths and her world in the southern united states.

The Heart in Her Hands by Tess Sharpe is another of my favorite in the book. It's about girls who spur fate, who take matters into their own hands, to fight for a love worth turning their backs on their teachings and community.

Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer is one that stuck out to me with it being in the 1600s and the story of Deliverance and result of her mentor being accused of witchcraft. This story consists of a traditional witch trial (meaning the woman has absolutely 0 chance of winning).

The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley is great too. Wendy, our main character, has always been warned away from the woods (naturally) where a statue of her great + grandmother’s statue remains. The statue is meant to remind the town of a witch who was killed in the town which leads us to the central theme of this story: to always remember the past and in turn not repeat history.

The Well Witch by Kate Hart was a bit toned down on the witchiness but it was an ok story set in the 1800s in the western desert.

Most of the stories are great and I really like the book

I loved this. Diverse authors, diverse character. Witches. LGBTQ representation. With the exception of one story, I’m looking forward to rereading these stories.

This is probably without a doubt my most favourite anthology that I've ever read to date. It conjured up so many emotions during my reading experience, grief, happiness, inspiration. These stories made me feel things, which is certainly always a plus when rating a novel. Also, this book was pretty gay, which I always appreciate. I'm not even joking, the majority of this book, gay. Not to mention witches are amazing, and the fact that this book is all female witches is amazing. I've been looking forward to reading this after it was announced, and I was not disappointed at all, all of my expectations were well met.
This all being said, the way that I review anthologies is not based of the entirety of the book itself, as that is difficult with so many individual stories at play, but instead I will entail my thoughts on my chosen favourites from the bunch. So without further ado, here were my favourites.
Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia.
This was a brilliant one to start of this anthology. Set in a modern time with a present theme of social media, this story is adorable in every single way. With the presence of social media influencers as a very big part of society, this was innovative in our century and easy to relate to. And, it was gay and adorable, so obviously I enjoyed it.
The Heart in her Hands by Tess Sharpe.
I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH OKAY. This one is also set somewhat presently, and has such an intricate plot line and backstory that is brought fourth so well with such a short amount of pages. And I love soulmate AUs, although this one definitely didn't go as I expected. In fact, nothing in this story went at all how I expected, and I loved it! And this one is gay as well, and WOMEN OVERPOWERING THE OPPRESSIVE SYSTEM. WHAT MORE COULD YOU EVEN WANT?
Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith.
I really liked the concept on this one! It was certainly an enjoyable read, but I will say that I think the mystery element was a bit too short and conclusive, and I think that it was in general just difficult to pull off with only a short amount of pages. I thought it was lacking and it seemed to be set up to be complex when it ended up being solved shortly after. Nonetheless I loved the backstory set up here as well.
The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley
Robin Talley is one of my favourite authors, and so of course I was just so excited to read her piece in this anthology. It was really intricate, to say the least. I really liked the backstory for this one as well, it revolves around a legend in a small town dating back 200 years, and ties this in with the present day. This is just amazingly imaginative.
The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma
There isn't really too much I can say about this one, other than I enjoyed it. This is also modern day, and it revolves around a group of girls who are bonded together by the same tragic event that's fallen each of them in a variety of ways, and they recruit others into the coven through comfort, as they're the ones whom are first seen after it happens when they lay in wait. This was captivating and showed the bond of different girls together through something that tied them together commonly. Also, girls seeking revenge with magic is an awesome concept in any sense.
Divine are the Stars by Zoraida Còrdova.
Witches and ancestry and witches of colour and discovering hidden talents and floral themes. This one was marvellous.
Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore.
I was so excited to see one of my absolute favourite authors in this anthology, it seemed obvious she would be because she's the queen of magical realism. I'm so glad she did a piece for this, because it was amazing and dazzling and magical and just basically everything you could ask for with Anna-Marie McLemore writing a story about witches.
Why They Watch us Burn by Elizabeth May.
This one literally made me ball my eyes out. This is so sad and heart wrenching, and though the theme feels like olden days and ancient, a lot of what's said in here really rings true in regards to modern-day society. I really liked that this one blurred the lines between witch trials and modern day events, it was really interesting and beautiful, but important and captivating, in a really somber sort of way.

I received this book in exchange for an honest opinion from the publisher and this has not altered my opinion of the book.

I’m pretty sure that this is one of my favorite short story collections that I’ve ever read. It has everything that I want in a series of stories about witches. I love while they were different, they all flowed really well and I felt no choppiness. The stories themselves were different and interesting and I really enjoyed the majority of them and they are ones that I for sure will be rereading this in the future. Several of the stories included witches who were lesbian or bi and I really thought that was a nice touch and it all felt so natural. Maybe I’m a witch?

Overall, this book was a success for me. All that’s keeping it from a full 5 is that I had some mixed feelings about one or two of the stories. I would still suggest this book to everyone that I know as of now and I gave it 4.5 out of 5. This is a fantastical book, so there are stories about witches in our world who are trying to hide their magic and stories where it’s common knowledge there are witches. Just as a FYI.

I enjoyed this little collection of short stories! It definitely delivers on what's promised: YA? Check. Spooky ladies? Check. Witchy fun? Check. This was a great premise for a short story collection, and I'm excited to see a popular short story collection aimed at teens. Short stories are a GREAT tool for busy people to be able to keep up a consistent reading habit, and if we can hook readers into them at a young age, ALL THE BETTER for slowly morphing them into the insatiable readers that I hope they all become.
That said, any time you have a collection, there are going to be highs and lows. For me, there were more lows in this collection on a writing level than I wish there had been. It really boiled down to the writing quality more so than the stories. Most of the stories had great ideas behind them. Unfortunately, I do think many of them didn't have writing that lived up to the premise, and that undermined my enjoyment at times.
But in total, I enjoyed this collection. Not the best I've read, but I think it's well worth your time if you're into these kinds of stories.

**This book was provided to me free by Netgalley. Thank you so much for letting me read and review this.**

If you average the ratings of the short stories I finished you get 2.73 stars, so I rounded up to three stars.

“Starsong:” 3/5 stars. Started off boring, ended just when it got interesting. Typos in the pdf sent to me.

“Afterbirth:” 4/5 I enjoyed this one a lot! Much better than the first, and more of want I expected out of this book.

“The Heart in Her Hands:” 3.5/5 Stars
I loved Bettina and Auggie, their story was underwhelming and a tad confusing, but still cute nonetheless.

“Death in the sawthooths:” 3.5/5 Stars

“The Truth About Queenie:” 5/5 Stars
I absolutely loved the all black characters, and the story of this one.

“The Moonapple Menagerie:” 1/5 stars

“The Legend of Stone Mary:” 5/5 Stars
This was another home run for me. This story would have been amazing as a fully fleshed out standalone.

“The One Who Stayed:” 3.5/5 Stars
Trigger warning for gang rape with no details, but you pretty much get the idea.

“Divine are the stars:” 1/5 stars.
I don’t know if I’m just not intelligent enough for most of these stories, but I stayed lost on 90% of them, and this was one of them.

“Daughters of Baba Yaga:” 1/5 stars
BOR-ing. Petty revenge tale.

“The Well Witch:” 1/5 stars
One of the least interesting for me and it dragged on longer than it should have when other stories deserved more detail.

Every other short story in this (3 more) were DNF’s I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t muster up what was needed to finish this book.
And I’ve only ever DNFed one other book in my life. So thats saying something.

I was really looking forward to this book, but sadly it was a flop for me.

Toil and Trouble is a magical collection of fifteen stories centered around the personal magic of girls. Some know and cultivate their magic while others discover their power through heartache and strife. The heroines are culturally, ethnically, and sexually diverse, and the tales are set in the past, the present, and the future. While written by different authors, the stories are unified in the themes of female power and society’s punishment and fear of women’s abilities and the need to control them. It is a relevant and resonant collection that I will read again and again and recommend to teens who need a little magic in their own lives.

Absolutely loved this feminist triumph! The diversity in world building was especially fantastic. Thanks so much for the ARC!

I received an electronic copy of this book to review in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book and how beautiful the cover is! I’ve been reading and researching more so than practicing Wicca for over a year now and have really grown a strong connection to it and those that follow the Craft, so that was another draw to this book. I wanted to read about true and real and even if it’s fabricated, realistic stories about real people who have similar interests to me. This book was wonderful! I really enjoyed each individual story for many different reasons and of course as you read each story and follow the writing style of each author, some are better described and illustrated than others, but I appreciated each story within. I absolutely adored the fact that terminology and practices that I have grown to become familiar with were used in these stories and explored in a real-world application so that it wasn’t something that I was just reading about, but that a lot of other people were participating in. I actually would love to go back through and read the book in its entirety again. There are stories for every kind of witch and non-witch that people can draw some inspiration from as well as the pain, happiness, light, and darkness from each story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this advanced copy.