strong woman, magic, witches what not to love. I like most of the stories, but loved four of them. This collection speaks to many females today, even those that are not fans of magic.

Starsong – Tehlor Kay Meija
This was a good start to the anthology with a more modern version of witchcraft and love. I actually wanted more of this story which got me jumping on to the next.

Afterbirth – Andrea Cremer
This was a little more of what most people expect when they think of witch stories. It was a good contrast to the first modern tale. I liked that we got many different perspectives of the story. This was quick and to the point and didn’t dawdle on unnecessary details.

The Heart in Her Hands – Tess Sharpe
This switched back to more modern tales. It was a good story of loving the one you love and not letting anything stand in your way. I was a little put off by the main character’s whiny behavior, yet understood her circumstances and continued to root for her to succeed.

Death in the Sawtooths – Lindsay Smith
I really liked this story and desperately wanted more. This could easily be made into a full length novel with back story, world building, and further character analysis. These characters had a relationship between them that begged for more information.
The Truth About Queenie – Brandy Colbert
This one was very different from the other stories. There was practically no magic in it. It was more about a girl finding herself and accepting herself rather than continuing to search for acceptance from others. I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite as it was more about teen relationship drama than witchcraft.

Moonapple Menagerie – Shveta Thakrar
I did not care for this title. I found myself bored and skipping through it. It felt like there was much going on and too many characters vying for attention. There was too much conflicting magic tropes that they all blended together rather than stood out.

The Legend of Stone Mary – Robin Talley
I really liked this one. It was rich in history and had a great magical feel. The characters were well formed and it had a many twists and turns for a short story.
The One Who Stayed – Nova Ren Suma
This one takes a while to sink in. It is very heavy; dealing with harsh subjects and hard choices. I think it was dealt with well and had a great voice behind it. It was shrouded in mystery and remained that way, leaving the reader almost second guessing whether it happened now or was just a memory from a long time passed. It is a common subject nowadays that will get talked about.

Divine Are the Stars – Zoraida Cordova
Cordova continues to bewitch me with her writing. She has a great knack for writing about magic and has an easy flow to her style that makes reading her stories fun and quick. The tale was very ethereal and had great messages to convey in such a short time. Well done.

Daughters of Baba Yaga – Breena Yovanoff
I did not like this story. I felt that it had no real subject or plot line. It appeared to be a mash of different “magical” events that happened during a young girl’s life. None of them strung together very well and this left the reader unable to piece it all together at the end. Many of these moments were old tropes that have been done over and over again and are now almost commonplace. There is no continuing story and this makes it almost sure to be forgotten soon after it’s been read.

The Well Witch – Kate Hart
This story did not seem to fit in with the rest. It was more of a star stuck lovers romance than anything else. I did like the idea of the story and the actual story itself, but as part of a magical anthology, no. First off, there is not a lot of magic present. Her water sensing abilities are quickly glazed over, and then highly unutilized near the end. The ending itself is unfinished and also very “rides into the sunset” unoriginal.

Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths – Jessica Spotswood
I both liked and disliked this short story. I felt that it did not suffice as a short story and would benefit greatly from expansion into a novel about the sister’s lives. There were quick mentions, but no real history, of the sister’s lines and with many new names rambled off it was hard to keep anyone from the histories straight. The lesbian relationship felt off and forced. It did not fit with the time and place suggested and I think took away from the story as it would not be openly acceptable. This felt as if it had no conclusion or point. The future of the sisters is left unanswered, leaving the reader unaware as to whether the measures that were taken actually changed anything or resulted in the originally prophecy. Without this information, there is no real point to the story other than telling it.
Love Spell – Anna-Marie McLemore
This was a cute romance that discussed the religious boundaries dealt with in the magical society. It is a story about acceptance, both of others and yourself. The only thing I was not a fan of was the Spanish words italicized throughout the story. It was odd to highlight only a few words and change their language as they did not all seem to be a part of the magic. It took away from the story and, although I accept that words pertaining to the culture, Bruja for example, most were unnecessary and distracting from the overall story.
The Gherin Girls – Emery Lord
This one was also kind of a mish mash. I did not think that it needed to be split up between the different sisters. The breaks caused more harm than good. There was no real difference in voice between the sisters and was almost told from an outside voice. There was no details on what he had done to the sister, although abuse was definite. This both left the imagination to create whatever fears they could have, yet leave it open for sympathy as well. I liked the idea of sisterhood and forever standing by your family, yet there was too much repetitive ideas that it became a chore to read rather than enjoyable.
The Only Way Back – Tristina Wright
This one definitely didn’t hook me into the story. I did like the sense of twins completing each other with one being science and the other being nature. This story showed a sense of knowing your roots and accepting yourself. For me, it was just too long and drawn out. The narrative become very lengthy and confusing at times. It was confusing when they referred to the new child as they/them yet it seemed to be a single child. I feel that this was a comparison to the twins themselves (maybe they were one person instead of tow?) but it was not explained wholly. Interesting idea, but not for me.
Why They Watch Us Burn – Elizabeth May
I felt that this was a terrible end to the anthology and not such a great read on its own. This had the feel of a story from the 80’s or earlier where a girl was said to be responsible for her rape. With the #me too movement and women standing up for their rights, this seems archaic. I didn’t really have much of a witchy/magical feel to it. The message of being true to yourself still rings true, yet is marred by a religious and outdated overtone that, without historical references or a better knowledge of the world these girls live in, falls flat.

I worship a good anthology and witch novels… So how could resist requesting to read this ARC early?!? I literally squealed with delight when I was pretty much instantly approved, and I had to go brag to all those in my immediate literary world! I got it! I got it! Then I have spent every chance I get to reread the stories! I have already pre-ordered this book! It will be a great addition to my ever-growing library!

Of the 15 stories within this anthology, I am utterly, completely attached to three of them. I have read these three stories multiple times and they might be the best short stories that I have ever read. I will not do spoilers because I want everyone to love these stories and be touched by them like I was!


~ Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May had me so far up in my emotions that the inevitable fall was three times as hard! Thanks for making me ugly cry and for putting this story at the end because it really drives home the magic of feminism that is this anthology!

~Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore is a fantastic little Latinx short about a Bruja girl who went to live her tia because they are both exceptionally gifted at curing heartbreak. There is also a transgender boy in the story who has devoted his entire life to God and the Catholic Church. Now that statement right there is enough to give you pause because we all know how Catholics are all fire and brimstone. The story is so beautifully written and relevant! The story touches on prejudices, family, and learning to be exactly who you are meant to be! I have to say that I absolutely love this huge insurgence of books with wide varieties of diversity. The world is a very diverse place and literature worlds should be too!

~The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma
***I just want to say, this one might have some triggers that could leave a bad taste in your mouth. The story deals with molestation, and detrimental sexual assaults. If any of these things cause you to take note, then you might want to skip. ***
I’m a huge fan of witch movies with cult followings. This story reminded me so much of a modern-day retelling of one such movie, that it quickly soared to the top of my list. I’ll just say initiation is a bench and so are these ladies!

I will totally recommend this book to everyone and sing its praises from the top of roofs or whatever is required to get other women to read this book! The stories are so empowering and the messages within are so femininely fantastic!

I do have to say it is a shame that going forward there will only be 14 stories instead of the 15 that I got to read! I do support the publisher for revoking the one story from being printed because of the sexual allegations against the author. You cannot have a book that empowers women of all shapes, races, and sexual orientations and have this huge cloud of controversy throwing shade on the other 14 brilliant short stories! Thank you for being aware and putting the book 1st!

THANK YOU HARLEQUIN TEEN AND NETGALLEY! I am very honored to be able to read and review this book of anthologies before it has been published in exchange for an honest review! The views and expressions within are my own and were not influenced by previously mentioned parties.

Witches and female power= So good! Anyone looking for the perfect collection of witches and magic look no further. Rebellious women who ruled the world!

This is yet again another brilliant anthology about women. This time including witches. This book presents witches which were often women that were educated, unmarried, or didn't follow traditional expectations put in place by society. This book denies that if you're not following societal norms you're doing something wrong as a woman, which is true. Society expects women to be these perfect housewives when most women can do more than most men. Women have the right to worship, love, and do whatever they choose. Particular favorites include Jessica Spotwood's "Beware of Girl's with Crooked Mouths" and Tehlor Key Mejia's "Starsong."

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I felt the different settings, representations and spins on witchcraft were interesting and varied. Most of the stories were enjoyable to me, with a few that really stood out. Overall I felt like The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord was my absolute favorite out of all of them, it really pulled at my heart and felt so developed and real.

Overall I give the entire anthology 4 stars as I did truly enjoy it, but I've included ratings for all of the stories below.

Starsong - Tehlor Kay Majia
3.5 stars

Afterbirth - Andrea Cremer
4 stars

The Heart in her Hands - Tess Sharpe
4 stars

Death in the Sawtooths - Lindsay Smith
3 stars

The Truth About Queenie - Brandy Colbert
3 stars

The Moonapple Menagerie - Shveta Thakrar
5 stars

The Legend of Stone Mary - Robin Talley
3 stars

The One Who Stayed - Nova Ren Suma
2.5 stars

Divine Are the Stars - Zoraida Cordova
2.5 stars

Daughters of Baba Yaga - Brenna Yovanoff
3 stars

The Well Witch - Kate Hart
3 stars

Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths - Jessica Spotswood
3.5 stars

Love Spell - Anna-Marie McLemore
5 stars

The Gherin Girls - Emery Lord
5 stars

Why They Watch Us Burn - Elizabeth May
3 stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for giving me a chance to read this book prior to it's release.

Wow.

Just holy crackers wow!

These anthologies were amazing! It was so hard to put this book down.

Even harder to really decide which story is my favorite because I think they were all perfect in their own way.

I know there are going to be tons of people whom may turn their noses up at the idea of gay witch romance but you guys have no idea what you are going to be missing. These witches are wonderful characters whom are determined to chart their own course instead of allowing Lady Fate to determine it.

I really don't want to give up any spoilers to these wonderful stories since this is mainly the ARC and some things may change but really give these stories a chance to cast their spell upon you. You will not be disappointed. You will fall in love with each witch and their own tale.

Admittedly, short stories aren't my favorite and while the premise was intriguing, I wasn't hooked and had to give up about midway. Of the stories that I did read, The Heart in Her Hands was the one I liked most. Bette was an engaging character, one with whom readers might easily connect. And I do give the book points for it's inclusive cast of characters.

This collection of stories about witches and witchcraft has more to offer than the somewhat cutesy title may suggest. Instead of light fantasy romps of mischief and magic, this anthology gives us powerful allegories of persecution and inner strength. Through a diverse array of settings, styles, and characters, this book dissects what it is to be different, to be misunderstood, and, especially, to be a woman in a world that fears female power. Like any anthology, some stories are weaker than others, but stories like “The One Who Stayed” by Nova Ren Suma, “Why They Watch Us Burn” by Elizabeth May, and “The Heart in Her Hands” by Tess Sharpe really shine. Some stories provided such interesting world-building that they just begged for a full-length novel, such as "Death in the Sawtooths" by Lindsay Smith and "The Well Witch" by Kate Hart. One of the most wonderful things about this book is the sheer diversity of representation among the characters - PoC and LGBTQ characters abound in this anthology. Although at 300+ pages it did drag occasionally, this was an enjoyable anthology that I would recommend to anyone interested in reading about relatable, diverse, powerful women.

One sentence review: An anthology which captives the reader with magical characters and stories. 

I enjoy anthologies for the variety of perspectives the reader gets on a single topic. I love seeing the range of interpretation that different authors bring to the table. This anthology delivers diversity, strength, and magic on every page. 

The authors do not stray from situations faced by teenage girls from all background and walks of life. There is so much freedom to be yourself and strength in these pages that every young woman will find her voice somewhere within these pages. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN, for the opportunity to read this collection early, in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from #netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I first seen this book, I knew I had to have it. I love a good witch story. I know this book doesn't come out until August 2018 I believe, but I still had to get my hands on it. It did not disappoint.

There were so many good stories in the books. Several that were a little less impressive but still not bad. I love when you are able to get great stories from lots of authors together and put together a great book.

Way to go all the authors that were included in this book and the publishing company that picked this book up.

Collectively, I really enjoyed these stories. Using witchcraft as a way to explore feminism and female solidarity was ingenious, and I loved it. Some stories stick out more than others to me, like Andrea Cremer's Afterbirth, Brandy Colbert's The Truth About Queenie, Zoraida Cordova's Divine Are the Stars, and Kate Hart's The Well Witch.

I understand that Tristina Wright's story will not be published in the collection due to sexual harassment allegations, which is upsetting because the story was really good (to be clear, I'm not upset that the story will be removed, I am upset that Wright committed those actions in the first place).

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this collection!

Toil & Trouble is an anthology series that contains 12 magical stories fit for a grimoire. There's romance, spells, drama, laughter, and tears all of the necessary ingredients for a powerful potion. Each story is a decent length that usually ends with a cliffhanger, so many of these tales rightfully deserve their own stand alone books. I applaud the uniqueness and boundaries that were pushed in this genre and can't wait to read more works by the featured authors.

What an absolutely GORGEOUS collection of short stories, resplendent in their feminist roots. These are delicious diverse, often own-voices, and overall just a stunning portrayal of witches and witchcraft around the world and through time. Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths was my favorite story - a tale of 3 sisters, who grow up knowing one will betray her siblings and kill them. Wonderful, vivid imagery and I can't recommend this enough - it deserved to be accompanied by a hot mug of tea and a cool, rainy afternoon watching steam rise from the pavement like a ghost.

I usually don't enjoy anthologies because the entries are either too long or too short for my taste. If I like the writing style I want more and if I don't I get bored and want to move on. This one read very smoothly and I enjoyed 85% of it. Some of the stories were a little disturbing but for a YA reader interested in magic, this was full of good storylines.

This is an anthology of stories about empowerment . Yes, witchcraft is a part of every story and I loved that they were all very different. Spells of hope, survival and love were cast, not just in the book but upon the reader as well. This is a quote from the story Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May which I loved "magic is not for wickedness, not for the devil, not for those with cruel hearts. It’s for hope. For survival." It is for young adults and adults as well. I was so happy to be able to review this book. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

** ARC provided to me by Harlequin Teen for an honest review. **

I'm going to share my thoughts on each story as I read so please excuse the massive amounts of updates and times this shows on your feed. This book doesn't come out until late August but I've been in such a witchy mood that I had to read it ASAP. Right off the bat, guys, these stories are all so diverse and there's a bunch that are own voices. (yay!) Here are my thoughts.

1. Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 4 stars
This is a great story about a Latinx (own voices) sixteen year old trying to find her way and gain her mother's approval after making some poor life decisions and changing her ways a year ago. Trigger warning for substance and alcohol abuse related to said poor decisions. She's a bruja who is finding her way with magic, art, music, and makeup. A girl after my own heart. She is a bit of a social media star and ends up talking with a doubter, another young teenage girl who puts her faith in magic and their discussion quickly turns to Luna wondering if she's queer and flirting with her. It was frankly, adorable. There was also additional diversity in the reference to clients of Luna's who hired her to paint their polya portrait for their living room. The normalization of a poly relationship was pretty awesome to read. Overall, I really loved Luna, am rooting for her and her new life path and want so much more of her!

2. Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer- 2 stars
This is a story set in 1650 New England about a midwife being accused of witchcraft after daring to insinuate that a servent's child was the illegitimate child of the master of the house. Overall, I just didn't connect to the story or the characters but I'm not surprised. I'm not really one for historical fiction.

3. The Heart in Her Hands by Tesse Sharpe-4 stars
I really enjoyed this story on a few different levels...one all the generational witches, tea lovers, and kitchen/garden witches you could ever want which I LOVE! There are angry deities and rebellious strong women that I adored. It's a story about defying fate, the idea of soul mates being predetermined, following your love and also features a loving and heartwarming f/f love story. I really enjoyed this one!

4. Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith-3 stars
This one is probably the darkest of the stories so far. This one follows Mattie who serves Lady Xosia, the Lady of Slumber, or death. There's an entire witch/wizard order to this short story...very Slytherin vs the rest of the houses feel. Mattie is being judged for the actions of prior followers called to serve her patron and suffering judgments for their ill deeds. It's a story of judgment in a small town, overcoming stereotypes, and a bully turned friend-ish. There's some creepier TW for bullying, bloody attempted murder type deals.

5. The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert- 5 stars
Okay, so I'm a sucker for the unrequited love storyline but oh man, Queenie and Webb have my heart. We have an all black cast of characters and Queenie who is a witch denying her powers because she believes they went wrong in her youth and hurt a friend. I just loved and connected with so much of this story and I would absolutely read a full-blown novel centered around Queenie. I adore her.

6. The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar- 2 stars
This is a story about friendship, learning to push past doubt, and trusting in yourself and those who care for you. It was a sweet story about teenage shapeshifters who take on a churel (demon) who wants to insert themselves into their play...or maybe just teach them some life lessons. It's a sweet story less about magic and more about friendship.

7. The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley- 2 stars
I'm not sure why I couldn't connect with this story. It's about a small town girl named Wendy who has always been warned away from the woods where a statue of her great great (a bunch of times over) grandmother's statue remains to remind the town of the witch who was killed there. It's a story, at its heart, about not repeating the mistakes of the past but the magical/witchy vibes were slim to none. There was a f/f relationship that had potential but even that wasn't fleshed out for me.

8. The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma- 5 stars
Oh my goodness, that was the most tension and dread in a story that I've read in a long long time. Reading that and knowing what Mirah was about to encounter was heartbreaking. I read the entire story with teary eyes and a hurting heart but the short story was still absolutely beautiful. At its core, it's feminist, empowering, and about women coming together to support other women, to help them at their darkest hour. Such a very powerful story. Trigger warnings for sexual assault, rape, and assault.

9. Divine are the Stars by Zoraida Cordova-4 stars
This was such a beautiful magical realism story and that's saying something because I rarely connect with magical realism. I loved this story about Marimar and her cousin Chuy going back to see their dying grandmother. It's a beautifuly/ugly look at family, greed, and love. I absolutely adored it, and the fact that it is an own voices Latinx story makes it even more amazing.

10. Daughters of Baba Yaya by Brenna Yovanoff- 4 stars
Okay, maybe it's because I'm coming up on Easter and us Greek's are dying all our eggs red in preparation but I'm totally connecting with the Orthodox Russian in this story. This story is gritty, dark, and dangerous and I'm about it. It's about girls who are done sitting back and listening to bullies, about girls who are finding their agency, their power. No longer will they let boys call them sluts, or whispers and taunts be unpunished. Serious The Craft vibes and I live for it. Consider yourself warned- some girls smile just to show you their teeth.

11. The Well Witch by Kate Hart-2 stars
Historic stories don't do much for me but a girl living alone in the rugged Texas outback all alone with her mom passed away and her father gone for 3 years who can call water to her and build an oasis around her--I could get down with it. Then 3 men on the run wind up at her place, taking up residence in her barn and I was waiting for something "worse" to result from the story and while it didn't I still wasn't a fan of the way the story panned out. There was a strong woman of color who was self-sufficient and then turned victim in the lamest of ways. I couldn't get behind that but the beginning was pretty promising.

12. Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood- 5 stars
Wow! Okay, total Three Dark Crowns vibes here as we deal with three sisters who know that their family curse means one of them will go crazy and murder the others (plus we have a poisoner in the midst). I loved the sisters. I felt for Jo who has to make a difficult decision to spare her sister's lives. This is a story about family, fate, and love and how doing what you think is right can turn out so so wrong. I loved the vibe of this story, which felt very Victorian but also featured normalized bisexuality and a f/f marriage arranged by parents for the purposes of social status gain. YES to all of it.


13. Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore- 5 stars
This was such a beautiful beautiful story about a bruja who is living with her tia in an attempt to learn her craft. She also still attends Catholic mass and gets communion and struggles to mix her magic and her faith and be accepted by those around her. Her magic comes in the form of healing broken hearts and helping those who have lost love move on. She starts to fall for an acolyte and feels such despair because holy men can fall for witches, can lust for them, but will never marry them or be with them publically. She struggles to maintain her faith and her crush/first-love while balancing the knowledge that he can never be hers. It was heartbreaking and beautiful, hopeful and real. It doesn't hurt at all that this is an own voices Latinx story with a trans male love interest. Honestly, just such a lovely story!

14. The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord- 5 stars
Another in the collection that is so hauntingly written. This is a beautiful tale of sisters, the bond they share and their unconditional love they have for one another. As the oldest of four girls, oh my heart broke and rose with this story. At its core, it's about abuse (though hinted at and never described) and how abusers seek to isolate you from those who love and want to protect you. As somebody who has seen their sister in unhealthy/abusive and healthy/loving relationships, I related to this on so many levels. Of course, it's got magic, but the love of a sibling that will always hook me. One sister identifies as a lesbian though it's hinted at that she may be pan/bi like their eldest sibling. Another diverse and amazing read in this collection and one that had me tearing up more than a little bit. Love these strong amazing sisters.

N/A The Only Way Back by Tristina Wright- N/A
I'm skipping this story as it will not be in the finished version after sexual assault allegations were brought against the author. I'm so happy that Harlequin has taken to heart this incident and removed the author and her story from the finished version of this book.

15. Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May-5 stars
I have tears in my eyes as I write this last review. What a stunning, diverse, amazing, beautiful, feminist, empowering af story this was. This was the perfect ending to this collection. This story has TW for rape/sexual assault though not described it's heavily implied and understood. This story centers around Night and the 12 other women taken into the woods to repent for leading men to sin. It's a haunting and all too true analogy for how we treat survivors of sexual assault and rape and oh my goodness, the sisterhood, the love in this story is overwhelmingly beautiful. There's a trans character and a f/f relationship in this one as well as messages of hope, support, and strength. Such a stunning story!

This collection is the absolute definition of feminist, empowering, witchy, and haunting. I loved every single second of it, even those 2 star reads because as a whole I walked away knowing this is a book I will recommend, will come back to, and will think about for a long long time. What a beautifully crafted collection this is.

This collection overall was pleasant to read. It definitely gave me some ideas on how to approach magic differently in my own writings. Some of the stories were a bit boring, and a few alluded to some disturbing themes related to the dark side of humanity, which while somewhat interesting, were definitely not what I was expecting in this collection. But I suppose they are needed to add a balance to the good and bad sides of life and people. Overall, would recommend this book if someone wants some witches and magic reading in their life.

*I was sent an e arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. *. I was really excited for this one, but it was kind of a let down. I thought the stories would have a more magical base to them. A few of the stories I really enjoyed such as The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert. I really enjoyed some stories, which really disliking a few. Overall 3 stars.

I could not WAIT to dive into this 15 story anthology alllll about witches and witchy stuff. I'm usually on the fence regarding short stories because I don't always feel content with such a short glimpse into these worlds. Overall, I was pretty pleased with how most of these stories came together and I felt satisfied for the most part. I also loved all of the different representation throughout the book - it's very diverse and that was much appreciated. Some of the stories were a little tough to get through. I did have to take quite a few breaks because the middle of the book had a lot of stories that started to blend together for me. However, the beginning and end of this book are definitely strong and delightful. I would recommend to those who enjoy short stories, witchcraft, and a lot of diverse perspectives.