Title: Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
Editors: Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe
Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen - Copyright 2018
Read: August 29 - September 6, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a digital advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a physical copy via Amazon. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis from Publisher: Scorn the witch. Fear the witch. Burn the witch.
History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features fifteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure—and to kill.
A young witch uses social media to connect with her astrology clients—and with a NASA-loving girl as cute as she is skeptical. A priestess of death investigates a ritualized murder. A bruja who cures lovesickness might need the remedy herself when she falls in love with an altar boy. A theater production is turned upside down by a visiting churel. In Reconstruction-era Texas, a water witch uses her magic to survive the soldiers who have invaded her desert oasis. And in the near future, a group of girls accused of witchcraft must find their collective power in order to destroy their captors.
This collection reveals a universal truth: there’s nothing more powerful than a teenage girl who believes in herself.
Review: Toil & Trouble contains fifteen short stories from some of today's best authors in young adult fiction. The variety of approaches the authors take to approaching the subject of women and witchcraft is what makes this book so much fun.
The first story, Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia, follows a young astrologer, Luna, who uses social media to connect to the people who are looking for their personalized star charts. However, she soon finds herself at the center of a NASA-obsessed teen who doesn't believe in astrology or magic. What's a girl to do? In Luna's case, she makes a friend who has the potential for more.
Another story I loved greatly was Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer. Set in Colonial America, two midwives find themselves under scrutiny after a difficult birth, with one of them being placed on trial for witchcraft. The reason I enjoyed this story so much is that it reminded me that this sort of thing actually happened to women. Not only did they die in childbirth, but those women who attempted to help others often paid a high price for that assistance because of ignorance. The historical details are great, and I especially liked the inclusion of excerpts from the trial. It just proves that multiple people can witness the same event and walk away with very different accounts.
I also liked The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert. Queenie descends from a family of witches, but it isn't a subject they discuss with outsiders--or even among themselves! When her long-time best friend and secret crush, Webb, returns from a tour as a professional skateboarder with an unexpected companion, Queenie's world is rocked to the core. Can she find it within herself to believe in her abilities and help Webb when he needs her the most?
Not every story includes a romance. Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith deals with how we approach death and shows that how we face our final moments is just as important as how we live our lives. The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar also skips the romance but is a great story about overcoming obstacles and learning to believe in oneself.
Each story is unique, and offers a different view of women and witchcraft. The romances range from sweet to nonexistent with pairings that cover the range from heterosexual to homosexual, and all are treated with respect and without stereotypical influences. Heavier social themes are also present such as drug use and domestic violence. Again, these are treated respectfully; however, readers who are sensitive to such issues should be wary.
Overall, I found Toil & Trouble a great read and introduction to some authors I had not previously read. Also given the timing of its release, I thought the stories were a perfect way to usher in the first stirring of autumn.
Review at a Glance:
Concept: A+
Execution: A
Writing Style: A-
Characters: A
Reader Connection: A+
Overall Grade: A
Synopsis from Publisher: Scorn the witch. Fear the witch. Burn the witch.
History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features fifteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure—and to kill.
A young witch uses social media to connect with her astrology clients—and with a NASA-loving girl as cute as she is skeptical. A priestess of death investigates a ritualized murder. A bruja who cures lovesickness might need the remedy herself when she falls in love with an altar boy. A theater production is turned upside down by a visiting churel. In Reconstruction-era Texas, a water witch uses her magic to survive the soldiers who have invaded her desert oasis. And in the near future, a group of girls accused of witchcraft must find their collective power in order to destroy their captors.
This collection reveals a universal truth: there’s nothing more powerful than a teenage girl who believes in herself.
Review: Toil & Trouble contains fifteen short stories from some of today's best authors in young adult fiction. The variety of approaches the authors take to approaching the subject of women and witchcraft is what makes this book so much fun.
The first story, Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia, follows a young astrologer, Luna, who uses social media to connect to the people who are looking for their personalized star charts. However, she soon finds herself at the center of a NASA-obsessed teen who doesn't believe in astrology or magic. What's a girl to do? In Luna's case, she makes a friend who has the potential for more.
Another story I loved greatly was Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer. Set in Colonial America, two midwives find themselves under scrutiny after a difficult birth, with one of them being placed on trial for witchcraft. The reason I enjoyed this story so much is that it reminded me that this sort of thing actually happened to women. Not only did they die in childbirth, but those women who attempted to help others often paid a high price for that assistance because of ignorance. The historical details are great, and I especially liked the inclusion of excerpts from the trial. It just proves that multiple people can witness the same event and walk away with very different accounts.
I also liked The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert. Queenie descends from a family of witches, but it isn't a subject they discuss with outsiders--or even among themselves! When her long-time best friend and secret crush, Webb, returns from a tour as a professional skateboarder with an unexpected companion, Queenie's world is rocked to the core. Can she find it within herself to believe in her abilities and help Webb when he needs her the most?
Not every story includes a romance. Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith deals with how we approach death and shows that how we face our final moments is just as important as how we live our lives. The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar also skips the romance but is a great story about overcoming obstacles and learning to believe in oneself.
Each story is unique, and offers a different view of women and witchcraft. The romances range from sweet to nonexistent with pairings that cover the range from heterosexual to homosexual, and all are treated with respect and without stereotypical influences. Heavier social themes are also present such as drug use and domestic violence. Again, these are treated respectfully; however, readers who are sensitive to such issues should be wary.
Overall, I found Toil & Trouble a great read and introduction to some authors I had not previously read. Also given the timing of its release, I thought the stories were a perfect way to usher in the first stirring of autumn.
Review at a Glance:
Concept: A+
Execution: A
Writing Style: A-
Characters: A
Reader Connection: A+
Overall Grade: A
No comments:
Post a Comment