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    Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
    Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
    Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
    Audiobook11 hours

    Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft

    Published by Tantor Media, Inc

    Narrated by Amy McFadden

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 28, 2018
    ISBN9781977383334

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    Reviews for Toil & Trouble

    3.5/5

    175 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I was tempted to give this book 5/5 stars, because it's how much I want to own a copy. I absolutely love the idea of this book, and most of the stories are worth five stars. However, not all of the stories were fantastic. So, I had to bring down the rating.

      Here's why I loved (or didn't love) each story:

      FIVE STARS
      Afterbirth - I loved that there's a story from the burning times. It was sufficiently creepy, and made me wonder if what was seeming to happen, was really happening. The ending made me feel happy!
      The Heart in Her Hands - I loved the mountain, the closeness to nature, and the way in which this author writes about how love conquers all. It had a surprise twist, that I enjoyed, and did not see coming.
      The Legend of Stone Mary - This read like a perfect Halloween tale, creepy, but in a stereotypical way that comes off as charming. I liked the scene at the end the most - the one that brings resolution.
      The One Who Stayed This one made me feel very angry, and slightly triggered. It involved rape, and I think people need to know that before going into the story. The violence wasn't spelled out in detail, but it was still upsetting. That being said, it was a well told story. I liked it because it kept my attention the entire time.
      Divine Are The Stars I loved the creepy-beautiful aspect of what happens to her house, to her body, and how the inheritance was collected.
      The Well Witch This might be one of my favorites out of the bunch, but I was irritated by things that did not make sense. Where did she get her supply of firewood? ( I don't mean when she's stuck in the house, I mean, in general - she has wood heat? Really? Where's the forest?) Also -- the guy leaves, after saying he doesn't trust the other two -- really? You leave? Um, maybe send one of them to go instead of you? Despite all of that -- I loved the story because it made me feel angry, I was rooting for the girl, I loved loved loved the inside of her house, and the ending was perfect!
      Love Spell I liked the way the church played a part in this story of witches. It was a nice reconciliation of the two, opposites coming together, in the pure love of two young people. I loved the description of the pear tree, and the way it played a part in their love story. Honestly, it was the pear that made me love this story.
      Why They Watch Us Burn This story is what the message of this collection is all about. There were so many quotable lines, like "I was supposed to beg for forgiveness for being a witch. But the words wouldn't leave my tongue. Here's the truth. I want to cast spells. I want to heal. I want to destroy. I want to create. I want to use magic, and rise and rise and rise to my feet, into the air and fly. If witchcraft is the voice of women rising free and powerful, to change the world, make it ours, on our feet, instead of on our knees, then I wish to be a witch more than anything." -- Love this! This is why I want my own copy of the book!

      FOUR STARS
      Starsong I liked how instagram and technology played a part in the story. The stressed relationship between mother and daughter was intriguing enough to keep my attention. The ending was like -- what? Is that it? There was no big reveal, no lesson learned, nothing to make me truly love the story.
      Death in the Sawtooths I liked it. I liked the way it reminded me of Harry Potter, because of the academy. I liked that the main character was misunderstood, seemingly into evil things, but not really. I did not like the ending. It was too predictable, and I was bored.
      Daughters of Baba Yaga I liked the hint of Russian folklore. I really liked the comparison of magic and fingernail polish. The ending wasn't amazing. It was typical.
      The Gherin Girls I loved the kitty! The kitty wasn't even the main part of the story, but it pretty much stole the show for me. I also liked how I was drawn into the story, by empathizing with the pain of the main girl being in a bad relationship. The ending was messy, and I just didn't care by the end.

      THREE STARS
      The Truth About Queenie It was a nice story. I wasn't interested in the romance. I was underwhelmed by the obstacle she overcame, and the ending of the story.
      The Moonapple Menagerie Okay. This story was just flat out weird. LOL! The magic system was too easy, too perfect, and it read like a little girl's story for Barbie. Dress up. Make up. No real problems. I did appreciate the creature with the backwards feet. It was like listening to a fairy tale, at that point, and I liked it. Everything else belonged in a Barbie-plastic world.
      Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths The vision the grandma/main girl had was interesting. It made me want to know what was happening. Then, the romance happened, and I didn't care. Romance is not my thing, if it's more about attraction, and less about pure love.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      It's always difficult to write reviews for anthologies but this one is very good almost all the way through. It has its ups and downs. I must say, the first story really had me going because it reminded me of back in California when the Santa Ana winds used to blow. It brought back good memories. All in all a very good compilation and I would recommend it.
    • 3/5
      Favourite stories: The Well Witch, The Gherin Girls, The Heart in Her Hands

      Least favourites: The Truth About Queenie, The Moonapple Menagerie, The One Who Stayed, Divine Are The Stars

    • 3/5
      Definitely some were betrer than others. But very good none the less.
    • 2/5
      Very lukewarm. There were some stories that shined, but overall it wasn’t memorable.
    • 2/5
      I consider this book to be rated in the OKAY side, some of the stories ened unexpectedly but on the other hand some of the other were good.So if you looking of a little change in reading you can try this.
    • 3/5
      Good short story collection with woc (in this case, witches of color) and queer rep in many of the stories.
    • 4/5
      It's always difficult to write reviews for anthologies but this one is very good almost all the way through. It has its ups and downs. I must say, the first story really had me going because it reminded me of back in California when the Santa Ana winds used to blow. It brought back good memories. All in all a very good compilation and I would recommend it.