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Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'
Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Jessica Spotswood, Tess Sharpe
2 reviews
darquedreamer's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This was not nearly as good as I expected it to be. I know when it comes to an anthology of stories, we aren't going to love them all, but I expected some powerful stories about witches and badass women from this one, and I feel like I got a muddled mess. There were only a few stand out stories, and only a few stories that actually had true witchy vibes. Some of the stories just felt like unfinished "first impression" pieces from bigger stories, and some just didn't feel cohesive, didn't feel like they had a plot, had too much going on for a short story, missing the mark completely. My rating is an average of the ratings from all 15 stories, and it may be subject to change in the future when I decide to give this one another chance, but for now, I was very disappointed with my initial read through.
1. STARSONG ★
This was my first impression of the collection, and I almost dnf'd the whole thing because of it. The story was lackluster and I truly hated the whole "Instagram star" thing going on.
2. AFTERBIRTH- ANDREA CREMER ★
3. THE HEART IN HER HANDS- TESS SHARPE ★
4. DEATH IN THE SAWTOOTHS ★★★.5
5. THE TRUTH ABOUT QUEENIE- BRANDY COLBERT ★.5
6. THE MOONAPPLE MENAGERIE ★★★.5
7.THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY-ROBIN TALLEY ★★★★.5
Finally a good one! I'd read an entire novel based on this one!
8. THE ONE WHO STAYED ★★★★
Another I'd read a full novel on, but if the group in this story was so powerful and knew what was going to happen, why not prevent it instead of allowing it to happen and offering revenge after the fact?
9. DIVINE ARE THE STARS ★★★★★
Zoraida's story spoke to me! Brought tears to my eyes. Perfect!
10. DAUGHTERS OF BABA YAGA ★
This one made no sense. Too much happening at once.
11. THE WELL WITCH ★★★★
Good, but needed more of a conclusion and more of a power build up in Elsa.
12. BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS ★★★★
Good, but needs a better ending.
13. LOVE SPELL ★★★★.5
Beautiful!
14. THE GHERIN GIRLS DNF
Not feeling it. Too many POV's. Not cohesive. Boring.
15. WHY THEY WATCH US BURN ★★★
I got the message, just wish it had been a little more interesting and wish the story itself had more explanation.
1. STARSONG ★
This was my first impression of the collection, and I almost dnf'd the whole thing because of it. The story was lackluster and I truly hated the whole "Instagram star" thing going on.
2. AFTERBIRTH- ANDREA CREMER ★
3. THE HEART IN HER HANDS- TESS SHARPE ★
4. DEATH IN THE SAWTOOTHS ★★★.5
5. THE TRUTH ABOUT QUEENIE- BRANDY COLBERT ★.5
6. THE MOONAPPLE MENAGERIE ★★★.5
7.THE LEGEND OF STONE MARY-ROBIN TALLEY ★★★★.5
Finally a good one! I'd read an entire novel based on this one!
8. THE ONE WHO STAYED ★★★★
Another I'd read a full novel on, but if the group in this story was so powerful and knew what was going to happen, why not prevent it instead of allowing it to happen and offering revenge after the fact?
9. DIVINE ARE THE STARS ★★★★★
Zoraida's story spoke to me! Brought tears to my eyes. Perfect!
10. DAUGHTERS OF BABA YAGA ★
This one made no sense. Too much happening at once.
11. THE WELL WITCH ★★★★
Good, but needed more of a conclusion and more of a power build up in Elsa.
12. BEWARE OF GIRLS WITH CROOKED MOUTHS ★★★★
Good, but needs a better ending.
13. LOVE SPELL ★★★★.5
Beautiful!
14. THE GHERIN GIRLS DNF
Not feeling it. Too many POV's. Not cohesive. Boring.
15. WHY THEY WATCH US BURN ★★★
I got the message, just wish it had been a little more interesting and wish the story itself had more explanation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Homophobia, Rape, Slavery, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This short story collection has been on my TBR for a while now, and I really only put it on there because of the title/subtitle, and the inclusion of Anna-Marie McLemore, a favorite author of mine. I point this out because I was a little afraid that perhaps I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Short story collections can be difficult because different authors naturally have different styles, and not all stories and authors are going to vibe with the reader. However, I am so happy that I enjoyed almost every story in this book!
So, I won't go through every single story in this collection, as that would be too much for one review, I will just pick my favorite and least favorite story, to the best of my ability.
There were so many good stories in here, it really is hard to say I have a favorite, especially when each one tackled different themes and ideas, and utilized different settings and characters. But I think if I had to choose, I could definitely say that The Heart in Her Hands by Tessa Sharpe is up for contention! I just loved the way that magic was portrayed and used in this story, and I am always a sucker for not just Sapphic romance, but also choosing your love over what the fates say. I also really liked the personification of Fate as a more antagonist figure; usually, in stories of witchcraft, fate is equal to karma, something that many witches believe in. So this was a really unique take for me. And finally, I just loved the end of the story, it was the perfect conclusion.
For my least favorite story, unfortunately, there is no contest for it; I did not like The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar. I thought the idea was interesting and unique, and the characters were lovely. But I just felt very overwhelmed with all the sudden worldbuilding in the story and had trouble differentiating between the story itself and the play the characters were supposed to be putting on. I couldn't really follow what was happening easily and just couldn't wait until it was over so I could get to the next story. Either the story needed to be a novel or the author needed to cut some darlings to clear things up. There's also the possibility that this isn't the story for me and that's okay. As I've said, there's no guarantee you'll like every story in a collection, so the fact that only one didn't vibe with me was actually a really good thing.
If you like witches (and feminism as they do often go hand-in-hand) I have to recommend this collection to you, especially if you're looking to get into reading more short stories. I wish I could read more of each of these awesome characters and worlds, and that's how I know these authors did a great job. To finish things off, I will say that my favorite witch is Akko from Little Witch Academia.
So, I won't go through every single story in this collection, as that would be too much for one review, I will just pick my favorite and least favorite story, to the best of my ability.
There were so many good stories in here, it really is hard to say I have a favorite, especially when each one tackled different themes and ideas, and utilized different settings and characters. But I think if I had to choose, I could definitely say that The Heart in Her Hands by Tessa Sharpe is up for contention! I just loved the way that magic was portrayed and used in this story, and I am always a sucker for not just Sapphic romance, but also choosing your love over what the fates say. I also really liked the personification of Fate as a more antagonist figure; usually, in stories of witchcraft, fate is equal to karma, something that many witches believe in. So this was a really unique take for me. And finally, I just loved the end of the story, it was the perfect conclusion.
For my least favorite story, unfortunately, there is no contest for it; I did not like The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar. I thought the idea was interesting and unique, and the characters were lovely. But I just felt very overwhelmed with all the sudden worldbuilding in the story and had trouble differentiating between the story itself and the play the characters were supposed to be putting on. I couldn't really follow what was happening easily and just couldn't wait until it was over so I could get to the next story. Either the story needed to be a novel or the author needed to cut some darlings to clear things up. There's also the possibility that this isn't the story for me and that's okay. As I've said, there's no guarantee you'll like every story in a collection, so the fact that only one didn't vibe with me was actually a really good thing.
If you like witches (and feminism as they do often go hand-in-hand) I have to recommend this collection to you, especially if you're looking to get into reading more short stories. I wish I could read more of each of these awesome characters and worlds, and that's how I know these authors did a great job. To finish things off, I will say that my favorite witch is Akko from Little Witch Academia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, and Animal death
Moderate: Transphobia, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Bullying, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Rape
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