Hex Life

August 19, 2019
Witches are both villains and women claiming their power and using it to uplift other women in this capable anthology. The genre ranges from the purely fantastical (“An Invitation to the Burning” by Kat Howard) to the contemporary (“Last Stop on Route Nine” by Tananarive Due). In Hillary Monahan’s deliciously satisfying “Bless Your Heart,” a Texan mother works magic into her famous seven-layer bars to force the mother of her son’s bully to put a stop to the child’s torment. Rachel Caine’s brief “Home,” set in her Morganville Vampire world, starts off leaning toward horror and ends on a surprising note. The collection crosses into the future with “The Memories of Trees” by Mary Sangiovanni, wherein the remnants of current technology are folded into the worship of a new god after the violent death of modern society, and a wise witch relearns how to call on the old gods for help. Though the selections vary widely in theme, women and their power are always at the heart. Nothing here really wows, but fans of witches will find the anthology a pleasant diversion.

Starred review from September 1, 2019

Are you a good witch or a bad witch? The answer lies in the heart and minds of the witches themselves, whether lauded or condemned. Here, 18 stories by women writers present the shades of gray within witchcraft. In Kat Howard's "An Invitation to a Burning," witches and fire cannot help but be paired. Angela Slatter's "Widow's Walk" shows that a house of older spinsters with strange habits can be exactly what they seem. See another snippet of dark witch Eve Levine's life on the run with her daughter Savannah in Kelley Armstrong's "Black Magic Momma: An Otherworld Story." Witness how unsuccessful witchcraft can still give the same results for ten-year old Frances in Amber Benson's "This Skin." Finally, Theodora Goss reimagines Snow White's path after marriage in "How To Become a Witch Queen." VERDICT Wickedness and white magic, edgy prose, and celebrated authors make this a magical volume that twists and shapes the witch archetype into fascinating, dark tales.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.