When Titan Books asked if I wanted to review an anthology of stories about witches, I hit reply faster than before. Then I had a chance to read the contributors and was enchanted. Hex Life is a collection that is both eerie and introspective.
Summary
These are tales of wickedness… stories of evil and cunning, written by today’s women you should fear. Includes tales from Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine and Sherrilyn Kenyon, writing in their own bestselling universes.
Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery will take the classic tropes of tales of witchcraft and infuse them with fresh, feminist perspective and present-day concerns–even if they’re set in the past. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. After all, a woman’s gotta eat.
Bring out your dread.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I have always been transfixed by society. At first maybe you’re drawn to how delightfully wicked they seem – especially what we see in the media. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve been more and more fascinated because of what they represent. These women, scapegoated and persecuted, threatened the societal order around us. They represent a community’s fears and doubts. Hex Life is thrilling in how the authors explore and dive into this space.
Full to the cauldron’s brim with stories from all sorts of witches, Hex Life is a collection that demonstrates the power of witches. It’s a collection that looks at not only the lives of witches, but what they represent to society. What is the concept of a good or a bad witch? What can you really do with that power? It’s not always the witches we know or expect, but in the unexpected, Hex Life thrives. Some tales are haunting. They hollow you out and create shadows in the dusk. There’s also tales of horror, of justice, and wrongs.
Hex Life is the perfect fall and October gift. You could probably guess that there are elements of spookiness, but Hex Life also celebrates moments where witchcraft brings us together and protects those who need it. Find Hex Life on Goodreads, Amazon (UK) (US), and The Book Depository.