Hex Life

Wicked New Tales of Witchery

By: Christopher Golden - editor, Rachel Autumn Deering - editor

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

Brand-new stories of witches and witchcraft written by popular female fantasy authors, including Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Sherrilyn Kenyon writing in their own best-selling universes!

These are tales of wickedness...stories of evil and cunning, written by today's women you should fear. Includes tales from Kelley Armstong, Rachel Caine, and Sherrilyn Kenyon, writing in their own best-selling 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.

Copyright 2019 Kat Howard (“An Invitation to a Burning”); copyright 2019 by Angela Slatter (“Widows’ Walk); copyright 2019 by Kelley Armstrong (“Black Magic Momma: An Otherworld Story”); copyright 2019 by Sarah Langan (“The Night Nurse”); copyright 2019 by Mary SanGiovanni (“The Memories of Trees”); copyright 2019 by Rachel Caine (“Home: A Morganville Vampires Story”); copyright 2019 by Jennifer McMahon (“The Deer Wife”); copyright 2019 by Kristin Dearborn (“The Dancer”); copyright 2019 by Hillary Monahan (“Bless Your Heart”); copyright 2019 by Ania Ahlborn (“The Debt”); copyright 2019 by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Madaug Kenyon (“Toil & Trouble: A Dark-Hunter Hellchaser Story”); copyright 2019 by Tananarive Due (“Last Stop on Route Nine”); copyright 2019 by Rachel Autumn Deering (“Where Relics Go to Dream and Die”); copyright 2019 by Amber Benson (“This Skin”); copyright 2019 by Chesya Burke (“Haint Me Too”); copyright 2019 by Helen Marshall (“The Nekrolog”); copyright 2019 by Alma Katsu (“Gold Among the Black”); copyright 2019 by Theodora Goss (“How to Become a Witch-Queen”)

©2019 See above (P)2020 Tantor

good read

I like the fact that this was a compilation of different writers.That way it introduces me to new books to pursue.

A mixed bag

Some of these stories were amazing. Some were just ok. I'd say it's worth reading.

Subpar Narrator

It took a lot of effort to finish this title, as the narrator ended almost EVERYTHING like it was a question. It was impossible to focus, because almost every story was this way!
The writing itself was okay, but too many of the stories had confusing or unresolved endings. It was so frustrating. Disappointed I wasted a credit on this title and have used up all my returns.

Horrible

Was like reading one chapter of every book you ever liked. Ridiculous. Some of the stories didn't even make sense.

This isn’t really a grimoire

This isn’t really a grimoire
it’s a collection of short stories, all loosely connected in some way. Overall, it was fine, though not every piece stood out.

It reminded me a lot of when the podcast group Pseudopod and its sister shows did an Artemis-themed run, featuring only short stories from women writers. Some of those episodes were fantastic, while others didn’t land as well—but the variety made it worthwhile.

If you enjoyed this book, I’d recommend checking out those episodes from that era. You might find the same mix of creativity and surprises.