Tess Sharpe

I fell in love with Carol Danvers during Kelly Sue DeConnick’s redefining run. I liked her new costume, her new outlook and her unabashed joy of flying. Marvel had finally delivered a superheroine as powerful (if not more so) than Wonder Woman, who was also full of hope and love. This is one of the first YA novels to come from Marvel’s new deal with Titan Books. Even though it is timed to coincide with Captain Marvel’s film debut, this book is adapted from the comic universe. Carol is show more the main character, but we also meet many characters from the comics: the Inhuman Queen Medusa, Cassie Lang and Ant-Man, Mantis, the totally awesome Hulk, Amadeus Cho, and a new-to-me character, Hepzibah.

Rhi, a young Inhuman woman, crashes on Earth looking for help. Her people have been enslaved on the world of Damaria. These Inhuman settlers left Earth to find a new home, but instead found a prison where woman are property and their powers carefully controlled or suppressed. If this sounds a lot like The Handmaid’s Tale, Scott Lang agrees with you – as he specifically says so when Carol recruits him for the mission! Carol seems surprised he knew the book, and he explains that he read it to keep up with and understand his teen daughter Cassie. That candid revelation helps ground these extraordinary heroes in “our” world. There’s a certain segment of readers who will probably be turned off by this unabashedly feminist story, but many more will embrace a more fully developed heroine. Carol is confident and powerful, but that doesn’t mean life has been/is always easy. She had to fight for a place in a male-dominated field. She has experienced sexual harassment and knows other women still do. So when she gets to Damaria, her rage at the oppression there is understandable, and readers will be happy to see her unleashed.

In addition to a great story, with lots of inventive action sequences, I love the team Carol put together: Scott, who has a daughter facing a world that still struggles with inequality; Mantis (not at all like the film version), whose incredible empathic power nearly cripples her when the pain of an entire planet of oppressed women hits her; Amadeus, a young genius bursting to prove himself and help a new friend; and Hepzibah, a warrior who refuses to be humble when her skills are so obviously superior. And finally, there is Rhi, who risked everything to escape the horror and is brave enough to go back for her sisters. The interactions among this group are riveting, and I was surprised at how much character development the author squeezed into the book for all of them. Naturally, the team encounters many obstacles on their mission, including a power dampener that blocks Carol’s flight ability, so they have to use their minds as much as their powers to overcome.

This being a YA superhero novel, readers get an ending that The Handmaid’s Tale couldn’t provide. This story has a lot of action, a lot of heart and a great young protagonist; it was so good I read it straight through in one day. Highly recommended! show less

Just take all the stars, Far From You. I finished this book this morning, and I still can't stop thinking about it! Books with real LBGQT characters are few and far between. Books where that person is a main character, and you can honestly feel their pain through the words? Even fewer and farther between. I just want to hug this book. I want to buy a ton of copies and just pass them out to the masses. I really enjoyed this.

“But my heart isn't simple or straightforward. It's a complicated show more mess of wants and needs, boys and girls: soft, rough, and everything in between, an ever-shifting precipice from which to fall.”

That quote only highlights how well Sophie's bi-sexuality is handled in Far From You. This is a topic that is often misrepresented, but I can honestly say that I felt like Tess Sharpe handled it like a pro. Not only that, but she managed to weave in dealing with addiction, the power of friendship, what it's like to become reliant on someone, and feeling misunderstood. Every word had a purpose. Every piece of this book had something to say. Yet, it never became too much. It was never heavy handed. I found myself sitting right next to Sophie, and all I wanted to do was reach out and hold her hand.

Now, there is also a mystery here. One that, in my opinion, is perfectly meshed into the story. Contrary to what normally happens when I read mystery/thriller books, I didn't see the ending coming. That made me happy. It also made me really sad, but that was more because Sophie had already been through so much. I just wanted happiness for her. I know that some readers didn't like the mystery aspect. You might not. Still, I can't deny that I thought it made for a great addition to this book. It gave Tess Sharpe a great excuse to keep flashing back to Sophie and Mina's younger days, and it was a beautiful thing.

In case you couldn't already tell, I fell desperately in love with this book. When I start reading at night, and actually pass out trying to keep reading, I know that I've fallen hard. It was Sophie, it was Trev, it was Mina, all keeping me reading well into the night. Such a great cast of characters, in an equally amazing book. show less

‘’Scorn the witch. Fear the witch. Burn the witch.’’

If we substitute the word ‘’witch’’ with the word ‘’woman’’, we will be able to understand the reasons and motives behind the terrible witch-hunts that left another bloody mark in History. The complexity of women’s psyche, the direct, unbreakable contact, and bonding with Nature, the innate strength to survive, the resilience, the passion, the intelligence. Witches or not, men have always gazed upon women as a show more possession. If she cannot be ‘’obtained’’, if she resists then she has a mind of her own. How dare she? She must be dancing with demons and lying with Satan. Fundamentalism and society have long found a way to justify the wrongs committed by men.

This beautiful collection contains stories of young witches from different eras and nationalities. Focusing on the themes of revenge and injustice, these tales are told through the eyes of young women who try to cope with their gift, their heritage and their feelings in communities that are unable to understand and to accept. Naturally, not every story is a gem and there are some that are too YA influenced for my taste but this is a collection that has a lot to offer to the reader regardless of age or gender.

Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia: A teenage astrologer who uses social media to draw charts and chase her demons away. Beautiful writing, interesting debate between science and magic.

Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer: A story of a birth going horribly wrong for a woman who was a midwife and a healer, set during the era of the Witch Trials. One of the finest stories in the collection.

The Heart In Her Hands by Tess Sharpe: A young witch goes against the will of the Elders in order to remain with her true soulmate. I can’t say I enjoyed this story. It seemed too naive and copy-pasted from teenage films.

Death In The Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith: In a city echoing New Orleans, in a community of witches and warlocks, a young woman serving the Lady of Death accepts the confessions of the dead in a macabre role of the Last Messenger. This was a story that started exceptionally well but lost focus and quality along the way. Still, it was very atmospheric and memorable if you overlook the naive, mundane, unnecessary use of certain supernatural creatures that seem to be fashionable because of that atrocious ‘’Walking Dead’’ (or whatever it’s called…) thing.

The Truth About Queenie by Brandy Colbert: Teenage sentimental problems mixed with racial issues may sound interesting to many readers but not to me. Add cliche dialogue and a predictable, cringe-worthy plot and this easily becomes an ugly piece of writing judged by my personal standards.

The Moonapple Menagerie by Shveta Thakrar: Moonlight and Indian culture is a beautiful combination but the dialogue in this one was jarringly irritating.

The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley: A story whose roots go back to the Civil War era. A tale of witches, witch-hunters and a frightening statue. But for the silly love plot, it would have been marvelous.

The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma: This story read like a predictable, ridiculous horror film about cruel teenagers with a little bit of ghost revenge to add another cliche in the mixture. No…

Divine Are The Stars by Zenaida Córdova: A story of family, loyalty, magic, and faith mixed with elements of the Mexican culture. Extremely well-written and atmospheric.

‘’I just want to bite a hole in the world. I wish I could stop smiling at things I hate. Sometimes I wish I never learned.’’

Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff: A story of a powerful witch-girl of Russian heritage. A haunting setting and one of the finest moments in the collection.
P.S. I adored the references on Nikola Tesla.

‘’The moon is full, and even the stars are scared of me.’’

The Well Witch by Kate Hart: ‘’But she would leave a light on like she’d promised. If she had to burn the whole thing down.’’
This story is so perfect it deserves its own novel. Elsa is a one-of-a-kind character in a tale of ruthless men during the Reconstruction era. A water witch, love, bravery and Comanche traditions. My favourite story in the collection.

Beware of Girls With Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood: A witch family from Scotland, each girl dedicated to an element. But the daughters don’t live long except for one. Only one will survive. The witches go mad. They murder their sisters as the Book commands. And they have obeyed for hundreds of years. Now a young witch has decided they must defy the tradition. A brilliant story possibly set in the Regency era.

‘’As I thought of these things, I caught la Virgen in the corner of my vision. Beneath Her blue veil, She cast her eyes to the church floor. But Her lips held a small smile, as though She will always see the love we carry in our hearts long before we understand it to be there.’’

Love Spell by Anna-Marie McLemore: A story rich in Mexican traditions. A tale of a strange love between two seemingly opposing worlds. Beautiful and moving.

The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord: A story of sisterly love, abuse, and isolation set during the fall equinox. The problem is that the writing was so naive, so dull that I just didn’t care.

Why They Watch Us Burn by Elizabeth May: An alternative USA where rape victims become outcasts, looked upon as temptresses who provoked ‘’honest’’ men. They have to be taken away, otherwise, they will contaminate the ‘’purity’’ of the society. Although atmospheric and haunting at parts, I felt that this context has been overused to death and I don’t believe that its remarks on religion added anything innovative. A story clearly inspired by Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and the awful, ridiculously Hollywood-esque TV series that tried (in vain) to bring an excellent book to life. A mediocre story, in my opinion.

It was lovely to read each writer’s favourite literary witch and I was excited to see that Morgan Le Fay was the most popular choice.

My two complaints are the occasional teenage writing that echoed TV series, films and possibly books devoid of quality and substance, and the emphasis on sex as a form of emancipation. I don’t agree with the ones who view this as an exploration of sexual identity. This isn’t how it’s done. In my opinion, sex and sexual preferences do not make us rebels or emancipated, feisty and independent. Our personality, intelligence, and intellectuality do that. Sex has nothing to do with who we are as people. However, I definitely appreciated the diversity and honesty of the themes in the stories. I wish certain tales had made better use of such strong elements.

Apart from these issues, this is a collection to be read by all. And if I ever have a daughter, I will definitely include this book in my recommended reading list to her.

‘’My witch is furious and ferocious. She doesn’t grant wishes. But if you do what she says and treat her right, she just might help you. In the stories, there’s always a catch, though, right? The catch is this - her way of helping is HER way. Sometimes the way she helps you is by raining fire on all your enemies.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less

"Mina likes to play with fire.
But I'm the one who gets burned."

What a well done, wonderful love story mixed with self discovery, perseverance, pain and mystery. I love that this book wasn't any one thing. It was so many pieces that all fit seamlessly together.

Sophie is a great character. She knows so many things about herself but is also still searching to understand more. There are dark corners of herself she hasn't examined yet and this book is part of her sorting through it.

Mina is her show more best friend. They push and pull, their conflict was always offset with their love and respect for each other. But Mina is gone and Sophie must know why. In her struggle to find the answers, she will rediscover herself, her friendship and even friends she thought she'd lost along the way. I hung on every word and absolutely loved this one. show less