I wanted her to regain her agency and DO SOMETHING sooner than she does. My spoiler review aka gripe session, revolves around three main points: Literary Agent: Rhea Lyons at HG Literary Genevieve Gornichec earned her degree in history from The Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her study of the Norse myths and Icelandic sagas became her writing inspiration. Here are a couple of my personal favorites: FAVORITE QUOTES:Īs can be expected from a tale taking place among myths and gods, there are some banger quotes throughout the text. And once she becomes pregnant we’re treated to a domestic tale replete with relationship drama (she’s the other woman - GASP!) and/or parenting drama, neither of which are my go-to genres of fiction.īut aside from that, banter is fresh, the characterization of Loki is on point, and Skadi proves again and again that she’s a complete badass. For half of the story she exists in a cave where she waits for her lover or friend (or both) to return to her. It follows parallel to major events in Norse mythology, a set of tales I’m not entirely familiar with and as such slightly hampered my enjoyment of the narrative.īut aside from not quite catching the fullness of the side tales, my main gripe is Angraboda’s lack of agency.
MY RATING: I GIVE THE WITCH’S HEART THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS FOR THE WAY IT TELLS A NEW TALE USING POWERFUL SOURCE MATERIALĪfter adjusting to the style, which reads more of a campfire tale or Literature than what I’ve come to expect from an epic fantasy novel, it was easier to get into the flow of the story. After that…well you’ll have to either read it yourself or check out my spoilers. What follows is something like domestic fiction, with drama around relationships, pregnancy, parenthood, and fidelity.Īt least for the first half of the novel. Instead, we get secondhand accounts of their actions and feel the ripple effect of their decisions through the perspective of Angrboda, a thrice-killed woman who leaves her tormentors to live a quiet life in a cave at the end of the world. The tale unfolds in the worlds of the Norse gods, though with a few exceptions the gods themselves rarely show up on the page. Or, rather, it is what fantasy novels once were, in that it takes its time telling the story with lulls followed by bursts of devastating action (and/or apocalyptic prophesy). The Witch’s Heart isn’t a traditional fantasy novel.
Utilizing the mentions of Angrboda in the Edda, Gornichec weaves a tale that fits between the lines of the original text and explores the life and loves of the woman who helped bring about Ragnarok and the end of the Norse gods. The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec is a Norse mythology retelling focusing on Angrboda, wife of Loki and mother of monsters.
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