Synopsis
When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology.
Angrboda’s story begins where most witches’ tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.
Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin’s all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.
With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she’s foreseen for her beloved family…or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.
Review
Thank you to Titan Books for having me on this tour and providing an early e-copy of the book!
The cover and synopsis for The Witch’s Heart really piqued my interest, I’m a big fan of Norse Mythology and absolutely adore reading about Loki, the trickster (I blame Stargate for this). Gornichec has woven an impressive tale as a debut, using well known characters like Odin, Thor and Loki – bringing them back to their roots away from the Marvel universe.
And a far cry from the Marvel universe this is! Unfortunately, I did struggle to get along with the narrative. It is broken into three parts (no chapters) which I found to be quite frustrating although it did add to the air of this being an ancient tale. It read like someone was talking to me which I wasn’t expecting – again, it did fit with the tale itself however did give me the feeling I was being told rather than shown which led to me skim reading a bulk of the book.
I enjoyed the take on Angrboda as her character isn’t one often seen so it was interesting to read about her. As always when dealing with myths, there has to be a suspension of belief and this story is particularly intense which made me want to get to the end. I did root for Boda through the book and I was invested in her relationship with Skadi who was definitely my favourite character of the bunch – she was brutally honest and I appreciated that.
This is my own personal experience and I know readers who will absolutely love this book so please give it a read especially if you enjoy Norse Gods and Mythology.
The Witch’s Heart is out now and really is an impressive debut, its characters are definitely the stand out part for me on this one.
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