The Weaver and the Witch Queen is at its core a story about female friendships. The three women who make a pact early on experience heartache, violence, and supernatural threats to themselves and their loved ones. While the story is at times slow, it is worth it to keep reading. Each woman's path leads them back to together. The story takes place during the viking era and can be violent at times. If you enjoy books with a focus on historical fiction, vikings, and friendship, check out this book.

Gunnhild lives a quiet life as a child, brightened by the presence of her two best friends, Oddny and Signy. When the three girls receive a prophecy from a respected witch that leaves them reeling, Gunnhild escapes her cruel mother and runs away to become a witch herself. After many years, Gunnhild discovers that Oddny and Signy have been attacked by raiders, and only Oddny has escaped their clutches. Gunnhild sets out to help rescue Signy, forming an unlikely alliance with the foul-tempered King Eirik along the way. Loyalties will be tested and oaths will be broken; can Gunnhild and Oddny beat the odds to save Signy as well as their own destinies?

THIS. BOOK! I loved everything about it. All of the characters are flawlessly developed, especially Gunnhild and Signy. I loved watching their respective romances develop, as well as their own senses of self. Both are admirable in their choices, even when they make mistakes — this is what makes them so relatable.

Obviously, Genevieve Gornichec has done extensive research and her portrayal of the historical Viking Age is exquisite. This is one of my favorite cultures to research and read about, and I positive reveled in the ability to get lost in a fictional version of that world. I will be recommending this story to anyone and everyone!

Thank you to Genevieve Gornichec, Ace/Berkley, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

As a whole, I enjoyed this book; however, the first half of the book took me almost a month to get through. I didn't really feel like reading it when I had free time to read. Neither the plot nor the characters grabbed my attention quickly.

Once I hit around 50%, though, I was hooked. The action really ramped up at that point, and I became more invested in both the plot and the characters. I really liked the character of Oddny. I felt like she had a lot more character growth than any other character in the book. I found Gunnhild to be rather unlikable throughout most of the book.

There is one twist in the book, but I guessed it really early on and was not surprised when I was proven correct.

I wanted to love this one more than I did, but overall, if you like books based on Norse myths/legends, I'd recommend trying this one.

Genevieve has done it again! I love that she can take women who are relatively unknown in history or not spoken about much and give them an entire empowering story! Oddny and Gunnhild are absolutely amazing and I love the journey they go on to get back together! The last time I cried this hard was during Ragnarok in The Witch's Heart and damnit Genevieve can make me cry like a baby! I am so excited for everyone to read this story and I can't wait to have my copy arrive!

I received this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

Based on the Norse legends of Queen Gunnhild, and adding layers of the Norse gods and a healthy dollop of magic, Gornichec creates a fascinating portrait of life in Viking times. She follows the fates of three girls who become women over the course of the story, and the challenges each of them must face in very difficult times of raiders and curses and the cultural limitations for women. Gunnhild, Signy, and Oddny grew up together but when a seeress partially foretells their braided future together that includes blood and terror, many consider all of them cursed. While the pacing of the story is uneven, starting off slow and with a somewhat rushed ending, there is enough action and detail to make the reader feel they are present with each of the characters as they deal with raiders, kings, witches and the sea.

"The lives of two women - one desperate only to save her missing sister, the other a witch destined to become queen of Norway - intertwine in this spellbinding, powerful novel of Viking Age history and myth from the acclaimed author of The Witch's Heart.

Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always.

When Oddny's farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined - but she's determined to save her sister no matter the cost, even as she finds herself irresistibly drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. And in the far north, Gunnhild, who fled her home years ago to learn the ways of a witch, is surprised to find her destiny seems to be linked with that of the formidable King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.

But the bonds - both enchanted and emotional - that hold the two women together are strong, and when they find their way back to each other, these bonds will be tested in ways they never could have foreseen in this deeply moving novel of magic, history, and sworn sisterhood."

Norwegian Witch Queen! Now that's something my ancestors probably aspired to.

This Norse Epic contains just enough magic to straddle the line between Historical Fiction and Historical Fantasy with a little mythology thrown in. It starts with three 12 year old girls, Signy and Oddny are sisters who live on a farm across the fjord from Gunnhild whose father is the Hersir, or local lord. Realizing that they will have little control over their own fate as women, the girls swear an oath to one another, but before the night is out their fate will be read by the seer and their lives will change forever. Twelve years later Gunnhild is checking in on the sisters disguised as a sparrow when the farm is attacked, and everyone is killed except Signy who is kidnapped, and Oddny who Gunnhild helps escape the clutches of the raiders. When Gunnhild rushes back home to meet Oddny so they can join forces to free Signy, they take the world into their own hands in a way that is usually reserved for men in medieval epics.
With strong and flawed women, trans representation, and just enough magic to feel fantastic while still grounded in humanity, this was a fantastic read! With old Nordic names, terms and places, I was a little worried that this book would drag, and be a household story, but I was wrong. While matters of relationships are prominent, this is an adventure filled with action and stories of women finding each other to find their own way in the world. I can't wait to tell my patrons to read it, and recommend it to my friends.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley, and the publisher, so that I can recommend this book as a librarian. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I enjoyed reading this one. As I learned a little about Norwegian folklore. Hey you learn something new every time you read something.

In her second book, Genevieve Gornichec introduces a world of Vikings and magic, where alliances mean more than friendship, and where power is nominally in the hands of men. So of course, the main relationship in the Weaver and the Witch is the friendship of three women, two of which are blood sisters and the third a sworn sister.

When Gunnhild’s abusive mother forbids her from hearing her fortune, her friends Signey and Oddny help her in her defiance. Together they stand before the fortune teller and together they are cursed (not literally here) when the Seerer refuses to tell them anything but that one of their futures clouds the other two. They make blood oaths to be there for each other that night, but then don’t see each other for a decade as Gunnhild (presumed/pronounced dead by her family) sneaks off to train with the Seerer and Signey and Oddny return to their home, where they remain unwed because the superstitious menfolk are weary of the fortune that was told. That changes only when three witches attack Signey and Oddny in an attempt to prevent a future they saw. Then Signey is kidnapped, and Gunnhild and Oggny fight to save her and uphold the oath they made to each other.

The plot of the Weaver and the Witch Queen is driven entirely by prophecies. Between the prophecy that is told about Gunnhild when she was a toddler, the lack of prophecy when Gunnhild, Signey, and Oggny are young, and whatever Queen Thora saw convincing her that Gunnhild was a rival who would persevere if helped by her friends, everything in this story is foretold and influenced by the foretelling. On one hand, nothing would happen in this tale if not for the Seerers that visited Gunnhild’s home, but on the other, the fortunes of this setting are the knowledge people act on, so it makes sense for the characters to be driven by them.

The characters of this story all fit the plot and act as they should to further the story, but their individual motivations aren’t clearly felt. Readers might not guess that Halldor’s secret has anything to do with him personally before he reveals it to Oddny, and it’s easy to miss Eirik’s care for Gunnhild until he shouts it at her. Readers might not get pulled into the story without being able to feel the characters more deeply.

Overall, the Weaver and the Witch Queen is a fun story that introduces readers to a setting of magic, friendships, and different types of power.

I absolutely loved Gornichec's previous book, The Witch's Heart, so thank you NetGalley for providing me an advance copy for this one!
This was a beautiful work of historical fantasy replete with adventure, found family, and romance! I loved the story and the pacing was great. I also loved the setting. I need more Viking-inspired novels!

A truly lovely historical fantasy that combines an expert's attention to the lived-in details of everyday life in the Viking Age and a deep understanding of the myths and beliefs that shaped the worldviews of its inhabitants.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genevieve Gornichec is a great writer. I really loved Signy, Oddny, and Gunnhild - they were great characters. I did really like their friendship storyline.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group!
I really enjoyed the witch's Heart, and I am so excited to see their next book! Definitely check the trigger warnings for the story as there are some content warnings that I was not expecting going in. I think the story itself did a great job of depicting the main character is as powerful and strong. There is so much depth to their story. This author always brings fantastic characters that are complicated and detailed. I was also extremely glad to see it not as much romance as I was expecting. I love when stories focus on other types of relationships instead of only romantic ones and I was glad this book focused more on the relationship between the woman.

I loved the viking vibes! As someone who craves big epic fantasies lasting thousands of pages, I wanted more from this book. I wanted a 7-book epic about the Witch Queen and her kids and all of that--but I was fairly warned that this was a standalone, so I cannot hold it against the book itself. It was beautiful, and lovely, and layered. My biggest complaint was that I wanted more, which is really not much of a complaint at all!

I tend to be a creature of comfort falling back on specific historical or mythological timelines and locations for my reading. Scandinavian literature has never piqued my interest... Ms. Gornichec has succeeded twice now in broadening my subject range with books that I not only finished but immensely enjoyed.

Set in 10th century Norway, this is the tale of Oddny, Gunnhild, and Signy. Gunnhild runs away with a visiting sorceress and commits herself to learning magic. Years later, when raiders take Signy, Gunnhild vows to find her sister and seek revenge. Oddny travels back to their village to help Gunnhild, meeting and joining forces with King Eirik.

The relationship between the three girls was well developed, and twined throughout the novel. I enjoyed reading from Oddny and Gunnhild's points of view an wish Signy's point of view had also been explored. The story was well paced, the world well developed. I look forward to reading more from this author!

A compelling story of family and friendship. Family doesn't have to just mean those to whom you were born, it can also be those with whom you choose a strong bond. These bonds can be tested and it's up to you what you choose to do about it. A fascinating and enjoyable read.

Icelandic folklore comes to life in this tale of Gunnhilde and her friends, sisters Oddny and Signy. While Gunnhilde is away studying to be a witch, Viking's raid the sisters farm and take Signy. Gunnhilde and Oddny find one another and work together to find and rescue Signy.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were well thought out and the plot was paced in a way that made sense. I would recommend this book to others and would enjoy reading other novels by this author.