Cover Image: The Witch's Heart

The Witch's Heart

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Member Reviews

**I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I came to this book unfamiliar with Norse mythology but quickly became enamored with Gornichec‘s telling of Angrboda. Beautifully written, Gornichec powerfully expresses the sorrows felt by Angrboda. I was entranced and moved by this book, so wonderfully done...loved the narrative and the writing style.

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Thank you to NetGalley and ACE Books for this free ARC.

UGH I cried at the end. This book takes on the myth of Loki's other wife Angrboda. Not much is known about her but Genevieve did an amazing job bringing her to life. I know need to brush up on my Norse mythology after reading this.

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This has been on my TBR for YEARS. And I highly regret waiting so long to read this.

The Witch’s Heart is great for lovers of Circe. It highlights an often looked over woman in Norse mythology, Angrboda. The writing is stunning. The characters have remarkable depth and personality. I was hooked. I read it all in less than a day.

If mythology and powerful women are your thing, this is a great choice. But be warned, this book will destroy you. Bring tissues.

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“They say a witch used to live in these woods a long long time ago.”

“We’re odd. She’s odd. She fits right in. Does she not?”

Fabulous read for fans of mythological retellings. This is an epic tale of Norse mythology, the story of Angrboda, Mother Witch, wife of Loki, and “mother of both the ruler of the dead and the two creatures of chaos destined to bring about the doom of the very beings who ruined our lives.”

At the soul of the story, Angrboda is a mother who deeply loves her children Hel (her part dead deeply intelligent daughter) Fenrir (her wolf son), and Jormundgard (her serpent son). While she sees them as her children, the arrogant gods consider them monsters and hold them captive so as to prevent unleashing their powers and bringing about their end time. But a mothers love is all-consuming and brings Angrboda in touch with HER power to reach her true potential, which she fears and needs to free her children.

Get lost in the fantastical world of gods and giants and find the familiar tales of love, sacrifice, acceptance, fear, friendship, and strong powerful women. I especially enjoyed the banter and subtle sarcasm sprinkled throughout. And it’s hard not to picture Tom Hiddleston as Loki here.

“My child, I’m sorry for what’s befallen you but when you awaken, it will be in a better world than this one. I have seen it.”

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Gosh, I adored this! While I'm not a fan of Loki or his modern appearances in media, I was enthralled by this retelling. Our heroine was fierce, clever, and strong while being vulnerable in the best way.

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I don't tend to seek out stories based on Norse Mythology, but when I do, I really enjoy them. I did not know about Loki's wife, Angrboda, I had only ever heard of Sigyn. I loved following Angrboda's journey in retrieving her memories and rediscovering who she is. I appreciated the way she wouldn't put up with Loki's nonsense (to a point) and was surprised by the gender fluidity and bi-representation. I read Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology a few years ago, but besides some of the stories about Loki's gender fluidity, I don't remember how open the Norse myths are. I may need to reinvestigate that because I'm curious. Anyway, I loved this story about the strength of a mother's love.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for letting get to preview this book before it went out. This was such an amazing book! It has been mine and several other librarian's favorite book of 2021. We always get to see books about Loki and his point of view, it was really awesome to focus on one of the women for a change. Gornichec has done an amazing job with the mythology and storytelling of these gods, their lives, their loves, and what comes next. I - and many of my coworkers- hope that she writes more books like this one in the future!

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I absolutely loved this incredible book. I am generally a fan of mythology re-tellings, and this one particularly touched me deeply. Gornichec's world-building and character development were truly spectacular, and as the story developed, I found myself becoming so attached to not only Angrboda and her children, but to Loki as well. The Witch's Heart tells a gorgeous story of love, motherhood, and sacrifice. I will absolutely recommend this to everyone.

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Oh, how I loved this book! I was hooked by the story pretty quickly and admit that I am a little mad at myself for waiting so long to read this story. I don’t feel like I know a lot about mythology. I remember learning about it in school but I haven’t retained any of that knowledge. Some mythology pops up in the other books I read but a book completely focused on the subject is a bit out of my comfort zone. Or so I thought. Turns out this kind of book is exactly the kind of thing that I enjoy reading.

This is Angrboda’s story. She is a witch that has been killed, burned, and had her heart cut out three times but yet she still lives. When Loki gives her her heart back, they begin a relationship that will have a long-lasting impact on many. Angrboda becomes one of Loki’s wives and they have three very unique children. Angrboda works hard to keep her family safe by keeping them close to the cave they call home. Besides Loki, she is often visited by Skadi and Gerd who also become important individuals in her life.

The second half of the book had a bit of a different feel but it was equally entertaining. I was impressed by Angrboda’s determination to do whatever was necessary to help her children. I also thought that she was pretty forgiving and didn’t seem to hold grudges. All she really wanted was a simple life that kept those she loved safe. I did enjoy the twists that the story took and my lack of knowledge of mythology led to quite a few surprises.

Jayne Entwistle did a wonderful job with the narration of this audiobook. I thought that the character voices that she used really helped to bring the story to life. I felt like she was able to add a lot of emotion and excitement to her reading. I do believe that her narration added to my enjoyment of this unforgettable story.

I would recommend this book to others. This was a very entertaining story about a unique cast of characters. I found this book to be almost impossible to set aside. I was very impressed by this author’s debut novel and plan to read more of her work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

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A reimagining surrounding Norse mythology, the gods, and Loki, this story follows a witch and her determination to protect and save her family. Unfortunately, I DNFed this about 30% in. There just wasn't anything that really grabbed me about it or pulled me in at the end of the day and it felt really slow overall.

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Man, this one was difficult for me to rate. I loved the writing and the storytelling but I was right there with Skaldi when it comes to wanting to castrate Loki for his treatment of Boda. It took me forever to finish because I kept getting so upset and couldn't understand why the MC was such a doormat for Loki for so long. Overall, I have to give it three stars because of such mixed feelings.

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THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING!!
Although it did take me a while to finish, I found myself absolutely absorbed into this world. I immediately knew I would enjoy this book from the premise alone- getting Angrboda's side of the story of Ragnorak and how it got to the point it did. I found the authors writing to be so compelling and loved how she wrote the characters. It’s Loki but also with more dimension and the children all have different personalities and watching everyone change over the course of the book was incredible. I would pay ANYTHING to see this adapted in real life. Although the ending was heartbreaking, I felt it and that’s the beauty of reading!

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I really tried to get into this novel because it had a romance with Loki. However, it was a struggle to get through. The writing is very stilted, and I could not connect with the characters. This novel really had potential because there is not enough novels on Norse mythology but there is an plethora of novels on Greek mythology. Thus, there is a need for Norse books. However, this just did not meet my expectations. Hopefully, this book will inspire more books in Norse mythology! I recommend this for novel for fans of Juliet Marillier, Melanie Karsak, and Signe Pike!

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I could not get into this one. The narrative distance did not work for me, which I accept is totally a me thing ad not the book. I'm sure it will work better for a different audience. Apologies.

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Solid feminist Norse mythology story! Poor Loki seems doomed to always been the trickster, but he had a few redeeming moments. You love him and you hate him. I kept picturing Tom Hiddleston (and basically the entire cast of Thor 😆) and the book really came alive! Angroboda (Loki’s wife) was a fantastic character and added a lot to the story. I think I liked her story more in Part One and in Part Two it feel a bit flat for me. But in Part Three, the pace was quick and I was absolutely hooked until the end. I know nothing except the Thor movies so I cannot attest to the mythology aspect, but as for the story, it was very entertaining! I think this was a solid 4 coming from someone who never reads fantasy. I enjoyed it!

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I started to read this one and I just lost interest. Maybe I'll pick it up another time but it certainly didn't grab me from the beginning.

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I really enjoyed the writing in this book. The first half was super funny and I was very interested to see where the story was going. The second half was a little confusing for me but ended up really enjoying this tale nonetheless. I would 100% read more by this author. The story wrapped you up and caught your attention from the beginning. This was a beautiful story about loss, love, imperfection, and forgiveness.

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I’m honestly surprised by how much I liked this book. I didn’t realize at first it was about Norse mythology which isn’t normally my thing, but I’m so glad I read it. It wasn’t too confusing and overly filled with characters. The writing was really well done. I’d definitely read from this author in the future!

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Whether you love Norse mythology and already know of Angrboda's role in Loki's life and the coming of Ragnarok or if you are a total newcomer to Norse mythology, Gomrnichec's thoroughly new take on the story has a lot to like. Her writing is full of complex and interesting characters. The story can be a bit dense at times and don't expect a fast pasted adventure, but if you enjoy a bit of introspection and maybe even some subversiveness in your mythology....this is a great book to curl up with on a cold weekend.

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Well let's start off with I don't think mythology retellings are for me. When I read the description of this book I was very intrigued. However, I feel that this book fell flat for me. Most of the time I felt like the book was dragging on, or I just felt a little confused as to why certain things happened. But , I kept reading out of curiosity. I truly wanted to know Angrbroda's fate, and I did like how her story ended.

I think that if I was a bigger fan of mythology or had more knowledge of norse mythology, I would have enjoyed this book more. So if you are a mythology fan, I'd say give this book a whirl.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Ace Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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