The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

This might sound familiar to some women out there.

Each of the women, as well as Loki (who is canonically genderfluid, fight me), find themselves manipulated and pitted against each other time after time, creating enemies out of allies. Something that’s desperately important to this book is its portrayal of the lives of women, and in general, how the lives and wellbeing of these characters revolve around a cast of male Gods who continue to affect the character’s lives despite these Gods rarely being on stage. And the domesticity of part one is what makes this book as impactful as it is. Angrboda spends part one creating a life for herself, only to have part two destroy so much of what she’s built. It might be a challenge for readers who are used to fast-paced, high stakes books that start with a deadly car chase at chapter one, but it’s a mistake to confuse the calm, steady pacing (and soothing audiobook narration) with a slow book. This book is written in a very particular style that, to me, calls back to older types of storytelling. There were moments where I stopped reading to appreciate the craft of how she put the pieces together in ways that had never before occurred to me. Having dabbled in making a linear timeline out of these myths myself, it was an absolute joy to watch Gornichec weave the myths into the story in unexpected ways. The Witch’s Heart is a masterpiece of exploration into Norse Myth. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this and had the very best time. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

This audiobook includes a PDF that contains the Acknowledgments and the Appendix - a listing of people and places that appear in the story, and recommendations for further reading. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age. 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. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life - and possibly all of existence - is in danger. 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. 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.

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. 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.Īngrboda’s story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning.

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec