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booklifeisthelife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a mostly enjoyable read. I know next to nothing about Norse mythology so almost everything that happened was a surprise to me. I liked Angrboda as a character for the most part. She was just a woman who wanted to live in peace, away from those who could and would harm her and her family. This wasn't my favorite Loki interpretation but I can't say it's inaccurate from the little I know anyway. I wish he had been a better husband and father though. The fact that he continually chose the gods who mocked, neglected and disrespected him over Angrboda and his kids who always chose him and loved him, blew my mind, frustrated me and hurt my heart. The pacing of this was so very slow. I really did like the everyday aspects, the normalcy and just living day by day but there was so much of it, it dragged on. I didn't love Loki and Angrboda's relationship. She deserved better and I'm glad she did with Skadi. Skadi and her had a healthier, more supportive relationship than the one she had with Loki. There was so much sadness and heart hurting in this book. I really wished for their happiness. Now onto some things that I didn't like or that stood out to me. I did not like how Hell treated Angrboda when they first reunited. It was not fair at all. I don't understand how they can say Hell saw and understood so much yet knew nothing of Angrboda and what she had been up to. I know she was hurt and young but it was still really upsetting. I'm happy she eventually came around (thanks to Loki) and they had some happy moments together before everything happened. I was happy she had a better reunion with her sons than she did her daughter but I also wished they had more time. They barely got to reunite before Jörmungand and Fenrir died. It also bugged me a lot that not only did Loki call his kids monsters and think it occasionally, Hell called her brothers monsters too. It was never explained why she changed her view on them and it was never brought up again after she said it. Then at the end when Loki, Skadi and her wolf companion (sorry, forget her name) came to her as dead souls, I was very confused why Fenrir and Jörmungand weren't there? Is that some mythology I don't know of? I wish she had been able to see them off.
All in all, this was a mostly enjoyable read/listen but I couldn't get too into it.
All in all, this was a mostly enjoyable read/listen but I couldn't get too into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Death of parent
hold_on_cupcake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
daniellekat's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.0
The worst book I've read all year and if I hadn't been reading it for a book club it would have been a swift DNF. Writing majorly correlates to my enjoyment of a book so it's really no surprise that I hated this. The writing was SO BAD - the dialogue was terrible, there were so many repetitive descriptions, and the book was just way too long. The plot was a long series of Norse myths (somewhat tied together but most just thrown together) and the author didn't do enough to explain some of these ideas to the reader (especially one unfamiliar with the mythology). Mostly, I felt like the book had a lot of rising action with very little payoff. Needless to say I will not be reading this author again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
cha_len_novels's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"Do you still wonder sometimes, whether it might have been wrong for you to return my heart to me?..
'Never'.
― Genevieve Gornichec, The Witch's Heart
A Norse retelling of a witch, wife, mother and seeress who foresaw the end of the gods. For a harold of sorrows, Angrboda was a character that captivated me. A tragic story woven so skillfully, so beautifully that it feels as though we seat in one of the Great Halls as an ancient tale is spoken.
"I am Angrboda Iron-witch,.The Old One, Mother Witch, who birthed the wolves who cahes the sun and moon. Former wife to 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.
I can do this on my own. "
― Genevieve Gornichec, The Witch's Heart
'Never'.
― Genevieve Gornichec, The Witch's Heart
A Norse retelling of a witch, wife, mother and seeress who foresaw the end of the gods. For a harold of sorrows, Angrboda was a character that captivated me. A tragic story woven so skillfully, so beautifully that it feels as though we seat in one of the Great Halls as an ancient tale is spoken.
"I am Angrboda Iron-witch,.The Old One, Mother Witch, who birthed the wolves who cahes the sun and moon. Former wife to 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.
I can do this on my own. "
― Genevieve Gornichec, The Witch's Heart
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Murder
flyingryndeer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and War
savshanae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is an absolute MASTERPIECE. Hands down one of my favorite standalone books. I tore through it and nearly started it over again as soon as I finished!
As the story continued I felt more and more attached to Angrboda and invested in her story, whatever form she took. The way Gornichec weaves together so many myths (and has notes to back it up at the end!) and draws the characters in a new light is nothing short of stunning. The portrayal of motherhood is raw and heartfelt, all while subtly highlighting the strengths (and weaknesses) of women.
10/10, no notes, just praise for this book!
As the story continued I felt more and more attached to Angrboda and invested in her story, whatever form she took. The way Gornichec weaves together so many myths (and has notes to back it up at the end!) and draws the characters in a new light is nothing short of stunning. The portrayal of motherhood is raw and heartfelt, all while subtly highlighting the strengths (and weaknesses) of women.
10/10, no notes, just praise for this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Alcohol
onthesamepage's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“I would have all of you,” he said quietly, brushing her nose with his. “I would have everything.”
I'm not very familiar with Norse mythology, so I can't say much about what changes the author may have made to the lore. I will say that I thought the pacing of the book was kind of too slow, especially in the first half. The second part of the story, once we get closer to the Ragnarok prophecy, is very interesting, but while the first half had some cute moments between Loki and Angrboda, I wasn't very invested in them as a couple, or even as characters, which isn't great considering Angrboda is the main character. But the way she let everything just happen to her for most of this book grated a bit. I was hoping that she would have more agency in her own story. I did get invested in her children, though, which is probably why the second half worked a lot better for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death
irfoxwriter's review against another edition
The book had some content that I wasn’t comfortable with - please read the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
tifftastic87's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
The main character of this story is as close to wet cardboard as a main character in any book I've ever read. She has just about as much agency too. I'm extremely disappointed because I was so hyped for it.
The book has this premise of "everyone always forgets that Angrboda wasn't just a monster mommy and Loki's wife" and then went the extra mile to make her nothing but a monster mommy who pines for Loki. She is described as this badass witch, but acts like a naive woman who can't do anything on her own. Loki is very much an angsty teen emo kid from 2008. This is supposed to be more based on the poems (Poetic Edda and Prose Edda) but you cannot convince me this isn't a fanfic of "what if MCU Loki was dropped into the actual myths?"
There is literally no reason given why Loki and Angrboda end up together or why she "loves" him before they hookup. He only comes to complain to her and get her help and then she's like "omg he smiled crooked and his hair is so curly" and marries him. She forgives him living a double life with a whole ass other family, which again I understand is the myth, but she could have had emotions over it other than the brief flashes of jealousy that she then feels guilty for. When Loki is present in her life he has the energy of a 90s sitcom dad. He brags about how much more the kids like him, gets them riled up before bed and then complains to "Boda" about things. So, then she feels like she's not good enough. It isn't until Loki calls the children monsters that she is ever outwardly angry at him. This kind of kicks off everything, but then after she bans him she lets him back! So the kids get taken and then she vows to not forgive him... and then forgives him!
She works forever to be able to contact Hel and when she finally does Hel rejects her. Which is fair honestly, but not done in a way that makes sense. However, when she can finally contact Fenrir and Jornumgand they are excited to see her, because "boy mom." She then convinces them not to eat Loki. For some reason, she just keeps forgiving him. They could have finished the myth out with each of them playing their parts without her forgiving him and having an emotional goodbye with him.
I will give it that the end wasn't predictable until at least the last 30 pages-ish. But that could also be that I wasn't paying much attention because I was so irritated.
I wasn't a fan of the writing style it was overly narrative with no prose. To the point it felt like reading the poems sometimes instead of a novel. So many sections (there are no chapters) started with "then one day" or a variation of and it was grating to me. A lot of the world building was done in weird asides. Example being when the raven's of Odin are introduced it says:
The book has this premise of "everyone always forgets that Angrboda wasn't just a monster mommy and Loki's wife" and then went the extra mile to make her nothing but a monster mommy who pines for Loki. She is described as this badass witch, but acts like a naive woman who can't do anything on her own. Loki is very much an angsty teen emo kid from 2008. This is supposed to be more based on the poems (Poetic Edda and Prose Edda) but you cannot convince me this isn't a fanfic of "what if MCU Loki was dropped into the actual myths?"
There is literally no reason given why Loki and Angrboda end up together or why she "loves" him before they hookup. He only comes to complain to her and get her help and then she's like "omg he smiled crooked and his hair is so curly" and marries him. She forgives him living a double life with a whole ass other family, which again I understand is the myth, but she could have had emotions over it other than the brief flashes of jealousy that she then feels guilty for. When Loki is present in her life he has the energy of a 90s sitcom dad. He brags about how much more the kids like him, gets them riled up before bed and then complains to "Boda" about things. So, then she feels like she's not good enough.
She works forever to be able to contact Hel and when she finally does Hel rejects her. Which is fair honestly, but not done in a way that makes sense. However, when she can finally contact Fenrir and Jornumgand they are excited to see her, because "boy mom." She then convinces them not to eat Loki. For some reason, she just keeps forgiving him. They could have finished the myth out with each of them playing their parts without her forgiving him and having an emotional goodbye with him.
I will give it that the end wasn't predictable until at least the last 30 pages-ish. But that could also be that I wasn't paying much attention because I was so irritated.
I wasn't a fan of the writing style it was overly narrative with no prose. To the point it felt like reading the poems sometimes instead of a novel. So many sections (there are no chapters) started with "then one day" or a variation of and it was grating to me. A lot of the world building was done in weird asides. Example being when the raven's of Odin are introduced it says:
"I didn't know that Odin sent his ravens out to disperse information," Angrboda said to the birds, who were named Hugin and Munin, Thought and Memory. They flew around the Nine Worlds each day before returning to tell their master all they'd seen.
Most world building was done in this way, a lot of telling and little showing.
Things I liked, Thor is played as dumb and angry and reactive and that kind of feels on brand with the poems I am most familiar with.
I gave it a couple of points for making me laugh at a couple of places, but I took a lot away for the disturbing (bigoted) way that it talked about Loki's gender fluidity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body shaming, Vomit, and Cannibalism
redheadorganist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content