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zias's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Solid 4 stars! The beginning was a bit of a slow start, but when the story picked up, I was hooked. The writing is beautiful and impactful, there were a number of scenes that brought tears to my eyes. I came to love these characters and their journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Violence
ruckystarnes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Violence, Vomit, and War
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
A retelling of Norse mythology, Angrboda, wife of Loki, gives birth to three unusual children who may bring about the end of the world.
This was the June pick for my book club and (I think) my first foray into Norse mythology. Beyond the very basic and well-known Norse gods (Odin, Thor, Loki), I knew very little about anyone involved in this story, and I think this functions really well as an introduction—I felt that it was easy to follow the world-building/explanations, and I was never confused or overwhelmed by new information. It also made me want to read more books based on this mythology!
That said, I did have some issues with pacing (including the fact that for reasons unknown I could *not* focus on this book and it took me nearly a full week to read). I eventually switched to audio and listened while following along with the text, which helped a lot. While the middle of the book seemed to drag a tiny bit, I think my issues of focus were primarily due to the lack of chapter breaks, which may well be a personal thing!
Still, I really loved the characters here, all of whom were richly layered and interesting (even the ones who made me angry), and I thought the ending was really nicely done as well. Overall, I’d definitely recommend!
CW: Violence; death (including animal death); pregnancy/miscarriage
A retelling of Norse mythology, Angrboda, wife of Loki, gives birth to three unusual children who may bring about the end of the world.
This was the June pick for my book club and (I think) my first foray into Norse mythology. Beyond the very basic and well-known Norse gods (Odin, Thor, Loki), I knew very little about anyone involved in this story, and I think this functions really well as an introduction—I felt that it was easy to follow the world-building/explanations, and I was never confused or overwhelmed by new information. It also made me want to read more books based on this mythology!
That said, I did have some issues with pacing (including the fact that for reasons unknown I could *not* focus on this book and it took me nearly a full week to read). I eventually switched to audio and listened while following along with the text, which helped a lot. While the middle of the book seemed to drag a tiny bit, I think my issues of focus were primarily due to the lack of chapter breaks, which may well be a personal thing!
Still, I really loved the characters here, all of whom were richly layered and interesting (even the ones who made me angry), and I thought the ending was really nicely done as well. Overall, I’d definitely recommend!
CW: Violence; death (including animal death); pregnancy/miscarriage
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
literarydumpling's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A wonderful retelling of Norse mythology, focusing largely on Angrboda.
The book is written in a way that reads like traditional myths, flowing from one story to the next without going too heavy into the description of the world and accepting that this is the lore.
Had plenty of hooks to keep you interested and characters were introduced at a logical rate — if you did get confused, there is an appendix towards the end of the book, but use at your own risk if you aren't familiar with the particular myths in The Witch's Heart as there may be spoilers.
Also very much enjoyed the focus switching to a female narrator for this retelling, whereas the traditional myths only treats them as a "side character" even though they have an important part to play. It gives a lot more character and life to Angrboda beyond her just being the witch.
The book is written in a way that reads like traditional myths, flowing from one story to the next without going too heavy into the description of the world and accepting that this is the lore.
Had plenty of hooks to keep you interested and characters were introduced at a logical rate — if you did get confused, there is an appendix towards the end of the book, but use at your own risk if you aren't familiar with the particular myths in The Witch's Heart as there may be spoilers.
Also very much enjoyed the focus switching to a female narrator for this retelling, whereas the traditional myths only treats them as a "side character" even though they have an important part to play. It gives a lot more character and life to Angrboda beyond her just being the witch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence and War
augie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
kyeruhh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very slow in the beginning but the back half is fantastic. It’s definitely not an action packed myth retelling but I really enjoyed it. I put off finishing it for over a week bc I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
nat20charisma's review against another edition
5.0
For fans of Circe; a modern retelling of Norse mythology. The author does a great job showing the quick passing of time while also making it feel natural.
Tragedy with a satisfying conclusion.
I don’t love the pregnancy trope usually, but this was done in a way that didn’t feel odd or uncomfortable.
Gotta love the LGBTQ+ representation. And a strong female main character with a found family.
Tragedy with a satisfying conclusion.
I don’t love the pregnancy trope usually, but this was done in a way that didn’t feel odd or uncomfortable.
Gotta love the LGBTQ+ representation. And a strong female main character with a found family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Miscarriage, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
possiblyamyrie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Child death, Miscarriage, and Grief
Moderate: Violence and War
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