Scan barcode
sabrinaleaf's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
medium-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? No
4.0
The narrator did a wonderful job bringing this gorgeous writing to life.
I find myself enjoying slower pace books better in audiobook format.
I did find Angrboda a bit, passive at the beginning. But she did go through a wonderful character arc.
I find myself enjoying slower pace books better in audiobook format.
I did find Angrboda a bit, passive at the beginning. But she did go through a wonderful character arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement
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
tess_b_readin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
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
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
caelfind's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Kidnapping
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