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A review by riarchive
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
3.0
no one:
Angrboda, the entire book: I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending.
in all seriousness, i think Gornichec is not a bad writer, just that i have a bone to pick whenever someone rewrites mythology, this is my red flag.
what i like about the book is that Angrboda has a lot more skin to her than in the source material, which is virtually nothing. the thing is, i like Angrboda before this retelling anyway because i have a soft spot for the three little monsters, so this retelling doesn't do much to convince me. for someone who doesn't know the myth or doesn't like Angrboda to begin with, this book fails to be entirely gripping and convincing. what i DO NOT like about the book is that in order to make Angrboda more of a appealing character, the author has to take other people's stories and give them to her. she also became a stronger female character at the cost of other female characters' autonomies.
in terms of writing, Gornichec's pace is rather fast and flat. i think there are so many things she wanted to say so every detail is rushed or just told to us instead of seeing it in action. i am not bored of the story, but i cannot say the same for other people. i must say there is a huge chunk on love triangle and that itself should be a trigger warning to me lmao. oh, the sapphic twist is also cute and not a plot device, i like that too, except Loki got too much screen time for the sapphic couple to be at the centre.
this book inspires me to write Hel and do her justice. everyone go read [b:Norse Mythology|37903770|Norse Mythology|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516128292l/37903770._SX50_.jpg|51396954] though.
Angrboda, the entire book: I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending.
in all seriousness, i think Gornichec is not a bad writer, just that i have a bone to pick whenever someone rewrites mythology, this is my red flag.
what i like about the book is that Angrboda has a lot more skin to her than in the source material, which is virtually nothing. the thing is, i like Angrboda before this retelling anyway because i have a soft spot for the three little monsters, so this retelling doesn't do much to convince me. for someone who doesn't know the myth or doesn't like Angrboda to begin with, this book fails to be entirely gripping and convincing. what i DO NOT like about the book is that in order to make Angrboda more of a appealing character, the author has to take other people's stories and give them to her. she also became a stronger female character at the cost of other female characters' autonomies.
Spoiler
i absolutely adore Hel in the original myth, but unfortunately, she is pretty much an useless little girl in this book. Gerd is portrayed to be lowkey a misogynistic traitor, whereas in the original Poetic Edda, she is a very badass woman and says that she will not endure the coercion of any man. also, making Angrboda bigger than who she really is threw me off a little. this one makes Angrboda and Gullveig one person, which is just not true. however, i think it is a good twist, if only the author isn't trying to make her stronger by downplaying the other female characters so much.in terms of writing, Gornichec's pace is rather fast and flat. i think there are so many things she wanted to say so every detail is rushed or just told to us instead of seeing it in action. i am not bored of the story, but i cannot say the same for other people. i must say there is a huge chunk on love triangle and that itself should be a trigger warning to me lmao. oh, the sapphic twist is also cute and not a plot device, i like that too, except Loki got too much screen time for the sapphic couple to be at the centre.
this book inspires me to write Hel and do her justice. everyone go read [b:Norse Mythology|37903770|Norse Mythology|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516128292l/37903770._SX50_.jpg|51396954] though.