Scan barcode
A review by savvyrosereads
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
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