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literarydumpling's review
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
4.75
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: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
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: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, 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, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Grief, Murder, Death, Sexism, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gore, and Infidelity
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Genocide, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Body horror, Emotional abuse, War, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Alcohol, and Mental illness
proudtobeabookaholic's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After being burnt at the stake, not once, but three times, the witch Angrboda is injured and without her powers. She escapes to Ironwood, a forest on the outskirts of Jotunheim, where she decides to stay. There Loki, the trickster god, finds her and declares they should be friends. Angrboda doesn't trust him at first, but soon they’re in a relationship that will change the world.
I do love Norse (and Greek) mythology, so it wasn't really a surprise that this would be a book to my liking. But we all know that high hopes can go wrong, so I'm very pleased that I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Angrboda is a character I really love. She's set on her own path, while at the same time she's willing to sacrifice everything to save those she loves. Loki's always been a favorite of mine. Despite his selfishness and quirks he still seems to have his heart in the right place. I also have to mention Skadi, Angrboda's friend, who's always there for her. All the characters in this book feel so alive, as if I actually got to know them throughout the pages. Physically I'm done with The Witch's Heart, but emotionally it will stay with me for a while longer...
I do love Norse (and Greek) mythology, so it wasn't really a surprise that this would be a book to my liking. But we all know that high hopes can go wrong, so I'm very pleased that I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Angrboda is a character I really love. She's set on her own path, while at the same time she's willing to sacrifice everything to save those she loves. Loki's always been a favorite of mine. Despite his selfishness and quirks he still seems to have his heart in the right place. I also have to mention Skadi, Angrboda's friend, who's always there for her. All the characters in this book feel so alive, as if I actually got to know them throughout the pages. Physically I'm done with The Witch's Heart, but emotionally it will stay with me for a while longer...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Grief, and Infidelity
ruthmoog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.75
I loved this, the eddas and mythology are so strange and bat-shit but quite difficult. This retelling takes all the bizarreness of the mythology and makes it feel real and gives context to the interactions between the realms.
I have especially found Loki a hard one to understand, and Angrboda's perspective made him come to life as a character, it's brilliantly told.
My knowledge of the sagas and eddas isn't enough to know if anything is "creatively authored", but I understand there is Viking age ideas included as well, but from what I was familiar with it all clicked. (I do not know about the Marvel universe portrayals).
I have especially found Loki a hard one to understand, and Angrboda's perspective made him come to life as a character, it's brilliantly told.
My knowledge of the sagas and eddas isn't enough to know if anything is "creatively authored", but I understand there is Viking age ideas included as well, but from what I was familiar with it all clicked. (I do not know about the Marvel universe portrayals).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Body horror
cwerber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, War, Kidnapping, and Death
misty_kb's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
midnightcomets's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Books that deal with the old religions just have a way of touching your soul in ways that are so profound and painful in the best way possible. This was slow but also so packed with emotion, so full of possibility and as faithful as it could be to many of the stories. This was also extremely feminist, powerful and bright, and made me cry multiple times. If you like Circe, but wish to stray away from Greek mythology, please pick this up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Gore, Sexual content, and Torture
fernz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Really enjoyed this story. I didn’t know much about Norse mythology going into this story and this book was a great introduction. Angroboda’s storyline was compelling to me and I liked the slow build of the plot and tension. The slower pace at the beginning might not be for everyone, but if you enjoy mythology with a bit of a LGBT twist I think you’ll like this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Violence