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arundhati_p 's review for:
The Witch's Heart
by Genevieve Gornichec
I have been going back and forth between 3 and 4, but I will settle it rating 3 stars as I felt it to be mostly average. I have mixed feelings about this book. There were certain portions of the story where I feel completely lost and uninterested and then there were some which got me so hooked. I do not read much mythology, more so this is my first Norse mythology inspired book. So I am not gonna comment on the accuracy or how much justice it does in representing the original legend. I can hardly be the judge of that.
The story follows the witch Angrboda and her life after she is burned on a pyre with a stake to the heart. Pretty brutal yeah. Angrboda survives the burning and escapes the Gods to live in Ironwood at the edge of the earth. There she meets the God of mischeif Loki who returns her heart. She builds a home for herself in the forest with the help of her friend Skadi. She then marries Loki with whom she has 3 children. With her ability to see future she gets the glimpse of how the end for all the Gods and giants will come to be and the role her children will play in it. Fearing for her children's safety she tries every possible way to save them but things just don't go her way.
The major problem I had with the book was the writing and pacing. The pacing didn't feel natural instead a lot choppy. It was so fast at times and then so slow at other places. Like so much happens during the first few pages itself and then it slows down for the next 40%. It felt repetitive at times and like nothing is happening.There is a lot of info dumping, which I guess is necessary given the nature of the story. But once the book crosses the 40% mark it picks up really well. Things finally start to make more sense.
Ok so I would say I went into the book hoping to just fall in love with Loki. And by the end of the book, he is probably the only one I did not like. Yeah he is a very complex character, but there were things he did which I cannot make myself to forgive him. He does have a redemption arc and I know I was supposed to feel good and cheer him on but I couldn't bring myself to. I loved the banter he had with Angrboda. It was great. But there relationship was downright toxic and I did not cheer them on at all. On the other hand, I loved Skadi. She was my favorite. She came to Angrboda's aid when she needed a friend the most and taught her to fend for herself. She was such an amazing friend. I loved Skadi and Angrboda together. I am surprised why the author didn't chose to bank on their relationship more. There is just a brush of sapphic romance thrown in. I wish the author had given it more chance. Coming to Angrboda herself, I liked her. She was so fierce and protective of her children. I just wished she had raised her voice against Loki or the other Gods more. Maybe the author chose to make her that way to preserve the accuracy to the source, but since it is a reimagination why not make her more outspoken than the doormat she was infront of Loki. She did get better for the second half.
A lot of things didn't make sense like what was extent of the witch's power or the exact nature of it. How did she survive all the burnings and he she could actually see the future, there was a certain event which should have forseen the betrayal she was about to recieve. The plot did have some holes. Saying that there is no denying there were some great moments which were so raw and invoked so many emotions. Overall it is a good book given it is a debut novel. There is definitely room for improvement but certainly a great effort.
The story follows the witch Angrboda and her life after she is burned on a pyre with a stake to the heart. Pretty brutal yeah. Angrboda survives the burning and escapes the Gods to live in Ironwood at the edge of the earth. There she meets the God of mischeif Loki who returns her heart. She builds a home for herself in the forest with the help of her friend Skadi. She then marries Loki with whom she has 3 children. With her ability to see future she gets the glimpse of how the end for all the Gods and giants will come to be and the role her children will play in it. Fearing for her children's safety she tries every possible way to save them but things just don't go her way.
The major problem I had with the book was the writing and pacing. The pacing didn't feel natural instead a lot choppy. It was so fast at times and then so slow at other places. Like so much happens during the first few pages itself and then it slows down for the next 40%. It felt repetitive at times and like nothing is happening.There is a lot of info dumping, which I guess is necessary given the nature of the story. But once the book crosses the 40% mark it picks up really well. Things finally start to make more sense.
Ok so I would say I went into the book hoping to just fall in love with Loki. And by the end of the book, he is probably the only one I did not like. Yeah he is a very complex character, but there were things he did which I cannot make myself to forgive him. He does have a redemption arc and I know I was supposed to feel good and cheer him on but I couldn't bring myself to. I loved the banter he had with Angrboda. It was great. But there relationship was downright toxic and I did not cheer them on at all. On the other hand, I loved Skadi. She was my favorite. She came to Angrboda's aid when she needed a friend the most and taught her to fend for herself. She was such an amazing friend. I loved Skadi and Angrboda together. I am surprised why the author didn't chose to bank on their relationship more. There is just a brush of sapphic romance thrown in. I wish the author had given it more chance. Coming to Angrboda herself, I liked her. She was so fierce and protective of her children. I just wished she had raised her voice against Loki or the other Gods more. Maybe the author chose to make her that way to preserve the accuracy to the source, but since it is a reimagination why not make her more outspoken than the doormat she was infront of Loki. She did get better for the second half.
A lot of things didn't make sense like what was extent of the witch's power or the exact nature of it. How did she survive all the burnings and he she could actually see the future, there was a certain event which should have forseen the betrayal she was about to recieve. The plot did have some holes. Saying that there is no denying there were some great moments which were so raw and invoked so many emotions. Overall it is a good book given it is a debut novel. There is definitely room for improvement but certainly a great effort.