The Witch's Heart

In a world saturated with Greek Mythological Retellings, The Witch’s Heart is a breath of fresh (cold) air from Valhalla.

Angrboda—a woman who made a recent appearance in the God of War PS4 games—blazes across this book as the mother of monsters! Odin's wrath leaves her powerless, and her only escape route? Off to a remote forest she dashes. Enter Loki, that sly trickster, stumbling upon her and—bam!—love sparks, birthing three whelps, each harbouring their own cryptic fate.

It's a Norse mythology remix with a modern twist and a brand-new leading lady—epic, heartbreaking, and full of oomph! And if every… show more.

A fairytale, folklore, and mythology nerd almost from birth, I pounced on this novel immediately.

Gornichec has taken a few abstract Norse myth characters and morphed them into one: the witch Angrboda, whose heart was cut out and her body burned by the Norse gods three times. And she, lover of trickster Loki and mother of monsters, each time stubbornly and painfully has brought herself back to life.

Gornichec’s skill and magic touch endow her protagonist with amazing emotional weight and resonance through her thoughts, fears, desires, and complicated relationships. As Angrboda and her strange children live their secretive, threatened,… show more.

This amazing novel is a retelling of the Norse myth of Angrboda, who was the mother of the monsters Fenrir the Wolf and Jormungandr the Serpent, as well as the goddess Hel, all fathered by the trickster, Loki.

Angrboda is traditionally cast in the role of the villain, but Gornichec brilliantly reimagines her story and role in a sympathetic manner. These kinds of rewrites have been especially popular using Greek myths in recent years, and the idea translates very well to the Norse.

It is a beautifully written story that gives the reader much to ponder about the nature of… show more.

In modern culture where it’s reiterated that women must always be fierce girl bosses, The Witch’s Heart is a refreshing tale that shows the gratification of motherhood.

Angrboda is an ancient witch who falls for the Norse god, Loki, the mischievous trickster who visits her in the forest. What I found striking about Angrboda is when she becomes a mother to Loki’s unusual children, she lives a life of contentment, raising her brood in the forest.

She’s also not dependent on Loki but rather turns to a friendly huntress for help. With Loki, nothing is ever boring as he’s often… show more.

This thoughtful Norse-mythology-inspired story delves into the often-overlooked plight of Angrboda, the mother of monsters. Tricked, burnt, betrayed, Angrboda’s love for her children drives her to defy the gods who fear her. Gornichec fills in the gaps in the mythological stories and focuses on their omissions, which is always a rich area for a fiction writer to explore. Raw and unflinching, the book gives voice to the voiceless.

A large portion of my book collection is Norse, and every one is different. The Witch’s Heart is a queer retelling that’s greatest strength is its connection to motherhood. When myth nerds think of Angrboda, they think of the mother of monsters, a woman who helped end the nine realms. But this author saw her as something more multifaceted, and showed us someone who was hurt, who fell in love, and who protected her family at all costs. This book is a character-driven masterpiece that took its time, but finished with an intensity that had me sobbing like a baby… show more.