The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec was not in my TBR. It wasn’t;t even on my radar, but–lucky me–I was able to pop in the local library to check out books I’d requested through Interlibrary loan and decided to browse the New Books section. The cover caught my eye because it looks like it was designed with me in mind.
Celtic influence, gorgeous colors, hints at myths I’m already familiar with–what’s not to love? A quick perusal of the blurb made me check the book out. I figured that worst case, I’d read a few pages and return it unfinished.
DNF (Did Not Finish) has been a common theme for me lately, especially in books I’ve gotten from the library. The moment I get bored, I tend to put the book down and not pick it up again.
I read this book in one sitting, finishing it at just before two in the morning. I never had a chance to get bored.
The Witch’s Heart, tells the story of the banished witch Angrboda, and uses elements found in Nordic tales as its basis. Not really a re-telling, since she’s barely mentioned in the original tales, it’s more of a fleshing out of her story–and what a tale it is.
Angrboda has her heart literally returned to her by Loki (Yes, that Loki), who slowly steals it back again (Metaphorically this time.) The novel traces their relationship and the inexorable path to Ragnarok.
Check out an except here.
It’s not a perfect book, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses by a country mile. So if you liked Madeline Miller’s Circe, you’ll probably like this one, too. (And if you haven’t read Circe, why not? It’s fantastic.)
I look forward to seeing what Gornichec comes up with next.
D. S. Dehel 