The Witch's Heart

There's been so many successful Greek myth retellings (sooooooo many) and while I'm a fan, I admit I have been sitting by quite impatiently waiting for Norse myth to get the same treatment. Well here we are.

Gornichec tells the story of the Norse gods from the point of view of Angrboda, the giantess who is known for mothering Loki's children: Hel the ruler of the dead, Fenrir the wolf and Jormungandr the world serpent. She is barely more than a footnote, named in Eddic poetry as a giant and a mother to monsters, and nothing else. Here, Gornichec reimagines Angrboda as having a significant but forgotten role in not only her relationships with Loki and their children, but others amongst the Aesir, with consequences reaching as far as Ragnarök itself.

I deeply enjoyed this debut novel and found it a fairly easy read. While I have a huge love of Norse mythology (I did write my dissertation on it in part after all), I imagine this would also appeal to fans of Madeline Miller and other similar authors. Just maybe, if you have the time, become familiar with Norse myths first as once you do it's so obvious how much time and care Gornichec has put into this story. I really hope she has something else to share with us soon!