The Trickster Loki


While I’ve always loved mythology, I wasn’t as familiar with tales of the Norse gods and goddesses as I was with the Celtic and Greek myths. I have read Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and I loved it but that is as far as I have explored. What I did know of the Norse myths didn’t include the love story of Angrboda and Loki, mostly associating them with evil based on the stories of their children—Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungand—who all play a role in Ragnarok.

However, it’s always good to remember that there are two sides to every story, and the stories are often written by the winners or those with the most power, and these stories often favor men. Loki is a trickster. Thor is a bit of a narcissist. And Odin can be quite manipulative and self-absorbed. I had a bit of a hard time because I have seen the Thor movies so trying to picture the characters differently was a stretch.

Angrboda the burned witch and her friend Skadi the huntress are the central figures in this reimagining of the events leading up to and culminating in Ragnarok. Their story is just as important as the stories of the Aesir and much less dramatic. I loved the pacing and the good feelings that I had when reading this book it is worth the time for sure.
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A really fresh and moving take on the Norse mythology - Aesir, giants, witches and wolves. And about what it means to be a mother. ( )

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. This is my unbiased and honest review*

Hello Fellow Readers,

The Witch's heart is a very unique love story, one that I honestly was not prepared for. Heavy in Norse Mythology, Gornichec does an amazing job in retelling Ragnarok through the eyes of Angrboda, a witch who escapes death when Odin burned her at the stake, in the process she looses her heart. Loki, which everyone should know about by now, eventually finds it and brings it back to her. This starts the story of a very epic love story.

Angrboda was a very cool character, she's very logical and practical (something you don't thing about when it comes to the Norse Gods) and I really enjoyed her POV. Gornichec's writing was so refreshing and interesting, that I forgot this was a retelling as she made the story of Ragnarok her own.

Overall, a very creative lovestory
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CW: this book contains mentions of violence, death, torture, and pregnancy.

I'm a huge fan of retellings, especially those of myths I'm not very familiar with, so when I heard of a book tackling Norse mythology from the point of view of a woman - a witch! - who'd otherwise been almost completely forgotten, I was unbelievably excited. Unfortunately, The Witch's Heart didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The premise was truly great. I'm not very familiar with Norse mythology beyond the very famous gods and I had actually never heard of Angrboda at all, so I enjoyed having the opportunity to learn more about this fascinating character. Right from the start, hers is a tale of sorrow and pain and she is admirable in her strength to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life from scratch, away from everyone and everything she knows - except for Loki, the god of mischief who brought her back her heart, and Skadi, a huntress determined to help Angrboda through trade.

This is, unfortunately, also where my problems with this book started. Angrboda longs for a quiet life far removed from everyone, and for many, many years she manages to enjoy just that. As a result, over half of the book is dedicated to describing Angrboda's domestic life. Even though that wasn't exactly what I'd been expecting going into this book, I could have gotten on board with it. Except her domestic bliss was in large part dependent on Loki, and Angrboda spent a disproportionate amount of time just waiting for him to decide to return to her.

The characters were really frustrating for me. Angrboda is an incredibly powerful, strong and resilient woman who, for the majority of the book, just sort of floats along, accepting everything that happens to her and deciding very little for herself. Loki felt incredibly flat and, while I was by no means expecting the Marvel version, he was not intriguing nor compelling in the least. Skadi was definitely my favourite, as she came across as slightly more well-rounded, but even she had little time to shine and her relationship with Angrboda felt stagnant for most of the book, until it suddenly was propelled forward and rushed towards the end.

The pacing also didn't really work for me. The majority of the book is very slow moving, as we follow Angrboda's daily life, first by herself and later with her children. Then, things change quite abruptly in the last third or so. The pace did pick up a lot there, to the point where almost too much was happening all at once.

One thing I absolutely loved though was the author's writing style, and it was probably the biggest redeeming feature for this. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and kept me reading even when nothing much was happening (which would have been prime distraction time!). The settings and the world were beautifully described as well, to the point where I could almost picture them. Some of the dialogues felt a bit stilted, and there was occasionally a mix of older and modern language in the dialogues that felt a bit out of place, but overall that didn't bother me too much and I could still enjoy the beautiful writing throughout.

The Witch's Heart is a solid debut, despite some of the issues I personally had with it, and I would absolutely read more from this author. Definitely give this a go if you don't mind slower pacing and a strong focus on domestic life, or even just if you're looking to become more familiar with a fascinating, often forgotten character in Norse mythology.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. ( )

Long ago, when the gods were young and Asgard was new, there came a witch from the edge of the worlds.

Angrboda is mentioned only briefly in what little sources we have for original Norse mythology, referenced as the mother of Loki's children. Genevieve Gornichec has taken these remnants and woven a rich and compelling story of fate, love, betrayal and grief. A gorgeous retelling in the modern fashion. ( )