Tuesdays with Ambrea: The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

 

 

Reviewed by Ambrea

 

Punished by Odin for refusing to share her magic sight, Angrboda is burned at the stake three times and pierced through her heart with a spear.  When she awakens, she flees to the farthest reaches of Ironwood and begins her life anew.  Even as she refuses to be drawn back in by the treacherous gods and goddesses of Asgard, her story quickly becomes entwined with that of Loki—the trickster god who returns her heart and claims her love.

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec is an interesting novel.  Like most novels revolving around characters in Norse myths, readers immediately know how Angrboda’s story will end—with the realization of Ragnarok and the end of the worlds.  Everyone knows what happened to the old gods and goddesses of Norse mythology.  It can spoil the end of a story, especially if you happen to fall in love with the characters.

But Gornichec’s novel is one of those that grabs you and takes you along for the journey, drawing you into the story, regardless of whether you know the destination or not.  It’s fascinating to see Angrboda fleshed out as a character, as a person—as more than Loki’s wife and the mother of Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungandr.  I enjoyed seeing her develop, weaving together the shattered pieces of her memory, falling in love with Loki, making friends with Skadi and Gerd, fighting to save her children.

I truly enjoyed reading about Angrboda and envisioning her story, but, then again, I’ve found I adore retellings of little-known female characters from ancient literature and mythology.  The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, for instance, or Circe by Madeline Miller.  Others include:  Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin, or The Memoirs of Helen of Troy by Amanda Elyot.

While I don’t think The Witch’s Heart quite lives up to either Diamant’s or Miller’s novels, I think it manages to blaze its own trail and create an interesting, compelling, and enjoyable story.  Moreover, I really liked the way Gornichec brought together different myths—tales of Hyndla, Heid, Gullveig, and Angrboda—and created a singular, intricate story.

I think my biggest complaint about The Witch’s Heart is the length:  it feels a little too long.  I enjoyed reading about Angrboda and following along with her journey; however, I thought it started to run out of steam about midway through the novel.  I mean, once we recognize the true extent of her tragedies and, more to the point, get our first real glimpse of Ragnarok, it’s difficult to remain invested.  After a certain point, much of her story begins to feel like filler, as we slowly make our closer and closer to the end of the world.

Even so, I think it’s a pretty great novel and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Norse mythology or female-centric retellings of classics.