The Witch's Heart
by Genevieve Gornichec
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Starts from a violent, mythic image and then settles into a close, character-driven retelling of Norse material where a banished witch falls for a legendary trickster god. What works best is its emotional focus: intimate scenes, moral cost, and a subversive viewpoint that puts the outcast's interior life at the center. The main limitation is a deliberate, often lyrical pace that repeats themes; readers who want fast action, tight plotting, or hands-on worldbuilding may find it slow or indulgent.
Read this if...
- •a community book-club member who must lead next month's meeting on feminist retellings — needs short, quotable scenes and moral questions to spark conversation; the book supplies intimate, debate-ready passages and ambiguous choices to assign and unpack.
- •an MFA fiction student writing a novel that reworks mythic material and practicing close third-person interiority — wants examples of extended lyrical point-of-view and sentence-level pacing to model; this book provides long stretches of focused interior narration to study.
- •a fantasy reader coming off an action-heavy epic and looking for a quiet palate cleanser between long series — best when you want to slow down for mood, character, and emotional resonance rather than plot fireworks or fast pacing.
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the narrative shifts from its opening incident into long, introspective passages — patience for repeated mood and reflection is required.
- •annoying if you prefer tight plotting, frequent action, or elaborate worldbuilding rather than character-focused, lyrical prose.
- •lose interest if you expect a conventional myth retelling that sticks to familiar plot beats; this version rearranges emphasis toward interior life and consequence.
When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology. Angrboda's story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrbod...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a community book-club member who must lead next month's meeting on feminist retellings — needs short, quotable scenes and moral questions to spark conversation; the book supplies intimate, debate-ready passages and ambiguous choices to assign and unpack.
- an MFA fiction student writing a novel that reworks mythic material and practicing close third-person interiority — wants examples of extended lyrical point-of-view and sentence-level pacing to model; this book provides long stretches of focused interior narration to study.
- a fantasy reader coming off an action-heavy epic and looking for a quiet palate cleanser between long series — best when you want to slow down for mood, character, and emotional resonance rather than plot fireworks or fast pacing.
- you'll likely put it down when the narrative shifts from its opening incident into long, introspective passages — patience for repeated mood and reflection is required.
- annoying if you prefer tight plotting, frequent action, or elaborate worldbuilding rather than character-focused, lyrical prose.
- lose interest if you expect a conventional myth retelling that sticks to familiar plot beats; this version rearranges emphasis toward interior life and consequence.
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Why recommended
appears in Sci Fi Romance.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
No verified recommendation proof available yet.
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Recommended by 20 sources.
“Project Hail Mary opens with an amnesiac astronaut waking on a spaceship, and the fun is watching him piece together his identity and apocalyptic mission. The book is driven by scientific puzzles—every crisis met with experimentation and calculation—but it’s buoyed by a warmth that arrives with an unexpected alien ally. What works best is a clever, can’t-put-it-down plot laced with optimism. The limitation: for some readers, the frequent, detailed science asides will feel like lectures that stall the momentum.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.