The Witch's Heart

By: Genevieve Gornichec

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

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 Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin’s all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life - and possibly all of existence - is in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she’s foreseen for her beloved family...or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.

This audiobook includes a PDF that contains the Acknowledgments and the Appendix - a listing of people and places that appear in the story, and recommendations for further reading.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Genevieve Gornichec (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A deep journey into the mists of the ancient Norse world of gods, monsters and humans, who shape shift from one to another. But the heart of the story is a witch’s passage over many lifetimes and the ultimate sacrifice she makes for those she loves. A timeless tale of great power and artistry." (Margaret George, New York Times best-selling author of The Splendor Before the Dark)

“A beautiful and fleshed-out story for the jötunn Angrboða.... Genevieve Gornichec both acknowledges her erasure and resolves it, giving Angrboða a life beyond her relationship with Loki, even as she explores their love story in detail. We see Angrboða as a powerful witch and seer, a devoted mother, a lover and friend, and most importantly, as a woman at the heart of her own story at last. I’m very grateful for books like this one.” (Samantha Shannon, New York Times best-selling author of The Mask Falling)

“Ms. Gornichec subverts the mythology from inside, knowledgeably and provokingly. Whatever the Elder Edda may say, the heroines of The Witch’s Heart will not be a delight to “wicked women” alone.” (Tom Shippey, The Wall Street Journal)

Different and captivating

Here is a book that I absolutely did not want to stop listening to! I've never read anything about Nordic Gods before and it's so refreshing to do so now. This book is on my list of favorites. I also like the choice of the narrator, I think it's a good fit for the voice of a wise witch.

Fenrir <3

I found the beginning of this story hard to read because I absolutely could not stand the manipulative, narcissistic, selfish slimy little puke that is Loki. I also was not much interested in the mother role and the domestic chores either - it dragged on and on. I felt trapped reading it. I literally spent a day deciding if I should give up listening and find another book. But with such good reviews, I decided to finish it and I am glad I did. When Angrboða gave birth to Fenrir, my attitude towards the book changed. I felt attached to him like I wanted to hold him. I was involved in her life and couldn't stop reading. Angrboða is fierce and strong and I fell in love with her selflessness and determination. It was an exciting and involved depiction of magic and Seiðr (which I didn't know about before) It was fun to hear the Norse tales from this perspective too. Not from the Gods, but from the Giants. I think this book is a beautiful unique read and it will stick with me.

If you loved Circe by M. Miller, you will love this book

I just finished listening to this book and it was really amazing. I didn’t know a lot about Nordic mythology before, so it was a nice lesson as well as story. I fell in love with how the author brings the characters to life and the end is PERFECT and also epic. It has a similar flavor to Circe by Madeline Miller, a book I also enjoyed....although I must say, the ending of this book is far more epic ;)

It took me a while to get into the narration of this book but by the end I got used to it and ended up liking it. There were a few things that felt a bit off with the narrators voice and the text in the first 3rd of the book, but I stopped noticing it by the middle/end. It is a lovely story. I recommend it.

endearing, emotional, well written

I will listen to this book many times expecting a new experience, ending in tears every time.

Beautifully written and Performed

The author weaves myth into almost every line. Beautifully written and performed, I couldn't stop listening. When the story came to a close, I found myself crying. It wasn't necessarily sad, but captivating.

I love this story!

It is so amazingly written. It’s a wonderful perspective and a heart roller coaster of a story.

Witty & Captivating

There may be a slow start to this story, but it’s a beautiful version with wit and depth. My twin girls (14) started listening with me some point early to mid book and were hooked! We might have developed empathy for Loki, and maybe even a crush on Skardi. The girls requested more books like this one & loved the narrator as well! My husband even enjoyed the humor and the new character and story line, the story that’s never told. We love Morher Witch & The Witch’s Heart.

Amazing

Beautiful, sorrowful, mesmerizing. A tale that has been told before but never so well. Definitely give it a listen.

Spectacular story and narrating

I am so glad I purchased this! It’s one of those stories that you can’t stop thinking about and are sad to have end. I loved the narrator’s voices and ability to pronounce the tricky Nordic names! Such a creative weaving of Norse mythology into a captivating tale that seems like it must be reality.

intriguing

I've been listening to Greek mythology and thought I'd dip my toe into norse mythology. this book has very interesting characters and ties in norse mythology stories around the story of lokis witch wife, angrboda. I was enthralled through the entire book.