Release Date: May 4th 2021
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 384
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent provided me with an E-ARC to review
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis
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.
Review
The Witch’s Heart is the stunning story of Angrboda. When she refuses to give Odin the knowledge he wants of the future, he has her burned alive. When she flees to the forest, determined to live a quiet existence away from Odin’s all-seeing eye. When she is found by Loki, they soon form a bond and produce three children. As her powers return she soon learns everything she knows and loves is in danger, but will she accept the future she has witnessed, or rise up against it?
This was such a gripping book and I really fell in love with Angrboda as a character. I don’t know all that much about her from the original Norse myths so I was completely fascinated by her story. Her powers were so interesting and she was such a strong and determined protagonist. Gornichec has such a beautiful writing style and it felt like I was reading one of the original stories. It fit so well with the style and feel of a myth and I got completely swept up in this well-executed story.
Gornichec creates some really complex characters and there is so much character depth in this story. The relationship between Angrboda and Loki was well created and I also really liked the relationship that develops between Angrboda and Skadi. This is a magical tale, full of love and loss. The Witch’s Heart is at times really heart wrenching and there were definitely a few moments where I teared up. This is a well-crafted tale, bringing a modern twist to these well-known stories. If you’re a fan of mythology reimaginings this is definitely one to check out.
Ariadne first caught my eye because of that absolutely stunning cover. When I hear this was a retelling of the minotaur myth from the perspective of Ariadne I was incredibly excited to pick it up. The story follows Ariadne, daughter of King Minos. Ariadne lives with the sound of hoofbeats beneath the palace, as the minotaur roams the labyrinth below. When Theseus, Prince of Athens is brought to Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him and decides to help him destroy the minotaur. But doing so will betray her family and her country.
Master Artificer is the second instalment in Justin Call’s epic Silent Gods series. Master of Sorrows was one of my favourite reads of 2019 so I was so excited to dive back into this fascinating world. The story is full to the brim with magic and assassins and so much more – I couldn’t wait to find out what was next for Annev. Master Artificer is a bit chunkier than Master of Sorrows and it felt much much darker. I won’t say too much about the plot because it is the second book in the series but this instalment is brilliant and if possible I loved it even more than book one. We follow Annev and his friends immediately after the events of book one as 
Cara Hunter is back with an all-new thriller in the DI Fawley series. This time Fawley and the team are dealing with a sexual assault case at Oxford University, but the victim is a six-foot rugby player and the accused is a professor at the top of her field. As the team work to uncover the truth they soon learn there’s more to this case than meets the eye. As the team race against the clock, the body of a missing woman is discovered and as the investigation begins it seems the only real suspect is Fawley himself.
I have been reading quite a bit of historical fiction lately so when I heard about The Wolf Den I was desperate to read it. The story follows Amara, a young woman sold into slavery and forced to work in an infamous Pompeii brothel. Working for a man she hates, Amara fights every day to survive the streets of Pompeii and find a way to secure her freedom.
Firekeeper’s Daughter is a book that caught my eye because of that absolutely beautiful cover. The story follows Daunis a young biracial woman who struggles to fit in with her community. She hopes to go off to college and study medicine, but with recent family tragedies, she decides to stick around for another year to help her family grieve. When she meets Jamie, the new star of her brother’s hockey team, Daunis feels there might be a light at the end of the tunnel but when she witnesses a murder and becomes tangled up in a criminal investigation, Daunis finds herself becoming a confidential informant for the FBI. As she attempts to uncover who is bringing drugs into her community, what she finds could tear her world apart.
C. L. Taylor is one of my favourite thriller writers so I always go into her books with the highest of expectations. Once again I was completely sucked into this fast-paced tale full to the brim with suspense. The story is set around a Soul Shrink retreat in Gozo that went horribly wrong: two people died and another committed suicide. We follow Tom Wade, the man behind Soul Shrink, who has just been released from prison, his wife Kate as they attempt to put the past behind them and Fran the sister of the girl who committed suicide. Fran is trying to uncover the truth behind her sister’s death, so when Tom and Kate announce a new Soul Shrink retreat, Fran signs up. But what she uncovers might be far more than she bargained for.
The Lore of Prometheus is the dark story of John Carver, a soldier struggling with memories of his time in Afganistan. Struggling to pay off his debts, he agrees to take a security position in Kabul. When he returns to Kabul the memories come flooding back of the event he has so hard to forget – the day he felt magic stirring within him. But Carver isn’t the only one with these magical abilities, and some people will stop at nothing to get them.
The Holdout is a gripping thriller that follows Maya Seale a young woman who ten years ago was part of the jury that found Bobby Nock innocent of the murder of his fifteen-year-old student Jessica Silver. Their decision rocked the country and it has changed the lives of every person on the jury. When the jurors are asked to reunite for a television show Maya reluctantly agrees, but when one of the jurors turns up dead Maya is the prime suspect – but who is behind it and did they make the right choice all those years ago?
The Imposter is an expertly woven tale that tells the story of Chloe, a quiet girl who spends her time working as an archivist and looking after her Nan. She becomes obsessed with the story of a missing girl and the parents that never stopped hoping for her return. When her Nan is moved to a nursing home and she finds herself with nowhere to live, Chloe answers an ad for a lodger with the missing girls’ parents. When she moves in she learns there’s much more going on with the couple than she ever expected.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 