Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Witch's Heart

By: Genevieve Gornichec
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

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
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Weaver and the Witch Queen cover art
Daughter of the Sun cover art
Eye of the Wolf cover art
Shield-Maiden: Under the Howling Moon cover art
Luminous cover art
All the Murmuring Bones cover art
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men cover art
The Path of Thorns cover art
The Kingless Crown cover art
The World of Samar Box Set: Volume One cover art
Cunning Women cover art
The First Girl Child cover art
The Poison Season cover art
How to Talk to a Goddess cover art
The Mists of Avalon cover art
Morgan Is My Name cover art

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)

What listeners say about The Witch's Heart

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    125
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    114
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    106
  • 4 Stars
    36
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful Story

I loved this book. I was familiar with all of the stories, but the perspective of Angriboda was really interesting and made them feel new. The performance was great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, and I really, really enjoyed it. The retelling of Loki and Ragnarok from Angrboda's perspective is a unique twist on the myths and very down to earth in the perspective. It starts a bit slow but builds up to a wonderful ending. Loki is a piece of work in this story, but there is no other way to write him I'd say. The narrator also lent a lot to the overall vibe.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A rewarding listen

A beautifully narrated saga. Evokes an ancient way of life and the end of days and how love and sacrifice bring about a new world. Best of all hearing about these well known characters from a female perspective.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous mystical tale

Original storyline with a great performance. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
It would make a good film

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just wonderful

I loved this book so much! one of the best books I've read and I've nearly read 1000.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love love love!!!!!

Literally could not put it down. The story just flows from the start to the finish. Its beautifully written storytelling. Highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Couldn't get very far in...

I've got to say I HATE when narraters give characters Northern accents. Why? This character isn't from Yorkshire so why do they have this accent?

I listened to a Greek mythology title recently that gave every lower class character a Northern accent too.

Was looking forward to this title but I just couldn't overlook this, therefore didn't want to get further into the novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW what a story!!!

absolutely brilliant,loved this,if u love norse mythology this book is a must,I could easily listen to this again,a story entwined with other stories loved listening to it from this angle,the narrator was excellent,really made the story come alive, I rate this book easily 5 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, a wonderful book. I didn't quite enjoy the narration, the character's accents and voices felt strange to me but it grew on me the more I listened

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

I am an avid reader of mythology and fantasy. This was an interesting and thought provoking perspective of a much overlooked Angrboda. I loved this story. Angrboda is portrayed as having the strength and commitment we all wish we had. She is now my favourite character in Norse mythology ❤️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful