Angrboda's story begins where most witch's tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to give him 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 grows reluctantly into a deep and abiding love. Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who she 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. Angrboda must choose whether she'll accept the fate that she's foreseen for her beloved family ... or rise to remake their future. 

I enjoyed experiencing Norse mythology through the lens of a lesser-known, female mythological figure. Through Angrboda’s eyes, we see gods like Loki, Odin, and Thor in an entirely new, more nuanced light. As in Greek mythology, these larger-than-life figures bring about their fates by fighting hard to avoid them, and Genevieve Gornichec throughtfully returns to the theme of cursed foreknowledge again and again. Apart from its final pages describing Ragnorak, The Witch’s Heart is a quiet, gently-paced story with an emphasis on women’s roles in history and myth, agency, and the love of a mother (even a mother of monsters). This is a good pick for anyone interested in feminist retellings of familiar tales.

Circe
by Madeline Miller
Little, Brown and Company, 2018. 400 pages. Fiction. 

Follows Circe, the banished witch daughter of Helios, as she hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods and mortals. 

Nettle & Bone

by T. Kingfisher
Tor, 2023. 272 pages. Fantasy 

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra-the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter-has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince-if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning. On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last. 

Norse Mythology
by Neil Gaiman 

W. W. Norton & Company, 2017. 304 pages. Fiction. 

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he presents his fashioning of the primeval Norse myths into a novel, which begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds, delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants, and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly recreating the characters--the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendencey to let passion ignite their actions--and making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.