Rating: ★★★
Angrboda is a banished witch, punished by Odin for refusing to share her knowledge of the future with him. She has been burned and her heart cut out, but is surprised when Loki returns it to her. The pair fall in love and have three unusual children, each with their own destiny. However these destinies draw the attention of the gods back to them, and Angrboda must leave her hiding place to protect her children.
I was really excited for this book because I love mythology retellings and I really don’t know much about Norse mythology. My favourite parts were the stories of the three children and how these turn out, and Angrboda herself is a strong and complex character whose love for her children drives the story. It was a really cool insight into Norse mythology and made me want to learn more.
I absolutely loved the first half of this book. It was interesting, informative and Angrboda’s relationships with Loki and her family were fascinating to read about. However the second half of this really dragged on for me, and it began to feel like it would never end (not a good feeling). I did not enjoy how different the two halves felt – almost like different books – because everything about the book changed completely. The pace, the mood, the tone all changed in one second.Although Angrboda is a strong character, I began to tire of her tone and voice as a narrator, and found that this second half of the book was repetitive and slow.
Overall, this definitely sparked my interest in Norse mythology, which I can’t wait to read more about, but didn’t keep me entertained from start to finish.
Ink Drops Books 