The lives of two women—one desperate only to save her missing sister, the other a witch destined to become queen of Norway—intertwine in this spellbinding, powerful novel of Viking Age history and myth from the acclaimed author of The Witch’s Heart.
Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always.
When Oddny’s farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined—but she’s determined to save her sister no matter the cost, even as she finds herself irresistibly drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. And in the far north, Gunnhild, who fled her home years ago to learn the ways of a witch, is surprised to find her destiny seems to be linked with that of the formidable King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.
But the bonds—both enchanted and emotional—that hold the two women together are strong, and when they find their way back to each other, these bonds will be tested in ways they never could have foreseen in this deeply moving novel of magic, history, and sworn sisterhood.
In The Weaver and the Witch Queen, Genevieve Gornichec has achieved stunning and enthralling results, much like her previous novel, The Witch’s Heart. She has the ability to create spellbinding historical fantasy that feels authentic and is deeply moving. In this book, told in the voices of both Oddny and Gunnhild, the reader is swept up into the lives of the two women as their bonds are tested. Much like in real life, women have through the ages created sisterhoods between themselves but those bonds are worn thin when women choose different paths or different partners in life. This novel does a fantastic job of portraying sisterhood in a realistic way while stunning and enthralling with the magic and history of the time period.
I love how fierce Gunnhild is but I also love Oddny’s quiet strength and determination to find her sister. Both women are empathetic and engaging. The characters are complex and compelling, especially the men in the novel, Eirik and Halldor. Neither is quite what they appear and that adds to the intrigue and stunning nature of the novel. The pacing is absolutely brilliant and keeps you absorbed in the tale. The details of the historical time period also make the story enchanting.
If you like authentic fantasy that delves into history and mythology, that is powerful and emotional, this is the novel for you. The magic is compelling and enchanting with characters that are complex and emotional. The story is stunning and enthralling. If you like novels about magic, this is definitely one to read.
Rating: 5 out of 5 staffs
