delightfulllama's Reviews (116)


The Witch's Heart was probably my quickest read of the year.

A mythological tale of the witch Angrboda, thrice burned and pushed into hiding from Odin and his court due to their fear and greed over her prophetic powers, she flees into the dying forest of Ironwood to try and survive. Here she meets the trickster god Loki whom tramples her initial distrust of him and grows to deeply love him. From this union she is given 3 children, each unique in their own right as well as in the path before them.

Throughout her journey to regain her abilities she learns that the life she has carved for her and her children is destined to be plunged into a dark and dangerous path. From here she has to make a choice whether she will accept that this is the fate that awaits her and her family or if she will attempt to change it.

This book definitely felt like an epic/mythological tale while still being a contemporary novel. Forgoing more archaic language for the aspect of being a two part tale similar to older epics in a before/after story. While the beginning of this story is very heavily character development and less on the story/tale of Angrboda it does delve more into her impact on Norse mythology towards the second half.

I think this book did a good job at bringing to life a lesser remembered aspect of Norse Mythos while still bringing a contemporary feel. While it wasn't one of my 5 star reads of the year I do think it's a good book to pick up and dive into for an afternoon.

First off I wanna content warn this: This book does contain explicit scenes including consensual intercourse so if that is not your thing I would recommended maybe skipping this one.

Neon Gods is a modern retelling of the Olympic Gods, specifically the relationship of Hades and Persephone. In the city of Olympus the Thirteen rule all, from commerce and trade to secrets and people. Nothing comes in or out without their influence and Persephone is the second youngest of the daughters of the most recently elected Demeter.

When Persephone decides she no longer wishes to be a part of this life we get to follow her journey as she tries to break free from the city, her mother's influence and try to figure out who she is without the carefully crafted mask she's made for herself. Especially as that journey leads her to running right into the realm of Hades to escape the life she found herself trapped in.

While having heavy explicit content I think Neon Gods is a fantastic read. The story is well evenly paced with it's beginning and each interaction feels organic and natural to the characters we meet. If this kind of story is your thing I highly recommend picking it up for a read.