I enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

This review is for Genevieve Gornichec’s The Weaver and the Witch Queen. I pounced on the ability to get an arc of this book since I had also selected the arc of this author’s first book, The Witches Heart, and liked it. This book seemed very different than that one. Still enjoyable, just in a different way. I’m wondering if this is book one of a series, since the author left enough plot points unresolved to make me think there will be a book two. If not, then I would probably drop this down to a two star book. The story had its starts and stops. There were batches where the story was very interesting and spots where it just had filler for fillers sake. I liked the descriptions of the Vikings and how life was during that time. There are enough books out there that we have a pretty good grasp of how things were. This book explains life in those times well. You can tell that she did her research.
The magic, on the other hand was interesting. I liked how it could be taught, and what was possible. Our main character, Gunnhild, had a rough upbringing after a seeress divulged a prophecy about her and her two friends. She took advantage of an opportunity and left her hometown to study with another wandering seeress to learn magic. Other than that, I didn’t actually care about her. She was kind of a jerk. I did like how the author made it seem like the two sisters, Signy and Oddny were opposites. One was content to follow her path in life, the other wanted adventure. That magic wasn’t passed through family ties. One could see the threads. One couldn’t. But at the end that didn’t seem to matter. You could do anything if you just put your mind to it. That was one thing I didn’t like. What was the point of studying magic when one could just pick it up like it was nothing? It just seemed like everything magically fixed itself at the end. The end of the story seemed really rushed as well.
Another thing I didn’t like was the nature of Halldor. It was completely unnecessary to include that and the story would have been just fine, imo, better without it. It had no bearing on the story itself and it was unbelievable that everyone was so tolerant. The same with Oddny’s cramps. There was no point. Useless filler that went nowhere. If there is going to be a book two maybe these things would have had a reason to exist, but as of now, nope.
I am glad that there was a glossary at the end. There were so many different people that they were hard to keep track of. Maybe a family tree at the beginning would have been a nice addition. If there is a book two, I’d probably read it just to see if any of the plot holes ever get filled.

I've noticed a recent trend in novels that don't shirk on women's capacity for violence, whether it be for self-defense, for revenge, for income, or anything else. I loved this story. I loved the chosen sisterhood of these women, of the journeys they take and the choices they make to forge their own identities. I love the perspective on a culture we all have an understanding of, but that's full of more nuance and possibility than most people give it credit for. I love the relationship dynamics, the connections the characters have with one another that drive the plot, romance and friendship and enmity. I love their messy lives, and that even though we get a happy ending it's not a clean one - the characters are changed and damaged by what they've been through, and their relationships are fundamentally altered as a result. My only complaint is that I flagged a little about a third into the book, but after pushing through it I've loved the whole thing.

Language: Moderate
Violence: High
Drugs: Mild
Sex: Moderate

I've been a fan of Naomi Novik for awhile and this sounded like it would be right up my alley. I love fantasy with some folklore and mythology mixed in. I did thoroughly enjoy the story but I had a hard time feeling any empathy for Gunnhild. She was just not a very likeable character. She was short tempered and pretty self centered and I found myself really not liking her. On the other hand I really enjoyed Oddny's character, she had real depth and character development throughout the story. Overall a good, fairly quick read for fans of Novik or Katherine Arden.

4.5. I liked this better than Genevieve Gornichec's previous novel, The Witch's Heart, likely because it was less of a straightforward mythology retelling and more of Gornichec's own creation. The dialogue is also stronger and less awkward. One aspect from The Witch's Heart that I was happy to see preserved here, however, is how much agency our women protagonists have--they're incredibly strong, inspiration, smart, and bitingly funny in their wit. There's also a trans character (possible spoiler?) that ends up having a major role in the story.

Genevieve Gornichec weaves magic, history, and sisterhood into The Weaver and the Witch Queen.
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 wise woman 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 and Gunnhild are determined to save Signy no matter the cost
I enjoyed this story steeped in history and loved how the writer didn’t shy away from adding fantasy to the story. The characters are multifaceted even if seems their missions are singular. Gunnhild is both a good should but also ambitious which ends up hurting those she loves. The queer community is also represented reminding readers that these people have existed since people did.
I wasn’t big on her relationship with Gunnhild’s husband. They kept flip-flopping their feelings and relationship status and that got old. But overall I enjoyed this Norse tale.

I received an ARC for review; all opinions are my own.

The Weaver And The Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec is a historical fantasy featuring the bond between three women which will be tested. The story is about Vikings in Norway. Gunnhild yearns for another life away from her cold, unloving mother. Oddny and Signy are sisters who visit Gunnhild's family annually. Gunnhild runs away to learn witchcraft after a seeress provides an ambiguous future for the three girls. Years pass and raiders kill Oddny and Signy's mother and brother. They kidnap Signy. And so Oddny must do what it takes to find Signy again, with the help of Gunnhild who reappears after many years of absence in her life. Gunnhild is now a witch who is to marry King Eirik in exchange for help finding Signy. Meanwhile Oddny finds herself drawn to one of the raiders, Halldor, who is carrying a secret.

Gornichec's The Weaver And The Witch Queen had an interesting setting in the sense of both time and place. I do not read as much about vikings or books set in Scandanavia. So, this was new and fascinating to me. The pacing felt kind of slow and meandering but that's likely impacted by the fantasy book I read beforehand. There is transgender representation in this book which is so cool but it's also turned into a plot point which I don't love. I did enjoy the sisterhood between Gunnhild and Oddny and even Signy who gets the least amount of page time. Overall, I'd be willing to read more from Gornichec and will be taking the time to check her debut out soon.

Steeped in Norse traditions and magic, The Weaver and the Witch Queen is a riveting journey with empowered women, strong female friendships, and romance to boot. While at times difficult to keep all the characters straight, by the end of the lengthy novel, I was wishing for MORE from them and I can only hope that this is just the beginning of their stories..

The Weaver and the Witch Queen
Genevieve Gornichec
Pub date: July 25, 2023
5 Amazing Stars

I absolutely loved The Witch’s Heart and I loved The Weaver and the Witch Queen just as much.

Beautifully told, this Viking age tale tells the story of Gunnhild, along with sisters Oddny and Signy. Friends since childhood, the sisters watched Gunnhild’s horrific abuse from her mother, helpless to do anything about it. When Heid, a visiting seeress/witch tells the three girls their future, she leaves them with this dark prophecy:

“𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 …. 𝘐 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦”

This prophecy drives the girls to take a blood oath, promising to be there for one another always. Years later, now adults, Oddny and Signy’s farm is raided. Signy is taken and Oddny must find her. Gunnhild, who left with Heid to learn the ways of a seeress/witch, has seen the raid through the eyes of a bird. The women are tied together still and Gunnhild will do anything to help Oddny find Signy.

What follows is an epic tale rich with Kings, Queens, magic and mayhem. Every character is well thought out and deeply felt through their storyline. The beauty and the trials of sisterhood are written exquisitely incorporating Norse mythology with a focus on the female empowerment of those times.

I can’t say enough about this book or the one before it. Just a big bravo and well done! Genevieve Gornichec is an author to put on your shelf. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

My thanks to @BerkleyPub for this gifted DRC.

A quick and enjoyable read. Difficult and messy familial relationships, found family, enemies to lovers and Norse mythology and magic made for a fun book. I appreciate the author's note at the end explaining the realities of the Viking age versus their choices in writing the story. I look forward to more from Gornichec.

This author is a force to be reckoned with. I love the feeling this book gives, that you're living the myth with the character and really getting to see the depth of their feelings and actions.

Rating: 5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Who doesn’t love a great Viking book, with witches, queens, healers, and of course some romance.

I loved The Witch’s Heart and when I saw that Gornichec wrote another book that had Norse mythology, I knew that I had to read it.

I thought the plot was well done and showed the closest thing we have to Norse mythology accuracy and showing that women can be just as powerful as males in that time. I thought the author did an amazing job showing that females were not the lesser sex in this time but could be strong, hard headed, resilient, determined and women that will not let anything get in the way of them changing their futures. These three women do whatever is needed to ensure that they can choose what they need and want, instead of depending on males of the society to decide for them. I thought the underlying point of the book was well known and it was not dragged down with info dumping or non-sense. The book was well written, with a great pace (slow when needed and fast when needed). I loved that in the book these three women would be in the action of any drama there to help with their words or to fight, they did not shy away from hard topics or any hard actions that they needed to take to get them where they wanted.

“I’m- I’m afraid to fail,” Gunnhild answered at last. “I’m afraid I’m not strong enough. I’m afraid to die. I’m afraid to lose more than I already have. I’m afraid to be nothing.’”

I thought the characters are where this book really shines. I loved that they were well developed, their character growth was done throughout the book and by the end of the book you really got to see these women shine. I loved that they were all different in their personalities, you got to see each of them struggle to find where they fit in, struggle to keep what they have and to see them all become something more. I thought the author did a wonderful job with making these characters close to the accuracy of what we know about Vikings and how they did things but still making it a wonderful fantasy novel.

I would say more but I do not want to ruin the book at all for you, so make sure you like this review to read this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

I seem to be enjoying these mythy/fantasy/witchy type books so much lately. They take me out of my head and take me on a journey to forget this kinda shitty world we are in.

This one features three women bound by a childhood pact that they will always be there for each other. The three women came to life for me and I cared about each one. Even when they were not the best of people.

Filled with Norse mythology I ate this sucker up and was ticked off when it was time to put aside to go to bed each night until I finished it.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I adored The Witch's Heart so I had high hopes for The Weaver and the Witch Queen, and I'm very happy to tell you that I completely adored it! Gornichec has a way to taking these historical fantasy stories and making them unputdownable. She weaves a stunning tale of female bonds, magic and found family.

Oddy & Gunnhild make our two main characters. We first see them as children on the fateful day where their prophecy is foretold before jumping ten-or-so years into the future. The inclusion of their childhood helps Gornichec set up their family dynamics, friendships and the prophecy that dominates their lives. I found myself captivated from the very start of the story.

While there is romance in the book I'd argue that these aren't as important as the friendship between the two girls. I loved watching Oddy & Gunnhild find their partners and navigate what the tough early stages of their relationships, and how they blossom into more. But ultimately the most important relationship is those of the girls and how their fates are intertwined. Gornichec has taken another tale and handed all of the power to the main women of the story, and it's simply stunning.

There's both moments of tenderness and of action. There's LGBTQ+ rep and a look into how that sits within a Viking setting. All of the characters are important and have their own personalities, there isn't a single character that is there just to further the plot. Honestly, Gornichec could tell any story and I'd take the time to listen. There's something seriously special about how she weaves these tales.

Loved this Norse-inspired fantasy!

Extensively researched and based on historical figures, this book is both original and female-forward.

After a witch visiting their village makes a disturbing prophecy about three young girls, sisters Oddny and Signy make a blood oath with their friend Gunnhild to protect and help one another, and have no idea what that somewhat innocent childhood gesture will require of them.

A decade later, Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, and Oddny vows to find her. Meanwhile, Gunnhild is honing her powers as a witch.

The Weaver and The Witch Queen had everything a fantasy should: strong characters in peril, relationships of love and loyalty that are constantly tested, a magic system, and plenty of action and adventure.

The story also felt more modern than the fantasy I used to read back in the 2010s, with a transgender character who was thoughtfully portrayed and integrated in a way that felt natural to the story. Some of the dialogue seemed a bit contemporary, but hey, unless we all want to read Old Norse, it's all a translation anyway.

Gornichec's writing is strong and I loved that the book included a full character list and a list of unfamiliar terms at the back.

Gunnhild's character (among others) was based on a real historical figure and I wanted to know more!

In the historical fantasy The Weaver and the Witch Queen, Genevieve Gornichec (The Witch's Heart) brilliantly strikes a balance between past realities and present sensibilities. Gornichec, without apologizing for or altering the sometimes-harsh realities of Old Norse culture, creates a richly layered world with strong characters and a complex society in this feminist and queer historical fantasy.

Gunnhild escapes her cruel mother at age 12, leaving her blood-sworn sisters, Oddny and Signy, not knowing if Gunnhild is dead or alive. She spends the next 12 years training to become a witch and a seeress, returning to her home only when she witnesses a witch-aided attack on her friends' home. After Signy is taken captive to be sold as a thrall (slave), Gunnhild and Oddny each set out on a quest to rescue her. Along the way, both women fall in love, come close to death several times, and learn more about themselves and their world than they ever expected.

The novel draws on Gornichec's academic background in Norse history, legend, and mythology, but its strength is in the individual characters and the intimate picture it paints of social and political realities that affect the personal. The dialogue is natural to a contemporary ear, making the characters familiar despite the unfamiliarity of their world. Even in epic battle scenes--of which there are quite a few--the focus remains on characters' emotions and relationships. Filled with sea voyages, political intrigue, surprise betrayals, and tender love, this historical fantasy will thrill readers and capture their hearts.

Uplifting and amazing. This is my first book from Gornichec and I could not put it down. This was a wonderful adventure of magic, sisterhood and what makes family. I will share this book with those who I think will enjoy it to the end of my days.

I got 80% through this, but just didn't finish. It has a much more Young Adult focus than I prefer, and the writing is a little clunky. I just didn't care enough about any of the characters to bother reading to the end.

DNF @ 52%

I loved this book so much, the prose was stark and the atmosphere dripped. The characters were all so well-written and developed. I just wasn't privy to the content warnings, and that is entirely my fault as I see the author has posted them on her social media and on Goodreads, and need to step away for the moment. I will be returning to this book in the future and will be purchasing my own copy and recommending to my audience and to my friends.

Another great entry from Gornichec. I enjoy her spare writing style and found the plot intriguing.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.