The Weaver and the Witch Queen is not a Norse myth retelling, but a reimagining of the origin of the “Mother of Kings,” who began the lineage of the Norse kings. This is a blending of Norse tales from Egil’s Saga and Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla with Gornichec’s own magical system, resulting in historical fantasy, pure and simple.
What makes the novel unusual is that this is a novel about three women, best friends as children, and their growth into young womanhood. Even as children they had dreams that set them apart from the usual girls’ dreams. As children, they (Gunnhild and the sisters Oddny and Signy) perform a blood oath swearing to always be there for each other. Soon after, Gunnhild flees her abusive home to train as a witch. Ten years later, the girls’ paths cross again when Viking raiders destroy Signy and Oddny’s farm and kill the rest of their family. Signy is enslaved, but Oddny escapes. Gunnhild learns that she and her friends are also bound by a prophecy. Gunnhild and Oddny honor their oath and rescue Signy.
This story highlights the personal growth of each of these strong female characters. One of the best parts about it is the transgender representation of Halldor, the love interest of Oddny. A slight but strong Viking warrior who can best even King Eirek. Halldor was given a woman’s name at birth, but by force of will, becomes the grandson of the current king, and falls in love with a woman. Halldor is always described as male, and the handling of his birth gender is very delicately told.
********************
The Weaver and the Witch Queen(Ace, July 25, 2023) is available through:
********************
You can read my review of Gornichec’s The Witch’s Heart here.
********************
This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
