Blog Tour: The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec

Today I'm thrilled to share with you all my stop on The Weaver and the Witch Queen's blog tour! This is Genevieve Gornichec follow up release to her first book, The Witch's Heart, which debuted last year and is one that I absolutely adored. I was more than happy to join on this blog tour to highlight her latest release, which is another captivating and thoughtful story told in another Norse myth and Viking-inspired world. And thanks to Yazmine Hassan for inviting me to join this tour!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN
Author:  Genevieve Gornichec
Pub. Date: July 25th, 2023
Publisher: Ace
Pages: 368
Find it: Bookshop.org | Amazon

SYNOPSIS:

"In THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN, the lives of two women—one desperate to find her missing sister, the other destined to become the Queen of Norway—intertwine after a blood oath is put to the test. Childhood friends Gunnhild and Oddny could not be more different: Oddny longs for a peaceful life and a good marriage, while Gunnhild is eager for power and magic. Despite their differences, the girls swear a blood oath to help each other always. Their paths diverge after a fateful night when a powerful seeress delivers a foreboding prophecy which promises that one girl will be the undoing of the other.

Years later, Gunnhild is on a path to becoming a powerful witch, and Oddny and her sister Signy are leading peaceful lives on their family’s farm. The quiet life that Oddny imagined for herself is swiftly ripped from her when her mother is killed and her sister is captured by Viking raiders, and fate draws Oddny and Gunnhild together once more.

Desperate to reach Signy before it’s too late, Gunnhild agrees to a marriage of convenience with Eirik Haraldsson, the future ruler of Norway, giving her the might of his army and an exalted position as the most powerful woman in Norway. But as Gunnhild approaches her destiny as the future Mother of Kings, the bonds that held her to Oddny and Signy are tested in ways they could never have foreseen, and Gunnhild will have to decide if the path to power is worth the blood and terror left in its wake."

 

        Early Praise:  

Intimate and sweeping, richly detailed and propulsive, tragic and uplifting, The Weaver and the Witch Queen proves Genevieve Gornichec really can do it all. Oddny and Gunnhild’s story is epic, timeless, and most of all honest in its portrayal of the indomitable strength of women, the joys and pains of sisterhood, and the limitless power of love in all its many forms.” -Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi

“Gornichec showcases her knowledge of Icelandic folklore and history, while her storytelling reveals the complex and engrossing lives and emotions of her characters.” –Library Journal

“The women will do everything in their power to find their blood-sworn sister, and Gornichec carefully weaves multiple story lines full of political upheaval, romance, and self-discovery into their quest…there’s plenty to enjoy in this lush, Norse mythology-infused world. Fans of Circe and The Book of Gothel will be especially enchanted.” –Publishers Weekly

“Entwines impeccable storytelling, fascinating historical detail and characters so nuanced and mercilessly human that I fell for every one of them and still can’t let them go. Give me everything Gornichec writes—I will devour it.” –H.M. Long, author of Hall of Smoke

“A breathtaking saga of a novel that brims with page-turning tension and wit, impeccable historical and cultural detail, and heroines that are at once fierce and complex but also full of true heart and soul.” –Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar

“Gornichec is a masterful storyteller, crafting remarkable characters full of bravery and heart, a rich world, and the intimate and unbreakable bonds of sisterhood and love. I was both moved and fascinated by this wonderful historical fantasy – epic, tragic, with a slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance.” –Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Genevieve Gornichec earned her degree in history from the Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her study of Norse myths and Icelandic sagas became her writing inspiration. She lives in Cleveland.

Author photo by Daina Faulhaber, via author's website

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Instagram 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay, The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec, & The Sea Elephants by Shastri Akella

    

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Beast You Are: Stories by Paul Tremblay
Publication: July 11th, 2023
William Morrow
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Paul Tremblay has won widespread acclaim for illuminating the dark horrors of the mind in novels and stories that push the boundaries of storytelling itself. The fifteen pieces in this brilliant collection, The Beast You Are, are all monsters of a kind, ready to loudly (and lovingly) smash through your head and into your heart.

In "The Dead Thing," a middle-schooler struggles to deal with the aftermath of her parents' substance addictions and split. One day, her little brother claims he found a shoebox with "the dead thing" inside. He won't show it to her and he won't let the box out of his sight.In "The Last Conversation," a person wakes in a sterile, white room and begins to receive instructions via intercom from a woman named Anne. When they are finally allowed to leave the room to complete a task, what they find is as shocking as it is heartbreaking.

The title novella, "The Beast You Are," is a mini epic in which the destinies and secrets of a village, a dog, and a cat are intertwined with a giant monster that returns to wreak havoc every thirty years.

A masterpiece of literary horror and psychological suspense, The Beast You Are is a fearlessly imagined collection from one of the most electrifying and innovative writers working today."

I've enjoyed a number of Paul Tremblay's books in the past, so I'm intrigued by a short story collection from him! These sound like they'll be quite a ride. 

The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec
Publication: July 25th, 2023
Ace
Hardcover. 368 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"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."

I adored Gornichec's The Witch's Heart and have no doubt that this is going to be just as beautifully written. I have been a little burnt out on Norse-related stories lately, but I think this one will hit the spot anyway!

The Sea Elephants by Shastri Akella
Publication: July 11th, 2023
Flatiron Books
Hardcover. 384 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"For fans of Shuggie Bain and A Burning, a queer coming-of-age novel set in 1990s India, about a young man who joins a traveling theater troupe

Shagun knows he will never be the kind of son his father demands. After the sudden deaths of his beloved twin sisters, Shagun flees his own guilt, his mother’s grief, and his father’s violent disapproval by enrolling at an all-boys boarding school. But he doesn’t find true belonging until he encounters a traveling theater troupe performing the Hindu myths of his childhood.

Welcomed by the other storytellers, Shagun thrives, easily embodying mortals and gods, men and women, and living on the road, where his father can’t catch him. When Shagun meets Marc, a charming photographer, he seems to have found the love he always longed for, too. But not even Marc can save him from his lingering shame, nor his father’s ever-present threat to send him to a conversion center. As Shagun’s past begins to engulf him once again, he must decide if he is strong enough to face what he fears most, and to boldly claim his own happiness.

Utterly immersive and spellbinding, The Sea Elephants is both dark and beautiful, harrowing and triumphant. An ode to the redemptive joys of art, Shastri Akella’s debut novel is a celebration of hard-won love—of others and for ourselves."

This premise sounds like a wonderful mix of all the things I love. I can't wait to have a chance to read it!