Following the release of her bestselling debut, THE WITCH’S HEART, Genevieve Gornichec returns with THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN, another mythology-influenced tale of magic, women and power. Turning to 900s CE Norway, Gornichec immerses readers in Viking Age history to introduce three unforgettable girls whose fates are intimately bound.

At 12 years old, Gunnhild Ozuradottir sits exactly between her best friends in age --- Signy is a year older and Oddny a year younger. Although they have been steadfast friends practically since birth, they only see each other at special gatherings. So it is understandable that Gunnhild is so excited by their most recent arrival that she nearly forgets the reason: a seeress has come to her father’s great hall, and all of the surrounding families have assembled for a chance to learn what their futures hold. Despite being the host family for the event, Gunnhild’s mother --- a difficult, domineering and abusive woman --- has forbidden Gunnhild from hearing her fortune. But Signy and Oddny’s mother has told her daughters that they may meet the seeress. So Gunnhild comes along, knowing that her mother wouldn't risk the humiliation by punishing her publicly.

"Gornichec proves that she is not just a new, promising voice in the world of historical fantasy, but perhaps the voice of historical fantasy."

Amid a decadent feast, the songs of their culture, and an uplifting, hopeful tone, the girls approach the seeress. “One of you clouds the futures of the others. For better or worse, your fates are intertwined. I dare not say more,” says the seeress, thereby turning them into a spectacle, their audience not sure if they are cursed or gifted. The girls swear a blood oath to never part. But desperate to escape her abusive mother and the path her family has laid out for her, Gunnhild takes off with the seeress that night, promising to apprentice under her and become a witch. Meanwhile, Signy and Oddny return to their father’s farm, their marriage prospects now hopelessly dashed as word of their fortune spreads through the fjord. For 12 years, the sisters do not see Gunnhild again.

Now in their 20s, Signy and Oddny live humble, modest lives on their farm. They weave, tend to the animals, watch the men in their family and community head off on deadly raids, and bemoan the fortune laid upon them by the seeress. But when a ship appears and raiders storm their home, looking not for fortune or livestock but for them, they are reunited with Gunnhild in the form of a sparrow as she attacks Oddny’s captor and guarantees her path to freedom. Signy, though, is not so lucky and is taken, likely to be sold as a wife or slave.

Unbeknownst to them, Gunnhild, now a witch herself, has been vacating her human body and dropping in on them as a bird every so often to make sure they are well. That she visited them on the day of the raid is a coincidence, but a dangerous one. Just before Signy disappears, Gunnhild notices that a witch is helping the raiders. She was not meant to be involved, the witch warns her, but it is clear that someone has heard the prophecy of their and is hell-bent on keeping them separated.

The Norway of the girls’ time is war-torn and precarious: the King’s favorite son, Eirik --- believed to be his successor --- has killed two of his half-brothers, turning him into a kinslayer, the worst offense imaginable to most of the kingdoms. His living half-brothers cannot touch him while their father is alive, but he has noticed that their subtle attacks are increasing not just in frequency but in devastation. Most recently, his men turned orange-eyed and vicious during a raid, behaving not as themselves but as the possessed, and costing him not just a fight but some good men.

Although he hates witches, magic and dangerous alliances, Eirik sees an opportunity for a powerful union when he meets Gunnhild, who is set on heading home to protect Oddny and help find her sister. The two pair up, with Gunnhild promising to protect his men and Eirik vowing to get her home safely. But Gunnhild learns that the world is even more fractured than she believed, and certain witches seem to be pulling the strings...or at least being paid to pull them.

When Gunnhild and Oddny finally reunite, they are able to focus on their shared goal of rescuing Signy, but not before aligning themselves with kinslayers, raiders and romantic partners, all while the political intrigues and upheavals of Norway play out behind them. The girls’ bonds are tested, their loyalties frayed and their faith nearly fractured…and that’s before they even leave the fjord. Only one thing is certain: their blood oath is, and must be, stronger than everything that lies ahead of them.

With a broad cast and an even deeper mythological grounding, THE WEAVER AND THE WITCH QUEEN expands on the Norse sagas of Gunnhild, Mother of Kings. Like most powerful women --- in fiction and in history --- Gunnhild largely has been presented in a negative light. In her sophomore release, Gornichec plucks these vague details from history and legend and fleshes them out, weaving a rich, magical tale of sisterhood and loyalty, as told through the eyes of two powerful women. Her worlds are lived-in, so real that you could touch or walk into them, her characters are impeccably drawn, and her portrayals of themes like sisterhood, legacy and loyalty are nearly unparalleled.

Bringing to life Viking culture --- with its raids and violence, but also its faith and fortitude --- and the sensations, tastes and smells of life on the Norwegian fjords, Gornichec proves that she is not just a new, promising voice in the world of historical fantasy, but perhaps the voice of historical fantasy.