I feel like I need to start this review by stressing that YA Fantasy Romance is not my favourite genre, far from it, but there was something about this book that called out to me and I was desperate to read it. I know what it was that called out to me, I love Vikings and I want to be a Shield maiden, but I’m so glad I picked this up because I loved this book and I ended up absolutely devouring it!

We follow Fryda, a chief’s daughter who was left disabled after a terrible childhood accident leaving her dreams of becoming a Shield Maiden in ruins. But Fryda never gives up hope. When her uncle King Beowulf comes to visit, Fryda is left to fight for the safety of her clan.

The reason I don’t lean towards YA is I always find myself disappointed with the characters, that was not the case here. Despite the trauma of her past Fryda is a strong and inspiring female lead, her love interest Theow (a slave) who is perceived as not worthy of her by the rest of the clan was wonderfully written. It takes something special for me to get invested in a romance and I was rooting for this pair from the beginning.

The only issue I had with this one was the fight scenes. The fight scenes just fell a but short for me, I’d have loved a bit more in depth description and a tad grittier. What we got wasn’t bad I’d just have liked a little more.

Oh also there is a dragon. Who doesn’t love a dragon?

This feminist take on Norse myths will surprise those who think they know the story. It's furiously gripping, blending the battle cries with the dragon's fiery breath. It's unpredictable, simmering and shimmering.

Because the Beowulf legend served as the mythical model, the worldbuilding is also fascinating. Stories centered around Beowulf typically feature Grendel and Grendel's mother, so this one focuses exclusively on the portion of the poem that deals with the dragon. This feels somewhat novel.

This story of a little princess who was terribly injured and had to give up her ambitions of becoming a Shield Maiden captivated me completely. Drawing extensively on ancient Beowulf poetry, the author crafts a tale of forbidden love, betrayal, and self-belief.

Though I adored Bryce, Hild, and Theow, I frequently felt more irritated with other characters and the choices they made. I did appreciate the sporadic views of Fýrdraca.

Found this one extremely difficult to get into which isn’t what I expected when reading the description. I found the plot to be way too slow for my taste and as a result found it really difficult to empathise with the characters.

This was SUCH an enjoyable read! While it’s a mythology and fantasy story, it reads with all the depth, detail and atmosphere of a historical novel.

I wasn’t overly familiar with the Beowulf legend going into this book, and after reading it I definitely want to read more! I also really liked the approach the author took, of creating a character close enough to the action that we got to be in the heart of it all, but far enough removed that it felt like a fresh perspective.

I really enjoyed Fryda as a main character. She was tender hearted but fierce, determined without becoming callous. She had so many layers and complexities to her, and was a pleasant contrast to the typical hero-types.

There was a great combination of political intrigue with high fantasy and battles, which kept the book engaging, varied, and proved how much range the author has. I love book that blends genres so this was an absolute hit with me!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. Unfortunately it wasn't my vibe, but the potential is there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

So as someone who loves Viking i had no choice but to ask for an E-arc of this book and i was so happy when i was sent a copy. this is a feminist re-telling oh Beowulf, but in a way which is clever and respectful to the original story. Norse mythology was well researched and used thought-out this book in a way which gives strength to the MC growth and development. The was no holding back or washing away this history and culture of the time in this book and it touches on subject people might need to checks TW for. but all in all one of the best re-telling of this story i have read in a long time

I really enjoyed this book! I love epic poetry, so a Beowulf story is naturally going to catch my attention, but I really appreciated how this was both a retelling and a new story entirely! I also really liked that the focus of this story was a lesser seen part of Beowulf’s life, with his big hero moment being a long time done in this book.

I think I would have enjoyed a bit more characterization, but that isn’t to say it was bad. The characters that mattered were very well done, I just think some of the side characters could have used some more.

Overall, I think this book is very good if you want a story that runs alongside and is parallel to Beowulf.

A gréât book just not for me I think!
I had absolutely no idea of the plot outside the brief lines of Beowulf so this was a nice surprise.
We’ll written but a bit slow pace

I really enjoyed the author's writing style so would definitely read future books. The story didn't quite work for me as the plot was too slow and I lost interest a few times.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. The book was ok it didn't blow me away but there were elements that I liked. Would recommend

I absolutly loved this book! The world buidling was exquisite and i loved the characters. I had been searching for a book that was different from all the rest and i found it here.

This one was a DNF for me pretty early on, but I'm still giving it three stars because I think it's a case of "it's not the book, it's me," and there are plenty of people I'd recommend it to!

I remember reading Beowulf in old English when i was a teenager and then more modern versions of it later. The great giants and Ogres and monsters and the grand warriors of old. Who lived in very dirty, unhygienic, cold and uncomfortable houses with dogs and humans all sleeping together on the floor etc etc. And then there is the nasty Eagle that these warriors performed on their enemies - so very blood-thirsty.
But i can well imagine that a disabled girl would want to be a warrior as it encompassed all that she was not.
In many respects I do enjoy the old Norse sagas, but they do glorify a nasty brutish culture with little to recommend itself to those without physical prowess, and with little apparent enjoyment of the finer things of life, and women were only respected if they were physically powerful and pseudo males.
So on one hand I enjoy the story telling of these sagas, but on the other hand I dislike the culture they are glorifying. A dichotomy.

When I picked this up I didn’t realise it was YA and unfortunately I suspect this may colour my judgement of the book in general. The writing is solid and competent, but I struggled sometimes to stay engaged with Fryda because she felt so young and in some cases naive, at least in the first part. The story grew on me as it progressed, there’s lots of action and it’s interesting to see parts of Beowulf interwound with an original story. However, the dragon is a bit of a wasted opportunity. I felt like although we get snippets of its thoughts throughout the book, the ultimate outcome is a little disjointed and not necessarily well embedded with the rest of the story.

Shield Maiden was an exciting novel that kept me engaged from start to finish. I really enjoy the Beowulf story and having a slightly different take was well done. The characters were built up well and it made me care about events as they progressed. The descriptions of daily life in the village were immersive and felt authentic.

Overall, I would highly recommend Shield Maiden to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, particularly stories that centre on strong and complex female characters.

This was an okay read for me, it wasn't quite what I was expecting and it got confusing at times with all the different points of view.

Definitely some slight romeo/Juliet vibes here but from my understanding, this was based off an old poem around the legend of Beowulf (can't say I know much about that side of things) but I enjoyed it all the same.
We are given a strong female protagonist princess who falls in love with a slave, obviously a huge problem there. The story was captivating and we'll written.

This is historical fantasy. Our female main character has always wanted to be a shield maiden but a horrific accident (which the book starts with) has left her with a disability which means that's probably not going to be an option.

But when things take a turn during a gathering of various clans she has to help defend her people from both regular threats and also a dragon.

So this is based on the Beowulf poems/stories, although I'm not sure how close this sticks to the content of those. This is about 90% historical fiction, and 10% there's a cursed sleeping dragon underneath their land - a lot less dragon than I expected, as it doesn't come into play until quite late! The fantasy element is quite light.

This is multi POV so we do get quite a lot of character inputs, although it takes place over quite a short period and there is quite a lot of just day to day activities which isn't always the most interesting.

There is a forbidden romance element but the book does have a bit of a YA tone for me, so it does feel quite young.

Overall, this wasn't exactly the book I expected based on the blurb. I thought it would be more 'warrior badass' , but instead she's quite naive and not always the smartest in how trusting she is of people who've already demonstrated exactly who they are.

3.5 stars

Adventurous new YA Fantasy with aspects of mythology.

I was OBSESSED with Lagertha from the Vikings tv show, and that is literally why I asked to review this book. Honestly, this was a great read and gave me the warrior maiden feels that I was seeking.