Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing this ARC.

I will admit that I know next to nothing about Beowulf as I never had to read it for school. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. You could tell right away just how passionate Emmerichs is about this area from the extraordinary details given to the clothing, tales, interior, and more. I love books with very detailed writing, so Emmerichs pulled me in right away.

My only complaint is that it felt as though that eye for detail wasn't extended as much to the plot and characters. There were several characters (the three father figures to Fryda for example) that seemed like a copy-paste of each other. I also found several plot holes that were revealed through dialogue that took me out of the story somewhat.

Having said that, I would still be interested in reading more of Emmerichs work because I feel that they are a very talented writer when it comes to details.

This book was interesting as it is a Beowulf retelling. With my love of mythology, I really wanted to give this book a shot. It did take me some time to get into this book. Fryda truly wanted to be a shield maiden but once that accident happened, it changed her life. Seeing her wander with that injury and what she goes through day to day, you can see her earning that profoundness from her uncle. There is a bit with this story, and seeing Beowulf in a different light did make me want to fully finish this book out.

I flew through this, as soon as I started reading I was pulled into the story! I love a retelling and Shield Maiden did not disappoint. Emmerichs was able to reimagine Beowulf in a way I have not seen before. The story is told from Beowulf’s young niece Fryda’s POV. Beowulf was depicted in a positive light as a loving uncle, fierce warrior, and honorable leader. I enjoyed reading from Fryda so much. Fryda went though so much and was still caring and strong. It was a pleasure reading the way her friendships and relationships grew. The romance aspect was so fun to read! I highly recommend picking this up if you like politics, dragons, family drama, forbidden romance, chosen one , and/or Beowulf.

A wonderful reimagining of Beowulf.
An overall, great action-packed YA romance full of; star-crossed lovers, great world-building and dynamic characters.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sharon Emmerich for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was an amazing read that really pulled at my heartstrings and even made me cry a few times. Emmerichs did a fantastic job making me care about all the characters. Fryda's journey from a girl with shattered dreams to a powerful force is so inspiring and captivating.

The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the constant changing of POVs every chapter, but the story's emotional depth and suspense made up for it. If you love a good story about bravery, magic, and self-discovery, "Shield Maiden" is definitely worth picking up!

Book Name: Shield Maiden
Author: Sharon Emmerichs's

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing this ARC.

Stars: 3

- debut novel
- politics
- dragons
- family drama
- romance
- the chosen one trope
- a curse

This was a mixed bag. I read Beowulf and was familiar with the ultimate story which had everything you need for it to be great however something was off that I just can't put my finger on

I am a true sucker for a classics reimaginining and retelling. beowolf has always been a favorite andthis story is a great example of retelling doe well!

I think the premise is interesting - just not for someone who is not into this specific kind of historical fantasy-ish books usually.

This book conflicted me a little bit. The writing itself is fine. Not incredibly impressive but definitely not bad. My issues lay mostly with the world building which was clunky and not nearly in-depth enough to immerse one in the world or just get me to care about what’s going to happen. I didn’t dislike the characters but I also wasn’t as invested their relationships. The book tells you how their relationships are but doesn’t give any actual dialog or actions that really make it feel genuine (with maybe the exception with Bryce and Theow). It was too surface level and by the time we got 80%, I just didn’t particularly care to know what happens. I think there was definitely potential here and I’d definitely give the author another shot.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-ARC. I am anticipating reading this soon and reviewing on my socials.

I first read Beowulf in my 10th grade English class and fell in love. Paired with my love of mythology I had high hopes for this book. Hearing the story from a female perspective only added to my interest. Unfortunately, the book fell flat. It felt like it was trying to be too many things at once and wasn't focused.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

Shield Maiden is a retelling of the end of Beowulf (yes, the part where he fights the dragon!). It follows Fryda, daughter of Weohstan and the niece of Beowulf and Theow, who was inspired by the unnamed enslaved person in the original text who stole the cup from the dragon's horde and wakes the dragon. Fryda always had dreams of becoming a shield maiden, but an old catastrophic injury to her hand and arm makes it difficult for her to fight in the normal way. Fryda and Theow become closer as the sleeping dragon starts to awake and warriors become absolutely necessary for survival. I'm a big retellings fan and thought that one for Beowulf was such a cool idea, particularly told by peripheral characters, so was excited to read this book!

The last time I read Beowulf was in high school and I had no idea that it was an unnamed enslaved person who woke the dragon. Very helpfully, there is a short summary of the original text to catch everyone up to speed! I wish all retellings did that!

I really liked this book! I liked how it added to the original story without changing the main beats from legend. I thought that Theow was a really interesting character, and building the retelling around him was a cool choice. I enjoyed Fryda and Theow's relationship and how it progressed. I also appreciated the disability representation, particularly in a time when it was not socially acceptable to have a disability. Putting that in a story like Beowulf added another layer of depth for me.

Overall, I recommend this book if you are into historical fiction and particularly the Viking era! 4 stars from me. Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I enjoyed the action and treachery but honestly I didn’t enjoy the romance. I feel like this was a complete story without any romance added.

I didn't love this one but I also didn't hate this one. However I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

A reimagining of Beowulf's final battle, focusing on his niece and the slave that aids him. I think this book would be enjoyable whether or not the reader has any prior knowledge of Beowulf. Fantasy and romance, appropriate for either YA readers or adult fantasy. I liked this!

It took me some time to get into the story. I understand that all characters and their motivations needed to be introduced. At the 50% mark, the story really picked up. Motivations were revealed, and true colors were shown.
Freyda is a perfectly imperfect protagonist. During her early teenage years, she was greatly wounded in a way that rendered her left hand unusable. Her entire family made her feel like it was something to hide. However, she had a heart of gold and wanted everyone around her, even slaves, to feel like they had a choice. She was a wonderful lady of the house. However, she strove to be a Shield Maiden for her father's burh. Everyone told her it wasn't possible because of her hand's deformity.

This was my first Anglo-Saxon mythology retelling, and there were many words that were new to me. There was a glossary with pronunciations at the back but there was nothing in the beginning to state that. I would have preferred that this list was at the beginning of the book. I read it on my Kindle and I wish I had been able to read a physical copy so I could flip back and forth. I'm someone who always flips to maps in fantasy books and would have loved to know this was in it.

I finished this! Finally!
Shield Maiden is a book which meanders along without a plot somewhat aimlessly. While more often than not I’d take issue with this, I can think of nothing more fitting than that for a Beowulf retelling. While the book has a rough landing, ultimately it manages to find its feet and tell an enjoyable story that I genuinely found delightful, if not somewhat simplistic. The characters were well-written, even though they didn’t feel much like real people, and the story was far from trite, trope-filled, or repetitive. Ultimately an enjoyable read, though far from perfect.

7/10 stars

I loved this book! Beowulf is a very complicated story to dissect, and the author was able to do it with ease. I’ll be recommending this to everyone!