I love mythological re-imaginings that center women, so I was really excited to receive this ARC of Shield Maiden - unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my hopes.

I spent most of the first half of the book struggling to connect with the characters, leaving me disconnected from the moments that were supposed to build emotionality alongside the main plot. When Fryda and Theow had their first kiss, I felt indifferent rather than elated. Fryda's naive understanding of her own world often left me frustrated as she repeatedly failed to understand the potential consequences of her actions while simultaneously not claiming any of her power outside of the moments where the dragon-rage took hold. Her main moments of decisive power and action came from the influence of the magic - she would have felt stronger as a heroine if she had also wielded more political power within the household (which she references doing several times but hardly makes effective use of).

Additionally, Wiglaf isn't a smart antagonist - he's selfish, stupid, and only truly commits to his treachery at the very end. Fryda's naive cluelessness becomes essential to Wiglaf's plans working for as long as they do, which reflects poorly on her as a heroine and him as an antagonist. When the plot is moving forward due to the blind stupidity of character's ignoring glaring red flags right in front of their faces, it leaves the reader unsatisfied and frustrated. There's nothing about Wiglaf's behavior that makes me think that Beowulf would so thoroughly believe in him despite his reputation and I was constantly left wondering why anyone involved was allowing this sham to progress at all.

Unfortunately, I didn't start truly caring about the characters until around 200 pages in, when the plot picked up - if I hadn't been reading this for the purpose of leaving this review, I likely would have DNF'd it before that point. Outside of the larger plot and characterization issues, I think part of the reason I didn't connect with the characters sooner was the shifting point of view. Books with multiple POVs can offer interesting insights to readers BUT they often run the risk of jumping around too much, preventing the reader from attaching to the main characters. If this book had focused on just Fryda and Theow's POVs, it might have helped me emotionally invest in them earlier on.

It felt like we always jumped into the POV of the "most important person in the room", which can lead to too much 'telling' instead of 'showing' - if we're in Wiglaf's POV to conveniently get his internal reaction to being told he won't be lord, then we lose the complexity of Fryda's reaction to that news and her interpretation of Wiglaf's reaction. Being in Fryda's POV for that chapter would have forced us to engaged with her feelings around her father's announcement more directly, as well as not overplay Wiglaf's descent into treachery - instead, we get Wiglaf's heavy-handed inner dialogue that makes it abundantly clear that he is already a villain and will betray his father and sister for power, giving away the arc of the second half of the book.

I think there's a great story trying to be told here - but I think the structure of the story and some major plot holes really took away from my potential enjoyment.

All Fryda wants is to become a shield maiden, but her dreams of glory are dashed by a terrible accident that occurred when she is thirteen, an accident that maims her for life. Fryda must learn a different way to fight for her people, and learn to harness the power of legend to defeat a dragon and fight for true love.
Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs is a rich retelling of the legend of Beowulf, weaving together legend and historical fact to craft a love story readers will devour.

Thank you Sharon Emmerichs for writing this mystical retelling of Beowulf. This was a beautiful story of strength, compassion, bravery and love.

"Now, at twenty years of age, she had learned discretion, if not obedience. Her dream of becoming a shield maiden had died that night in the chasm, but she could not seem to stop working towards it anyway."

"Beowulf passed his hand over her hair as she filled his cup and an almost unbearable love overflowed his heart. She was what he imagined a daughter would be like, had he ever had children of his own. He never regretted his lack of progeny except when he saw her. And Weohstan, the insufferable iceberg, had such a treasure and neglected her in favour of the dead."

"She was transforming from his only solace into his greatest threat."

Alrighty it’s been a little while since I’ve taken a dive into an old myth/legend retelling, but Beowulf was too intriguing of an inspirational storyline to pass up. I remember reading the original tale in high school and being super intrigued by the different monsters that the titular character had to face with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.

Now this book doesn’t focus on Beowulf, just uses his original tale to base the story with characters Fryda and Theow in the spotlight (though we do get glimpses from Beowulf’s POV). It’s a tale woven to reimagine the background of Beowulf’s third and final trial with the dragon.

🛡️legend retelling
🛡️multiple POV
🛡️childhood friends to lovers
🛡️lord’s daughter
🛡️clan slave
🛡️mutual pining/forbidden romance
🛡️dragon
🛡️disability rep
🛡️betrayal, no one is safe
🛡️beloved niece of King Beowulf himself
🛡️

Bless the update in language because, despite finding the old Beowulf take fascinating, I’m not sure I could have survived reading one that followed the Old English to a tee. The story itself was super engaging with so many different character point of views. I know it sounds like it’d be a lot, but each of the different perspectives really worked in telling this legendary tale.

While Fryda and Theow’s naïveté truly mad me so frustrated at times, it didn’t completely take away from the richness of the tale being woven. Every little step they took and the relationships they were a part of within the burh as a whole were fascinating to see. I definitely had to read this one slow though. I don’t know if it was the story format or what, but pauses were needed to better absorb what I was reading.

Definitely would recommend for fans of historical fantasy or historical fiction in general. It comes off as Upper YA to me, as in I could’ve read this as a freshman in high school or heck even an eighth grader and enjoyed it (I may not have appreciated the history as much, but I would’ve enjoyed it).

I don't think I was in the right headspace to read this book - I struggled through it. I enjoyed the Beowolf-eque-ness of the book and the callout to the poems/stories/characters; I enjoyed how the author spun the poem and made it their own thing. The multiple third-person POVs were tricky for me to track; I lost count of how many it seemed to have and how fast it would change.

In saying that, I will be rereading at a later time and a better headspace; hopefully, it will allow me to have a better appreciation of the book!

SHIELD MAIDEN by Sharon Emmerichs regales the reader with a retelling of the Old English epic poem Beowulf. Considering I hadn't read Beowulf since high school, I was infinitely thankful that the author provided a brief synopsis of this poem prior to diving into SHIELD MAIDEN. However, knowledge of this classic Western literature isn't necessary to appreciate Emmerichs's spin on the tale.

Fryda is a headstrong 20-year-old young woman in 10th century Geatland (modern Sweden) who longs to become a shield maiden. However, an unfortunate accident as a young teenager left her with a disability. Moreover, her father never supported her aspirations from the beginning. Despite these challenges, Fryda still trains in secret with the hope that one day she can serve as a warrior for her people. When her Uncle Beowulf comes to town to celebrate his 50th year of reign, Fryda begins to realize not all guests or blood relations can be trusted.

Right away one feels immersed in Fryda's culture. Emmerichs does a phenomenal job describing the scenery, architecture, food, and cultural items without bogging down the story. I never once felt like there was an information dump. Instead I felt as though I could languidly take it all in similarly to watching a view slowly pan the scenery in a period film. The writing style is easy to settle into and it reminded me a bit of a classic, cozy, and atmospheric kind of storytelling such as in THE MAGICIAN'S DAUGHTER.

The point of view in SHIELD MAIDEN is mostly that of Fryda. However, there are sections with other points of view from Wiglaf, her brother; Theow, Fryda's love interest and a slave; and Bryce, the blacksmith and Fryda's trainer. Although the reader has more page time with Fryda, I felt all characters were overall well developed. Fryda is headstrong with a righteous moral compas. Theow is loyal and supportive of those he cares for deeply. Wiglaf comes off as misguided and entitled. And Bryce is a kind soul with his own secrets.

If anything, I thought Fryda was a little more naive than expected with respect to slavery and her family members. I was a little surprised at how openly she showed affection for Theow in some instances, given their clan statuses. And I was a little confused that no one questioned how frequently Fryda hung out with men unchaperoned. I know almost nothing about early medieval Swedish customs. But it seemed odd to me that the daughter of a clan lord often met up with Theow or trained with Bryce. Recent popular culture about Vikings implies women had more independence than, say, those in France. But how much more I'm just not sure. I also felt Beowulf was a bit obtuse to everything going on around him. So despite is affection for Fryda, I found him rather lacking.

Throughout SHIELD MAIDEN there are short chapters from the dragon's point of view. They imply some connection between Fryda's strength and the mythical creature. While I thought this was interesting, I didn't entirely understand why they were connected. It was unclear to me if they became connected because of Fryda's accident, or if that connection was always there, but latent.

Finally, I thought the disability representation was great. The Author's Interview at the back provides more insight into how Emmerichs approached writing this aspect of Fryda. She made an effort to incorporate the emotional side of Fryda's disability rather than focusing only on the physical component. Because of this the inclusion of Fryda's disability doesn't feel like an afterthought.

Overall, SHIELD MAIDEN by Sharon Emmerichs is an immersive retelling of Beowulf that serves as an approachable introduction to a historical Western epic. It focuses on the value everyone has to offer, regardless of their assigned clan status in a patriarchal, war-mongering society.

This book Wes definitely interesting. Going into I was expecting a retelling of Beowulf but that was not the case. It is a story of it's own with characters from Beowulf. I enjoyed the some of the characters and the writing style but unfortunately I just didn't like the plot. To me the storyline was underwhelming and at times monotonous. The characters I enjoyed were all from the original source material. I couldn't get myself to care about any of the rest and found myself speed reading if Bryce and Beowulf weren't in the scenes. I found the female lead to be irritating at times as in my opinion her actions did not match with how her character was shaped. Ultimately, I do enjoy the genres of sagas and Vikings but this book was just not for me.

I was captured by this story of a young princess injured and forced to give up her dreams of becoming a Shield Maiden. The author wields a story of forbidden love, treachery and self belief. A wonderful heroine and a tale of growth.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was really cool. I read a lot of retellings and this was my first Beowulf one so it felt original to me, especially because Beowulf was a side character and the story was told mainly by other characters.

Likes
-the disability representation was well written. I like that Fryda never "overcomes" her injuries like in other books. It is a part of her and she is strong with or without her injuries.
-I liked the setting/worldbuilding between the Beowulf inspiration and the Norse history/setting.
-I liked Hild and I liked that Fryda had someone else in a similar role to Theow that she was friends with. I feel like it would have been weirder if Fryda had just gone through her life and all of the sudden was into him. I liked the backstory that they grew up together and had become friends albeit in very different societal roles/circumstances.
- I originally loved Bryce and his relationship to both Theow and Fryda. Although, I was conflicted on the idea of Bryce's role in Theow's enslavement. While it did explain how well he treated him, I felt like it also made me less sad about his eventual death because I was now conflicted on whether he was a good or bad guy. Although, it was necessary to provide a happy ending so I understand it to an extent.


Dislikes-
-I went back and forth on whether to include this point but it was a reoccurring thought in my head during reading. At first, I thought Fryda was a bit naive. I felt like she didn't really consider how her relationships with the enslaved and indentured characters could have effected them despite her proximity to them for her entire life. I didn't like that Theow constantly tried to protect her by leaving out details of their lives and struggles that could have allowed her to make more informed decisions. While I was thinking about how naive her character was, I started realizing that if she didn't see the effects, she couldn't be 100% at fault. she could have inferred, but obviously wanted to trust that they would have come to her with problems. However, the more I thought about it, the more I did blame her. Especially when it came to her brother. How could every single person know what he was like but her? She gave him so many chances and still wanted to trust him. I think it made me enjoy her character less and it made me feel weird about her and Theow's relationship. I felt like it was built on a lot of tension, "wanting what you can't have", and an "us against the world" mentality and not a lot of transparency and realism. She just felt unreliable.
-I wanted the dragon to play a bigger part than just at the end. I liked reading her POVs and was excited for her to awaken. But it felt rushed and I still don't 100% understand the curse part. I felt like it would be laid out a little more clearly and I just never got it.

I know this review is very all over the place. I was originally going to give this book three stars but it kept me hooked throughout despite my issues with it and I found myself thinking about it a lot when I wasn't reading and when I had finished the book. (so, in my opinion, that always adds a star).

A fairly solid read, although the beginning third meanders quite a bit. Appealing characters, interesting historical perspective - though the author drops it when invention is more convenient.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

So confession: I HATED Beowulf when I was made to read it for school. It was boring and confusing and straight up weird.

But I love a retelling, especially with a feminist lens where the women of a story get to come to the forefront.

So this was excellent and I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for redeeming Beowulf!

A rivetting blend of historical fiction and mythology, Shield Maiden is an exciting story revolving around loyalty and love.

If you know the story of Beowulf, you’ll find this quite fun. It’s an adaptation, of course. I studied the poem in university in an Old English course (where I fell in love with the language), so this was right up my alley!

And it was so much fun. If you love those Claire North/Madeline Miller Greek myth retellings, you should really check this out.

The characters are great. Fryda is tough-as-nails but also incredibly kind. She has a deformity from an accident in her youth that is included in the novel in a realistic way. Theow, the love interest (an enslaved Gaelic young man), is a decent kid, and I liked the two of them both separately and as a couple. They did tend to be a bit too good at times - their conflicts being more external than internal - but I cared about their fates. The main antagonist’s motives were a bit all over the place, but then again, he’s twenty. The inclusion of Beowulf himself was fun, as he was boisterous and brave, and it suited his characterization from the original poem.

I also enjoyed how Hild, a Black indentured woman, was included in the novel. People did travel back then and thus (unfortunately) enslaved or pulled people into indentured servitude from all over the world. Hild’s inclusion was an excellent way to include some diversity in the novel.

In this vein, I would push back a bit on some reviews that say Fryda felt “too modern.” Women in this time period in this culture had a great deal more autonomy than women in the 1910s in America, even- they could get divorced, own property, and shared the running of the household, so Fryda being a firecracker who is strong-willed and not afraid to challenge men isn't necessarily anachronistic.

The pacing of the book is excellent - I flew through it - and the prose is engaging and peppered with lovely turns of phrase.

Unfortunately, while the other action scenes are exciting, I wasn’t entirely sure how the dragon aspect really tied into the story and found it fell a bit flat. I understood that aspect is a major part of Beowulf, but while there were elements woven into the novel in the narrative itself about the dragon, it felt a little bit tacked on. There are sections in the Fyrdraca’s point of view - very short sections - that I believed were intended to tie this part in a bit more, but I think it might have been more fun for those who haven’t read the original poem to tease the dragon a bit more and leave those sections out. I’m not sure why, but I just found the other aspects of the novel a bit more compelling, but it could be because they were more grounded in real-life issues - slavery, loyalty, parenting failures, etc., than the fantastical.

Yet, it’s also possible it was because I was very tired after a long day at a cottage (if you call drinking and paddleboarding and boating “a long day”) when I read the climax, so maybe it’s me!

But overall, I very very much enjoyed this fun, at times emotional, historically rich novel and definitely recommend it for those who love fantastical (or even just regular) historical fiction.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

Shield Maiden is an epic fantasy retelling the second half of the Epic of Beowulf. Like many people, I read the Epic of Beowulf in high school and am familiar with the Prose Edda and the importance of both works as forms of literature and storytelling. This retelling centers a female MC and the dragon, whose POV is more poetic and shows up with some regularity, while also featuring Beowulf himself.

The romance between Theow and Fryda felt fleshed out and you can see the care Emmerichs took in regards to researching her book with the language and the level of detail. The prose tended to be a bit more commercial rather than literary, but I think that only made the dragon's POV chapters really stand out all the more because those felt closer to the epic. It was a choice that I think worked in the book's favor because it helped to highlight that those chapters were from an ancient as opposed to the other POVs.

I would recommend this to fans of Beowulf who want a different perspective on it, fans of epic fantasy, fans of Norse fantasy, and fans of historical fantasy. I wouldn't recommend it to those who don't tend to like adaptations or reimaginings as Beowulf himself does appear.

Overall, 3.75/5. This book's strengths are the prose and the atmosphere that the author is able to evoke. Her background as a professor of medieval/early modern literature is apparent, and it helps make the setting feel real and accurate. While this is a fiction book, and not a history book, I felt pretty confident that the details were true to the real-life time period and setting. This helped with immersion into the world. The prose is also very good, particularly when setting a scene or creating a particular atmosphere, for example, her description of Bryce working at the forge, or Fryda navigating the feast. The author did a really good job of portraying a panic attack in one scene as well. The battle scenes were also well-written, and I liked the scenes from the perspective of the dragon which were scattered throughout the book. There is one line from the scene where Fryda and Theow finally kiss that I thought was particularly stand-out: "As each kiss changed from now to then, he sealed his mouth against hers again, not yet willing to shift from 'we are' to 'we did' and write this moment into memory."

The plot was interesting and compelling. My only gripe with it is that the first 80% is more of a grounded, medieval political story, but then at that point, the book remembered it was supposed to be a retelling of (the last third of) Beowulf and so the dragon showed up and finally became relevant. Only then did it really become an epic fantasy/retelling, so the last 20% felt a little tacked on, though the plot threads connecting them were still there. Both parts of the story worked and were done well, though. I think it was a fresh, but still faithful take, on Beowulf.

The book's greatest weakness, which did have an impact on my overall enjoyment of it, was ultimately its lack of trust in the reader. A lot of this book is telling, not showing. I am told that Theow trusts Hild, but they barely interact and I don't actually see any of the trust between them. The rest of the character relationships are, for the most part, told to us in summary, and whether those relationships are actually portrayed that way, or further develop, is hit-or-miss. For example, Fryda and Theow's feelings for each other were pretty apparent by their actions and interactions, but the narration was also very heavy-handed in informing me that they had feelings for each other. I think their relationship would have been stronger if the narration had never explicitly told me how they felt about each other.

Another thing that show's the book's lack of trust in the reader is the scene where Fryda figures out Wiglaf's "evil plan." The sentence "Which meant, she realized, that Wiglaf had probably murdered Olaf, and he had left the body in Fryda's bedchamber in order to frame Theow" was not needed at all. This realization was apparent based off of what had been shown in the narrative previously (Wiglaf's actions and reactions, other characters' motivations, etc). I am an adult with a master's degree, I didn't need this spelled out for me. I think Fryda coming to this realization would have been more impactful if Wiglaf's misdeeds were never explicitly said, though obvious.

Similarly, on a few occasions, one character tells another character something that happened a while ago, and the narration gives us the conversation in summary instead of a full dialogue. I have no issue with this, and actually think this is a good aspect of the narration, BUT it somehow ends up being repetitive. In these cases, usually the details of the conversation were previously revealed in a different scene, but they get summarized yet again. For example, when Theow confesses to Fryda that Wiglaf had framed him for stealing when they were kids. As the reader, I already know this has happened; it's been discussed at least twice in not just Theow's POV scenes, but also Wiglaf's. I don't need to be told a third time. I would have preferred the narration to tell me more about how Theow FELT, not just about the incident, but also how it felt to finally be able to tell Fryda the truth about what happened.

This brings us to the characters. A lot of the characterization was informed, and the characters' actions didn't always fit with their informed personalities and motivations. While I overall liked Fryda as a character, she suffered from Season 8 Sansa Stark Syndrome. Theow and Wiglaf's internal monologues constantly *told* us how clever she is, but in reality, she was either extremely naive, or her cleverness (especially at the end) came at the expense of making everyone else around her very dumb.

Wiglaf was also a frustrating character. He started off as Fryda's well-meaning, but screw-up, brother who clearly cared for her. But then, he got cartoonishly evil because he was jealous of her, despite getting everything he wanted! There was no reason for his sudden change of heart and it did not make sense based off his previous characterization.

Weohstan, Fryda's father, was also a character with conflicting characterization in the narration vs. his true actions. We really didn't get a lot of time with him before he died, and if anything, the time we did spend with him did a really good job at convincing the reader that he was a jerk. Any evidence that he really did love Fryda deep down is, again, TOLD and not shown to us, to the point that when he died, the book seemed to expect me to be sad about it, but all I could think was "good riddance."

I did enjoy this book overall. The author shows a lot of promise, particularly with regard to her prose and her ability to set a scene with her descriptions. I could sense her affection for the subject and the world, which I appreciated.

Sometimes a real slime all gets comeuppance in a book. This is one of those times!

Out October 3, "Shield Maiden" by Sharon Emmerichs debut novel is a reimagining of Beowulf. But this focuses on Fryda, a young woman who wants to be a shield maiden, to be one of Geatland's warriors. Sadly an accident left her injured and this was denied to her. But during that time she was exposed to (spoilers to the Beowulf story). Now lords are coming to Fryda's hold to celebrate 50 years under Beowulf's reign. Secrets will be exposed, plots inacted, mead consumed, spears will be shaken.

Narrated by Victoria Fox, loved the character voices. And despite all the death made (spoilers) rathe sympathetic.

Thank you Orbit, Redhook, Netgalley, and Hachette Audio for the ebook and audio.

Reasons to read:
-Fun take on the Beowulf story, but with some extra flair
-Good father figure atoning for his past
-Some smooth lines
-Great action that contained the brutality of fighting
-This little **** ***** ****

Cons:
-Some people really need to be on a watch list for their sus behavior.
-Downsides of not writing wills out

The challenge in retelling any myth, one readers are likely to be familiar with in some capacity, is making sure the new telling stands wholly on its own, offering a new perspective for those who’ve heard it before, and welcoming in those new to the adventure. Fortunately, Sharon Emmerich’s Beowulf retelling Shield Maiden — which retells roughly the last third or so of the epic poem — succeeds in that monumental feat, presenting a compelling adventure and coming-of-age story all its own.

Shield Maiden primarily follows Fryda, the daughter of clan chieftain Weohstan, who has aspirations of becoming a shield maiden. Her father forbids this pursuit, deeming it unsuitable for a woman of her station, not to mention an accident in her youth that left her with limited use of her left arm makes the goal more difficult to attain. But the arrival of the legendary King Beowulf, and an ancient curse slowly awakening mean things in Fryda’s life are about to take a turn for the dramatic.

As a heroine, Fryda is that too-rare sort of badass who is actually allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. She aspires to be a shield maiden, and accordingly trains very hard, but she is also inclined to believe the best in everyone, even those who don’t deserve it. She’s allowed to fail, to feel, and to fall in love, and none of these things are ever seen as diminishing her story. This should be a given, but you’d be surprised. In allowing Fryda dimension, she feels so very real, despite her semi-mythological story.

The story is also filled with an engaging cast of supporting characters, each of whom is given a voice in the story through shifting POV’s, including Fryda’s friend and possible love Theow, fellow aspiring shield maiden Hild, her brother Wiglaf, blacksmith Bryce (whose decades-long romance with Eadith I would happily read a whole separate book about), and even Beowulf himself. While there is no doubt that this is indeed Fryda’s story, having each of them offer their own perspective on events helps the world feel richer.

As a reader who admittedly doesn’t read many books in this particular historical setting, and whose education always seemed to skirt around Beowulf without ever touching on it directly, Shield Maiden is a remarkably accessible text. It never talks down to the reader, nor does it assume a certain heightened academic familiarity. Instead it uses its mythological and historical origins to weave a beautiful, magical narrative that has me clamoring to read more of this world, and by this author.

With Sharon Emmerich’s Shield Maiden, those with fond memories of reading/studying Beowulf will find a compelling, focused, feminist retelling of the original. As for those of us whose high school teachers and four years worth of literature professors somehow never seemed to touch on Beowulf when we took their classes, the tale of Fryda coming into her own power is every bit as gripping as we could ask for.

Shield Maiden hits shelves on October 3. Special thank you to Redhook Books for the advance copy for review purposes.

A retelling of one of Beowulf's battles from the perspective of a young woman, Fryda, who longs to be a Shield Maiden. Historical fiction, romance, solid characters, and a lush description of the setting, are woven together in a way that makes this book sing its own treasure song. A story about courage, determination, love, loss, betrayal, self-worth, and the value we see in others.
Beautifully written. One I will read again.
Thank you Dr. Sharon Emmerichs, NetGaley, and Redhook books for allowing me to read this lovely book.

Description
Both epic and intimate, Sharon Emmerichs's extraordinary debut novel reimagines Beowulf from the perspective of a young woman reclaiming her power.
All her life, Fryda has longed to be a shield maiden, an honor reserved for Geatland’s mightiest warriors. When a childhood accident leaves her tragically injured and unfit for the battlefield, her dreams are dashed—or so she thinks. But a strange, unfathomable power is awakening within her, a power that will soon be put to the test.
For when foreign lords and chieftains descend upon Fryda’s home to celebrate her uncle King Beowulf’s fifty-year reign, she realizes not all their guests come with good intentions. Treachery is afoot, and Fryda must gather her courage to fight for her people…as a queen should—as a shield maiden would—and as only Fryda can.
But as Fryda’s power grows stronger, something ancient hears its call. For buried deep in her gilded lair, a dragon awakens…and Fryda must prove herself once and for all.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hard copy. All opinions provided are my own.

A retelling of Beowulf, Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs tells the story of what woke up the dragon.

Fryda, a lord’s daughter, is the very resilient heroine of this fantasy. She survives *a lot* physically, so much so that I got some Daughter of the Forest vibes.

Throughout Shield Maiden there’s also a sweet friends to lovers romance arc that’s set against a background of a power struggle, revenge, & parental coldness.

Be advised that there are references to slavery & indentured servitude in Geatland—in fact, the love interest is called a slave & treated as if he is one by most of the people in positions of power for most of the book.

The creativity of this story & the standout heroine make Shield Maiden a striking story.

4⭐️. Out now.

CWs: Death; violence; dragon attacks & death. Betrayal. Sexual harassment. Whipping as punishment. Slavery & indentured servitude.

[ID: the book is part of a flatlay arranged diagonally on a wood background.]

what an absolutely wonderful book, I couldn't put it down! I'm not familiar with the story of Beowulf, so I'll admit that might have made this much more enjoyable for me to be fully surprised by how the story would play out, but this is a must read for anyone who loves Norse mythology and strong, determined, fierce women always fighting against the odds.

I wasn't aware this was a YA story until I saw a review online that mentioned it, and now that I think about it I can see how this would be targeted towards a younger audience, though I wouldn't say the writing felt typical of a story made for teenagers. The characters and writing fit into the early to mid 20's range, and I think that serves the book very well. It has a lot of balancing between action and romance, and the characters are all compelling as they weave the story through multiple points of view. It also uses chronic pain and PTSD in a believable way that doesn't feel like it's an afterthought in the narrative.

I had a great time diving into this world. The atmosphere was immersive, the characters were loveable, and the story itself felt grand and epic. Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!

This book paints a realistic picture of life in viking times (from what I already know). I think the author went to great length to make sure that things in that era were depicted with accuracy. The story was well paced and each character was fairly well written. I wish that there was a bit more inner monologue for certain characters but overall their actions seemed true to their nature.

One of the only real concerns I have with Shield Maiden is with the plot pacing. The most epic of scenes seemed to have a lack in build up. The story spends so much time showcasing the relationships between characters (a very important part of story telling) but as mentioned above sometimes lacked the depth needed to sustain the climatic parts of the story. One of the biggest aspects of the book was kind of lack luster because although present throughout the story, resulted in quick resolution. Not enough time was spent in the life changing/decision making moments in my opinion.

I almost would have been okay if this tale only focused on the relationships between the characters and their social struggles and skipped over the magic. I did enjoy the style of writing and am intrigued to read more from Sharon Emmerichs.

Some Triggers: Sexual content, attempted rape, violence, murder