This book was fantastic. It was so well written I found myself enjoying the prose quite a lot. The MC Fryda was so loveable as well as most of the side characters.
Listening to this as the audiobook was what made it even better. The narrator did a phenomenal job and all the voices she used were just spot on and completely enthralling. I would listen to 100 more books read by Victoria Fox with zero complaints.

Thank you to @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for the opportunity to listen to this in exchange for an honest review

This book was okay. It did not leave me wanting Yes More! but it also wasn't a regret for reading. I feel like it was a bit dragged out.
The narrator was good.
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.

Copied from Goodreads: “Shield Maiden” is Emmerich’s debut novel but she is clearly an accomplished writer. Her prose is lyrical and descriptive. I do know the tale of “Beowulf” fairly well, but I don’t think it’s integral to enjoyment of this book.

I would say that this is an older YA historical fiction/fantasy rather than adult history or fantasy. I am not in this target audience and found that Freya’s modern sensibilities, particularly in combination with some anachronistic components of dialogue, pulled me out of the story.

I would hesitate to give this book to a middle schooler without knowing their maturity given the ableism, curses, assault and violence encountered in the book.

Many thanks to Hachette Audio via NetGalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review.

Love love love!!! I love everything about this book, the characters the setting the drama the magic the romance! This book was such a pleasant surprise for me and I am so happy I read it!

If you enjoy a strong female protagonist and mythology retellings or story continuations, this may be the story for you. I will be honest, I have a Master's Degree in Literature with a focus on epic poetry and part of my thesis incorporated Beowulf. I noted some of the individuals giving this story lower reviews were upset about the way the author utilized some of the source material. Since this is a YA Fantasy book, and also far more romance and feminine strength, I didn't need Beowulf to be represented as we've seen time and time again. I loved that it felt this writer was making a story she was excited to make which was inspired by the epic poem of old.
Well worth the listen and I want to thank NetGalley for providing me an audio edition of this book. I believe the narration was well done and engaging. The story was fun, but please remember this is not the classic Beowulf, he is more of a side character. I am happy to share my honest review about this book and look forward to seeing what more may spring from the mind of the author.

I absolutely loved this! Fryda was such a loveable character and I enjoyed smgetting to see the build up of her presence and power! The narration was also very well done!

This was a decent story. I wanted more action with a title like Shield Maiden, but the first half of the book was incredibly slow. It did pick up after the halfway mark and I enjoyed it a lot more. I don’t remember much about the original Beowulf story but I don’t think that’s absolutely necessary to enjoy this reimagining of part of his story. This tale however, is centered on a young woman who finds her power and has to fight for her home and those she loves. There is a bit of a love story and some magic woven throughout as well. I didn’t connect emotionally with the characters though.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I received access to the audiobook thanks to Net Galley and Hachette Audio in exchange for my honest review.

I received an Arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! A huge thank you to the author and netgalley for giving me this opportunity!

I really enjoyed this book and the fresh perspective on Beowulf! As a lover of literature, this really spoke to my heart.

I loved seeing how the story unfolded, gradually but at a steady pace. Not only that, the characters are very well written and kept me interested throughout the novel.

I can't wait to read more from Sharon Emmerichs in the future ❤️

Got this audiobook for review on netgally.

I was curious to pick this book up as it is a Beowulf reteling from a young woman's point of view. The story was emerisve and easy to get invested in. Loved the care and friendship Freyida had with some characters and and the romance as well as she was a strong person on her own. Enjoyed reading about the world it was set in and the plot itself. Not quite a 5 stats but a great read nevertheless. The audiobook was well done and didn't have any issues while listening to it.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

- I usually really like reimagined classics, but this one missed the mark for me.
- For a story titled Shield Maiden, the MC ended up being the damsel in distress more often than not. She often seemed fairly immature and naive, which got old quickly.
- The brother in this story is the worst, and it was really frustrating watching characters forgive him way too often. There were so many situations where he showed how horrible he was, and yet people continued to be surprised when he continued to be horrible.
- The dragon shows up throughout the story, but only appears in a small part of this book.
- While it is a retelling of Beowulf's fight with the dragon, most of the book is focused on a romance that didn't make sense to me.
- I really wasn't a fan of the way the two enslaved characters were described; one is Irish and one was described as having darker skin.
- The romance was also between the MC and one of the slaves, and I didn't feel like the dynamics of that were handled well.
- I did enjoy the setting, as well as most of the side characters in the village!

Absolutely LOVED this. I would say it was a little bit of a slow start, but there are a lot of characters that need introductions. I really liked all the characters, particularly Fryda. Sometimes, I feel like naive heroine characters can be kind of flat but I thought there was good character development in this book.
The writing was also good. Although the part with Fryda's hand was a little graphic for me. I think that means it was extremely well written.

First of all, I would like to praise the excellent narration of this audiobook. The emotions of the text were emphasized perfectly and the voices for the various characters really brought the book into another dimension.
I do not necessarily agree with the characterization of this novel as "retelling of Beowulf from the perspective of a fierce young woman..." but more the story of said young woman struggling through discovering her own power, navigating her family dynamics and politics, and finding true love. The backdrop is her relationship to the epic hero Beowulf and her role in the last of his legendary battles. The story was reasonably enjoyable though sometimes the heroine, Frida's, rose-color-glasses view of the world got a bit frustrating and the villain (her brother, not the dragon) was a bit one-dimensional. This is a nice story especially for that age group that is likely reading the Beowulf epic for school already or for those who enjoy the folklore of Scandinavian warriors and tales of clan-life of that Viking era.
I received advanced access to this audiobook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Hachette Audio, Redhook) in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Narration was good, Victoria Fox has a nice voice.

Story:
Our main character is spunky, young Fryda, daughter of a king. As a child she fell down a cliff and hurt herself badly. One of her hands never healed properly but Fryda is determined to become a warrior, a shield maiden anyways and trains every day with her father’s blacksmith to become stronger and better.

This story wanted to do so much that the story itself was lost. The main conflict is between Fryda’s father and the king of Sweden which is not explained enough before it all comes crashing down on the reader. There are some hints as to why this is going on, but they are not explained enough. Suddenly there’s a full-blown battle going. For some reason there’s a dragon and a “chosen one”-storyline which gives nothing to the story. Fryda’s twin brother suddenly turns megalomaniac for no apparent reason.

If this book had focused on the conflict between families and/or countries I think it would have been more cohesive and interesting. With all this going on the story is very divided and it staggers a lot. There’s not a lot to keep my interest.

It was very much a “and then this happened and then this”-story.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Victoria Fox
Content: 3 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Fryda is Beowulf’s niece, and from a young age, she wanted to be a shield maiden. But a terrible accident prevented her from becoming one.

Shield Maiden started a bit slow, but I had high hopes because I liked the writing. From the title Shield Maiden and the mention of Beowulf, I expected this novel to be more epic than it was, and the romance part was, for me, completely unnecessary.

In the end, the novel was ok. Narration by Victoria Fox was excellent.

Thanks to Hachette Audio for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Shield Maiden is a Beawulf reimagining told from the perspective of his niece and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I enjoyed listening to the constant shift in perspective, which I found interest. Admittedly though some of the changes were poorly times but I liked it all the same. This was a lot slower paced than I like but it didn't feel like it. This is probably due to the before mentioned changing of perspective. I was expecting the dragon to play more of a role in the story instead of in the last 30/40 pages though.

SHIELD MAIDEN is an epically action-packed and completely engrossing tale of mythological battles, greedy power grabs, friendship, and love. Emmerichs breathes new life into the classic BEOWULF while still managing to honor the original tale.

What is so great about this particular retelling is the way the author carefully crafted this story by using Fryda as the catalyst to propel the reader down a path filled with pain, tumultuous situations, and self-realization. The writing effortlessly flows from tender moments to high-action battles, all the while giving the characters the ability to grow and learn. There wasn’t a moment spent within these pages that didn’t make this reader feel like she was in the thick of it with Fryda, Beowulf, Theow, Hild, and the rest. This is what good historical fiction should be. It should transport you back in time to a place where dragons do exist while still identifying with contemporary themes.

Honestly, SHIELD MAIDEN is one of the best re-tellings I have read in a while. Emmerichs just landed herself a spot next to Jennifer Saint, Madeline Miller, and Natalie Haynes on my shelf. I cannot wait to read what she gives us next.

I liked this retelling of Beowulf’s third and final monster battle. I’m not very familiar with the original myth, so I’m not sure which details were changed. I thought the moral ambiguity of some of the characters was well done. It made them more human, but also potentially more dangerous and kept me guessing in the beginning as to where the story would go.

The audiobook is narrated by Victoria Fox. I enjoyed her performance. She did a great job bringing Fryda’s story to life.

I was really happy to get this review audiobook, but it just didn’t hold my attention. It wasn’t the book, I think it was more of a me thing, and I still enjoyed!

HAPPY PUB DAY to SHIELD MAIDEN by Sharon Emmerichs and read by Victoria Fox!

I had a great time going way back to the epic days of Beowulf for this story!

I have been enjoying feminist retellings of old stories quite a bit. It is long past time that women get a say, and to hear even imaginary women speak from so long ago is empowering.

Fryda is King Beowulf's niece and is hoping to become a warrior shield maiden. When the politics of the land threaten this goal, and her desire for another, she is pushed to fight. She is becoming aware of a new source of internal power just as another more sinister force is threatening to awake.

I was absolutely in the mood to head into this ancient land and hear a young woman rise. The story was narrated very well, capturing the building rage and confusion Fryda experiences.

Thank you to @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for @redhookbooks for giving me a chance to listen to this ALC and share my thoughts!

This was my first Beowulf retelling and I quite enjoyed it! Initially attracted to the great cover, I stuck around for the friends to lovers forbidden romance, a cursed dragon and a disabled heroine, Fryda, who wants to be the main character to her own story not just married off for some political alliance.

While I was a tad disappointed that the dragon didn't play a larger part of this romantasy debut, overall I found the story action packed and well written with memorable characters. Good on audio too narrated by Victoria Fox. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!