The Last Princess

I LOVED this quick fantasy read. The book releases in May, and I can’t wait to share with my students once I get a copy.

I love Norse/Viking culture and this book did a pretty good job capturing this very fascinating group of people.

Edith is a Princess whose whole family was murdered. She was thought to be dead, but instead she was sold into slavery as a nameless slave. She happens to be bought by Viking leader and brought back to his village. She is biding her time to go back to avenge her family’s death and take back her throne.

I really enjoyed this fast paced story. Edith was quite a woman for the times. The book does at times feel a bit rushed but honestly it didn't bother me much. It had the right balance of dialogue and description and I liked the characters. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw this book, I really loved the premise of the story. Edith is a likeable character who is full of courage and spirit. It made reading the book enjoyable, easy to read and the story overall was compelling.

The only reason I am giving this story 4 stars instead of 5 is because there were places in it that felt rushed and disjointed. Sometimes I would go back though a scene feeling as though I missed something and not finding the transition.

I received an advance reader copy of The Last Princess by Shelley Wilson. (Thanks to NetGalley and BHC Press for the copy)

Description

Northumbria, 866 AD

Edith still has much to learn about the art of ruling a kingdom, but when her family is murdered, she’s faced with the challenge of staying alive.

As a young woman in Anglo-Saxon England, Edith finds it hard to be heard above the Eldermen who are ripping the kingdom to pieces, but nothing can prepare her for the arrival of the pirates and the Vikings. Torn from her homeland and sold into slavery, she’s determined to survive at any cost.

Finding allies in the unexpected and enemies closer to home, Edith clings to her dream of returning home one day to reclaim her throne and to exact revenge on those who harmed her family.

I love historical fiction! I constantly search for people, places, words I’m unfamiliar with…and really appreciate learning something new. In this instance, I learned about Northumbria, the Viking invasions of England, Bamburgh and Bamburgh Castle, and that era.

I really enjoyed this story. Edith is a likable character; courageous , adventurous, and spirited. The other characters were all fascinating as well – from Jarl Aaric, to the shield maiden and Edith’s duplicitous uncle , Aelle. The book was easy to read, and the story was compelling.

Five stars!

Look for The Last Princess May 24, 2022.

A very fun fast paced novel set during the latter half of the 9th century, Edith is Princess and heir to the throne of Northumbria, her family is suddenly brutally murdered and she's sold into slavery and finds her way into the hands of a viking Jarl. She is a fierce and determined heroine and I loved her! The story felt a bit rushed at times and I would've like it to have been a bit more drawn and fleshed out.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review. As a fan of several TV shows that feature that life and times of English Kingdoms (Northumbria, Wessex, Mercia) and Viking conflict, I was excited to read this tale of a princess from Northumbria whose entire life was ripped from her in a moment. The main character, Edith, proved to be a formidable warrior born of a desire to survive and strike back at those who betrayed her. Odin smiled on her when she finds herself claimed as a slave by Jarl Aaric. She demonstrates her value through honorable action and finds fortune in the recognition of women as shield maidens and equal contributors to Viking life.

I found some similarities in this story to several of the TV shows in that the main character is ‘adopted’ in a way by a powerful jarl. A strong relationship is developed as a result between Saxon and Viking, and Viking sees the value of the Saxon knowledge in raiding Northumbria. Perhaps this was common for Vikings to use Saxon slaves to learn how to invade England. It leaves the reader cheering for the Vikings and the success of invasion.

Overall, this was a good story that I didn’t want to put down and finished in 2 days. I would recommend to any reader who enjoyed stories of Vikings, English Kingdoms and the conflicts between the two.

I am a sucker for a good period romance and this delivered for me! The romance is very much secondary to Edith’s journey so if you’re looking for super romance or smut, this is not the place haha! As an ace spec person though, it was perfect for me!

The book itself can be quite gory, as there are many battles fought. The Viking battles especially are gruesome, but the English and the pirates are also quite unpleasant. That being said, just be aware that blood and guts are mentioned and described quite a bit so read at your discretion lol.

A lot of the main themes in the book are about identity: culture, religion, home, and kin. Edith goes through two different worlds and you get to see how that affects her, which I really enjoyed! There’s also a lot of politics within both the English and the Viking groups so if you’re into royalty, power struggles and corruption, you might find this book interesting.

Overall, this book was good and kept me engaged the entire time, but that being said, the writing style isn’t amazing. Sometimes I got distracted by run-on sentences and phrases missing words like “that” that I felt were needed to sound less casual. Of course this is an arc so things could change before being published, but if beautiful prose is your thing, this book might not be up your alley!

I still really enjoyed the book and ended up getting super into it so, in the end, I do recommend this ya fantasy!

Though the title may be deceiving, this story isn't about some prim and proper princess going about her merry, royal life. One has to look deeper, and realize that this fast paced story is about more than just one girl's life.

Edith dreams of being queen. As the eldest daughter of Northumbria's king, that does seem to be in store for her. But when her family is murdered in a plot to take the throne, she has to be much more clever in her attempts at a crown. The story is incredibly fast-paced and terribly difficult to put down, 8/10 would recommend!

--- SPOILERS AHEAD ---

I honestly don't know how that much information was put into one book. The story could've definitely been stretched into a much longer series, and really read as a movie. Not in a bad way, though. There were parts of the story that were glossed over that I would have liked to hear more about, but it kept you reading nonetheless.

Leif was an icon and I loved him. It was a bit clichéd, but they were great together. I also loved Solveig and how Edith was able to piece back together a family, especially at the conclusion!

The Last Princess tells a tale of a young woman in Saxon England. Edith is the oldest daughter of the King of Northumbria and she's got a lot to learn about leading a kingdom. Especially a kingdom who doesn't believe that she should rule because she's a girl. When Vikings and pirates invade her homeland and murder her family, all she can do is try to save herself. When she's captured and sold into slavery, she vows revenge and survival though she doesn't know how she's going to do it, Sold to a family of Vikings, Edith finds kindness and allies where she doesn't expect. Can she return home and exact revenge on those who set out to destroy her?

I found this book a very quick and engrossing read. The character building and development is superb. I loved all of the action and the pacing of the story was perfect for the story. I'm a big fan of Vikings and their stories and lore. So I felt like this book would be a perfect fit, It reminded me of a gender bent The Last Kingdom a little bit with the same royalty and Viking leaders. Although the story itself doesn't show any parallels, if you're familiar with the series, this book will give you a twinge of familiarity, All-in-all, a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for providing me with a digital copy for review. The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the author or publisher.

I was excited to read this from the moment I read the synopsis . Would I read a princess on a revenge mission .Hell yeah .
0 It's a amazing story. It was a fast paced story. Honestly I wanted to some scenes to be more described . But I never got bored reading it . I like character development in books . This book had it . The characters are interesting .
I would recommend it to all ya fans . But new adult will like it too I guess. Historical fiction readers with a taste of fantasy should definitely read it
Thank you netgally, the author and the publisher for the earc in exchange of a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is fast-paced and engaging. Edith is an incredible female protagonist and I adore what a strong character she is. The pacing in this book was wonderful and was just perfect for a quick, intriguing read. I wish there would have been more story or if there could be a possibility of another book from Edith’s POV as she is so wonderful.

I received an advance reader copy of The Last Princess by Shelley Wilson. (Thanks to NetGalley and BHC Press for the copy.)

Well, after reading the blurb and seeing the beautiful cover I had a feeling I would love this story. And I was right.

This is such a compelling tale of bravery, love, friendship, family, disloyalty, greed, slaves and vikings! Everyone loves a good viking story… who could not? There is passion, war, fight scenes, sword wielding and shield maidens! Yes, women are fierce too. And, I liked the finer touches of this story too… the details of viking marriage ceremonies. It is obvious that Shelley Wilson has researched with care and this is evident in her descriptive passages, and the finer details.

In my opinion, the story really comes into its own as it progresses. I’d say the beginning had me wondering a little… My initial uncertainty was perhaps not quite enough emotion at the beginning given the terrors of what happened to the heroine Edith. But, in the midst of such terror perhaps there is not much time to pause and reflect. This is a time period when such experiences, death is all to common I suppose. So, this slight hiccup, which pulled me momentarily out of the story is soon swept away by the brilliance of the storytelling. Everything thereafter is captivating. A real page turner, I loved this.

My rating 4.5 stars.

I attach my link below (I am a blog tour host, my spot on the tour is 26th May, so the link will not work until then.)

Thank you Netgalley and BHC Press for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Princess is a fierce and brave story about Edith, a Saxon princess whose parents and sisters were killed in an ambush to take over her home Northumbria. Edith runs from home and is captured by pirates and sold into slavery. One day she is taken in by Jarl Aaric, a Viking man and begins training as a shield-woman. She and her new "found family" prepare to go to battle against her uncle, who took over Northumbria by force.

I really liked this book. Edith is a strong female character with a warrior's heart. We are introduced to different religions of the Saxons, who believe in Christianity, and the Vikings, who believe in the Norse gods. Edith wants revenge for the death of her family and to combine both Saxons and Vikings together. I liked the Norse lore and the views of both sides. I adore her friendships with Baldred and Solveig both who support and make her stronger. I do like Leif, the love interest and one of Jarl Aaric's sons. I wish Edith and Leif had more moments together to flesh the romance out a bit. He was understanding, protective but not in a possessive way, and let Edith be independent while also training her in the Viking ways.

The book doesn't just focus on romance but just adds to the story and Edith's growth as princess, to slave, to shield-woman, and warrior. Shelley Wilson created an easy world to follow and wrote a fantastic story.

I highly recommend checking out Sweet Black Waves, Beyond a Darkened Shore, Beasts of the Frozen Sun, Furyborn for more fierce books featuring strong women.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this story. Edith was something else. This book had the right amount of dialogue and discriptions and the character are lovable.

I really enjoyed this and loved the stories and the characters so much would definitely read again and will be purchasing

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

Shelley Wilson tells the tale of the Last Princess, the Saxon princess of Northumbria at the time of the Viking invasion. Her uncle Aelle betrays her father and entire family to pirates and the princess is sold as a slave. She makes her own fortunes in Hedeby, in a Viking earldom. Lots of colour and action with an unexpected conclusion. Good historical fiction.

I loved this historical fantasy book and I would read it again! This book was well-written and I loved the characters. I'm glad that I was given a copy to review by the publisher.