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chrstn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookish_olga's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sharon Emmerichs' debut novel is a refreshing new look at the Beowulf story from the point of view of a young girl named Fryda. It is part epic, part coming of age but with a narrative voice that feels almost modern, adding so much new blood to the old story. Fryda, the daughter of Lord Weohstan, was born to be a shield maiden - one of the warrior women of Geatland, who were said to be the fiercest in the world. But as a child she has part of her hand torn off and it seems that the role she was destined for will be beyond her. Until decades later she discovers within herself the mystical force known as the werod, about which legends were told but no one could believe was true.
Emmerichs' academic background comes through in the richness of detail that she adds to the setting, the clothes and the manners of the time. Wizarding details pull you in thoroughly to a very real world and the story dances on the historical record of some of the time it was set. Foreign lords and chieftains are coming to the land of the Geats to mark King Beowulf's fifty year reign. However, no-one seems quite ready to allow Beowulf to retire yet and jealousy and malice festers in the wings.
Another thing that sets "Shield Maiden" apart from other Beowulf famous retellings is that it goes to the much less well known and retold part of the Beowulf poem, the dragon. Beowulf's presence takes a back seat to the dragon, and the dragon's POV sections of the novel are some of the best and most thoughtfully written. The introduction of a sorceress in a quest to change the course of Ragnell, her daughter's life brought the narrative into the ancient and mystical and added another layer of depth to the writing.
But the novel is flawed in several regards. Firstly, there are inconsistencies in the development of certain ideas, which left aspects of the plot feeling underdeveloped or unpolished. Significantly, the spiked mead incident at the feast was, I think, meant to be foreshadowed early on but there was nothing to indicate to me that this incident was of any importance. The dragon's character is key to the plot but feels more superfluous than necessary given its emergence late in the story. Frieda is a sweet character but she sometimes struck me as being naive in a way that didn't suit her given that she loved and was in love with and was loved by all her men-folk. Some actions of hers were thoughtless, and that didn't jive with a character that was well-loved and full of love herself. The narrative is also at times disjointed and jarring in its abrupt changes, and this took me out of the story on more than one occasion.
Despite all of this, Emmerichs's writing is incredibly lyrical and it's enough to draw a reader in and make them stick around. SHIELD MAIDEN is an impressive debut that fuses history with mythology for an entirely fresh take on a timeless story. A must-read for fans of YA fantasy romance and mythology, be prepared to be transported to a vividly imagined world and get lost in a story about power and love and strength as old as time.
thoughtsontomes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a retelling of the later half of the Beowulf myth but it’s heavily focused on the abuse of the main character and people being a little obtuse about the antagonists and trusting them so it did get to be a bit tedious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
cassisterner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
njauf's review against another edition
Spent like half an hour on this and can already tell it’s not for me
bamamelereads's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
So this is an enjoyable, adventurous tale that at the same time has some issues. I’d read a translation of Beowulf within the last year, so I was somewhat familiar with the tale, but not overly so. The plot itself is pretty good with adventure, hardship, betrayals, plotting, backstabbing, a dragon, and a couple of battles. There’s also a very sweet romance, and the end is hopeful and triumphant.
My issues are around the way the author couldn’t seem to be able to decide on a characterization of Freyda. At times she’s fierce, and at times she’s scared and kind of weepy. She’s incredibly naive and overly optimistic. She clearly has a good heart, but is in no way attuned to how the people around her interpret that goodness. I really struggled with her character, especially towards the end when it’s so clear the bad guy isn’t going to relent in being bad.
All that said, the narration for the audiobook was fantastic, so it was a quick and engaging listen.
My issues are around the way the author couldn’t seem to be able to decide on a characterization of Freyda. At times she’s fierce, and at times she’s scared and kind of weepy. She’s incredibly naive and overly optimistic. She clearly has a good heart, but is in no way attuned to how the people around her interpret that goodness. I really struggled with her character, especially towards the end when it’s so clear the bad guy isn’t going to relent in being bad.
All that said, the narration for the audiobook was fantastic, so it was a quick and engaging listen.
ahenrick's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
helenamt's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
veyeris's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
constantinareads's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.