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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Aah, I wanted to love this so much more than I did. I've said previously that slow pacing doesn't tend to put me off - but I just needed something, anything, to happen for much of this book. Maybe I needed to be more familiar with Beowulf to appreciate it more - I think it also suffered from the books I've recently finished up, hot off the heels of a months long slump...
I loved Bryce, Hild, and Theow - but I found myself often more frustrated with other characters and the decisions made. The utter ignorance and backtracking when presented with certain characters deeds and actions. There's so many points where it could have been resolved before so much loss, if only that person had pursued this or took more note of some blaring red flags (if you asked me). But again, probably ignorance of the source material on my part.
I did enjoy the glimpses peppered throughout of Fýrdraca - the big climax featuring her though was pretty short. Sure there was a lot of losses and much destruction, but the space on the page dedicated to take us through the mighty battle was brief. After struggling to capture my attention throughout the book, I was hoping for a finale that would sweep me away... I do like how the story resolves itself though - but I also just didn't care enough about the characters to take true satisfaction in it.
I loved Bryce, Hild, and Theow - but I found myself often more frustrated with other characters and the decisions made. The utter ignorance and backtracking when presented with certain characters deeds and actions. There's so many points where it could have been resolved before so much loss, if only that person had pursued this or took more note of some blaring red flags (if you asked me). But again, probably ignorance of the source material on my part.
I did enjoy the glimpses peppered throughout of Fýrdraca - the big climax featuring her though was pretty short. Sure there was a lot of losses and much destruction, but the space on the page dedicated to take us through the mighty battle was brief. After struggling to capture my attention throughout the book, I was hoping for a finale that would sweep me away... I do like how the story resolves itself though - but I also just didn't care enough about the characters to take true satisfaction in it.
As always my reviews are always 100% honest and my own opinions. I will try to never fully spoil a plot. This particular copy I was given access to a copy to review by Netgalley. #HeadOfZeus #NetGalley #ShieldMaiden #SharonEmmerichs #BookReview #AnAdAstraBook
The epic poem of Beowulf has always been a favourite along with the legends and myths of Geats, Saxons and Vikings so when I heard of this book I was incredibly excited and was sure I would love it. Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed.
Shield Maiden follows the heroine Fryda, King Beowulf’s niece and her desire to become a shield maiden in her own right. Yet her bravery lead to a childhood accident leaving her disabled thus she believed thwarting her dream for good but as she grows she feels an uncontrollable power within herself start to rise.
As a great celebration begins under Beowulf’s reign and Fryda’s house is soon overrun with foreign kinds and chieftains. Amidst the drunken revelry a discovery is made that threatens not only Fryda’s life but her whole clan. Resolute Fryda is determined to fight for her clan no matter the cost and her powers only seem to grow but she is not the only one who feels it. Deep in a gilded lair a dragon is drawn to Fryda’s untamed power and slowly begins to awaken from their cursed sleep.
If that doesn’t get you hooked I don’t know what will. I will start though by saying that while I thoroughly enjoyed this book I do agree with some reviews that the style of writing could sometimes be viewed as young adult while most of the characters are at least in their twenties. That said it did not distract from the story for me but I can understand why it could for some. The plot itself is well conceived and does keep you hooked although I would argue it takes a little while to really get going and if you don’t have a keen interest in the time period or the Beowulf legend it may appear a slow start. That said when it does get going it picks up the pace.
With a retelling and foundation of the epic Beowulf poem there is plenty of action to be had in the novel and a bit of magic and myth as well. I personally would have liked to see a bit more of the latter but that is down to personal taste and the story does just fine without it. The characters all come to life and are generally believable. I personally loved the flip of Wiglaf being not exactly the morally sound character he is often portrayed as. Indeed it was nice to see a twist of roles between Beowulf and Wiglaf in this one.
All in all I loved this one despite what could be seen a contradictions of the character ages and writing style. We do feel transported back in the times of the gods and monsters and honestly anything that deals with Beowulf and shield maidens is going to be rated highly from me!
The epic poem of Beowulf has always been a favourite along with the legends and myths of Geats, Saxons and Vikings so when I heard of this book I was incredibly excited and was sure I would love it. Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed.
Shield Maiden follows the heroine Fryda, King Beowulf’s niece and her desire to become a shield maiden in her own right. Yet her bravery lead to a childhood accident leaving her disabled thus she believed thwarting her dream for good but as she grows she feels an uncontrollable power within herself start to rise.
As a great celebration begins under Beowulf’s reign and Fryda’s house is soon overrun with foreign kinds and chieftains. Amidst the drunken revelry a discovery is made that threatens not only Fryda’s life but her whole clan. Resolute Fryda is determined to fight for her clan no matter the cost and her powers only seem to grow but she is not the only one who feels it. Deep in a gilded lair a dragon is drawn to Fryda’s untamed power and slowly begins to awaken from their cursed sleep.
If that doesn’t get you hooked I don’t know what will. I will start though by saying that while I thoroughly enjoyed this book I do agree with some reviews that the style of writing could sometimes be viewed as young adult while most of the characters are at least in their twenties. That said it did not distract from the story for me but I can understand why it could for some. The plot itself is well conceived and does keep you hooked although I would argue it takes a little while to really get going and if you don’t have a keen interest in the time period or the Beowulf legend it may appear a slow start. That said when it does get going it picks up the pace.
With a retelling and foundation of the epic Beowulf poem there is plenty of action to be had in the novel and a bit of magic and myth as well. I personally would have liked to see a bit more of the latter but that is down to personal taste and the story does just fine without it. The characters all come to life and are generally believable. I personally loved the flip of Wiglaf being not exactly the morally sound character he is often portrayed as. Indeed it was nice to see a twist of roles between Beowulf and Wiglaf in this one.
All in all I loved this one despite what could be seen a contradictions of the character ages and writing style. We do feel transported back in the times of the gods and monsters and honestly anything that deals with Beowulf and shield maidens is going to be rated highly from me!
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Firstly, I do not think this is a badly written book. Was it for me? No. Is there a market for it? Definitely. The prose is well written and engaging, I breezed through reading this in only 2 days. Why am I only giving it 2 stars? I think I am a bit oversaturated on the historical fantasy right now. I got this one through the Goldsboro books GSFF club and it seems like most of the recent books from there have been quite similar in feel. Reviews are 100% subjective and I am confident that others will love this book way more than me.
Shield Maiden is a retelling of Beowulf, at least his third fight against the dragon, but told from the perspective of his niece. There is definitely a bit of fad for retelling of classic historical fantasy from a female perspective. Honestly, I am not sure how much it adds and would rather new stories were told rather than trying to shoehorn a modern feisty girl into a classic work of fiction. Yes, historical fiction is extremely male dominated, but I am not certain that feminist retellings are the way to correct that as it always ends up feeling somewhat anachronistic, putting modern societal mores onto these historical events.
The pacing also feels somewhat off, being very slow for the first half of the book. There is an almost YA feel to the characterizations. Fryda is a typical modern YA style feisty princess. The villainy here is also somewhat one dimensional and black and white. It is easy reading. It all jars somewhat with my knowledge of the original source material, but I have nothing in particular against making Beowulf more accessible to the modern audience, but again it felt a bit shoehorned in. The Beowulf elements of the story (fighting the dragon) definitely played second fiddle to the love interest and court intrigue.
This is not a bad story, it just felt like a few too many things were stitched in to a story which they didn't belong in.
Shield Maiden is a retelling of Beowulf, at least his third fight against the dragon, but told from the perspective of his niece. There is definitely a bit of fad for retelling of classic historical fantasy from a female perspective. Honestly, I am not sure how much it adds and would rather new stories were told rather than trying to shoehorn a modern feisty girl into a classic work of fiction. Yes, historical fiction is extremely male dominated, but I am not certain that feminist retellings are the way to correct that as it always ends up feeling somewhat anachronistic, putting modern societal mores onto these historical events.
The pacing also feels somewhat off, being very slow for the first half of the book. There is an almost YA feel to the characterizations. Fryda is a typical modern YA style feisty princess. The villainy here is also somewhat one dimensional and black and white. It is easy reading. It all jars somewhat with my knowledge of the original source material, but I have nothing in particular against making Beowulf more accessible to the modern audience, but again it felt a bit shoehorned in. The Beowulf elements of the story (fighting the dragon) definitely played second fiddle to the love interest and court intrigue.
This is not a bad story, it just felt like a few too many things were stitched in to a story which they didn't belong in.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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:
Complicated
Shield Maiden is a retelling of a classic Beowulf story told from the perspective of a lord’s daughter who rises from a timid girl to a powerful warrior - although she maintains most of her naïveté by the tale’s end. A good premise, but overall the book fails to build the plot and flesh out relationships between the characters, and left me wanting more. The book easily could have been 100-200 pages longer - which is a compliment as much as it is a criticism. The characters were so interesting, yet the book was paced so quickly that it never felt that they were fully connected to each other. Additionally, there were several points in the book where characters made strange decisions that didn’t really make sense and were never addressed again. The ending seemed rushed and left much to be desired. Overall, it feels like a book 75% finished - which is a shame considering how fresh its concept is!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Murder
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced