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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
Kirkus's reviews sums it better than I could
"focus-shifted retelling of Beowulf’s final battle.
Set in 994 CE, debut author Emmerichs’ romantic historical fantasy introduces Fryda of Clan Waegmunding—a brave, beneficent 20-year-old who is daughter to Lord Weohstan of Eċeweall and niece to King Beowulf, legendary hero turned ruler of Geatland. Fryda dreams of becoming an elite warrior known as a shield maiden, but her widowed father’s overprotective nature combined with limitations imposed by a misshapen left hand force her to settle for covertly sparring with her friend Hild, an African indentured servant, and her secret crush, Theow, an enslaved Celt. Fryda’s practice pays off when three men attack and attempt to abduct her during a feast celebrating Beowulf and his half-century on the throne. Theow hears Fryda’s cries and helps dispatch the assailants, one of whose final words suggest the entire enclave is in danger. Fryda warns both Weohstan and her boorish twin brother, Wiglaf, about the threat, but they dismiss her concerns, prompting Fryda to launch her own investigation. Meanwhile, Fryda begins experiencing strange surges of superhuman strength, and in a nearby cave, Fýrdraca, last of the fire-dragons, stirs for the first time in centuries. After a languid start rich with character development, Emmerichs changes gears, skillfully juxtaposing high-stakes action and interpersonal drama with breezy banter and sharp wit. The intricate plot thrills and inspires, fashioning a hidden history that at once honors the original Old English poem and re-contextualizes the tale, conferring new relevance.
Kindhearted and fiercely feminist", which as a reason to read a book is a pretty good one in these times.
"focus-shifted retelling of Beowulf’s final battle.
Set in 994 CE, debut author Emmerichs’ romantic historical fantasy introduces Fryda of Clan Waegmunding—a brave, beneficent 20-year-old who is daughter to Lord Weohstan of Eċeweall and niece to King Beowulf, legendary hero turned ruler of Geatland. Fryda dreams of becoming an elite warrior known as a shield maiden, but her widowed father’s overprotective nature combined with limitations imposed by a misshapen left hand force her to settle for covertly sparring with her friend Hild, an African indentured servant, and her secret crush, Theow, an enslaved Celt. Fryda’s practice pays off when three men attack and attempt to abduct her during a feast celebrating Beowulf and his half-century on the throne. Theow hears Fryda’s cries and helps dispatch the assailants, one of whose final words suggest the entire enclave is in danger. Fryda warns both Weohstan and her boorish twin brother, Wiglaf, about the threat, but they dismiss her concerns, prompting Fryda to launch her own investigation. Meanwhile, Fryda begins experiencing strange surges of superhuman strength, and in a nearby cave, Fýrdraca, last of the fire-dragons, stirs for the first time in centuries. After a languid start rich with character development, Emmerichs changes gears, skillfully juxtaposing high-stakes action and interpersonal drama with breezy banter and sharp wit. The intricate plot thrills and inspires, fashioning a hidden history that at once honors the original Old English poem and re-contextualizes the tale, conferring new relevance.
Kindhearted and fiercely feminist", which as a reason to read a book is a pretty good one in these times.
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!
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!
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
A wonderful story of love, betrayal, and making your own family. Fryda is a Lords daughter who wishes for nothing but to be a shield maiden. Her father is vehemently against this. Chaos ensues when her uncle King Beowulf come to their land to be celebrated for 50 years of ruling over the kingdom, and this gives Fryda the opportunity to show everyone what she is truly made of.
I am not its target audience, so I tried to give the read the benefit of the doubt. Ultimately, the plot holes and uninventive characters were a bit too much for me to forgive.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Fryda is desperate to be a shielf maiden of Geatland, but a terrible accident some years earlier left her with a mangled left hand and arm. Fryda works around her disability, training in martial arts with Geatland's blacksmith Bryce, who is her emotional support rather than her icy cold and dismissive father, but does her best to hide her hand from others' view.
Fryda has a twin brother, Wiglaf, who will inherit their father Weohstan's title and lands. Fryda loves her brother, who is quick to find the humour in things for her, but who has a darker, nastier side, which Fryda has never seen, unlike the servants and slaves at the fort, such as Hild and Theow, respectively.
Theow was taken as a child after a raid on his Celtish settlement by one of Fryda's father's men. His fiery red hair marks him as different, as well as his lowly status at Geatland. He and Fryda have been yearning after each other for years; they think their feelings are hidden, though Bryce and Hild are fully aware of the pair's pining.
Weohstan is a vassal of King Beowulf (yes, that guy, the murderer of Grendel and his mother). Beowulf arrives in Geatland for a celebration of his fiftyish years of rule, with other kings from neighbouring lands attending the several-days long party.
And did I mention there's a dragon, many years buried with a huge amount of gold, and a pesky fancy, magical goblet, near Geatland, and she's cursed, and furious?
So, a bunch of kings looking for advantage, rowdy, drunk soldiers, years worth of resentments, secrets and betrayals, and of course everything goes wrong, violently. There are murders and beatings, and Fryda soon finds herself imprisoned, betrayed, and mostly alone, except for a small number of people who know that though extremely privileged and naive, Fryda is a kind and generous person. Fryda quickly finds that people are picking sides, and she will not only have to deal with an betrayal of someone she loves, but also have to deal with a dragon roused from a long slumber, and intent on burning everything around her.
So, lots of great elements, but I had a slow time getting through this book. The writing veers back and forth between flowing and awkward, which meant that I sometimes felt myself pulled out of the narrative and the emotional moments didn't land.
A great source of frustration was how persistently naive Freda is. So much so that it takes much of the novel for her to wake up to the intentions of some of the people close to her. She does gradually open her eyes, but I felt it took too long to get there. The plot could have been tightened up so that she remained blind to the antagonist's actions for most of the book.
And though each of Fryda's chapters alternate with the dragon's, I never fully understood the reasons behind the dragon's curse. And I dearly wished the dragon had also had more to do in this story than just sleep for about 90% of it.
Sharon Emmerichs knows her history, and the setting had a believable, lived in feel to it. I just wish I had enjoyed this book more.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Redhook Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Fryda has a twin brother, Wiglaf, who will inherit their father Weohstan's title and lands. Fryda loves her brother, who is quick to find the humour in things for her, but who has a darker, nastier side, which Fryda has never seen, unlike the servants and slaves at the fort, such as Hild and Theow, respectively.
Theow was taken as a child after a raid on his Celtish settlement by one of Fryda's father's men. His fiery red hair marks him as different, as well as his lowly status at Geatland. He and Fryda have been yearning after each other for years; they think their feelings are hidden, though Bryce and Hild are fully aware of the pair's pining.
Weohstan is a vassal of King Beowulf (yes, that guy, the murderer of Grendel and his mother). Beowulf arrives in Geatland for a celebration of his fiftyish years of rule, with other kings from neighbouring lands attending the several-days long party.
And did I mention there's a dragon, many years buried with a huge amount of gold, and a pesky fancy, magical goblet, near Geatland, and she's cursed, and furious?
So, a bunch of kings looking for advantage, rowdy, drunk soldiers, years worth of resentments, secrets and betrayals, and of course everything goes wrong, violently. There are murders and beatings, and Fryda soon finds herself imprisoned, betrayed, and mostly alone, except for a small number of people who know that though extremely privileged and naive, Fryda is a kind and generous person. Fryda quickly finds that people are picking sides, and she will not only have to deal with an betrayal of someone she loves, but also have to deal with a dragon roused from a long slumber, and intent on burning everything around her.
So, lots of great elements, but I had a slow time getting through this book. The writing veers back and forth between flowing and awkward, which meant that I sometimes felt myself pulled out of the narrative and the emotional moments didn't land.
A great source of frustration was how persistently naive Freda is. So much so that it takes much of the novel for her to wake up to the intentions of some of the people close to her. She does gradually open her eyes, but I felt it took too long to get there. The plot could have been tightened up so that she remained blind to the antagonist's actions for most of the book.
And though each of Fryda's chapters alternate with the dragon's, I never fully understood the reasons behind the dragon's curse. And I dearly wished the dragon had also had more to do in this story than just sleep for about 90% of it.
Sharon Emmerichs knows her history, and the setting had a believable, lived in feel to it. I just wish I had enjoyed this book more.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Redhook Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cool story, very original. I didn’t fully understand the allegory of the Lone Survivor and would have preferred a slightly more obvious who-is-who. The ending was too lovey-dovey and unrealistic for me, but otherwise a pleasurable read.