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Shield Maiden
by Sharon Emmerichs
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.