A review by bookish_olga
Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs

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.