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A review by bamamelereads
Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs
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.