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lorraine19 's review for:
Shield Maiden
by Sharon Emmerichs
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are some parts of this book I absolutely loved and some parts that annoyed me.
First, the good. I have to applaud the disability representation and how she focused on the mental and social aspects of having a disability. The trauma and physical limitations actually play into the story. It's not just something there to say "hey I'm inclusive". I also found the side characters interesting - the antagonist being one of the most fascinating to me. The fight scenes were extremely vivid and captivating.
Which brings me to the meh. Outside of the battle scenes, I did not get the same visuals and I found the world building kind of bland. While I appreciate that the main character having flaws (that aren't her disability), it got really annoying really quick. At one point she'd be the strong independent heroine, the next she would be so clueless and naive to the point it is infuriating. And at the same time all of the other characters are talking about how she "is too clever for her own good". It just felt very inconsistent.
Overall, not my favorite but not bad. Definitely good if you're looking for something with good disability representation.
First, the good. I have to applaud the disability representation and how she focused on the mental and social aspects of having a disability. The trauma and physical limitations actually play into the story. It's not just something there to say "hey I'm inclusive". I also found the side characters interesting - the antagonist being one of the most fascinating to me. The fight scenes were extremely vivid and captivating.
Which brings me to the meh. Outside of the battle scenes, I did not get the same visuals and I found the world building kind of bland. While I appreciate that the main character having flaws (that aren't her disability), it got really annoying really quick. At one point she'd be the strong independent heroine, the next she would be so clueless and naive to the point it is infuriating. And at the same time all of the other characters are talking about how she "is too clever for her own good". It just felt very inconsistent.
Overall, not my favorite but not bad. Definitely good if you're looking for something with good disability representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content