The Last Princess tells a tale of a young woman in Saxon England. Edith is the oldest daughter of the King of Northumbria and she's got a lot to learn about leading a kingdom. Especially a kingdom who doesn't believe that she should rule because she's a girl. When Vikings and pirates invade her homeland and murder her family, all she can do is try to save herself. When she's captured and sold into slavery, she vows revenge and survival though she doesn't know how she's going to do it, Sold to a family of Vikings, Edith finds kindness and allies where she doesn't expect. Can she return home and exact revenge on those who set out to destroy her?

I found this book a very quick and engrossing read. The character building and development is superb. I loved all of the action and the pacing of the story was perfect for the story. I'm a big fan of Vikings and their stories and lore. So I felt like this book would be a perfect fit, It reminded me of a gender bent The Last Kingdom a little bit with the same royalty and Viking leaders. Although the story itself doesn't show any parallels, if you're familiar with the series, this book will give you a twinge of familiarity, All-in-all, a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for providing me with a digital copy for review. The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the author or publisher.

Overall not a bad book. The plot is engaging and the writing style makes it an easy read. However, I do feel there are some glaring issues.

The first one is that Edith never struggles for anything. It doesn’t make her feel like the strong character she’s supposed to be.

The second is that there’s very little down time between action. So whole Edith has great characterization, everyone else feels fairly flat.

Thirdly is the romance. Leif just feels like it’s all of a suddenly they like each other. There’s very little lead up to it.

Though the title may be deceiving, this story isn't about some prim and proper princess going about her merry, royal life. One has to look deeper, and realize that this fast paced story is about more than just one girl's life.

Edith dreams of being queen. As the eldest daughter of Northumbria's king, that does seem to be in store for her. But when her family is murdered in a plot to take the throne, she has to be much more clever in her attempts at a crown. The story is incredibly fast-paced and terribly difficult to put down, 8/10 would recommend!

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I honestly don't know how that much information was put into one book. The story could've definitely been stretched into a much longer series, and really read as a movie. Not in a bad way, though. There were parts of the story that were glossed over that I would have liked to hear more about, but it kept you reading nonetheless.

Leif was an icon and I loved him. It was a bit clichéd, but they were great together. I also loved Solveig and how Edith was able to piece back together a family, especially at the conclusion!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review. As a fan of several TV shows that feature that life and times of English Kingdoms (Northumbria, Wessex, Mercia) and Viking conflict, I was excited to read this tale of a princess from Northumbria whose entire life was ripped from her in a moment. The main character, Edith, proved to be a formidable warrior born of a desire to survive and strike back at those who betrayed her. Odin smiled on her when she finds herself claimed as a slave by Jarl Aaric. She demonstrates her value through honorable action and finds fortune in the recognition of women as shield maidens and equal contributors to Viking life.

I found some similarities in this story to several of the TV shows in that the main character is ‘adopted’ in a way by a powerful jarl. A strong relationship is developed as a result between Saxon and Viking, and Viking sees the value of the Saxon knowledge in raiding Northumbria. Perhaps this was common for Vikings to use Saxon slaves to learn how to invade England. It leaves the reader cheering for the Vikings and the success of invasion.

Overall, this was a good story that I didn’t want to put down and finished in 2 days. I would recommend to any reader who enjoyed stories of Vikings, English Kingdoms and the conflicts between the two.

The Last Princess is an easy read, featuring Vikings and Pirates and all manner of adventure. After her family is brutally murdered, Edith struggles to survive in a world that is not kind to women who have nobody.

And interesting premise and a fairly straightforward plot, this book was a reasonable read, but I didn't really find myself engaging. I think it just wasn't for me!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun fast paced novel set during the latter half of the 9th century, Edith is Princess and heir to the throne of Northumbria, her family is suddenly brutally murdered and she's sold into slavery and finds her way into the hands of a viking Jarl. She is a fierce and determined heroine and I loved her! The story felt a bit rushed at times and I would've like it to have been a bit more drawn and fleshed out.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw this book, I really loved the premise of the story. Edith is a likeable character who is full of courage and spirit. It made reading the book enjoyable, easy to read and the story overall was compelling.

The only reason I am giving this story 4 stars instead of 5 is because there were places in it that felt rushed and disjointed. Sometimes I would go back though a scene feeling as though I missed something and not finding the transition.

I am a sucker for a good period romance and this delivered for me! The romance is very much secondary to Edith’s journey so if you’re looking for super romance or smut, this is not the place haha! As an ace spec person though, it was perfect for me!

The book itself can be quite gory, as there are many battles fought. The Viking battles especially are gruesome, but the English and the pirates are also quite unpleasant. That being said, just be aware that blood and guts are mentioned and described quite a bit so read at your discretion lol.

A lot of the main themes in the book are about identity: culture, religion, home, and kin. Edith goes through two different worlds and you get to see how that affects her, which I really enjoyed! There’s also a lot of politics within both the English and the Viking groups so if you’re into royalty, power struggles and corruption, you might find this book interesting.

Overall, this book was good and kept me engaged the entire time, but that being said, the writing style isn’t amazing. Sometimes I got distracted by run-on sentences and phrases missing words like “that” that I felt were needed to sound less casual. Of course this is an arc so things could change before being published, but if beautiful prose is your thing, this book might not be up your alley!

I still really enjoyed the book and ended up getting super into it so, in the end, I do recommend this ya fantasy!

This novel felt to me a bit like a light female version of The Last Kingdom mixed with some elements of the Viking series.. I can imagine that for a girl in her teens or early twenties who has not seen those series the book is an interesting read.

I received an advance reader copy of The Last Princess by Shelley Wilson. (Thanks to NetGalley and BHC Press for the copy)

Description

Northumbria, 866 AD

Edith still has much to learn about the art of ruling a kingdom, but when her family is murdered, she’s faced with the challenge of staying alive.

As a young woman in Anglo-Saxon England, Edith finds it hard to be heard above the Eldermen who are ripping the kingdom to pieces, but nothing can prepare her for the arrival of the pirates and the Vikings. Torn from her homeland and sold into slavery, she’s determined to survive at any cost.

Finding allies in the unexpected and enemies closer to home, Edith clings to her dream of returning home one day to reclaim her throne and to exact revenge on those who harmed her family.

I love historical fiction! I constantly search for people, places, words I’m unfamiliar with…and really appreciate learning something new. In this instance, I learned about Northumbria, the Viking invasions of England, Bamburgh and Bamburgh Castle, and that era.

I really enjoyed this story. Edith is a likable character; courageous , adventurous, and spirited. The other characters were all fascinating as well – from Jarl Aaric, to the shield maiden and Edith’s duplicitous uncle , Aelle. The book was easy to read, and the story was compelling.

Five stars!

Look for The Last Princess May 24, 2022.

I really enjoyed this fast paced story. Edith was quite a woman for the times. The book does at times feel a bit rushed but honestly it didn't bother me much. It had the right balance of dialogue and description and I liked the characters. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really interested in the premise of the book and as I started reading, I noticed that the author does a good job at sucking you into the story. However, a lot of the important plot elements happen at the beginning of the novel where the audience has little time to connect with the characters. This is a missed opportunity. Otherwise, overall the plot of the story is good.

On the other hand, I also feel like the book could have be longer, even if it is YA. Because of its length, it feels disjointed at times, and a scene or idea does not fully get fleshed out before the next event happens. Along with that, I didn't feel any type of appreciation or connection to the Edith. The development of her character seemed rushed.

This book would be good for a Young Adult audience, but may be too simplified for a more mature audience. I would actually give it 2.75 stars, but I have rounded it up to 3.

The Last Princess is an older young adult historical novel that is perfect for fans of The Last Kingdom and Vikings television shows. We follow Edith who is the eldest daughter and heir to the throne of Northumbria. She has always known her duty was to rule and secure an advantageous marriage for her kingdom. Tragedy strikes and she is forced unto a different course and thrust into a life of servitude. Edith never forgets her principles and values and remains brave and loyal to her upbringing throughout. However, I still think Edith suffers from being very one-dimensional and would benefit from being fleshed out a little more. The romance in this book was very rushed and bland. Many of the supporting characters apart from Jarl Alaric were forgettable and one-dimensional. Additionally, the pacing of the first 10 chapters was very off. I think this book would have benefitted from having more time devoted to world-building and immersing the reader into Edith's world. I still think The Last Princess has a lot of potential and tells a compelling story about a young woman fighting for her birthright despite the odds.

This is like Hamlet meets Daenerys Targaryen and The Anarchy in Anglo-Saxon England. We follow Edith, the heir to Northumbrian crown, as her family and friends were annihilated in a heartbeat. With her uncle usurping the power and she was sold into slavery, headstrong Edith determined to take back her right and make sure those who have wronged her loved ones to be punished.

This was a great fast-paced historical fiction read with a pinch of romance and plenty cut-throats. And Vikings. There were loads of them.

The author really knows history that wraps this tale (as far as I know): the Vikings and pirates raid, Scandinavian slavery, Viking’s heaven and their beliefs, their plundering monasteries habit, religion in Anglo-Saxon England, Viking’s custom of painting their faces before battle, their view on death and how they deal with one, etc etc. I’m not a historian, I mostly learned about those stuff on horrible histories but I daresay they're quite accurate. I make them sound textbook-ish but I swear they're very accessible and readable. My next favourite thing about this book has got to be the female friendship (female rivalry irks me but poorly/lazily written female friendship irks me almost as much). I feel like Edith has more chemistry with Solveig rather than Leif. We’re all familiar with the “touch (one’s lover) and I’ll kill you” trope in a romantic relationship. But how about that trope between two bestfriends? Because that's the energy Solveig radiates towards anyone who’d dare to harm her friend.

There are things that do not sit right with me. First and foremost, the “I am not like other girls” mentality. *Le sigh* Folks, I thought we were past this?

Honestly, it didn't really cross my mind that Edith is a not-like-other-girls because liking masculine things doesn't make you one. Well, actually, it sort of crossed my mind twice when Jarl Aaric and subsequently his wife Ingrid said something like, “You are not like the other slaves.” And I dismissed it since slaves don't only consist of women. But then it is addressed very blatantly. Yes, Edith said two statements but the first one is a fact. So Leif's response must be to the second. Still, I don't really see any not-other-girls traits in Edith but God it’s kinda hard to take this seriously when they put it that way. That's my biggest issue.

Second, concerning Ingrid’s discovery of Edith’s true identity. Seriously, it has so many potentials. The build-ups, the cold stares, and the tensions are very well-done. But how it was resolved made me stare at my phone and thought, “That’s it? That easy?” Tell me, how did we go from Ingrid who isn't easy to trust people to Ingrid who is so easily convinced by just some tales? How did she know it all true? (“the seer,” you may say, but I think it could have done better). And then wanting her husband to fight for Edith’s right? Whew that escalated very quickly. I expected some heated argument of sort.

That said, I really recommend this if you like a kick-ass heroine and Vikings.

I LOVED this quick fantasy read. The book releases in May, and I can’t wait to share with my students once I get a copy.

I love Norse/Viking culture and this book did a pretty good job capturing this very fascinating group of people.

Edith is a Princess whose whole family was murdered. She was thought to be dead, but instead she was sold into slavery as a nameless slave. She happens to be bought by Viking leader and brought back to his village. She is biding her time to go back to avenge her family’s death and take back her throne.