I really enjoyed this book! It wasn’t as graphic as I thought it would have been considering it’s about Vikings, but it is YA. I also enjoyed the lore of both cultures represented.

This was an amazing read for me up until the ending. Everything was wrapped up nicely, but let’s add another 20 or so pages of underwhelming story line. I could have done without it, but I understand it’s setting up the storyline for a sequel…maybe? It just seems like it could have been done with a little more care and creativity.

I could not really get into this book. I saw how others from another country and or religion and judge what others believe or not understand how someone can believe what they do but I felt like this went beyond that in using some stereotypes and judgements that are out there and i did not like that. I felt this could have been done a different way. I just did not care for it. I give it a 1.5 but will be nice to round it up to 2. where were the editors on this one.

I initially wanted to read this story because of the cover, description and the title, and didn't know what to expect. I intentionally avoided researching this book, its authors, and reviews by others so I could form my own opinion. After reading the book, I'm still not sure what to think. There was a lot of prejudiced and biased information in the beginning of the book, which I suppose was meant to illustrate the ignorance of the characters. However, it was uncomfortable to read. This may be a spoiler but I'll say that the characters eventually learn better by the end of the story. Another challenge was that the characters weren't memorable, so I struggled to root for them or connect with them.im rating this book a 2.5

Yafeu is a warrior who is stolen from the Ghānaian empire and taken as a slave to a distant kingdom in the North. This cold world of shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods also contains a kindred spirit in Freydis. She is a shy princess who wants to set her own fate, just like Yafeu. Yafeu is still a warrior, and not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes.

Yafeu is actually her father's name, who had taught her blacksmithing and hunting basics before he left to do blacksmithing for foreign nations. She feels her pride led to her and her village getting noticed by slavers, which leads to incredible guilt. Vikings had traveled as far as Spain and modern-day North Africa, and a team of Vikings went on a raid to North Africa. The party is led by Freydis' aunt; her mother had multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, so Freydis is the only heir her father has. He's a belligerent but savvy leader and plans to use Freydis' marriage prospects to his benefit. It takes some time for the two young women to meet and begin working together. When they do, Freydis seems too shy and desperate for companionship while Yafeu is too brash and reckless to be a good thrall.

The Vikings went to Spain and North Africa on their more ambitious raids, providing the historical fodder for the novel. The majority of the novel takes place in Viking territory, so it will be of great interest to those who enjoy the time period and culture. It's an interesting way to look at it from an outsider's perspective with Yafeu, as well as the insider perspective from Freydis and rarely her warrior aunt. The expected roles chafe both girls. When it picks up, the action moves very quickly. At that point, the characters no longer meander around the area but react to the plot rapidly and the conclusion feels like a setup for a sequel. It will be fascinating to see what happens next for them.

I struggled with this review. I really wanted to love this book. The synopsis sounded fantastic. But when I read the book, it just fell short. The story was just ok. The father issue never fully resolves. I did, however, love the blend of African and Norse mythology.

I’m excited to give this a read! I’ve been really into new genres lately & this is screaming at me to try.

So far, i am enjoying the beginning and allowing my mind to expand and grow.

Thank you netgalley for my ARC!

I’m not sure which version of this novel earlier reviewers read, but this book (which I received a few weeks ago as a digital ARC) does not condemn any particular religion just for the sake of doing so.

It is a coming of age about a black queen who survives horrid adversity. It is filled with violence, wrath, and Vikings. There are a number of different cultures, all with different god(s) but if you read any fantasy or dystopian literature you will find this is standard to this type of book.

Whether the characters worshiped one god or many, feared or embraced each other’s religions, that is not the primary focus. Yes, this concept moves forward the overarching theme that we can be alike amidst our differences, but there is so much more going on in the plot.

If anything, you could also be mad about race and racism, classism, or sexual abuse. The book includes a number of sensitive topics to varying degrees. However, you would then have to criticize most modern literature as so many authors address these topics. It is all culturally relevant, and the co-authors wrote beautifully; the handling of these topics is not crude.

Ultimately, I’d say: don’t let the rating scare you away. This is a fascinating novel that requires your full attention to better understand the world. If you have watched The Northmen and/or are familiar with African culture, then you may be able to catch on quicker than others.

I hope this will be a series because I am invested in the budding romance, the dark foreshadowing, and this world that was built in which we see a mix of cultures and classes coexisting in a brutal world.

#NetGalley

DNF @ 20%, pacing was off and the story felt strangely contrived and borderline -phobic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and the authors for the opportunity to review Black Shield Maiden.

The book cover and synopsis really intrigued me. I appreciated Viking and African representation in the book. As a YA fantasy novel with dual narration, it is just ok. There were a few scenes that made me rapidly turn the pages but, as a whole, the book is just ok. I was sucked in here and there but for most of the book, I felt myself wondering away mentally. It is written well though. I could clearly see the world the authors painted. But, again, I just couldn't quite get sucked in like I would have liked.

This was a great coming of age story full of strength and courage I ABSOLUTELY loved how the strength was shown through this young girl in all she had to endure from being abandoned by her father who she adored to be shamed by her family.

What a wild ride of a story told in Norse Mythology! The characters and setting were bold, rich, unexpected, intriguing, raw, real, and mesmerizing. The story is a page turner from first word to last word. What an unexpected journey to witness in this story! Until next time Happy Reading!

I want to thank Del Rey for this ARC via Netgalley.

I really love Viking stories, so when I read the synopsis for this book, I was hooked. Yafeu is a young woman who is taken from her village in the Ghanaian Empire by slavers and ends up on a Viking shield maiden's ship headed North. Yafeu's father had taught her to fight, so she was enthralled with the idea of a woman warrior. Unfortunately, Yafeu ends up as a thrall when they reach modern-day Norway. Her warrior spirit shines through, though, and she is placed as the handmaid to Princess Freydis, and later becomes a shield maiden herself. Of course, this is all a total culture shock for Yafeu as she begins to learn the language, customs, and gods of the North. It was interesting how, at first, it all seemed so strange, but by learning more, she began to see more similarities between her gods and the Viking gods and between herself and Freydis.

This book did start out a bit slow, but I couldn't put it down towards the end! If you like fantasy with strong female leads, check out Black Shield Maiden. I'm hoping for a sequel! Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, Willow Smith, and Jess Hendel for the opportunity to read an ARC of this epic tale.

Our first main character is Yafeu (not her real name), who is living with her mother and brothers on the outskirts of her uncle’s village. Her father has left, and no one knows if he will return.

Then we meet Freydis, a princess in the North. Her mother has tried to have more children, as her father wants a male heir, but all have died except her. She feels like a constant disappointment to her parents, merely for being female.

Eventually, Yafeu is kidnapped and sold into slavery. She is rescued by some raiders in ships, only to be taken to their territory and become a slave there. So, now she’s further from home, and a slave anyway. Some rescue, huh?

Eventually, these two come together. Freydis is to be married off to and older man in another area, and wants a servant of her own to take with her. Her aunt, Alvtir – the raider who rescued Yafeu in the first place – gives Yafeu to her. They have a rocky start, but do form a bond. Freydis is just beginning to learn that she has her own skills and power. Yafeu is learning the language and customs of the kingdom she is in.

Later, after Yafeu shows her prowess as a warrior, Alvtir takes her away to train with the rest of the Hird – the group that goes out into the world to raid on behalf of the king. Alvtir has been demoted, and is no longer in charge of the Hird, but there is a small band of raiders who are still loyal to her. A few are even women! Yafeu fits in as well as can be with this lot.

A lot more happens in the back third or so of the book – big, exciting, climactic things – but I don’t want to spoil it.

This one is a little long, and it took a while for it to pick up. Not to say we didn’t need introductions to these characters and their different worlds, mind you – but I felt like it started to move more once the stories were moving together.

This book would appeal to those who like mythology, sword fights, and the like. Possibly the “Game of Thrones” folks (just as one example).

Thank you for my early copy of "Black Shield Maiden." I am looking forward to reading this book. Thank you, and happy pub day to Willow Smith and Jess Hendel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Black Shield Maiden follows Ghanaian warrior Yafeu as she is enslaved by vikings.

I didn't know about the controversy surrounding the initial promotion of this book until I saw the concerningly low rating it has online and went scrolling through reviews. The long and short of it seems to be that a promotional excerpt from an earlier version of the book was explicitly Islamophobic. The copy I received, however, has very thoroughly tried to eradicate these moments. The book itself doesn't lack racism or prejudice, however it seems Muslims are no longer specifically mentioned. I'm not sure that this means the book has eradicated prejudice, however there was clearly an effort made to rectify the situation between then and now.

That item aside, Black Shield Maiden was a perfectly fine read. As far as historical fantasies go, many aspects seemed thoroughly researched (especially the different religious structures our main characters participate in), and the plot was decently interesting. I did think it felt a little overlong and off-balance -- the two main characters don't interact until like 30% of the way through, but then the final resolution of this book's conflict happened so fast I felt like I was missing something -- but in all, it was a decently pleasant experience. I'd certainly read a sequel just out of curiosity about how the changes to this world play out in the long term.

Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith; Jess Hendel was an exciting read.
With both a riveting plot and well-developed characters this was a fun time.
The characters are so well described and developed.
The writing sucked me in and he,d me captive.
I’m excited for their next title.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel is a multi-POV historical epic about three women whose lives are changed forever by each other. Yafeu is A young woman from the Ghanaian Empire who is kidnapped and brought to the home of Freydis and Alvtir to be a thrall. Freydis is the only child of Balli, a Viking leader struggling to have an heir, while Alvtir is her aunt and Balli’s second-in-command.

What I really liked was how Yafeu is given a very sweet romance where she is treated with respect and care. I wasn’t expecting her to have a romance given the context of shield maidens often forswearing relationships in fiction, but this was a very nice surprise and Ingard is a supportive young man with a complicated history himself.

Freydis and Yafeu are very often used in juxtaposition to each other. Freydis has a lot of pressure put on her as Balli’s only surviving child and her marriage is a very important political tool in the fight against Christians coming into the Nordic lands. Yafeu’s father was a blacksmith and she comes from an intercultural marriage. She is interested in being a warrior and expresses skills in smithy, creating clothes, and cooking throughout the novel, revealing her agency and her many layers.

Mawu-Lisa, a deity of the sun and moon from West African traditions, and Sol and Mani, the sun and moon deities of Viking tradition, come up often to show the similarities and also differences in the two cultures of our three leads. The use of these deities was probably my favorite part because it helps make the story feel alive and lived-in as well as highlighting a deity I was unfamiliar with.

Content warning for depictions and mentions of sexual assault

I would recommend this to readers looking for Viking historicals with a Black lead and fans of historical epics that reimagine what could or might have been.

I really loved this book, it was exactly what I wanted it to be and it surpassed my expectations. I loved the characters, I loved the growth, I loved the care taken to build this world in a (I hope?) historically accurate way.

My only complaint with this story is how long it takes to feel like anything is really happening with the main plot. Such great care is taken to establish the setting that the beginning felt a bit slow. As someone who really enjoys reading historical fiction, I didn't mind it too much. Also, a lot of that world building is describing the MC's experience of life pre, during, and post being kidnapped by slavers, which is not only important to the story but also important to illustrate for anyone not familiar with the subject, like myself.

Once I hit 70%, I literally couldn't put it down. I have so much love for the core group of characters and the way they come together and fight for each other. A great take on found family, even when you find them in the worst ways imaginable. I loved how many strong, resilient women are in this story, and the way that two cultures come together in the most unlikely circumstances.

I also appreciate that this book doesn't really hand feed the reader information. There are details and elements of the story that connect and the authors don't explicitly explain it, there is an expectation that the reader will figure it out. This isn't an overly-easy read, which made it more enjoyable.

When I was reviewing the Goodreads reviews, I was confused because they discussed an entirely different plot than what is here, regarding the African Warrior and Viking princess. Upon further research I learned that the original publish date was pushed back in 2022. I suppose the reviews were so poor that they changed the entire concept of the novel.

I think it’s a great read for anyone interested in historical fiction fantasy. Since this is a fantasy, historical accuracy is not as important. I think it is a great story of female empowerment. Personally, the subject matter and writing style were not my cup of tea but I see the potential!

I have a lot of opinions on this book, but unfortunately the most glaring is the islamophobia. i love willow and love fantasy. but unfortunately i have to give this a 2 star.