As someone who grew up fascinated with the epic of Beowulf, this sapphic retelling is a breath of fresh air. If you are already familiar with the story, then reading this won’t be too hard to follow. I love how easy it is to understand with the familiar characters and places. With a modern take on the writing tone, it felt like reading the Witcher books. It absolutely felt more emotional for me, especially the ending. I truly loved this version of Beowulf more, and I wished she had been given more adventures.

Review posted: October 1, 2025 (Goodreads)

Absolutely outstanding.
This is an extremely well done retelling of Beowulf; the original tale remains intact and respected while O'Connor had a strong voice behind what she added as well. Beowulf herself is a strong, compelling character that you want to root for amongst her adventures, struggles, and what she is doing for her people even when you know how this story will end. The action is strong while being paced well amongst politic struggle as well as the central slow-burn romance. I truly did love this.
The added art within the book is also beautiful and added so much to this. I look forward to more from this author if that's another retelling or something original.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Aqh Publications for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Staying true to the original story of Beowulf, this sapphic retelling is an incredibly rich and poignant tale of a woman who rose from her origins as a foundling to become a great legend in her own right. Told in prose more akin to a skald's spoken word, She-Wolf covers Beowulf's story from the hunting of Grendel to her final, fatal encounter with a dragon. As the author notes in the closing, to describe any less would be to do a disservice to both this Beowulf and that original tale. It is a wonderful work, and I recommend it to any reader who shares a similar fascination with the old legend.

A bold and atmospheric sapphic retelling that breathes new life into a classic tale. The writing is vivid and immersive, capturing both the brutality and beauty of the world, while the romance adds emotional depth without overshadowing the story. The reinterpretation feels fresh and intentional, making it a standout for readers who enjoy myth-inspired narratives with strong, complex characters.

I *just* finished reading Beowulf for a college course when I picked this up. O'Connor does a fantastic job with keeping close to the original story while giving it a Sapphic twist. Further, those missing years between Grendel and the dragon? O'Connor brings some of that to life here. In fact, the entire world is given new life in this retelling. I thought the slow-burn relationship was beautiful, and I appreciated that it was fade to black as having anything spicier might've ruined the tone.

While it is true that much is similar, O'Connor elevates the story in so many ways, such as giving Beowulf a best friend, explaining where Beowulf got her strength, and giving Wiglaf a backstory that made the end that much more emotional.

If you love Beowulf, read this. If you hated Beowulf in high school or college, try this version instead.

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review.

With many thanks to the publishers for the advance copy of the ebook on Netgalley.

This retelling of Beowulf was positively inspired. A wonderful mix of mythology and historical fiction with the gender swap and sapphic romance giving possible alternate sociopolitical solutions. The characters were well rounded and I found the novel an immersive experience. Spiciness was implied rather than described in great detail - the narrative focus was on adventure and character development.

In short, I enjoyed this very much and have already recommended it to friends.

Oh my goooooddess yes!!! Love love this retelling. I feel that it does an amazing job at staying faithful to the story, the tone and all but without feeling like someone just copy pasted everything and changed a few words (if that makes sense?)
I cannot wait to have this on physical to be able to read again. It has such a strong ambience

I can not find the words, the re-telling of this classic was breath takingly exquisite.

I appreciated the Author’s Note, as it educated me on the origins of the underlining story, which was not covered in the many previous times I have had to read Beowulf. The Afterword, helped me understand the ending better.

This is an action packed story starting with a bang and just didn’t stop. This book has everything, well written action, Norse mythology, a story of found family, a story of love and a slow burn that burns the pages!

I don’t know if I’m the only one but I had to read this story twice in junior school and then again in the first year of high school, I hated it, it left such a scar on my schooling as a gay, dyslexic kid who really struggled to read. This book has healed a part of me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read this incredible book.

E.K. O’Connor please keep writing, this was incredible.

Living for the concept of this book. Yes, give me more warrior women. I liked it, it was pretty good.