Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith & Jess Hendel is a powerful coming of age story that follows Yafeu from her home in the Ghanaian Empire to Norway where she stands her ground and carves herself a place at the Vikings’ table with the help of their princess, Freydis.

This story is thick with Norse and Ghanaian mythology and discusses power, courage, and women holding their own in the face of adversity, but most importantly, this is a story about Yafeu and her bravery and resilience as she survives and thrives in an alien landscape. 

Yafeu is the badass main character that every YA adventure novel screams for. She is loyal and kind and will slit your throat if you threaten her family and friends. She’s exactly the kind of main character that you need when you’re weaving a story full of revenge, corruption, and unapologetic women.

The Viking princess, Freydis brings a quieter side to the story with her smaller, more wholesome desires to do good and practice her runecraft when she can, despite her power-hungry father being ready to sell her off to the highest bidder at a moment’s notice. When our protagonists meet, they form an unexpected bond which will eventually bring their enemies to their knees. 

While this story was a little slow to start, that starting section of world-building is a strong foundation for the story and this tale would be weaker without it. This is a standalone novel, and it takes time to set the scene and to introduce our characters while refusing to fall into the predictable peaks and troughs of most YA novels. Our characters grow with every page and more than one of them will take you by surprise. 

This is definitely a book for the older end of the YA audience due to some potentially triggering scenes and themes throughout the story, but every instance is handled thoughtfully and carefully. 

Black Shield Maiden is powerful representation that has been missing from Viking books for too long and I am very excited to see a book like this being released. If you are a fan of strong female protagonists, Vikings, or stories about power, this is the book for you. 

Black Shield Maiden is out today from DelRey! You can pick up your copy HERE