Normally, I avoid books by celebrities as I feel they have enough celebrity and media promotion without my adding to their aura. However, as the mother of a Black child who enjoys fantasy and science fiction, I read this anyway. I would rate this at 3.5 but rounded to a 4.
First of all, Black Shield Maiden is primarily a FANTASY, a story about a young Black woman who rises to become a queen and, as such, she stands as a good role model and example, which tend to be few and far between for Black young adults. I did not find it anti-Muslim any more than I found it anti-Viking—the book describes the world pretty much as it was in back in the day (as well as now) with multiple counties and races and religions practicing aggression, war, rape, against other nations and tribes and enslavement of conquered peoples. If anything, the Vikings come off worse here. The Muslim aspect is minimal, and for the most part is deemed a good thing as the Vikings wish to collaborate with the Muslims to hold back the advancement of Christianity. The book handles discrimination and prejudice against Blacks well. Unlike another book that stirred up controversy (in an unrelated genre) several years ago (American Dirt), Black Shield Maiden was written, at least in part, by a Black woman, and thus might be termed an “own voices” novel.
As an adult, I was able to suspend disbelief and read the entire book in one sitting. While not great literature, young adults will find it entertaining. The characters come of age and mature in a believable manner. I did like two things in particular: women were allowed their own agenda and the ability to achieve their goals, and Black and Whites were able to join together to bring down a common (White) enemy.
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Black Shield Maiden(Del Rey, May 7, 2024) is available through:
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