THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER 'A heroine with a generous spirit, an unshakable will and a dragon's fury.' H. M. Long All her life, Fryda has longed to be a shield maiden - an honour reserved for Geatland's mightiest warriors. Though a terrible childhood injury has deemed her unfit for battle, she can secretly feel an uncontrollable force stirring within her... And it's not long before her new-found powers are revealed. For when guests descend to celebrate her uncle King Beowulf's reign, she discovers treachery is afoot. When an enraged Fryda resolves to fight for her people, her powers seem only to grow. But she is not the only one to feel its effects - buried deep in a gilded lair, a dragon is drawn to Fryda's untamed power, and is slowly awakening from a long, cursed sleep... 'Casts a superb spell... Shimmering with detail, with a propulsive plot to match.' D.K. Fields 'Fantastic fun... An entrancing story of power and peril, presenting a side to the sagas we have never seen before.' Ian Green

Emmerichs sets a lively pace with her bright and breezy prose. Her storytelling is strong.. well written * SFX *
As someone who has read countless retellings of legends from all different perspectives, I enjoyed Emmerichs taking the essence of Beowulf and making it [her] own... This is Fryda's tale to tell * SFbook.com *
Well-written and immaculately researched... an enjoyable and engaging read which encourages us to question the veracity of ancient stories about extraordinary heroes * Historical Novel Review *
A rousing and romantic mythological fantasy that boasts a heroine with a generous spirit, an unshakable will and a dragon's fury -- H. M. Long
A story of impassioned perseverance that whips along with mythological magic * SciFi Now *
Casts a superb spell... Shimmering with detail, with a propulsive plot to match -- D.K. Fields
Fantastic fun... An entrancing story of power and peril, presenting a side to the sagas we have never seen before -- Ian Green

Sharon Emmerichs was born in Sweden to American parents and grew up in Wisconsin near Lake Michigan. She has been a writer all her life, from the time she scribbled 'words' and pictures on pieces of paper, stapled them together, and called it a book. Her love of stories later translated into an English degree, and then she went on to get her MA and PhD in medieval and early modern literature... and because she collects degrees the way some people collect stamps or baseball cards, she graduated her creative writing MFA in fiction in 2021. She is an Associate Professor of Shakespeare and medieval literature in beautiful Alaska, where she lives with Juneau, the derpiest Siberian husky ever.