With Shield and Ink and Bone by Casey L. Bond

 

WITH SHIELD AND INK AND BONE was a Stuff Your Kindle selection. As soon as I found out it was about vikings, I was like, "Done and done." The beginning is super good and highly action-packed, starting with Liv's initial trauma and how it turned her into an instrument of a gods. For a while, I thought this was going to be a five-star read, but I feel like it has a pacing issue. The middle and end of this book drag, moving so slowly that it loses the momentum it built from the beginning and actually becomes a little boring in places (I'm sorry).

I also would not consider this book a fantasy romance. It is more of a straightforward older YA fantasy with romance elements. I only bring this up because it was in the romance SYK list, and the actual love interest doesn't come into play for a long while (at least after a quarter in). Most of the focus on the book is as Liv's development as a shield maiden avenging the murder of her loved ones. So I actually think this would be a great starting point for people who prefer straight fantasy and are just getting into romantasy as a genre because it feels like a nice stepping stone between fantasy fantasy and romance fantasy.

Overall, though, I quite enjoyed this book. The writing is strong, the hero is swoony (and ever the gentleman) and kind of gives off the same "I trust you to be strong in your own right as a woman because I am totally confident in my ability to respect the shit out of you" vibes as Peeta from the Hunger Games. It also felt quite well researched and I liked the blend of historical and fantasy. I'm definitely going to check out more from this author-- she's fantastic.

3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars