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Black Shield Maiden

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel
Read by Willow Smith

By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel
Read by Willow Smith

Best Seller
Paperback $20.00

Jul 15, 2025 | ISBN 9780593356753

Large Print $32.00

May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593949023

Hardcover $30.00

May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593356739

Ebook $14.99

May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593356746

Audiobook Download $25.00

May 07, 2024 | 864 Minutes

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    Black Shield Maiden by Willow Smith and Jess Hendel
    Hardcover $30.00
    May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593356739

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      Jul 15, 2025 | ISBN 9780593356753

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      May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593949023

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      May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593356739

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    • May 07, 2024 | ISBN 9780593632499

      864 Minutes

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    About Black Shield Maiden

    From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.

    “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone

    Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen.

    This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods.

    And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu.

    But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others.

    Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

    About Black Shield Maiden

    From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.

    “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone

    Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen.

    This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods.

    And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu.

    But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others.

    Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

    About Black Shield Maiden

    From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.

    “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone

    Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen.

    This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods.

    And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu.

    But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others.

    Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

    About Black Shield Maiden

    From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.

    “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone

    Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen.

    This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods.

    And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu.

    But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others.

    Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

    About Black Shield Maiden

    From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings.

    “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone

    Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen.

    This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods.

    And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu.

    But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others.

    Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

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    Listen to a sample from Black Shield Maiden

    About Willow Smith

    Willow Smith is a singer, songwriter, and activist.

    About Jess Hendel

    Jess Hendel is a writer based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from… More about Jess Hendel

    About Willow Smith

    Willow Smith is a singer, songwriter, and activist.

    About Jess Hendel

    Jess Hendel is a writer based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from… More about Jess Hendel

    About Willow Smith

    Willow Smith is a singer, songwriter, and activist.

    About Jess Hendel

    Jess Hendel is a writer based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from… More about Jess Hendel

    About Willow Smith

    Willow Smith is a singer, songwriter, and activist.

    About Jess Hendel

    Jess Hendel is a writer based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from… More about Jess Hendel

    About Willow Smith

    Willow Smith is a singer, songwriter, and activist.

    About Jess Hendel

    Jess Hendel is a writer based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from… More about Jess Hendel

    Product Details

    Category: Historical Fiction | Epic Fantasy

    Paperback | $20.00
    Published by Del Rey
    Jul 15, 2025 | 480 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | ISBN 9780593356753

    Category: Historical Fiction | Epic Fantasy

    Large Print | $32.00
    Published by Random House Large Print
    May 07, 2024 | 640 Pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 | ISBN 9780593949023

    Category: Historical Fiction | Epic Fantasy

    Hardcover | $30.00
    Published by Del Rey
    May 07, 2024 | 480 Pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 | ISBN 9780593356739

    Category: Historical Fiction | Epic Fantasy

    Ebook | $14.99
    Published by Del Rey
    May 07, 2024 | 480 Pages | ISBN 9780593356746

    Category: Historical Fiction | Epic Fantasy | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $25.00
    Published by Random House Audio
    May 07, 2024 | 864 Minutes | ISBN 9780593632499

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    Praise

    “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic . . . With Black Shield Maiden, Willow Smith and Jess Hendel pull the reader into a rich adventure filled with detailed prose and poignant symbolism. You quickly become endeared with the character of Yafeu and her plight as a young woman in a vicious world. With her first foray into literature, Smith proves there is no limit to her boundless imagination and explosive creativity.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone

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