
Black Shield Maiden
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $22.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Willow Smith
About this listen
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.
©2022 WILLOW and Jess Hendel (P)2022 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Final Strife
- A Novel
- By: Saara El-Arifi
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis, Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first book of a visionary fantasy trilogy with its roots in the mythology of Africa and Arabia that “sings of rebellion, love, and the courage it takes to stand up to tyranny” (Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.
-
-
This One Is For Real Fantasy Fans
- By Avid reader and shopper on 11-06-22
By: Saara El-Arifi
-
Forged by Blood
- A Novel (The Tainted Blood Duology, Book 1)
- By: Ehigbor Okosun
- Narrated by: Nneka Okoye
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the midst of a tyrannical regime and political invasion, Dèmi just wants to survive: to avoid the suspicion of the nonmagical Ajes who occupy her ancestral homeland of Ife; to escape the King’s brutal genocide of her people—the darker skinned, magic wielding Oluso; and to live peacefully with her secretive mother while learning to control the terrifying blood magic that is her birthright.
-
-
Had a lot of potential but some weird chouces actively detracted from my enjoyment of the story
- By Cottage Hoe on 12-20-24
By: Ehigbor Okosun
-
The Poisons We Drink
- By: Bethany Baptiste
- Narrated by: Lynnette R. Freeman
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family. Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus's life implodes. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge.
-
-
enjoyable
- By Emm Muk on 05-12-24
By: Bethany Baptiste
-
Skin of the Sea
- Skin of the Sea, Book 1
- By: Natasha Bowen
- Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
-
-
Black history AND black mermaids!!! LOVE IT
- By Kamaya on 02-05-22
By: Natasha Bowen
-
Immortal Dark
- By: Tigest Girma
- Narrated by: Jordan Cobb
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad. To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away.
-
-
Book 2 of this series ASAP please!
- By F Green on 09-18-24
By: Tigest Girma
-
She Who Knows
- She Who Knows, Book 1
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When there is a call, there is often a response. Najeeba knows. She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s not a terrible thing, just strange. So when she leaves with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake, there’s neither fanfare nor protest.
-
-
fantastic addition to this story
- By W. Rainier on 08-22-24
By: Nnedi Okorafor
-
The Final Strife
- A Novel
- By: Saara El-Arifi
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis, Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first book of a visionary fantasy trilogy with its roots in the mythology of Africa and Arabia that “sings of rebellion, love, and the courage it takes to stand up to tyranny” (Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.
-
-
This One Is For Real Fantasy Fans
- By Avid reader and shopper on 11-06-22
By: Saara El-Arifi
-
Forged by Blood
- A Novel (The Tainted Blood Duology, Book 1)
- By: Ehigbor Okosun
- Narrated by: Nneka Okoye
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the midst of a tyrannical regime and political invasion, Dèmi just wants to survive: to avoid the suspicion of the nonmagical Ajes who occupy her ancestral homeland of Ife; to escape the King’s brutal genocide of her people—the darker skinned, magic wielding Oluso; and to live peacefully with her secretive mother while learning to control the terrifying blood magic that is her birthright.
-
-
Had a lot of potential but some weird chouces actively detracted from my enjoyment of the story
- By Cottage Hoe on 12-20-24
By: Ehigbor Okosun
-
The Poisons We Drink
- By: Bethany Baptiste
- Narrated by: Lynnette R. Freeman
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family. Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus's life implodes. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge.
-
-
enjoyable
- By Emm Muk on 05-12-24
By: Bethany Baptiste
-
Skin of the Sea
- Skin of the Sea, Book 1
- By: Natasha Bowen
- Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
-
-
Black history AND black mermaids!!! LOVE IT
- By Kamaya on 02-05-22
By: Natasha Bowen
-
Immortal Dark
- By: Tigest Girma
- Narrated by: Jordan Cobb
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad. To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away.
-
-
Book 2 of this series ASAP please!
- By F Green on 09-18-24
By: Tigest Girma
-
She Who Knows
- She Who Knows, Book 1
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When there is a call, there is often a response. Najeeba knows. She has had The Call. But how can a 13-year-old girl have the Call? Only men and boys experience the annual call to the Salt Roads. What’s just happened to Najeeba has never happened in the history of her village. But it’s not a terrible thing, just strange. So when she leaves with her father and brothers to mine salt at the Dead Lake, there’s neither fanfare nor protest.
-
-
fantastic addition to this story
- By W. Rainier on 08-22-24
By: Nnedi Okorafor
-
Children of Blood and Bone
- By: Tomi Adeyemi
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
-
-
Beautifully Written
- By Samantha on 03-09-18
By: Tomi Adeyemi
-
The Mayor of Maxwell Street
- By: Avery Cunningham
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1921, and America is burning. A fire of vice and virtue rages on every shore, and Chicago is its beating heart. Nelly Sawyer is the daughter of the “wealthiest Negro in America”, whose affluence catapulted his family to the heights of Black society. After the unexpected death of her only brother, Nelly becomes the premier debutante overnight. But Nelly has aspirations beyond society influence and marriage.
-
-
Better Ending next time!
- By Matt & Lindsy on 02-11-24
By: Avery Cunningham
-
Long Live Evil
- By: Sarah Rees Brennan
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favorite fantasy series. She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale.
-
-
Gonna Need a Tylenol for This Hangover
- By Tessa on 02-09-25
-
Weird Black Girls
- Stories
- By: Elwin Cotman
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Jade Wheeler, James Fouhey, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A rural town finds itself under the authoritarian sway of a tree that punishes children. A pair of old friends navigate their fraught history as strange happenings escalate in a Mexican restaurant. A pair of narcissistic friends wreak havoc on an activist community. An aloof young man finds himself living through his lover’s memories. And a day of LARPing takes a cosmic turn.
-
-
Weird Black Girls
- By Jeleeto on 05-20-24
By: Elwin Cotman
-
Eternal Captive
- A Dark Enemies-to-Lovers Sapphic Vampire Romance (Blood Royale, Book 1)
- By: Elle Mae
- Narrated by: M.K. Blackwood
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Elle Mae comes a spicy sapphic vampire romance set in the world of Contract Bound with all new characters and a romance between a cruel vampire princess and a cold hunter who come face to face after a prophecy foretells the princess's death by the hunter's hands.
-
-
The dichotomy of the main characters it was a quick read nice break from some of the heavier stuff
- By Mauigirl on 03-12-25
By: Elle Mae
-
The Children of Jocasta
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jocasta is just fifteen when she is told that she must marry the King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Her life has never been her own, and nor will it be, unless she outlives her strange, absent husband. Ismene is the same age when she is attacked in the palace she calls home. Since the day of her parents' tragic deaths a decade earlier, she has always longed to feel safe with the family she still has. But with a single act of violence, all that is about to change. With the turn of these two events, a tragedy is set in motion. But not as we’ve known it.
-
-
I preferred Sophocles' versions of the Oedipus and Antigone myths.
- By Gail N. on 11-14-24
By: Natalie Haynes
-
I Got You
- By: Miss Jenesequa
- Narrated by: Nia Serge, Jakobi Diem
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Putting herself first is what Jordana Evans knows how to do best. She’s at the top of her game in her career and no longer haunted by memories of her past threatening to steal her joy. In her mind, being in love is a want, not a need, and she’s convinced that she’ll be just fine without it. Having intimate relations with the opposite sex is something she’s willing to do for one night only. But then came along…him.
-
-
Sorry I wasted my monthly credit on this bookl!
- By C.R.R. on 01-06-23
By: Miss Jenesequa
-
Blood at the Root
- By: LaDarrion Williams
- Narrated by: Jalyn Hall, LaDarrion Williams
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years ago, Malik's life changed forever the night his mother mysteriously vanished and he discovered he had uncontrollable powers. Since then, he has kept his abilities hidden, looking out for himself and his younger foster brother, Taye. Now, at 17, Malik is finally ready to start a new life for both of them, far from the trauma of his past. However, a daring act to rescue Taye reveals an unexpected connection with his long-lost grandmother: a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university that Malik’s mother attended.
-
-
SOOO GOOOOD!!!!
- By Alisia Chery on 07-03-24
-
Five Broken Blades
- Five Broken Blades, Book 1
- By: Mai Corland
- Narrated by: Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the god king Joon. He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined … or sold. And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness—from the hired hit man seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes.
-
-
Too many narrators
- By Kimberly on 01-28-25
By: Mai Corland
-
Black Sun
- By: Rebecca Roanhorse
- Narrated by: Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial even proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger.
-
-
5-star Concept; Too Many Threads Left Hanging
- By Lisa Davidson on 10-26-20
-
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert
- A Novel
- By: Bob the Drag Queen
- Narrated by: Bob the Drag Queen
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an age of miracles where our greatest heroes from history have magically, unexplainably returned to shake us out of our confusion and hate, Harriet Tubman is back, and she has a lot to say. Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved persons she led to freedom want to tell their story in a unique way. Harriet wants to create a hip-hop album and live show about her life, and she needs a songwriter to help her. She calls upon Darnell Williams, a once successful hip-hop producer who was topping the charts before being outed on a BET talk show.
-
-
Wonderful concept
- By T Jones on 03-28-25
-
The Other Princess
- A Novel
- By: Denny S. Bryce
- Narrated by: Nneka Okoye
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a brilliant mind and a fierce will to survive, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift.” To the Queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria’s magnanimity. Sarah charms most of the people she meets, even those who would cast her aside. Her keen intelligence and her aptitude for languages and musical composition helps Sarah navigate the Victorian era as an outsider given insider privileges.
-
-
The Strength of a Black Woman
- By Carmen San Diego on 02-13-24
By: Denny S. Bryce
Critic reviews
“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
Related to this topic
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
Hitchhikers
- By: Ben H. Winters
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?
-
-
The ever present battle between past and future.
- By Kindle Customer on 03-14-25
By: Ben H. Winters
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.
-
-
Wil Wheaton is torture
- By Amazon Customer on 03-27-25
By: John Scalzi
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
The Signal
- By: Eric Buchman, Gabriel Urbina, Sarah Shachat
- Narrated by: Paget Brewster, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?
-
-
it did a good job keep me listening but disappointed at the ending
- By Tristan M. on 12-21-24
By: Eric Buchman, and others
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
Hitchhikers
- By: Ben H. Winters
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?
-
-
The ever present battle between past and future.
- By Kindle Customer on 03-14-25
By: Ben H. Winters
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.
-
-
Wil Wheaton is torture
- By Amazon Customer on 03-27-25
By: John Scalzi
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
The Signal
- By: Eric Buchman, Gabriel Urbina, Sarah Shachat
- Narrated by: Paget Brewster, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?
-
-
it did a good job keep me listening but disappointed at the ending
- By Tristan M. on 12-21-24
By: Eric Buchman, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois
- By: Ryan Graudin
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 19 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, Céleste Artois had dreams of being an artist. But when the creative elite of Paris dashed those plans, she turned her talents to forgery and cons. She and the Enchantresses—her two fellow thieves and best friends—see Paris as a rich hunting ground for marks. Yet even though their hideout in Peré Lachaise cemetery is bursting with francs, Céleste cannot rest. There is always more to take. And the blood she has begun to cough into her handkerchief means her time is running out. But everything changes when she encounters Rafe, a mysterious stranger who leads her to an enchanted salon.
-
-
Delicious imaginings!
- By Eva on 10-27-24
By: Ryan Graudin
-
Strange Beasts
- By: Susan J. Morris
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula's killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris—or have her thrown into an asylum.
-
-
SO GOOD💗
- By Lababybendecida on 10-28-24
By: Susan J. Morris
-
The Weaver and the Witch Queen
- By: Genevieve Gornichec
- Narrated by: Nina Yndis
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always. When Oddny’s farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined—but she's determined to save her sister no matter the cost.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Emily Cross on 10-08-23
-
The Mars House
- A Novel
- By: Natasha Pulley
- Narrated by: Daniel de Bourg
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London's Royal Ballet, has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, January’s life is dictated by his status as an Earthstronger—a person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. January’s job choices, housing, and even transportation are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse.
-
-
there is no cliffhanger ending
- By Anonymous User on 04-09-24
By: Natasha Pulley
-
The Mermaid of Black Conch
- A Novel
- By: Monique Roffey
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukue, Vivienne Acheampong
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1976, David is fishing off the island of Black Conch when he comes upon a creature he doesn’t expect: a mermaid by the name of Aycayia. Once a beautiful young woman, she was cursed by jealous wives to live in this form for the rest of her days. But after the mermaid is caught by American tourists, David rescues and hides her away in his home, finding that, once out of the water, she begins to transform back into a woman. Now David must work to win Aycayia's trust while she relearns what it is to be human.
-
-
So different a story!
- By Sherry on 07-16-22
By: Monique Roffey
-
The Witch and the Tsar
- By: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
- Narrated by: Katia Kapustin, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a half-goddess possessing magic, Yaga is used to living on her own, her prior entanglements with mortals having led to heartbreak. She mostly keeps to her hut in the woods, where those in need of healing seek her out, even as they spread rumors about her supposed cruelty and wicked spells. But when her old friend Anastasia—now the wife of the Tsar, and suffering from a mysterious illness—arrives in her forest desperate for her protection, Yaga realizes the fate of all of Russia is tied to Anastasia’s. Yaga must step out of the shadows to protect the land she loves.
-
-
Why not let the Russian sound Russian?
- By Kindle Customer on 09-23-22
-
The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois
- By: Ryan Graudin
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 19 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, Céleste Artois had dreams of being an artist. But when the creative elite of Paris dashed those plans, she turned her talents to forgery and cons. She and the Enchantresses—her two fellow thieves and best friends—see Paris as a rich hunting ground for marks. Yet even though their hideout in Peré Lachaise cemetery is bursting with francs, Céleste cannot rest. There is always more to take. And the blood she has begun to cough into her handkerchief means her time is running out. But everything changes when she encounters Rafe, a mysterious stranger who leads her to an enchanted salon.
-
-
Delicious imaginings!
- By Eva on 10-27-24
By: Ryan Graudin
-
Strange Beasts
- By: Susan J. Morris
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula's killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris—or have her thrown into an asylum.
-
-
SO GOOD💗
- By Lababybendecida on 10-28-24
By: Susan J. Morris
-
The Weaver and the Witch Queen
- By: Genevieve Gornichec
- Narrated by: Nina Yndis
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always. When Oddny’s farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined—but she's determined to save her sister no matter the cost.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Emily Cross on 10-08-23
-
The Mars House
- A Novel
- By: Natasha Pulley
- Narrated by: Daniel de Bourg
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London's Royal Ballet, has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, January’s life is dictated by his status as an Earthstronger—a person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. January’s job choices, housing, and even transportation are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse.
-
-
there is no cliffhanger ending
- By Anonymous User on 04-09-24
By: Natasha Pulley
-
The Mermaid of Black Conch
- A Novel
- By: Monique Roffey
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukue, Vivienne Acheampong
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1976, David is fishing off the island of Black Conch when he comes upon a creature he doesn’t expect: a mermaid by the name of Aycayia. Once a beautiful young woman, she was cursed by jealous wives to live in this form for the rest of her days. But after the mermaid is caught by American tourists, David rescues and hides her away in his home, finding that, once out of the water, she begins to transform back into a woman. Now David must work to win Aycayia's trust while she relearns what it is to be human.
-
-
So different a story!
- By Sherry on 07-16-22
By: Monique Roffey
-
The Witch and the Tsar
- By: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
- Narrated by: Katia Kapustin, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a half-goddess possessing magic, Yaga is used to living on her own, her prior entanglements with mortals having led to heartbreak. She mostly keeps to her hut in the woods, where those in need of healing seek her out, even as they spread rumors about her supposed cruelty and wicked spells. But when her old friend Anastasia—now the wife of the Tsar, and suffering from a mysterious illness—arrives in her forest desperate for her protection, Yaga realizes the fate of all of Russia is tied to Anastasia’s. Yaga must step out of the shadows to protect the land she loves.
-
-
Why not let the Russian sound Russian?
- By Kindle Customer on 09-23-22
-
The Spice Gate
- By: Prashanth Srivatsa
- Narrated by: Deepti Gupta
- Length: 17 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Relics of a mysterious god, the Spice Gates connect the eight far-flung kingdoms, each separated by a distinct spice and only accessible by those born with a special mark. This is not a caste of distinction, though, but one of subjugation: Spice Carriers suffer the lashes of their masters, the weight of the spices they bear on their backs, and the jolting pain of the Gates themselves.
-
-
Beautiful reading of an epic story
- By Chelsea Baker on 10-05-24
-
The Stone Witch of Florence
- By: Anna Rasche
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.
-
-
Another place and time
- By Tina on 03-14-25
By: Anna Rasche
-
The Witch of Colchis
- Medea's Story
- By: Rosie Hewlett
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Medea, daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, longs for a different life. Since childhood, she has been separated from her sister, shunned by her mother, and beaten and tormented by her brother and father. All because Medea was born with a unique and seemingly dangerous talent: witchcraft. But when a dashing young hero, Jason, arrives to claim the famed Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea sees her opportunity for escape.
-
-
A complicated villain
- By Jazzy on 01-28-25
By: Rosie Hewlett
-
Angels Before Man
- Angels, Book 1
- By: Rafael Nicolás
- Narrated by: Lance West
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an eternal paradise, the most beautiful angel, Lucifer, struggles with shame, identity, and timidity, with little more than the desire to worship his creator. It isn't until the strongest angel, Michael, comes into his life that Lucifer learns to love himself. Along the way, their friendship begins to bloom into something else. Maybe the first romance in the history of everything. But this God is a jealous one, and maybe paradise is not paradise.
-
-
Good Biblical story but drone on too much
- By DragonFox on 11-15-24
By: Rafael Nicolás
-
Medusa's Sisters
- By: Lauren J. A. Bear
- Narrated by: Taylor Harvey, Zura Johnson
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even before they were transformed into Gorgons, Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale were unique among their immortal family. Curious about mortals and their lives, Medusa and her sisters entered the human world in search of a place to belong, yet quickly found themselves at the perilous center of a dangerous Olympian rivalry and learned—too late—that a god's love is a violent one.
-
-
Sisters relationships. Rape. Trauma.
- By BirdhouseBanter on 09-16-24
-
The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Greenlaw
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carrie Morgan ran from Woodsmoke ten years ago, and the decision has haunted her ever since. Spending a decade painting and drifting around Europe, she tries to forget her family’s legacy and the friends she left behind. But the Morgan women have always been able to harness the power of the mountains surrounding the town, and their spells—and curses—are sewn into the soil. The mountains, they say, never forget. Sure enough, when Carrie’s grandmother dies and leaves behind her dilapidated cottage, she returns to renovate—certain she will only be there for one winter.
-
-
Lovely Book
- By Amazon Customer on 11-01-24
By: Rachel Greenlaw
-
The Warm Hands of Ghosts
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Arden
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, January LaVoy, Katherine Arden
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, Laura receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital, where she soon hears whispers about haunted trenches and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion.
-
-
WW 1 and the Apocolypse
- By Sam Pakan on 02-27-24
By: Katherine Arden
-
The Witchstone
- By: Henry H. Neff
- Narrated by: Ramiz Monsef
- Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black monolith. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway.
-
-
Clever and highly entertaining
- By Valerie Yanetta on 08-03-24
By: Henry H. Neff
-
The Destroyer of Worlds
- A Return to Lovecraft Country
- By: Matt Ruff
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Summer, 1957. Atticus Turner and his father, Montrose, travel to North Carolina to mark the centennial of their ancestor’s escape from slavery, but an encounter with an old nemesis leads to a life-and-death pursuit. Back in Chicago, George Berry is diagnosed with cancer and strikes a devil’s bargain with the ghost of Hiram Winthrop, who promises a miracle cure—but only if George brings Winthrop back from the dead.
-
-
Matt Ruff!!!
- By ayodele higgs on 03-04-23
By: Matt Ruff
-
The Book That Wouldn't Burn
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: Jessica Whittaker
- Length: 22 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The boy has lived his whole life trapped within a book-choked chamber older than empires and larger than cities. The girl has been plucked from the outskirts of civilization to be trained as a librarian, studying the mysteries of the great library at the heart of her kingdom. They were never supposed to meet. But in the library, they did. Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another.
-
-
Keeps the reader guessing
- By Gr on 08-17-23
By: Mark Lawrence
-
Our Gen
- A Novel
- By: Diane McKinney-Whetstone
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Gen—short for Sexagenarian—is an upscale fifty-five-plus community located in the bucolic suburbs of Philadelphia. Main character Cynthia befriends the Gen’s two other Black residents, Bloc and Tish, as well as Lavia, who everyone assumes is from India. They regularly convene to smoke weed, line dance, and debate politics and philosophy as the wine goes down like silk. Their camaraderie is exhilarating.
-
-
Emotionally enjoyed this book
- By Nikki on 04-15-23
-
This Will Be Fun
- A Novel
- By: E. B. Asher
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese, January LaVoy, Hope Newhouse
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them. But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . . . and a reunion for the ages.
-
-
glorified highschool drama
- By Abigail on 01-09-25
By: E. B. Asher
What listeners say about Black Shield Maiden
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- French with a twist
- 05-26-24
Breathtakingly Beautiful!
This is a story for the ages. Willow Smith has an extraordinary gift that transcends all artistic mediums. The story went to places I could not have imagined. Looking forward to your next endeavor, Ms. Smith!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rissy S
- 06-19-24
Non stop
This story was so well thought out and enacted that through my mind’s eye, an epic movie came to life! Well done!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Victoria Biggerstaff
- 06-15-24
so good
it was amazing loved everything about it I listened because I love willows music but this showed a whole nother level of talent
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gyrlwolf
- 06-09-24
Amazing First Book
Willow Smith is an amazing singer but how can add amazing author to her legacy. This book keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jasmin
- 05-30-24
The characters are fantastic!!
I loved how characters could be so different and yet mirror one another. This book has pain, action, and power throughout it. Thanks for this experience Willow xoxo
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 05-13-24
The story held my interest all the way through.
I liked the blending of two cultures and how the lead character fought and rose from her station.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Noel Amos
- 06-27-24
Did NOT expect that!
Bravo, Miss Smith! I was intrigued by the description and slightly hesitant. But once I started, it held me tight and wouldn’t let go. I finished this in a day, and though I thought some of the cultural blending was a little forced toward the end, it made my eyes glisten at the last minute. It's a fantastic start to, hopefully, a long series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kenyata Gilliam
- 08-03-24
Beyond the Tales of Rags to Riches!!!
This story was very tastefully put together!!! I've laughed, cried, clutched my pearls and cried some more!! I'm hoping there will be another installment!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- April Milton
- 05-19-24
Kept my interest 😌
I enjoyed the book too my surprise, it was my go-to listen driving to work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 06-23-24
Interesting and exciting
The narration by Ms. Smith was exemplary, she’s great at it and the storyline was very good. Looking forward to her next book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!