Yesterday (February 8th, 2022), musician, actress and activist Willow Smith announced the release of her very first book, set to come out in October this year (2022).
Black Shield Maiden will release later this year / Picture Credit: WILLOW © Tony Pillow
The upcoming novel, titled Black Shield Maiden, was written by both Willow and co-writer Jess Hendel, and is said to be the first book in a brand new fantasy series.
Time Magazine named Willow, daughter of actor Will Smith, one of the 100 most influential people in the world last year (2021); she is a platinum-level musician, record producer, activist, actress, fashion icon, and now, novelist.
Willow is the youngest-ever artist signed to Roc Nation, as has won awards such as the NAACP Image Award; her most recent album, Lately I Feel Everything, marks her entry into pop punk, and was featured on The New Yorker as "her best album yet."
Black Shield Maiden will be published by Del Rey Books; the announcement of the novel came from Willow’s Instagram account, where she revealed the cover and stated that she has been “working on this historical fiction for over 4 years,” which already gives the book an undertone of intrigue.
The book will release in Hardback, as well as in digital formats, including an audio edition.
Black Shield Maiden will be the first entry in a thrilling medieval fantasy series, which brings to light the histories and mythologies of African people at that time, as well as women of the Viking age, which have been essentially wiped by presiding Western narratives in both media and education.
Advocating for intersectional feminism, freedom of gender expression, and speech across cultures, Black Shield Maiden confronts the most pressing subjects of our time, and shows a path forward, through connection and community.
Black shield Maiden will tell the tale of Yafeu, a rebellious yet strongly compassionate young warrior who is taken from her beautiful home in the Ghanaian Empire, and thrown into the world of vicious Vikings.
There, she discovers an odd, new place with shield maidens who are full of fight, cruel rulers, and mysterious gods; however, a Viking princess named Freydis wants the same as Yafeu – the ability to pave her own path.
With the princess at her back, Yafeu will alter history, and become the heroine of her own myths and stories.
Black Shield Maiden will be available from October 4th, 2022.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Willow Smith Books