The Last Shield

While Johnston’s (The Maleficent Seven) new fantasy novel doesn’t offer a lot of surprises, it’s still a gripping story of a woman warrior struggling to save a kingdom from betrayal and doom. Shield Briar is a sworn protector and trusted confidant of Lord Regent Alaric Summerson. The Lord and his Shield live in a time of druids and magic, in a land reminiscent of Dark Age Britain. Alaric and Briar are considering how to keep the other grasping power centers in the castle at bay while preparing for an important ritualistic observance. Things do not go as expected, with Briar realizing too late that the druids are not what they seem, and blood is drawn. Briar’s wound never heals properly, making her ineffective as a shield and causing her to leave the castle and her love behind for the unknown, but circumstances pull her back to the castle, where Die Hard–style, she needs to defeat the villains who have taken over her home.