Overall I really like the story of Beowulf. This particular translation has very clear heart and sole put into it. You can tell the respect Maria has for this work and the history of it. It is also fun and a very fresh and modern take, which I think all good works deserve to have from time to time so that new audiences can be reached. This does that very successfully. 

That said, the older English translations work quite nicely for me and I did find some of the modern language to make my brain stall and get caught on the wording instead of letting myself stay emersed. Which is quite alright but makes it more of a 4.5 read for me. 

Chullain's reading this with me made it a solid 5 star experience. But I'll let me rating round down as it reflects my actual enjoyment of the book.