Name: Shield of Sparrows
Series: Shield of Sparrows #1
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Format: Kindle
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Spice Rating: Explicit Open Door 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: (Actual rating: 6 stars!)
Synopsis: Goodreads
The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.
I’ve spent my life kneeling—to their will and to my father’s. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.
I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.
But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.
Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him—bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.
Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.
But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?
And what if—for the first time—I reached for it?
Review:
“Only fools and liars burn books and people’s homes.”
No I’m sorry, what was that?! Book 2, when?…
Shield of Sparrows was one of the books that released in May that was seemingly put head to head against Silver Elites. Everyone was talking about them, trying to decide which one was worth reading, and I had actually decided on Silver Elites (I wanted a dystopia after revisiting The Hunger Games, so badly) but never got round to it. Then thanks to a book club, I actually ended up reading Shield of Sparrows.
And loving it. This is my latest addition to the 6 star club. This book was everything I had wanted it to be and I personally had no issues. Are there issues? Probably, I just didn’t notice and or care. Will other people have issues with this book? Yeah probably. At the end of the day, reading is subjective. I loved it and thought it was everything I wanted, and therefore perfect and 6 stars, but someone else might think it doesn’t deserve the time it takes to read.
Shield of Sparrows was the first work by Devney Perry that I had read, I believe it was their first jump into the fantasy space as well with most (if not all) of their previous works being in the romance genre. But for me, this didn’t lack anything. I am so intrigued by the fantasy world Perry has created – from the lands and the treaty itself, to the migration and the monsters, to the Gods! Every element felt like it was there for a reason and I devoured it.
Our main character, Odessa is excellent. She’s thrown into a situation that she never expected to be in, and understandably she has questions. She doesn’t like being left in the dark – something everyone seems to do – and as a result has questions. For some reason, other people who read this hated this. Personally I found it to be honest to this character who had no training, no desire to be where she was, and as I said completely thrown into the deep end. She challenges when she needs to, she’s humble when she recognises that she needs to be and by the end of the book I realised I’d follow her no matter where her journey goes.
The Guardian and Prince Zavier… ooohhh these two men. They are the main source of my interaction with the book club – and I think a lot of other members reason for interacting as well – and I loved how Devney wrote them. Saying too much about them would definitely be a spoiler, but just know that there is no lack of yearning in Shield of Sparrows.
I really enjoyed the book club aspect of reading Shield of Sparrows because I was in there almost every chapters posting comments and theories and intereacting with others! But boy was it work to remind myself to stop reading because I honestly never wanted to stop. Once I started, the pacing was great it really kept me going. There was a portion of the book where just as I started to think ‘okay we’ve been here too long, move on’ and literally the next page drama! I really just throughouly loved this.
This was the book that actually had me debating whether or not I wanted to continue highlighting the tropes at the start of my review, because I felt like knowing the tropes of Sheild of Sparrows had me looking out for things, and I’m honestly starting to understand what people mean when they say that knowing certain tropes ahead of time does ruin some of the fun / spoil aspects. I think going into Sheild of Sparrows knowing nothing more than the blurb is a good choice, honestly (or even better, just go in blind and enjoy the ride!).
I need book 2, yesterday. I need any of my booky friends to read this so I have someone to talk about it with because I have theories!! And who knows how long till book 2 graces us with its presence.
“You are not a pawn, Odessa. Not to me. You are the Sparrow. You are my wife. You are the future queen of Turah.”
Reading With Tyler 
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