Shield of Sparrows Book Review
Check out my review of Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry, an enemies-to-lovers romantasy featuring vicious monsters, royal intrigue and major plot twists, and one of my favorite heroines this year.
Once I prepped our "winter hurricane" storm snacks for a stay-at-home weekend, the next step was to charge up my Kindle and download a few new reads.
We were worried we'd lose power for several days, up to a week, with temps dropping below 20°F. I was stressed and anxious and it's at these times I tend to turn to epic fantasy books where the heroines encounter difficult situations and find their strength.
I spotted Shield of Sparrows in my To-Read folder, noted its 600+ page length, and figured it would see me through the storm.
The power never went out, thank goodness, but I'll be forever grateful for the storm projection because it led me to one of my new favorite books!
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of Shield of Sparrows
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?
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
I found Odessa, the heroine, to be so very relatable:
She's learned her place in her father's kingdom and mostly follows his rules. Then everything about her world changes and she's forced to learn to defend herself and stake claim to what she deserves rather than wait for it to simply be given.
She stays true to her kindness while building up her survival skills. Her greatest weapons are truth and knowledge and the book reinforces the message that transparent information is everything for the ability of a society to thrive.
In addition to this awesome main character, I also loved:
- Epic World Building: The world of Calandra is made of 5 kingdoms, ruled by 8 gods, and populated by a wide variety of magical monsters. There is a lot of detail that goes into this environment but the author handles it well and rolls out just what you need to know as you need to know it without leaving you feeling overwhelmed.
- Feels like an Origin Story: One of my favorite things about Book 1 in a fantasy series is watching the main female character's journey from an average person to an epic warrior. We don't see the full character growth arc but there's enough of it to leave me wanting more from Book 2.
- First Person Point of View: This book is told almost completely from Odessa's point of view. With as much plot detail as needed to be covered, I think it helps to just have one voice narrating the story.
- Unveiling of So Many Secrets: There is a lot of court intrigue happening within the 5 kingdoms and among the main characters and Odessa is left outside and wondering for a lot of the book. Once the secrets start to unravel, the book really picks up speed. I felt her frustrations over the lack of trust from those around her.
- Relationship Building Banter: The dialogue between Odessa and the male characters builds their relationship slowly, the final pay off is worth the wait.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
When a book builds the plot as slowly and methodically as this one does, the final explosive scenes can feel rushed at the end.
SO MUCH information was revealed in the final chapters of the book, it made my head spin. I was grateful the author didn't keep things hidden until Book 2 and gave us the pay off of the revelations, but it was a LOT to process.
Favorite Quotes
I have so many quotes highlighted in my Kindle copy of this book, here is just a sampling of my favorites that don't have any spoilers:
"I hate you."
"Yes, you do. Don't forget."
"Who would I become if I wasn't at the mercy of men? An adventurer? A voyager? A writer? . . . Not once in my life had I let myself dream of those possibilities. Not once had I been given the luxury of dreams. If I could be anything in this realm, who would I become? I wanted to find out."
"You can threaten to take away my freedom all you want, but I will fight you. Every step of the way. Until my last breath. And I will not go quietly into a cage."
"My queen demanded a sword."
"He gave me the freedom to be myself. To stop hiding. He was a man who'd follow me off the cliff, who'd jump at my side, not pull me away from its edge."
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️: Shield of Sparrows rates a Level 3 on my spicy books rating scale. This is a very slow burn romance. Intimacy happens on page but there are just two scenes in the 600+ page book.
Romantic Tropes
Shield of Sparrows is a slow burn fantasy romance. You can read more about romance subgenres here.
It also takes advantage of several romantic tropes including: enemies to lovers, found family, pretend relationships, and forced proximity.
There are a few microtropes included as well: Nicknames, Mine, and Forehead Kisses.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Shield of Sparrows five stars on my star rating scale. This is an amazing first book in the series and I'll be ordering Book 2, Rites of the Starling, as soon as it releases later this spring.
I started this thick book on a Friday evening and finished it by Tuesday. It's the fastest I've read 600+ pages in a long time.
The plot was just complex enough to be interesting but not so complicated that I worry I'll forget the necessary details for the sequel. I think jumping right into book 2 is going to be a breeze.
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