Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry (book review)

GENRE: Adult Romantasy

LENGTH: 511 pages

PLOT

Princess Odessa lives in a land of five kingdoms infested with deadly monsters. She is married off in an arrangement with a foreign prince, Zander, and finds herself stranded and alone in a new and dangerous land.

CHARACTERS

Odessa is a wonderful protagonist. She may be a princess, but she’s humble, kind, determined, and tough. She’s no damsel in distress (though she IS a terrible spy). She has a slowburn romance with the Guardian, who is a warrior/guard of Prince Zander. The Guardian at first comes across as intimidating, but the more Odessa gets to know him the more she sees his softer side. I loved how he challenged Odessa and pushed her to improve. He never underestimates her. I will say, their relationship is a little TOO slowburn for me. They had magnetic chemistry, but they sure kept me waiting for them to actually get together!

Other characters include Zander, who is kind but bland. Then there is a small child, Evie, with whom Odessa forms a sisterly bond. I wish we’d gotten to see their bonding – we go from them being strangers to suddenly being close. Their relationship is cute, though. There’s also Luella, who is Evie’s tutor/nanny, and Cathlin, who is a librarian (and my favorite side character, she’s a good friend and ally to Odessa). Additionally, there are Odessa’s lady maids, Jocelyn and Brielle.

WRITING

The novel has (mostly) good world building. We spend most of the novel in the kingdom of Torah. It’s this wild landscape that shifts between beauty and nightmare. The fantasy politics are an important part of the story, with the titular Shield of Sparrows marriage treaty being a peace accord between the five kingdoms.

The monsters in the story are like real life animals only mutated. Some are more frightening than others, but every time one appeared the atmosphere immediately intensified. My one big gripe with the world building (and this is a minor SPOILER) is that there is an infection which spreads via bite but not saliva?? Magic infection of not, that doesn’t make sense. It’s not like this ruined the story for me or anything, but as a fantasy writer it did bug me.

Normally, I remark how fantasy novels are too short and their endings rushed. This book actually has a little bit of the opposite problem. It’s almost too long. There were times when the plot was meandering. Readers may grow frustrated alongside Odessa as they ask questions and receive no answers. That being said, I was never bored while reading.

The ending is dramatic and leaves the reader with a crazy cliffhanger. It left me reeling and desperate for the next installment. Can it come out already?!

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you like romantasy and haven’t picked up this book yet, then I recommend you do! I had a good time reading this one. Odessa is a likable character to follow, her chemistry with her love interest is potent, and the world and plot are a wild ride. If it was just a little bit more condensed then it could be a near 5 star, but even still it remains a solid addition to my romantsy collection!

FINAL RATING: 4⭐️