Shield of Sparrows
Shield of Sparrows #1
By: Devney Perry
Publisher: Entangled
Publication date: May 6, 2025
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Rating:
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?
My thoughts…
I really appreciated that this story didn’t revolve around some badass heroine who is the “chosen” one. Honestly, I’m kind of sick of those stories. So, I was happy when Odessa isn’t the chosen one, isn’t some trained badass, and isn’t this amazing warrior that comes out of nowhere. Rather, she’s the least favorite daughter of the king. She’s been pushed aside and all but the black sheep of the family. Think of her as the Cinderella. Where her younger sister (Mae) is dressed in colors, attends all the events, and is the daughter destined to marry a prince, Odessa’s wardrobe is all grey, and she is meant to blend in, not be seen or heard. So, on the day that Mae’s prince shows up and declares a Princess Prize, claiming he wants Odessa instead of Mae, all hell breaks loose. Come to find out, Mae has been training from a young age to be a spy and assassin in order to be wed to the neighboring prince and help her father infiltrate their kingdom.
I really enjoyed the world the author created, as well as the character development. I kinda figured out a main piece right at the beginning, but it didn’t ruin the story for me. Especially since the author wrote it so well, that I sometimes second guessed myself. This isn’t simply a story about a girl who is married off to a foreign nation and has to navigate this new world. It’s not even just a fantasy story with monsters. Instead, there are so many intricate pieces to this story that develop as the story progresses, that it was easy to immerse yourself completely into the story and lose track of time.
I was a little apprehensive going in as this is over 600 pages long, and I usually get bored and start getting antsy to read another book. However, this story had so much depth and development that I didn’t want the story to end.
