Shield of Sparrows, a review by Kristie

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Shield of Sparrows

Devney Perry

658 pages

May 6, 2025

Amazon

Goodreads

Blurb:

Shield of Sparrows is a slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros―where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be.

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 Take:

I don’t even know how to review this book. It was so fantastic in so many ways! Brilliantly written with different pieces that started out on their own paths and eventually came together so chaotically, yet so seamlessly that I was just speechless when I finished. The characters are funny and full of personality, and their growth through the story as things unfold was just so, so good.

Odessa is not the sister that’s been trained to marry into another kingdom since birth. That’s her sister, Mae. And yet…Odessa is the one who is sent with Prince Zavier and The Guardian to uphold the Shield of Sparrows. Chosen upon sight and taken across the sea to Turah with her lady’s maids, Odessa must figure out her sea legs along with her position as the Prince’s new wife.

Through everything that’s happening, the lies, deceit, scheming and secrets, along with the monsters who seem to be not quite right, Odessa finds herself lost, confused, and ignored by her new husband. And the person she hates the most is the one who will not leave her alone – The Guardian. Notorious monster killer and jackass. Perfection for our enemies to lovers forbidden romance…if only she didn’t hate him so much.