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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes, the monsters aren’t the ones with claws and teeth and scales. They’re the main characters asking endless rhetorical questions as a narrative device.
I wanted to give this five stars, I really did. Because somewhere beneath the noise of FMC Odessa’s thoughts, there’s a good story buried in there with yearning, action and twisty twists… But Shield of Sparrows showed me that it’s somehow possible to be completely captivated and somewhat aggravated all at once.
Odessa’s relentless incessant questioning is used as a narrative crutch, and the effect was frustrating. After a while, it stopped adding anything of value to me and just started dragging the worldbuilding, plot and everything else down. The story started to feel like it was circling itself, stuck in her head, instead of moving forward.
Which is a shame, because when the story focused less on Odessa’s internal static and more on the plot, it really worked for me. While the story is formulaic, it’s also innovative, and the balance of fantasy to romance was perfectly executed, in my humble opinion. Villains and side characters are given complexity. There is a cute animal companion or two.
And for a book that begins so rooted in predictability, the final act hits harder than expected and surprised me many times over.
So here we are. 3.5 stars. Because despite everything, I liked it. If Odessa had asked half as many questions, this easily could’ve been a four or five-star read.
I wanted to give this five stars, I really did. Because somewhere beneath the noise of FMC Odessa’s thoughts, there’s a good story buried in there with yearning, action and twisty twists… But Shield of Sparrows showed me that it’s somehow possible to be completely captivated and somewhat aggravated all at once.
Odessa’s relentless incessant questioning is used as a narrative crutch, and the effect was frustrating. After a while, it stopped adding anything of value to me and just started dragging the worldbuilding, plot and everything else down. The story started to feel like it was circling itself, stuck in her head, instead of moving forward.
Which is a shame, because when the story focused less on Odessa’s internal static and more on the plot, it really worked for me. While the story is formulaic, it’s also innovative, and the balance of fantasy to romance was perfectly executed, in my humble opinion. Villains and side characters are given complexity. There is a cute animal companion or two.
And for a book that begins so rooted in predictability, the final act hits harder than expected and surprised me many times over.
So here we are. 3.5 stars. Because despite everything, I liked it. If Odessa had asked half as many questions, this easily could’ve been a four or five-star read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Quite the cliffhanger. Some things seem so predictable while other twists come from nowhere. Excellent world building and character development. Some parts overly drawn out or graphic, but easily skipped. Looking forward to the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Murder, Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, Trafficking, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail