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adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The writing is clear step above most fantasy I’ve read, yes, even better than Sarah J. Maas. And I’m talking about the actual writing…it’s clean, thoughtful, and refreshingly free of recycled language (looking at you, “vulgar gesture” 🙄🙄🙄).
While the story started off a bit slower than I’d prefer, it steadily gained momentum and kept me hooked. I’ll admit, ACOTAR’s world is more dreamy and immersive, but Shield of Sparrows made up for that with stronger prose, sharper pacing, and a plot that genuinely surprised me more than once.
The spicy scenes? Honestly, a major upgrade from the usual (Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, Serpent and the Wings of Night). I’ve noticed that once you’ve read one sex scene from certain authors, it starts to feel like they just copy and paste the same formula every time. But Deveney Perry didn’t fall into that trap. She kept it to one well-written, detailed moment of intimacy… and it felt tasteful, intimate, and not at all cheesy. That said, I’ll be curious to see if she avoids repetition in future books.
What really sealed it for me though, was the main character. She’s awkward, flawed, and so relatable. Her inner monologue is hilarious… there were a couple moments that had me laughing out loud. That kind of grounded, human realism is rare in fantasy and made her feel genuinely real.
Overall, Shield of Sparrows was a fresh, emotionally grounded, and surprisingly sharp read. I’m 100% on board for book two… and seriously hoping it sticks the landing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Entertaining with room for improvement.
I liked that the worldbuilding was pretty dark with all these bloodthirsty "monsters" (animals) roaming the land.
The pacing was slightly inconsistent. FMC was often annoying. The romance was half-baked. Somewhat of a slowburn, yet it still felt rushed.
I liked that the worldbuilding was pretty dark with all these bloodthirsty "monsters" (animals) roaming the land.
The pacing was slightly inconsistent. FMC was often annoying. The romance was half-baked. Somewhat of a slowburn, yet it still felt rushed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder
emotional
tense
medium-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
This is everything you want from a fantasy. A young girl who’s special. Handsome men falling for her. Nations needing her support. Baby monsters. So much tension. The fate of everything in the hands of our characters. Now I’m sucked into this series. It would be 5 stars but the smut was very limited and it was a SLOWER than SLOW burn for me. Looking forward to the rest of the series
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Yes
Do you also want to get your heart emotionally ripped in half when you realize that this is NOT A STANDALONE BOOK?!
I just stood in my room repeating WTF? What? I have so many questions? First of all: how dare you make me like these characters and this world and then tell me that it’s going to be THREE BOOKS?!
My abject horror at realizing that this was the first book of an unpublished series (as of July 2025 when I’m writing this) aside, the book was really cool.
The writing style is very casual and the FMC has a penchant for asking questions that allows the readers to dive into the world. It’s an easy way for world building and it’s readable. That being said, the first time I read the character saying “blarg” I had to do a double take.
The story itself is so well constructed with twists and turns and secrets and people entering the story and their foreshadowing not feeling excessive. I had a half guess at one of the twists but I definitely didn’t get the whole thing correct.
I had so much fun reading this and, other than the fact that I’m mad that I thought it was a standalone, I am also stoked because I get to look forward to two other books.
I just stood in my room repeating WTF? What? I have so many questions? First of all: how dare you make me like these characters and this world and then tell me that it’s going to be THREE BOOKS?!
My abject horror at realizing that this was the first book of an unpublished series (as of July 2025 when I’m writing this) aside, the book was really cool.
The writing style is very casual and the FMC has a penchant for asking questions that allows the readers to dive into the world. It’s an easy way for world building and it’s readable. That being said, the first time I read the character saying “blarg” I had to do a double take.
The story itself is so well constructed with twists and turns and secrets and people entering the story and their foreshadowing not feeling excessive. I had a half guess at one of the twists but I definitely didn’t get the whole thing correct.
I had so much fun reading this and, other than the fact that I’m mad that I thought it was a standalone, I am also stoked because I get to look forward to two other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Trafficking
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes
This book was amazing! Very unique plot. Relatable characters. Addicting! The MMC 🫠 Odessa is a badass. I need the second book ASAP!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Murder, War
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is proof that good romantasy does exist! I found this quite fun and engaging. The characters were likeable and fairly reasonable, the romance was actually slow burn, and the world-building had decent depth, which was great! The plot twists were satisfying, too! Most were predictable, but there were a few that surprised me. I look forward to seeing where the series goes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail