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boba_nbooks 's review for:
Shield of Sparrows
by Devney Perry
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / 5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️ / 5
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My Thoughts: Holy plot twists, Batman! Shield of Sparrows had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. Though the novel does start off rather slowly, the tension builds throughout the first two acts and comes to a head in the last 100 pages or so, leaving readers breathless and eager for book 2.
Odessa is a princess who has always known her place--to stay quiet and marry the man her father chooses for her. But when Prince Zavier of Turah decides that Odessa is who he wants to marry and not her sister, her life turns upside down. Instead of living the quiet life she imagined for herself, she is forced to live in a foreign, monster-filled land she wasn't trained to understand with a man, the Guardian, who despises her.
But Odessa discovers that she isn't a woman who wants to just sit still and look pretty. She wants to learn how to defend herself and find out what's really going on with the monster attacks in her new kingdom. I appreciate her feisty spirit and the way Odessa really comes into her own the more she gets to be herself away from the people who raised her. The supporting characters are just as captivating. From the Guardian to Prince Zavier to little Evangeline, the author creates a rich cast of personalities with differing motivations that still bring them together.
Shield of Sparrows doesn't feel like a typical romantasy book, though there are definitely familiar, well-loved elements and tropes of the genre. The world building in the novel definitely makes it feel like a fresh take--one I've been itching for. Odessa's world is one full of monsters, but not the typical kind. Truly terrifying monsters you've never seen or heard of before. And, to top it all off, some of them are "sick" with a type of contagion that makes them more bloodthirsty and dangerous than ever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait for the upcoming installments in the series. If you're a fan of romantasy novels but also appreciate some political intrigue and a unique world, I definitely recommend Shield of Sparrows.
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️ / 5
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My Thoughts: Holy plot twists, Batman! Shield of Sparrows had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. Though the novel does start off rather slowly, the tension builds throughout the first two acts and comes to a head in the last 100 pages or so, leaving readers breathless and eager for book 2.
Odessa is a princess who has always known her place--to stay quiet and marry the man her father chooses for her. But when Prince Zavier of Turah decides that Odessa is who he wants to marry and not her sister, her life turns upside down. Instead of living the quiet life she imagined for herself, she is forced to live in a foreign, monster-filled land she wasn't trained to understand with a man, the Guardian, who despises her.
But Odessa discovers that she isn't a woman who wants to just sit still and look pretty. She wants to learn how to defend herself and find out what's really going on with the monster attacks in her new kingdom. I appreciate her feisty spirit and the way Odessa really comes into her own the more she gets to be herself away from the people who raised her. The supporting characters are just as captivating. From the Guardian to Prince Zavier to little Evangeline, the author creates a rich cast of personalities with differing motivations that still bring them together.
Shield of Sparrows doesn't feel like a typical romantasy book, though there are definitely familiar, well-loved elements and tropes of the genre. The world building in the novel definitely makes it feel like a fresh take--one I've been itching for. Odessa's world is one full of monsters, but not the typical kind. Truly terrifying monsters you've never seen or heard of before. And, to top it all off, some of them are "sick" with a type of contagion that makes them more bloodthirsty and dangerous than ever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait for the upcoming installments in the series. If you're a fan of romantasy novels but also appreciate some political intrigue and a unique world, I definitely recommend Shield of Sparrows.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Trafficking, Pregnancy