Book Review: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
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Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Published: May 6, 2025
Series: Shield of Sparrows #1
Genres: Adult // Romance, Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Quick Thoughts: I really wanted to love Shield of Sparrows, but the FMC's relentless internal questions and slow pacing made it hard to enjoy. There's a solid plot with wild twists and jaw-dropping betrayals buried in there, but the constant noise in the writing was hard to ignore. I'll still read book two because that ending hooked me, but this one didn’t grab my attention like I expected.
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Combat
Violence/Death
Blood/Gore
Injury and Injury Descriptions
Illness
Hospitalization
Arson
Alcohol
Mentions of Poisoning
Mentioning of Trafficking
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Hidden/Secret Identities
Forced Marriage
Court Politics
Bodyguard/Protector
Betrayal
Secret Relationship
Enemies-to-Lovers
Training Sequences
What is Shield of Sparrows About?
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?
Shield of Sparrows Review
Reading this was a little bit like watching a show with a staticky TV. Buried beneath our FMC’s nonstop internal dialogue, questions, and slow pacing, was a good story with a solid plot, but it was really hard to enjoy because of the constant noise in the writing and storytelling.
What I Liked
When I picked this up, I was prepared for a five star story and I’ll admit that it delivered in some regards. While the story does pull in some commonly used tropes, it also has wild twists, a great balance of romance and plot, and solid yearning. The side characters made for great villains, allies, and some delivered jaw dropping betrayals. There is even a cute little monster companion.
Strangely enough, I was both totally intrigued by the story but also thinking about DNFing for most of the book.
What I Didn’t Like
The first thing that immediately jumped out to me is the constant barrage of questions, rhetorical or not, from the FMC. The author uses questions as a world-building crutch disguised as a personality quirk to either deliver pieces of the world-building or move the story along. I actually really appreciate Q&A world-building, but every few paragraphs, there would be an entire paragraph consisting only of questions. It was relentless and I began to loathe both the writing and the FMC.
In terms of pacing, the story started to feel like a timeloop after the first 30%. Things were happening but, instead of moving the story forward, the events made the plot circle itself in a way that felt like stalling. Later in the book, there were some big, shocking reveals that I feel like we brushed over way too quickly. It would have been nice for Odessa to work through this tension longer because it would have made the story way more believable and satisfying.
So, Should You Read Shield of Sparrows?
Despite all this, I somewhat enjoyed Shield of Sparrows and will still be reading the second book. The ending surprised me and I just need to find out what happens next. Definitely pick this up if you are looking for a story with court politics, hidden identities and secrets, and an interesting twist on the forced marriage trope.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Shield of Sparrows FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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This is book one in a planned trilogy. The second book, Rites of the Starling, released in April 2026.
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Pick this up if you love court politics, monster hunting, slow burn romance with tons of yearning, and don't mind waiting for payoff. Skip it if you want fast pacing, lots of spice, or immediate answers to your questions. I'm reading book two when it comes out, so that should tell you something.
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I’d rate this a 3🌶️ out of five or Open Door. Readers are in the room for spice scenes but we’re spared from a lot of the details.
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The spicy chapters in Shield of Sparrows are:
Chapter 52
Chapter 55
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All the good ones! You've got enemies-to-lovers, forced/arranged marriage, forbidden romance, hidden identity, secrets and lies, slow burn, training sequences, bodyguard vibes, and a touch of political intrigue. Plus monsters, magic, and a cute little creature companion.
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Without spoiling anything, I'll say this: the ending is wild, shocking, and emotional. There are some devastating moments and major twists that completely change everything. It's not a traditional HEA (happily ever after) since it's book one of a series, but there are definitely some satisfying romantic moments before everything gets turned upside down.
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No spoilers, but there's a love triangle situation happening—sort of. You've got Prince Zavier (Odessa's husband through the arranged marriage) and the Guardian (his mysterious, brooding bodyguard). The romance develops slowly and there are definitely some surprises about who ends up with who.
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It depends on what you're looking for. The world-building is easy to follow, the twists are genuinely shocking, and the ending left me wanting to read book two. But the pacing is slow, the FMC asks SO many questions and it takes forever to get going. I'd say it's a solid 3 to 3.5 star read that's being hyped as a 5 star. Still worth reading, just manage your expectations.
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Without spoiling too much, there's a mysterious disease called Lyssa that affects both monsters and humans, and Odessa has some kind of hidden magic that gets teased throughout the entire book but never fully explained (which is honestly a little frustrating). The magic system isn't super detailed in book one—it's more hints and setup for future books.