Book Review :: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
ISBN: 1649378513
Series: Shield of Sparrows #1
on 6 May 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy
Pages: 528
Goodreads

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?

Last updated on 5 October 2025

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What is Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry about?

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry is a romantasy about Odessa, who was never meant to be the Queen of another land. That duty was for her sister.

Her sister, who had been training for years, to shipped off to another land to be the Queen … and a spy. So when the Prince arrives on their shores and suddenly Odessa finds herself being married off in place of her sister, she’s thrown into a new life of fighting, of monsters, of the famous monster-slayer and right-hand-man of the Prince …

Not what she expected at all. And not what she wanted.

Soon, Odessa is learning to fight, being trained by the monster-slayer known only as The Guardian. She’s being whisked around this new land, never making it to the main city she’s supposed to be finding for her father and reporting back about it.

She learns that there is a lot more to the incoming Crux invasion than she thought, and the monsters that stalk the land here are ridden with a disease that makes them even stronger and more powerful than the people can handle.

Except the Guardian, who seems to have secrets of his own.

My thoughts on Shield of Sparrows 

I was a little apprehensive going into this book because it had been so hyped on Instagram and BookTok. But I have to say … I thoroughly enjoyed Shield of Sparrows. 

Was it like a lot of other books? Yeah, sure. Did I eat it up anyway? Yeah. Absolutely.

Character-wise, I think Odessa (whose name, I’m going to admit, just between us, was lost on me the majority of the book and I had to literally google it for this review … I think that’s the downside to first-person narration. Unless your supporting characters are saying the main character’s name every few pages or chapters … I’m gonna forget it) reacted appropriately for the situations she was thrown in.

The Guardian was your classic moody, gruff sort of character, who Odessa fought with and had tension with for the majority of the book. Then there were two maids who travelled with Odessa (she’s a princess after all), the Prince himself, who Odessa has been married off to but is barely around, and various other characters who move in and out of the story.

Speaking of which, the plot was enjoyable, and it moved along at a decent pace … when it moved. There was a big chunk of this book where not a lot happens, in the grand scheme of things. They’re in a certain tree-top town (cool!) for a long time, and the main things that happen are some monster attacks. But when it did pick up, it picked up pretty well.

“I didn’t ask to be married to a stranger and shipped across the continent. I didn’t ask to come to Turah. I didn’t ask to be jailed in a wilderness treehouse. Those were decisions made for me by the whims of men. So you can threaten to take away my freedom all you want, but I will fight you. Every step of the way. Until my last breath. And I will not go quietly into a cage.”

Something I didn’t enjoy about Shield of Sparrows was the inner monologue and the sheer number of questions that run through the mind of Odessa. It was so annoying and repetitive, and I can see from other reviews on places like Goodreads that that’s a common gripe with this book. So it’s not just me, thank goodness. Just be prepared for that if you’re picking this book up.

If you like romantasy, monsters, magic and myths, arranged marriages, enemies to lovers vibes, good world building (and a map!), slow burn and tension … this is the one for you!

This was the first Devney Perry book I’ve read – after a little investigation, looks like she’s mostly written small town romance before this one, so for a first romantasy book … excellent work. 👏🏻

Have you read Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry? What did you think? Let me know below!