Shield of Sparrows Hardcover – May 6, 2025

Shield of Sparrows seems to be the buzzy book of the season, and count me in on that buzz because I thought it was terrific! From the same publisher who brought us Fourth Wing, this is a fast-paced romantasy that excels at world building and character development but is surprisingly light on spice. There’s only one rather tame sex scene near the end of the book, so readers who would rather skip those parts will appreciate the emphasis on the slow burn romance and snarky banter between the two main characters. I had never heard of Devney Perry before, but she’s a skilled writer with over fifty published books (!), so I wasn’t that surprised at how well this book is written. Some of the fantasy elements and tropes are very familiar, but Perry has a lot of surprises in store as well.In the land of Calandra, vicious monsters roam free, threatening everyone who lives there. Odessa Cross is the “back up” princess of the Kingdom of Quentis, while her younger sister Mae has been trained from childhood to be married off to the Prince of Turah in a treaty called the Shield of Sparrows, a blood agreement that ensures peace among the five kingdoms. But on the day Prince Zavier Wolfe and his entourage arrive in Quentis to meet Mae and sign the treaty, everyone is shocked when the Guardian, Zavier’s sworn protector, proclaims that Odessa will become the Sparrow and marry Zavier instead of Mae.Unbeknownst to Odessa, their father has been training Mae to be a spy. Her job once she married and journeyed to Turah was to infiltrate the mysterious capital city of Allesaria and then kill the Guardian. Now Odessa must take over her sister’s duties, even though she has no experience at all. Forced to leave her home and marry a stranger, Odessa vows to make her father proud and find Allesaria. But her new husband refuses to talk to her, and the journey to Turah is filled with danger. Only the Guardian will have anything to do with her, but unfortunately he’s an insufferable man who has a knack for annoying her and—even worse—seems to know what she’s up to.Odessa knows she must find Allesaria and report back to her father, but can she actually kill the Guardian? As the days go by and the danger mounts, she finds her loyalties start to shift.Perry’s world is rich and complex, full of political intrigue, secrets and best of all, deadly monsters. The monsters were probably my favorite part of this book, and there’s even a bit of folklore and backstory as to how they came about. From the marroweels, sea creatures who attack and destroy ships, to the crux, huge winged beasts who migrate every generation and leave death and destruction in their wake, the monsters are beautiful but deadly, and the author doesn’t shy away from some very graphic attacks. Check out these beautiful artistic interpretations of the monsters at this Instagram post!Perry also has a knack for creating interesting and believable characters. Odessa is sort of a mess at first. She has no real skills, she can’t fight, and she is the worst spy ever. But she’s loyal to her father and her kingdom and is determined to do something right for a change, so she grits her teeth and learns how to fight when the Guardian insists on training her (the training scenes were awesome!). She keeps notes in her journal about the possible location of Allesaria, going so far as to draw a secret—and illegal—map as bits of information fall into her lap. The Guardian (whose real name we learn later in the book) is your typical angry, gruff and hot as hell warrior who is hiding a huge secret, and I absolutely loved their very slow burn romance, although it isn’t the focus of the story. Odessa’s headstrong actions land them in extreme danger more than once, but these events eventually bring the two together. Expect lots of inner dialog as Odessa comments on the Guardian’s extreme good looks and bulging muscles, but honestly, the threat of monster attacks kept the romance in check so it didn’t overwhelm the story.Shield of Sparrows is full of thrilling action, including a dangerous sea crossing when Odessa leaves her home for Turah. Perry keeps her story interesting by having the characters move around a lot, instead of staying in just one location. The scenes when the monsters attack are really well done, and even the Guardian struggles at times to kill them, even though he has, let’s just say extra special abilities (which you’ll learn about when you read the book). The characters are constantly in danger, first from the monsters and later from the threat of an invading army. Of course, the more I came to know and love them, the more worried I became, and there are some deaths that hit me hard, I won’t lie.There’s one big twist about a third of the way through the book, one I didn’t see coming! And wow, the ending, while not strictly a cliffhanger, was another huge twist, one the author drops hints for, but you’ll have to read carefully to pick them up. Perry sets things up for the next book in the series (on the way but yet to be officially announced), and I couldn’t be more eager to find out what happens next. I haven’t gone too deep into the plot to avoid spoilers, but trust me when I say there’s a lot more to the story than what I’ve revealed here. Lots of fun and beautifully crafted, Shield of Sparrows is a must read for fantasy fans.

Once in a while a book comes along that is so brilliantly written that it leaves you at a loss for words. This is just such a book. So, it took me a minute to put my thoughts in order.Shield of Sparrows leaves you clamoring for more; more from Odessa; more from The Guardian; and most importantly, more from Devney Perry, hopefully very soon.𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙖 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩. 𝙄 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜? 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩.Odessa is stronger than anyone has given her credit for. She’s been ignored her entire life. Basically forgotten by her own family. Deemed the weak princess. Oh how wrong they are. Odessa may be in an arranged marriage but she finds herself fighting for her freedom, for the life she wants, in ways she never imagined. And with the help of those she once feared. And hated.The Guardian. He fiercely fights for his people. But he’s hated by Odessa, at least at first. And who is he really? This man, he has his secrets. But is he really just a cold blooded murderer like Odessa has always been told? He’s a legend. A savior. A hero. A protector. And Odessa finds herself reluctantly drawn to the man.Monsters. Everywhere. All kinds. But are some of the worst in human form? I mean, who can Odessa actually trust as it seems much of what she’s believed her entire life might not be true. And then there’s her attraction to The Guardian, who she’s supposed to hate. Their banter, his teasing, Odessa never had a chance of resisting him. They finally find their way to each other but at what cost. There’s an infection in the monsters who are terrorizing the continent and Odessa is determined to find out its source.Talk about twists and turns. Get ready to gasp. The twists and surprises keep coming. Until the very last page.I can’t recommend this book enough and can’t wait to see it come to screen! If you’ve never read romantasy, start here. This amazing story, the push and pull between Odessa and The Guardian, will wreak havoc on your heart. I’m so looking forward to book 2. There’s so much more to uncover in this world and I can’t wait for it all!