Shield of Sparrows Review (Shield of Sparrows #1) by Denver Perry | Monsters, Politics And Cliffhangers
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Synopsis
Being the Sparrow isn’t an honour. Its a trap.
Shield of Sparrows follows Odessa Cross, a princess of Quentis who is unexpectedly chosen to fulfil an ancient treaty between kingdoms.
Her younger sister Mae has been raised and prepared to become the Sparrow, the princess sent into a political marriage with Prince Zavier of Turan. That changes when Zavier arrives with the Guardian, a feared monster hunter and chooses Odessa instead.
As she travels toward Turah, Odessa is caught between loyalty to her own kingdom and the growing suspicion that she has not been told the full truth. With a distant new husband, a dangerous monster hunter and a cursed realm around her, she has to work out who she can trust and what kind of life she is willing to accept for herself.
Main characters and key side characters
Odessa Cross: The new Sparrow who must learn how to be strong and powerful when she wasn’t expected to be.
The Guardian: Guarded albeit sassy, controlled and difficult to read.
Prince Zavier: Odessa’s new husband. Seemingly shy, always away on missions and rarely by Odessas side.
Mae Cross: Odessa’s sister and the person originally expected to become the Sparrow. Her role helps show the contract between their different upbringings and roles.
Review
I’ll start off by saying that I listened to the two part dramatised audiobook of Shield of Sparrows and at times I also read the book alongside it. Whenever possible from now on, I’ll be picking dramatised audios over standard ones. Having a full cast, music and sound effects makes it an elite reading experience for me, especially when paired with the book itself.
And yes, listening to audiobooks counts as reading and I’ll die on that hill!
The story starts with our main character Odessa in Quentis, where she has spent much of her life being overlooked. Her father’s court has plans and expectations already set in motion and Odessa is not the daughter everyone has been preparing for power. Mae, her sister, is the one who has been fully prepared, both in knowledge and combat, while Odessa is treated more like a spare part. That changes when representatives from Turah arrive. The treaty arrangement is thrown up in the air and Odessa is chosen instead of Mae. Odessa, who is already betrothed to someone else, has to accept this and marry someone she isn’t prepared for and doesn’t even know.
Once Odessa leaves Quentis with her new husband, the plot opens up properly and this is where the story really begins. The journey to Turah gives the book a stronger adventure feel, with danger coming from both the land and sea. The story is full of monsters who have a very specific role to play and that also ties very nicely into the plot.
The characters are well written, the world building was done brilliantly and it was also easy to follow. The story is slower paced, which gave the relationships and plot time to sink in without making me feel like I was scrambling to keep up with what was going on.
I also really liked how the title ties into the story. The sparrow references and migration discussions made the title feel connected to the world rather than just pretty fantasy fluff.
The full audio cast also helped keep the characters clear and distinct from one another. Stephanie Németh-Parker, who voiced Odessa and acted as the overall narrator, was the standout for me. Her voice was really pleasing to listen to, and she suited the character of Odessa very well.
Jon Vertullo also worked well as the Guardian, especially because his delivery gave the character that controlled, guarded feel without making him sound flat.
The wider cast made the dialogue easier to follow, which is one of the reasons I love dramatised audiobooks. The sound effects and music suited the monster scenes and travel sections and gave each moment its own feel. I still felt like I was listening to the story, not a fantasy podcast.
Odessa’s development was handled really well. She comes into her own throughout the journey by training, fighting and asking a lot of questions. Like A LOT of questions! Something she is given a hard time for, both in the story and from some in the book community. But how else is a girl supposed to learn? I’d be asking questions too if I was married off to a stranger and literally shipped off to kingdoms completely foreign to me.
The journey she takes is long and filled with plenty of attacks from the previously mentioned monsters. This takes up a big chunk of the book, but I liked that because it gives the world time to open up properly. You learn more about the people around Odessa and the dangers around and outside of the Kingdoms. You learn more about her husband and the people around him & see her relationship with the Guardian go in pretty much every direction.
And then there is that ending! I knew this ended on a cliffhanger, but I still felt like Mufasa after Scar threw him off the cliff into the stampede! Maybe it was the audiobook, but I was tense throughout the whole closing section. The cast, music, and sound effects gave those final scenes so much presence.
Who I’d recommend this book to
I would recommend Shield of Sparrows if you like:
Slow burn enemies to lovers
Arranged or treaty marriage setups
Monster filled fantasy worlds
Politically and Royal laws and rules
Strong female FMC’s
Series openers with a strong cliffhangers
Verdict
I loved pretty much everything about this book.
The dramatised audiobook was a brilliant way to experience this. The cast helped keep the characters distinct and Stephanie Németh-Parker was simply excellent as Odessa.
The plot was strong, the characters were engaging and it left me wanting to know more about the world along with the people in it.
Our lead heroine Odessa was easy to invest in and the Guardian had the right amount of mystery and intrigue to keep me hooked.
And that ending! It left me wanting to listen to the sequel, Rites of the Starling right away. Unfortunately for me, part one of the dramatised series isn’t available until JULY and at the time of this review, it’s May!! Le sigh.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can buy this book on Amazon (Afflicate Link):
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4taPVRh
Hardback: https://amzn.to/4wgxg9J
Audiobook: https://amzn.to/4f27q2N
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4est9AP
