Odessa simply needs to bide her time and behave long enough for her sister Mae and her betrothed to marry. Mae has been tasked with becoming the next ‘sparrow;’ each generation a princess is betrothed to one of the former feuding families with a magical pact that helps prevent fighting between the kingdoms. They have far worse things to deal with, such as the crux, a strange flying creature that migrates in large numbers and kills everyone in their path. When the crown prince of Turan comes to fulfil a bargain with Odessa’s family, he demands that Odessa become the next sparrow, not Mae. There is no refusing him with a massive man named The Guardian at his side. The move is partly tactical; Mae has been trained as a spy to try and find the mysterious capital of the Turan kingdom. Untrained and unprepared, Odessa has no time to prepare before boarding a ship with the Guardian and her new husband. With a mandate from her father to find the secret capital city and send word back, Odessa struggles to earn the trust of those around her while gathering information and struggling to adapt to life as their secret new queen.
Fans of Sarah J Maas, Rebecca Yarros or Jennifer Armentrout will find a familiar pattern of young heroine placed in extraordinary circumstances with a man who may or may not be who he says he is. Readers who love romantasy and delight in every single trope will be delighted by Shield of Sparrows. Devney Perry’s strength is in her imagination with creative and unique creatures that Odessa encounters. It was a treat to see what she might come up with next for Odessa and the Guardian to encounter.
Shield of Sparrows is now available from Entangled Publishing.
