Shield of Sparrows: An Enemies-to-Lovers Epic Romantasy

The book came in good condition, but it has a slight dent on the cover. Since I purchased it at a promotional price, it’s okay.

If you’re anything like me and deep in your Romantasy Book Era, then this book is an absolute must-read! Not only does it have the most stunning sprayed edges, but it’s hands down one of the best novels I’ve read all year. From the very first page, you’re pulled into a world brimming with monsters, myths, magic—and a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave you swooning long after the final chapter. Odessa Cross, once the forgotten spare princess, is suddenly thrust into an arranged marriage and a perilous journey that forces her to navigate not just dangerous lands, but her own identity. With rich world-building, deeply layered characters, and twists I never saw coming, this book is a masterclass in fantasy romance. I’m already counting down the days until the next one!!

I just don’t have enough words to describe how much I love this book. It is probably my favourite out of any book I’ve read for years and one of the very few that I’ve re-read multiple times. I was gripped from the wonderfully evocative opening lines right the way through. The worldbuilding is fabulous - rich and detailed. The kingdoms, the cities, the villages, the monsters are so well written they are so easy to visualise. The characters are amazing, multi-layered and fascinating. There was so much that kept me guessing throughout – quite a few times I was shouting out loud at new reveals! Added to all that, the slow build romance running through was just the icing on the cake!

The book arrived in perfect condition, 5 stars for that. My score is for the content of the book. I fear the marketing did all the heavy lifting with this one cause I didn't read the same book as all these other booktubers online. Maybe it's cause I read a lot of fantasy, but to me everything fell short. The plot was bland and slow moving, there was a lot of travelling from point A to B where upon arrival the characters get attacked by monsters, then travelling from point B to C where -guess what- they get attacked again, then C to D and you get the gist. You'd think the author would explore some other way to move the plot forward but unfortunately you're looking at 600 pages of rinse and repeat. All the plot twists are revealed towards the last 25% of the book as well cause everyone keeps the main character in the dark, and so the reader too must endure the absolute drought of information concerning why the odyssey you're enduring is worth reading in the first place. The book is compared to The Witcher but lacks any and all ties to folklore, and any of the creativity with which Sapkowski crafted such depth and diversity of lore. Devney Perry simply makes a mutant tiger and a mutant bear, and calls them something closely sounding like the original animal's name just in case the reader is dumb enough that the description doesn't ring a bell right away. It's on the nose and frankly took me out of the story. The twists were very predictable to me. One of the major reveals that the entirety of the first book pivots around can be guessed right from the beginning of the story, and so can the plot twist that book 2 hinges on... which kind of defeats the purpose of finishing the book when the story is so slow moving in the first place. There simply wasn't any payoff. The romance was... not really romancing either? I kept being told by the author that the characters were falling for each other and yet there was hardly any showing of it. Because of that I didn't find it believable. Unfortunately I won't be continuing on with the series.

Perfecto estado y la historia es súper adictiva u fácil de leer sin embargo no me sentí enganchada con el romance pero la construcción del mundo considero que es muy completa y no puedo esperar a leer el segundo por que ese cliffhanger me dejó en shock

found myself a good romantasy :) No spoilers: Great world building and super interesting start to the series! The characters are relatable and mature enough and I found myself rooting for the FMC and MMC sooo hard. The found family feels a little too cheesy for me, but it still works. The greatest part about this series is, that it actually has a great fantasy and romance plot that develops well and isn't completely obvious, yet it still is an easy, fun read. Totally recommend!