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.

You may want to hide yourself away with this one if you like slow burn, so many secrets, arranged marriage, monsters and adventure, plot twists, spice, magic and myths, and a bit of a wild ride 👀
In all honesty over here, I saw the cover for this one, read part of the blurb and was like YES 👀 this one. This one I’m going to fawn over until I can get my grubby little hands on. And I did, fawn over it until I got my hands on it. I really had no other ideas of what to expect, I ignored reviews and other people talking about it and went in as blind mostly because of my friends Nikki and Brittany telling me I should read it, because lets face it, our reading friendship is essentially the epitome of when my mom used to ask “well if your friend jumped off a bridge would you?”

*yeets self off bridge to read*

No but really, I enjoyed the delicious slow burn of this book and the build up of all the mysteries. Arranged marriage has to be one of my absolute favourite tropes so I was eating this up and some of the plot twists that the author threw at me? I am shook. Someone pick me up off the floor. Actually maybe wait until book 2 is coming out, I’m not ready to face getting up yet.

Rated 4.5 Stars

Shield of Sparrows was riddled with over explaining, repetition and stating of the obvious. However, it was also fascinating and thrilling. I could not get enough of it. It was packed with action, adventure, twists and turns, secrets, mystery, suspense and surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I found parts of it slow moving. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

4.5 stars

Prior to Shield of Sparrows, I had not read any of Devney Perry’s work, so I went in without any knowledge of the author’s tendencies, writing style, or anything really. All I knew was that this was a slow-burn romantasy containing monsters, which really intrigued me. Going in, I was immediately curious about the world and characters. Everything was shrouded in enough mystery to really pique my interest and start me guessing.

Perry released information as she spun the tale of Shield of Sparrows quickly enough to keep me from getting too frustrated but also slow enough to keep me hooked. The pacing worked really well for me—each chapter felt like it was slowly peeling back layers. I really liked the characters from the first and wondered about them.

I was also curious about the monsters and wanted to learn more! They were terrifying and mysterious. The slow burn was definitely slow, and I loved every moment of pining. Romantic tension built in just the right way. I also can’t say more than that without giving away some fun twists and turns, but I can say:

I’m well and truly hooked, and need the next book in this series STAT. The blend of romance, violence, magic, and immersive world-building hit the spot for me, and I’m very excited to see the movie adaptation (announced just ten days ago)!

oh my god. this book and story was everything. no notes: just perfection.

from the unique plot, to Odessa’s inquisitiveness, to the Guardian’s selflessness; the conflict was complex but not too overbearing. I’m not a big romantasy reader and found this easy to fall into and understand.

The slow burn was BURNING and I loved it.

I was crying and cheering and then the last page had me gasping. I can’t wait for book 2. I need more!!!!

It’s hard to believe that this is Devney’s debut into romantasy and I’m here for it.

Thank you to entangled publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The biggest shout out and thank you to Kaye Publicity and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

There are many aspects to a book that draw readers in; for some it’s the tropes, for some the cover, or the author, or perhaps even a review they read about the book. For me, it’s nearly always the blurb. The stage the blurb both, reveals and conceals, is always the first metaphorical handshake between the reader in me and the book. Often it is that interaction that either invites me to take a step forward into, or a step away from, the world created by the author.

There’s not a single person I know, thus far, who’s read the blurb for Shield of Sparrows and not been intrigued by it. I will say, however, that the book is quite possibly a million times more than what the blurb promises it to be … and then some.

The way a book begins—given that it is what draws a reader in—is nearly as essential as how it ends. Perry has truly achieved the perfect balance in managing multiple elements together. This book begins with one, the introduction of a character, two, a peek into the world building and three, the reveal of the tone of the story. The world Perry has created is vast but the author does a fantastic job breaking it down into perfectly consumable crumbs, that form a neat trail for the readers to follow, deeper and deeper into the dense and dangerous woods that makes up Shield of Shadows’ world.

The best way to build a world is to introduce it anew to the character for the reader to learn along with them. But writing a character who is already immersed in the world, but on the precipice of awareness, without them seeming ignorant is always a challenging task. Additionally, making them loveable and relatable with all their flaws and beauty? Therein lies the true test. I would say that both—in the set up of her world and her main character—the author has outdone herself. You can tell Perry knows exactly what she’s doing and will likely be long remembered for her work. Especially for this one.

Despite the many aspects of this book that work greatly in its favour, nothing is better than the writing. Even the weakest of stories can be the greatest adventure when the storytelling is outstanding. Given that nothing about Shield of Shadows is weak, the strength of the author’s writing only gives it wings. Most readers have now seen quite possibly all ways a story could twist and turn, and are rarely taken by surprise anymore. Perhaps the author knew this, because she used the greatest, most powerful trick in her book: misdirection. Just as the reader presumes they know the turns that the author is about to take and feels a sense of achievement and pride when the author does take them; we forget to see the actual twists that come our way until maybe just before the author is about to take them. Shield of Sparrows is the perfect experience even for the most adept of readers. If you wish to feel like a young reader again, with all the wide-eyed innocence and blind trust that comes with being new to something: read this book.

The first thing I always do before starting a book is check the page count because I know that how I feel about it before starting might not be how I feel about it at the end. Even the thickest of books feel ‘not-enough’ when they’re fantastic and I always go in hoping for that every time I see a larger page count. Shield of Sparrows is no small book, but the pace is brutal and keeps you both rooted to the pages and flying because of how swift it is. Every single time I looked at the progress percentage I was surprised by how much further I was than when I’d last checked.

I’ve spoken before about books with high intensity moments and the double edged sword it can be. My take on it is that, as gripping as it can be, it can be equally saturating and tiresome after a point, if overdone. However Perry manages to find the perfect harmony between the slower, softer moments and the faster, action filled scenes. There is a moment in the book where the protagonist practices dancing as part of getting better in another aspect of her life. It is almost like the author took that advice for herself and taught the many elements of her book to dance, so that they can work in perfect rhythm with each other when the time comes.

The plot in this book is hard to separate from the characters, the writing, the pace or the world. Perhaps the reason for that is how well the author has hidden the truth of it beneath all the other elements, only allowing us the slightest of peeks. Even just those keyhole glimpses are enough to reveal just how promising and important the stage that the author has set is going to be. As much as this first book reveals, it is just the beginning. I cannot wait for the author to invite us into her world once again, for I think it is going to be an emotionally and experientially explosive read.

Shield of Sparrows is everything I love in a book. It acts as a portal that has the strength to suck you in and drop you in a world of its choice and leaves you thinking about it long after you return home.

Shield of Sparrows was a five star read for me. As always, please do check trigger warnings as this book has themes in it that can be difficult for some.

We are not even halfway through the year and this book has blown it out the park! Best Romantasy of 2025 hands down.
BRAVO Devney Perry BRAVO

I finished this book days ago and have been in a slump ever since, I haven’t even been able to sit down and really think about what I should write in this review apart from if you have not pre ordered RUN go pre order now. This is going to be the next big romantasy book to drop. It felt fresh and was SO well written. The plot was full, the twists were turning and the burn was slow, so very devilishly slow.

I. Need. More.

A Promising Foundation That Struggled to Deliver
Shield of Sparrows has all the right ingredients for a great romantasy—an arranged marriage, enemies-to-lovers tension, a cursed world crawling with monsters, and the promise of a princess ready to reclaim her power. The worldbuilding is rich and intriguing, with a dark, dangerous realm that genuinely feels alive. I could easily picture the twisted creatures and the magic lurking behind every corner.

But as much as I loved the setup, the execution left me wanting more. The pacing was a real struggle; for much of the story, Odessa, our princess-turned-reluctant-heroine, is trapped in her own head, asking question after question without getting any meaningful answers (for herself or the reader). Instead of building suspense, it bogged the story down, and I found myself disconnected from her and her journey.

The slow-burn tension between Odessa and the Guardian had its moments, but with so much internal monologue and a plot that only really picked up around the 70% mark, I had already lost a lot of my initial excitement. Plus, a key deception introduced early on was far too easy to guess, which dulled the emotional impact when it was finally revealed.

When the twists started coming at the end, they felt less like a satisfying payoff and more like chaos thrown together for shock value. It was a rushed finish that didn’t land the way I hoped.

Overall, Shield of Sparrows had a fascinating world and a solid premise, but a meandering middle and a messy ending held it back. I’m curious about where the story will go next, but it’ll take some convincing for me to continue.

Whoa, what a wild adventure!

I think romantasy fans of From Blood and Ash and Sarah J. Maas books will love this book.

From the very beginning, I was intrigued by the world and Odessa’s place in it. If she’s the actual heir to the Quentis throne, why is her younger step-sister being brought up to take over? I love that Odessa seemed like a normal person without anything extraordinary going on who had been dealt crazy cards and had to figure it out as she went along.

The Guardian was the perfect mysterious, badass warrior/protector and I LOVED seeing his and Odessa’s relationship evolve!! Their banter was fun and believable and just the right amount of flirtation considering what was going on around them and the lack of trust he had for her and her kingdom.

I did guess a major plot reveal, but when it happened I wasn’t upset- if anything I felt vindicated and relieved that the thing I needed to be true was true!

The monsters!! They were terrifying! And also pretty cool. I really enjoyed all of the scary, nighttime camping scenes when they had to fend off grizzurs or other monsters. (Also, the marroweels? TERRIFYING!!)

My one complaint was for a romantasy there was not a lot of romance. I loooved the slow burn and the tension, but when they finally got together, we had a lot of passages that briefly described past, off-page sexy times. I waited like 80% of this book for them to finally have sexy times! Please don’t gloss over!! Even if it’s not explicit, don’t tease us with such a long amount of foreplay/buildup only to give us two very short scenes! Especially with the amount of battles and stress in this book; I needed those moments of levity and fun to calm down a bit before the next disastrous attack on wherever they were hiding out.

Overall though, I had such a fun time and I am DYING for answers! What a cliffhanger!

I'm always skeptical of Red Tower books, but this one was a complete winner! Devney Perry nailed her first romantasy, and I'm already so excited to read more of her books, both in and out of this genre. The world-building was well done without being convoluted, and I appreciated seeing the different kingdoms. I also loved the characters. Odessa was an amazing FMC, and I loved her development throughout the book. The tension and yearning were also top-tier. This was a little on the slow-burn side, which I think made perfect sense for some of the plot points that I won't give away due to spoilers. I loved everything about this, from the drama to the plot and character development. I genuinely cannot wait for book two!! Thank you to Red Tower Books for the ARC to read and review!

WOW. What an exceptional book. I'm still reeling from that ending. The tension, adventure, self growth and banter had me at the edge of my seat. There were a few plot twists I didn't see coming in a beautifully described & dangerous new world. I loved it.

I stayed up late, read under the covers just to get to the next chapter. The chapters were the perfect length to reward yourself with just one more.

If you love adventure and romantasy this book should be on your TBR. I am so grateful to Red Tower and Entangled Publishing for my ARC edition. This review is entirely my honest opinion of the book.

I was approached by the publicist to read and review this book, so I’ll be honest, I knew next to nothing about it going in. I had the vague understanding that the author was fairly prolific in the contemporary romance world, but as I read very little of that genre, I’d never checked out any of her books. Beyond that, the book summary look interesting, but also fairly generic. Well, let this be a lesson to never write anyone off! This was one of those books where I ended up binge reading it late into the night over two nights total!

I’m always a bit nervous when an author unfamiliar to the genre decides to tackle fantasy. Will they understand the conventions of the genre? Will they be be able to add something unique and not become mired in generic tropes? I think these are valid concerns. But not only did Perry prove me wrong in these concerns, but I think she also highlighted a key factor in why the romantasy genre may need MORE cross-over authors.

Romantasy is a super popular, fairly new genre, and as such, publishers are whipping out new titles as fast as they can without a steady list of veteran authors to pull from. And over the last few years, this desire to catch the bandwagon has produced a run of books where it feels like debut authors were not given the proper editing support they needed or titles were picked up that really had no business being published in their current state. And lacking many veteran voices in the genre, this can lead to the feeling that the genre as a whole is a bit shaky as far as quality goes. Perry illustrates how an experienced author with numerous books under her belt can elevate even the most mundane romantasy tropes and produce a book that feels like a breath of fresh air to the genre!

So, now I’ve written several paragraphs and not really talked about this book at all! But let’s start with the characters. Right off the bat, I liked the variation in the main character from the typical leading lady we see. There are a million and one feisty, snarky, fighter FMCs in romantasy. Instead, we follow the overlooked sister, Odessa, who has her rather dull life already plotted out before her. So when she’s thrust into the role of new Queen and secret spy, she’s totally unprepared. And by that I mean…actually unprepared! She doesn’t suddenly reveal incredible powers of fighting prowess or the skillset to properly infiltrate a foreign nation. We see her flounder her way through the “spying” again and again, and the book devotes a healthy amount of time to her attempts to learn to fight. By the end of the book, it’s been months, and it’s clear that while she can now pull off basic moves, she’s by no means a powerhouse. Instead, her strengths are found in her resilience, her empathy for those around her, and her bravery in the face of a world of new dangers and unknowns.

I also really enjoyed the romance and the romantic lead! It’s easy for the readers to guess the real situation, but I particularly appreciated the care that was taken with the main character’s handling of this situation. Odessa’s attempts to balance her obligations, bond with the man she believes to be her husband, and deal with her growing attraction for another all feel believable and sympathetic. I’ve seen this sort of set up go very wrong in the past, and I was glad to see that avoided here.

I also have to give a shout out to the creativity and complexity to the plot line and the world-building. While there is a heavy focus on the romance, it’s definitely of the slow-burn variety, which leaves a lot of page time freed up. And instead of the fluff that I feel like I often see in books like this, here we get not only a rich world, full of creative and horrific monsters, but also a detailed history and political situation that took several twists and turns towards the back half of the book that I didn’t see coming! I was also impressed by the author’s dedication to portraying the horror that would be living in this world. There are terrible monsters filling this land, and that being the case, terrible things often happen to those who live in it. There were a few scenes that definitely had me tearing up! Again, it was gratifying to read a romantasy that took its world-building seriously, even when that lead to rough situations and scenes.

So, shocking no one at this point, you can see that I really enjoyed this one! It took me completely by surprise and now not only can I not wait for the sequel, but I’m even thinking about checking out some of this author’s contemporary romance books (if I can find the time to escape my massive TBR!). If you’re a romantasy fan who’s aching for a book with a bit more meat on the bones, this is definitely one to check out. That said, it does end on a cliffhanger of sorts, so go in knowing you’ll have a wait for any real conclusion (talking to my aunt here!)!

Rating 9: A perfect example of the highs that the romantasy genre can reach when in the hands of a skilled author! Swoon-worthy romance, rich world-building, and an fast-moving plot that doesn’t let up!

Link will go live on May 7 on The Library Ladies