Do I think this is overhyped? Yes. Did some of the writing take me out of the story and the word “blarg” make me cringe? Yes. But did I absolutely devour this book? Also yes.
Obviously my feelings for Shield of Sparrows were a bit mixed, but when considering pure entertainment value, I had a lot of fun with it.
Similar to Silver Elite and Fourth Wing, I’m able to see the flaws and issues with these popular BookTok books, but there is a fundamental just fun aspect of reading them that I have to point out. Is it the next best thing or a literary masterpiece? No, but since I read as a form of escapism and fun, I found a lot of enjoyment in these books.
The female main character Odessa asks a lot of questions almost as a plot device to remind readers what questions are unanswered or remind them what is going on. While this helps with clarity, it can feel repetitive after a while.
I predicted one of the plot twists pretty early on but it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment. Sometimes you can see where a story is heading and still have fun with the journey.
What I didn’t predict was the ending, which was amazing. The last 50-100 pages were crazy, it was action packed, high stakes, no holds barred, shocking writing. I was glued to the book to see what was going to happen and I hope the sequel continues in that style.
This is where the book really redeems itself. When all the pieces come together in those final chapters, you remember why BookTok recommendations can be so addictive despite their flaws.
Shield of Sparrows isn’t perfect, and yes, it’s probably overhyped. But for pure entertainment value? It absolutely delivers. If you’re looking for a fun fantasy that will keep you turning pages despite its flaws, this one is worth the read.