And sadly, Shield of Spears by Daphne Perry, which started out I thought maybe it could be a four, but it ended up being a three.
Shield of Sparrows (2025)
The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel. I’ve spent my life kneeling—to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king. I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood. But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life. Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him—bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated? And what if—for the first time—I reached for it?
- ISBN:
- 9781649378514
- Length:
- 592 pages
Lists: …
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No, I did not enjoy this whatsoever. But the beginning was great. It was going really great. And then the middle, it felt like the longest middle ever. It was so boring.





