Where I Still Read

A story that unexpectedly pulled me in. For me, this isn’t a book that tries to be the most epic or the most mind-blowing story ever told, and yet it completely captivated me.

It follows a princess who was never prepared to be queen, who grew up believing she wasn’t the chosen one, carrying countless insecurities and perhaps intentionally kept in the background so she would never be seen as a rival to her stepsister. Against all odds, she is chosen as the Sparrow and is forced to begin an adventure that takes her into unfamiliar waters, distant lands, and a setting that feels inspired by a pirate town.

At its heart, this is a story about learning to believe in yourself, letting go of insecurities, growth, and love. To me, it’s a reminder that we can overcome the expectations placed on us, even when the people around us seem determined to make us believe we’re not enough.

It’s true that the book is written in a very question-driven way. Odessa questions everything. She wonders about everything. She asks a million questions, constantly, much to the frustration of the beloved Guardian. But personally, I didn’t see this as a negative. It actually reminded me of all the book reviews, podcasts, and discussions we have nowadays, where we analyze every word on the page and speculate about every possible direction a story could take. The difference is that here, the author is already doing part of that work for us. For me, it fits perfectly with a protagonist who genuinely knows very little about the world around her, who is unprepared in almost every way, and whose greatest weapon is simply refusing to stop asking questions until she finds answers.

The romance develops slowly and has a charm of its own. I don’t really see the problem with it reminding readers of another very popular story. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, nor do I agree that the two are identical. Not even the heroine feels the same. Here, we have a princess who improves through training and determination, but she never suddenly becomes an unstoppable force. There are hints that there may be secrets surrounding her origins, but she isn’t the typical heroine who turns out to be a deadly assassin or discovers overwhelming powers that solve everything.

One small criticism, from my perspective, is that while this isn’t the classic Cinderella story where an evil stepmother mistreats her, Odessa is clearly overshadowed, and her stepsister is placed on a much higher pedestal. Throughout the story, we’re told that Odessa never really minded and that she genuinely loves her sister. Still, the constant comparisons, how her sister would have handled things better, how her sister would have made the right choice, can become a little repetitive at times. The book works very hard to make sure you never forget that her stepsister is considered perfect while she is not.

Even so, this is one of those stories that hooks you whether you expect it to or not. You want to know what happens next, and even after you close the book, you keep thinking about it. For me, that alone makes it worth reading.


Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry