Shield of Sparrows (Shield of Sparrows #1)

i really wanted to like this, but something about it just felt so flat the entire time. the side characters? barely there. like we’re told they exist, but we don’t actually know them. and why do her lady maids seem to be asleep 24/7?? it was honestly distracting how little they mattered. i also felt completely trapped in odessa’s head, and not in a good way. it got kind of insufferable at times. we get it, you’re sooo different from your sister. that point was made over and over again. i’m starting to realize first-person fantasy just might not be for me, because this really took me out of the story. instead of feeling immersed in the world, i felt stuck listening to constant internal monologue. and SO many questions… like girl please 😭 because we spend so much time in her head, i didn’t feel connected to anything actually important. the plot barely moved, and when dialogue did happen, it was quick, dull, and didn’t really add anything meaningful. also… the hair dye thing?? i truly don’t understand why it mattered. who cares if your hair is red??? (maybe i missed something? 😅). and the traveling?? it felt never-ending. like we were just going from place to place with nothing really happening. there were a few moments toward the end where things finally started to pick up, but by then i was already checked out. overall, this was just boring and kind of annoying to get through. definitely not worth the hype for me.