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The Delphic Dame #3
Shield
If Cherry was a selfish witch, she'd keep running. She's an oracle. She KNOWS that trouble is closing in. However, there's an instant in which she could escape, and so could those she loves.
Too bad she's surrounded herself with ridiculously noble allies. The kind of self-sacrificing, kind, clever, and resolute people who force you to love them ... then go off to risk their lives for the greater good. Of course Cherry has to rescue them.
And if she's rescuing those she loves, maybe she could save everyone else along the way?
Aliens, space pirates, scheming politicians (and some good ones - surprise!), Vizards, journalists, AI droids, ... pretty much everyone and everything you need for the draft blurb from an author who is trying to solve the puzzle of how to avoid spoilers for the third and final, unmissable book in The Delphic Dame trilogy. Final blurb soonish!
Too bad she's surrounded herself with ridiculously noble allies. The kind of self-sacrificing, kind, clever, and resolute people who force you to love them ... then go off to risk their lives for the greater good. Of course Cherry has to rescue them.
And if she's rescuing those she loves, maybe she could save everyone else along the way?
Aliens, space pirates, scheming politicians (and some good ones - surprise!), Vizards, journalists, AI droids, ... pretty much everyone and everything you need for the draft blurb from an author who is trying to solve the puzzle of how to avoid spoilers for the third and final, unmissable book in The Delphic Dame trilogy. Final blurb soonish!
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2024
233 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Schwartz
110 books562 followersAustralian science fiction & fantasy author.
Current series: Caldryn Parliament. Golden Age mysteries in the realm of science fiction & fantasy.
Magic parliament mysteries - political intrigue, family drama, and the cutest gremlin sidekick ever!
I've curated my bookshelf to share books which I hope readers of Caldryn Parliament will enjoy. With the older books, please be aware that they are a product of their times and read with care.
Current series: Caldryn Parliament. Golden Age mysteries in the realm of science fiction & fantasy.
Magic parliament mysteries - political intrigue, family drama, and the cutest gremlin sidekick ever!
I've curated my bookshelf to share books which I hope readers of Caldryn Parliament will enjoy. With the older books, please be aware that they are a product of their times and read with care.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 9, 2025
This was a fun cap to the spin-off trilogy, though I'm disappointed we didn't get a last chapter of Cherry getting home, Dylan meeting the clan, etc.
Overall, what I like about this author is that while there are villains in her books, there are very few of them. Characters may start in an antagonistic relationship, but it is revealed to be rooted in misunderstandings or miscommunications ... and they can shift and become allies. I find it to be a really hopeful approach to storytelling, that most of our enmity is rooted in fixable things. It is fascinating to watch a character that was a self-absorbed asshole in book 1 become a friend by book 3. And it isn't based in rug-sweeping (which I would loathe), because we follow the lead and the secondary character through their shifting understanding of each other, and the resulting shift in their interactions / relationship. It's very well done.
There's some heavy philosophical narrative points in this series (mostly book 2 and this one), and I enjoyed that conversation as well. Who are we, as humanity? What are our core principles? What does it mean to claim sovereignty? In this series, space-faring humanity is finally moving out of its home turf (i.e., area of the universe where human life originated, and its near surroundings) and encountering other aliens. Alien society is - as you'd expect - complex and structured, and they're not going to let some newcomers blunder in and crap on everything. So there is a group of aliens - the thrios - who are tasked with observing the emerging species and how they interact with the larger universe. After the observation, the thrios rule on whether the species retains sovereignty of their home turf. It's an important ruling, because nascent species are seemingly protected - no one can loot and pillage their home territories for resources, because life is protected. But once you emerge into the wider universe, the baby gates are lifted. It is either decided that you are sovereign of your turf, or you are not capable of managing it and your turf is labeled "unclaimed" ... basically ringing the dinner bell for the rest of the universe to come and loot and pillage whatever they want.
The core conflict of the series is that humanity is - as the real world has shown - steered by warmongering, power-hungry elites. The murderous path they are shepherding us down is not one that would be rewarded with sovereignty, as it demonstrates a clear lack of care for life. Basically, the aliens aren't going to let us hit the universe like a plague, leaving devastation in our wake. Nor should they.
So Cherry and her friends/family are working to figure out how to demonstrate humanity's good principles, on a wide scale, and basically turn this shitshow around. And it is a tricky line to walk, because they must do it forcefully, or they'll never overcome the warmongering douchebag leadership ... but to do it with broad violence just makes them look like more of the same.
I really enjoyed it. This is definitely an author that is on my must-read list.
Re-read March 2025
On re-read, I feel like I underrated this series the first time through. It's really solid, though I maintain that we were robbed of an epilogue of Cherry, Dylan, and Hugh arriving home to Border Station and meeting Clan Avestan.
But anyway, I'm bumping to 4.5 stars, rounded up.
Overall, what I like about this author is that while there are villains in her books, there are very few of them. Characters may start in an antagonistic relationship, but it is revealed to be rooted in misunderstandings or miscommunications ... and they can shift and become allies. I find it to be a really hopeful approach to storytelling, that most of our enmity is rooted in fixable things. It is fascinating to watch a character that was a self-absorbed asshole in book 1 become a friend by book 3. And it isn't based in rug-sweeping (which I would loathe), because we follow the lead and the secondary character through their shifting understanding of each other, and the resulting shift in their interactions / relationship. It's very well done.
There's some heavy philosophical narrative points in this series (mostly book 2 and this one), and I enjoyed that conversation as well. Who are we, as humanity? What are our core principles? What does it mean to claim sovereignty? In this series, space-faring humanity is finally moving out of its home turf (i.e., area of the universe where human life originated, and its near surroundings) and encountering other aliens. Alien society is - as you'd expect - complex and structured, and they're not going to let some newcomers blunder in and crap on everything. So there is a group of aliens - the thrios - who are tasked with observing the emerging species and how they interact with the larger universe. After the observation, the thrios rule on whether the species retains sovereignty of their home turf. It's an important ruling, because nascent species are seemingly protected - no one can loot and pillage their home territories for resources, because life is protected. But once you emerge into the wider universe, the baby gates are lifted. It is either decided that you are sovereign of your turf, or you are not capable of managing it and your turf is labeled "unclaimed" ... basically ringing the dinner bell for the rest of the universe to come and loot and pillage whatever they want.
The core conflict of the series is that humanity is - as the real world has shown - steered by warmongering, power-hungry elites. The murderous path they are shepherding us down is not one that would be rewarded with sovereignty, as it demonstrates a clear lack of care for life. Basically, the aliens aren't going to let us hit the universe like a plague, leaving devastation in our wake. Nor should they.
So Cherry and her friends/family are working to figure out how to demonstrate humanity's good principles, on a wide scale, and basically turn this shitshow around. And it is a tricky line to walk, because they must do it forcefully, or they'll never overcome the warmongering douchebag leadership ... but to do it with broad violence just makes them look like more of the same.
I really enjoyed it. This is definitely an author that is on my must-read list.
Re-read March 2025
On re-read, I feel like I underrated this series the first time through. It's really solid, though I maintain that we were robbed of an epilogue of Cherry, Dylan, and Hugh arriving home to Border Station and meeting Clan Avestan.
But anyway, I'm bumping to 4.5 stars, rounded up.
June 14, 2024
A fun ride and a very nice ending for this trilogy. Ms. Schwartz is amazing at creating depth and understanding of the worlds, the tech and the ins-and-outs of alien societies. So much so that everything makes perfect sense. She also shines in creating characters that are rich and nuanced. The good guys have flaws and the bad guys have reasons we can understand. I just wish she spent as much time on the relationship aspects. I would have loved that same amount of depth in understanding the emotions and growth between characters that she gives all the other areas. For instance, we see interaction between Cherry and Hugh but how and when did their feelings get so strong for each other? We go from “there might be something between us but not now” to “I can’t live without him, he is the love of my life” BAM! The same goes for the secondary characters, as well.
Even so, the overall ride (heh, heh) was enjoyable and I would adore reading more in this super interesting world!
Even so, the overall ride (heh, heh) was enjoyable and I would adore reading more in this super interesting world!
June 25, 2024
This is Book 3 of a 3-part, serialized, SF novel. For my overall opinion of this series, see my review of Salvage, which is Book 1.
February 7, 2024
3.5 stars. A decent finish to the Delphic Dame trilogy. Cherry Pendit is going home, while Hugh goes to confront the federation about their place in the universe and Dylan goes off to learn from a katang storyteller.This leaves Cherry alone to make new alliances and associations. Until she needs to rescue Hugh.
What I liked: 1) Interesting discussions. 2) Cherry is just so likeable! 3)Dylan is a sweetheart.
What didn’t work for me: 1) Though the discussions were more interesting, there were many assumptions and posits ideas/philosophies. 2) Hugh is the most underdeveloped character in the whole series, which is so strange. He is almost a caricature instead of a character. 3) Man, I was lost in the first couple chapters. I could not remember who everyone was and how they related. A recap of some sort would have been helpful.
All in all, the book wrapped up the series well even if I thought there were some things that were problematic. Between sci-fi and romance spectrum it leans heavier on the sci-fi side, though it has elements of both.
What I liked: 1) Interesting discussions. 2) Cherry is just so likeable! 3)Dylan is a sweetheart.
What didn’t work for me: 1) Though the discussions were more interesting, there were many assumptions and posits ideas/philosophies. 2) Hugh is the most underdeveloped character in the whole series, which is so strange. He is almost a caricature instead of a character. 3) Man, I was lost in the first couple chapters. I could not remember who everyone was and how they related. A recap of some sort would have been helpful.
All in all, the book wrapped up the series well even if I thought there were some things that were problematic. Between sci-fi and romance spectrum it leans heavier on the sci-fi side, though it has elements of both.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2024
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this series overall. Cherry is a really remarkable young woman and honestly I grew to love her. I didn't think much of her when she was first introduced in Nora's story, but man, she really grows into herself throughout this series.
I also like the varied cast of characters, and all of the different aliens. The whole concept is just quite unique, really.
Now, on to the criticisms. The pacing was weird at times. Things happened really slowly, and then really quickly. Sometimes it felt like important events were kind of skipped or glossed over. It was confusing at times.
Also, I really would have liked to see more exploration of Cherry's time talent! There's a couple times where you think she might be about to use her stasis ability, but nope. She spent a lot of time thinking about it and I really feel like we should have seen more for the amount of work she put into improving her talent.
Overall, a very unique and interesting series and I'm looking forward to reading Lucas's story.
I really enjoyed this series overall. Cherry is a really remarkable young woman and honestly I grew to love her. I didn't think much of her when she was first introduced in Nora's story, but man, she really grows into herself throughout this series.
I also like the varied cast of characters, and all of the different aliens. The whole concept is just quite unique, really.
Now, on to the criticisms. The pacing was weird at times. Things happened really slowly, and then really quickly. Sometimes it felt like important events were kind of skipped or glossed over. It was confusing at times.
Also, I really would have liked to see more exploration of Cherry's time talent! There's a couple times where you think she might be about to use her stasis ability, but nope. She spent a lot of time thinking about it and I really feel like we should have seen more for the amount of work she put into improving her talent.
Overall, a very unique and interesting series and I'm looking forward to reading Lucas's story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2024
Great series
I'm not ready to say goodbye to the Stranded. I'd love to have more books associated to Nora's and Liam's house. The end of Cherrys books should really be the beginning of so many new paths! Lucas's love, can Kevin find forgiveness and redemption and how about Dylan falling in love? Can androids find a passion? Those are just a few possibilities in future stories to tell. Jenny, please tell us these stories!
I'm not ready to say goodbye to the Stranded. I'd love to have more books associated to Nora's and Liam's house. The end of Cherrys books should really be the beginning of so many new paths! Lucas's love, can Kevin find forgiveness and redemption and how about Dylan falling in love? Can androids find a passion? Those are just a few possibilities in future stories to tell. Jenny, please tell us these stories!
March 23, 2024
Nothing but Praise for this series
Jenny Schwartz is by far my favorite author in this genre. She writes wonderful story lines with amazing characters, each unique in their own way. If you want to read about people you want to really care for a Jenny Schwartz book or series should be one of your first choices. There are plot lines galore and surprises at every turn of the page. I can’t recommend her books enough.
Jenny Schwartz is by far my favorite author in this genre. She writes wonderful story lines with amazing characters, each unique in their own way. If you want to read about people you want to really care for a Jenny Schwartz book or series should be one of your first choices. There are plot lines galore and surprises at every turn of the page. I can’t recommend her books enough.
January 27, 2024
Such a good story
I have to admit, I really would have liked to see The 1st meet and greet of cherries family with Hugh and Dylan. Also, I have noticed a bit of a trend that the endings of Jenny's books always seen a little bit rushed, Or that could just be me always wanting more. Good balance of power, love and ambition😄
I have to admit, I really would have liked to see The 1st meet and greet of cherries family with Hugh and Dylan. Also, I have noticed a bit of a trend that the endings of Jenny's books always seen a little bit rushed, Or that could just be me always wanting more. Good balance of power, love and ambition😄
January 29, 2024
I love all the books of Jenny Schwartz. Some I have read and reread dozens of times. The Delphic Dame series did not disappoint. Political intrigue, space travel, very interesting aliens, and favorite characters from her earlier series that started with Astray, The Adventures of a Xeno-Archeologist.
January 31, 2024
Excellent sci fi adventure with romance
The worldbuilding is great, the characters are likeable (some are loveable), and the story brought this series to a satisfying conclusion. There are surprises, laughter, tears, found and real family, friendship, and sadness. And the hope for more adventures in this world in the future.
The worldbuilding is great, the characters are likeable (some are loveable), and the story brought this series to a satisfying conclusion. There are surprises, laughter, tears, found and real family, friendship, and sadness. And the hope for more adventures in this world in the future.
February 4, 2024
Shield, the third book of the Delphic Dame series, is an ebook I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited (KU). Great conclusion to a great series. I love the political maneuverings as well as the character relationships--both good and negative. I love how much Dylan has grown over the series. It felt like it could have expanded another few chapters to include Cherry's return home.
June 7, 2024
3.5 stars.
It was a good book, the characters were well written and the plotline was clever. However it did feel like it was mostly a lot of thinking and deep discussions, when I was hoping for more actions and events - and the romance was still lacking (in my opinion). There was a lot of love, but it was more familial rather than romantic.
It was a good book, the characters were well written and the plotline was clever. However it did feel like it was mostly a lot of thinking and deep discussions, when I was hoping for more actions and events - and the romance was still lacking (in my opinion). There was a lot of love, but it was more familial rather than romantic.
July 26, 2024
It Should Be Widely Known…
DelphicDame3;4.5 ⭐️
Didn’t see all that coming.
Cherry Pendit has come into her own! She is not afraid to show her strength nor her understanding; and she seeks counsel before doing anything of great magnitude. And, perhaps most importantly, she knows she is not alone.
DelphicDame3;4.5 ⭐️
Didn’t see all that coming.
Cherry Pendit has come into her own! She is not afraid to show her strength nor her understanding; and she seeks counsel before doing anything of great magnitude. And, perhaps most importantly, she knows she is not alone.
February 10, 2024
Excellent!
Nice conclusion, nothing boring here!
Why else would one be pulled into reading a full length book in one day?
Looking forward to the next visit to this universe, to see what changes result from the events in this volume!
Nice conclusion, nothing boring here!
Why else would one be pulled into reading a full length book in one day?
Looking forward to the next visit to this universe, to see what changes result from the events in this volume!
July 19, 2024
Great series, lots of interesting ideas. But I didn’t love the ending, it felt quick and rushed. I would have liked a more thorough overcoming of the challenges characters faced. I liked Nora’s series more than Cherry’s, and I loved the wrap up of Nora’s. This is definitely an author worth reading!
July 8, 2025
good book
I love the is series on Cherry as I did her sister Nora. I can’t get enough of the stranded and their story. I hope there are some more books on the characters from these series. Good writer
I love the is series on Cherry as I did her sister Nora. I can’t get enough of the stranded and their story. I hope there are some more books on the characters from these series. Good writer
January 27, 2024
3.5 stars
January 28, 2024
Good ending in this series. Plenty of tension, characters who change as events unfold. Also romance and at least one HEA
February 3, 2024
too much politics
Far too much politics and manipulation for my tastes. A far cry from where the series started. There is a HEA but I struggled to keep reading this to get there.
Far too much politics and manipulation for my tastes. A far cry from where the series started. There is a HEA but I struggled to keep reading this to get there.
February 23, 2024
Anticlimactic ending
May 11, 2024
Enjoyable book that was fast-paced political intrigue. Some things just seem to resolve themselves through plot alone.
December 3, 2025
Ending was fine, overall book got old pretty fast due to lots of philosophizing and stuff.
December 19, 2025
This novel was predominantly focused on diplomacy and politics and just not for me.
September 18, 2025
2025 bk 122. I didn't want this to end. Perhaps there was a tiny opening for another series involving all of the main persons of the two series - hope, hope hope.
February 14, 2024
Very abrupt ending. I kinda feel like Schwartz backed herself into a corner and wasn't sure how to wrap things up.
November 24, 2025
Shield
In this captivating series, the character arcs are masterfully crafted, with Cherry and Hugh's narrative standing out as particularly compelling. Dylan's transformation into a mature, nuanced adult is both believable and inspiring. The supporting cast adds remarkable depth, their intricate backstories and interactions seamlessly woven into the broader narrative tapestry. The author's world-building is exceptional, creating an immersive environment that draws readers in completely. This series is an absolute must-read for anyone seeking a rich, engaging literary experience.
In this captivating series, the character arcs are masterfully crafted, with Cherry and Hugh's narrative standing out as particularly compelling. Dylan's transformation into a mature, nuanced adult is both believable and inspiring. The supporting cast adds remarkable depth, their intricate backstories and interactions seamlessly woven into the broader narrative tapestry. The author's world-building is exceptional, creating an immersive environment that draws readers in completely. This series is an absolute must-read for anyone seeking a rich, engaging literary experience.
October 19, 2025
Absolutely wonderful!
With the completion of this book trio, I have read 10 of Jenny Schwartz’s series, and they have all been fantastic!
The author unfailingly excels in writing sympathetic characters whose daily lives and adventures you really want to read about - that’s held completely true of Cherry, Hugh, and Dylan’s stories.
The Delphic Dame trilogy is a group of tales you’ll love reading… I certainly did!
With the completion of this book trio, I have read 10 of Jenny Schwartz’s series, and they have all been fantastic!
The author unfailingly excels in writing sympathetic characters whose daily lives and adventures you really want to read about - that’s held completely true of Cherry, Hugh, and Dylan’s stories.
The Delphic Dame trilogy is a group of tales you’ll love reading… I certainly did!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews