Michael Clupper’s Reviews > Shield of Sparrows > Status Update

Brielle: one of two characters who’s been given any redeeming qualities. Our FMC has made a solemn vow to Brielle that she will be able to return to her loving family.

Brielle is 110% going to die

We’re in the phase of the book where our FMC starts to fall for our MMC despite him having absolutely no redeemable qualities whatsoever other than being hot

This book is so unserious man

Update: the misunderstood beauty has left her home to live with a beastly man for the benefit of her father. Said beauty has just discovered a library and is delighted because she loves to read.

This is a new and interesting character concept

We spend chapter 19 journeying to Treow (pronounced tree-oh). As it turns out, tree-oh is called as such because it’s a town of tree houses. Tree-oh.

This might be more egregious than the reveal of “Starfall” in ACOMAF as a *meteor shower*

If you want me to take your narrative seriously, don’t name your deuteragonist first name “The” last name “Guardian”, and don’t call the most terrifying beast in your world a “grizzur”, because grizzur?

(Inhales breath)

I HARDLY KNOW H —

Romantasy: where blatant sexual harassment is passed off as flirtation and thus excused by a majority of consumers. This is a disproportionately problematic genre, y’all

“Don’t worry.. I’m not a flight risk.”

“DON’T WORRY, I’M NOT A FLIGHT RISK.”

That phrase emerged from the US legal system in the 1960s dawg, you can’t be throwing that around in your FANTASY BOOK. Christ Almighty who is editing these things

I’m about to summarize every paragraph in this book:
1. FMC makes a snippy comment or observation about Topic
2. FMC proceeds to ponder Topic by posing four different but related hypothetical questions about Topic, with question four being a sarcastic rephrasing of question 1.
3. MMC acts like he’s going to answer one question but doesn’t. FMC is mad and plots his violent death

Oh my GOD we’ve arrived at #NewExoticHotKingdom and EVERYONE IS WEARING PANTS. It’s all too much, too hot. Too *exotic*