Shield of Sparrows 1: Shield of Sparrows

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?