Review by Cjvarner -- The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis
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Cjvarner
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Review by Cjvarner -- The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Sparrow" by Denna M. Davis.]
4 out of 4 stars
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The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis is the first book in a fantasy series that centers around a vivacious female teenage protagonist named Amanda. She is unceremoniously thrust into a world she never knew existed, even though this alternate world is very much a part of her future. The story is split between modern day Earth and the magical world of Emaji, where people come in many more shapes, sizes, and colors. The story follows Amanda’s introduction to this world and to the destiny that awaits her as the highly anticipated heroine who will defeat Zorn. She is believed to be the only one who can keep him from causing an all-out war with the help of his dangerous fire magic. Of course, her destiny also involves a handsome and winged young man known as Solomon.
The story itself is geared mostly towards a young adult audience, particularly towards readers who enjoy the fantasy genre. That being said, adult readers who enjoy reading young adult literature will also love this book. This story may not be a good fit for those who are sensitive to the mention of sexual assault or to descriptions of war and fighting scenes. I strongly encourage readers who haven’t read a lot of young adult fiction to give this book a chance. Thanks to this book, I will be picking up additional young adult books along with the next book in this series.
Denna M. Davis does a wonderful job building this new world while bringing life to the varied appearances of the people who inhabit Emaji. The people in this story all have unique patterns and colors to their skin and each one of them are presented as beautiful in their own way. The differences between the people are leveraged in the best way to help improve their society and quality of life; each person has a purpose and a place. The society and its structure for everyone in it (regardless of their various abilities and roles) is what I enjoyed most in this book. Emaji is one of those worlds that you want to live in, despite the fact that a crazed fire mage is trying to find a way to burn it to the ground around you.
The book does leave off with a bit of a cliff-hanger, especially considering how Amanda doesn’t even actually meet Zorn face to face at any point. The tension in the story stems from the threat Amanda poses to him and the power he has established over part of Emaji, so I was disappointed to get all the way to the end of over 300 pages without a direct confrontation. This lack of action between the main protagonist and antagonist is what I disliked most about this book. However, the author did use the memories of another fire mage to give us glimpses into events that happened before the current story-line, which did indirectly introduce Amanda to her nemesis. Overall, this is a small complaint about the reading of this book.
I loved so many things about this book that I have to give this 4 out of 4 stars. I didn’t give this book three stars because my only issue with the story was so slight that I couldn’t justify it taking away 25% of the overall rating. Had I been able to, I would have rated this book three and a half stars because it isn’t entirely perfect and I do wish the pace had been a bit quicker. All in all, I recommend this book to all fans of the fantasy genre, regardless of age. It is well worth the time it takes to read!
******
The Sparrow
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis is the first book in a fantasy series that centers around a vivacious female teenage protagonist named Amanda. She is unceremoniously thrust into a world she never knew existed, even though this alternate world is very much a part of her future. The story is split between modern day Earth and the magical world of Emaji, where people come in many more shapes, sizes, and colors. The story follows Amanda’s introduction to this world and to the destiny that awaits her as the highly anticipated heroine who will defeat Zorn. She is believed to be the only one who can keep him from causing an all-out war with the help of his dangerous fire magic. Of course, her destiny also involves a handsome and winged young man known as Solomon.
The story itself is geared mostly towards a young adult audience, particularly towards readers who enjoy the fantasy genre. That being said, adult readers who enjoy reading young adult literature will also love this book. This story may not be a good fit for those who are sensitive to the mention of sexual assault or to descriptions of war and fighting scenes. I strongly encourage readers who haven’t read a lot of young adult fiction to give this book a chance. Thanks to this book, I will be picking up additional young adult books along with the next book in this series.
Denna M. Davis does a wonderful job building this new world while bringing life to the varied appearances of the people who inhabit Emaji. The people in this story all have unique patterns and colors to their skin and each one of them are presented as beautiful in their own way. The differences between the people are leveraged in the best way to help improve their society and quality of life; each person has a purpose and a place. The society and its structure for everyone in it (regardless of their various abilities and roles) is what I enjoyed most in this book. Emaji is one of those worlds that you want to live in, despite the fact that a crazed fire mage is trying to find a way to burn it to the ground around you.
The book does leave off with a bit of a cliff-hanger, especially considering how Amanda doesn’t even actually meet Zorn face to face at any point. The tension in the story stems from the threat Amanda poses to him and the power he has established over part of Emaji, so I was disappointed to get all the way to the end of over 300 pages without a direct confrontation. This lack of action between the main protagonist and antagonist is what I disliked most about this book. However, the author did use the memories of another fire mage to give us glimpses into events that happened before the current story-line, which did indirectly introduce Amanda to her nemesis. Overall, this is a small complaint about the reading of this book.
I loved so many things about this book that I have to give this 4 out of 4 stars. I didn’t give this book three stars because my only issue with the story was so slight that I couldn’t justify it taking away 25% of the overall rating. Had I been able to, I would have rated this book three and a half stars because it isn’t entirely perfect and I do wish the pace had been a bit quicker. All in all, I recommend this book to all fans of the fantasy genre, regardless of age. It is well worth the time it takes to read!
******
The Sparrow
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Cjvarner's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Beneath the Muscle by Lauren Powers
