Devney Perry on Shield of Sparrows: Betrayal, Identity, and Building a Romantasy World Without Villains

Book Talk for BookTok

Cloud10

Arts, Books

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Book Talk for BookTok, we sit down with bestselling romantasy author Devney Perry to explore the twists, turns, and emotional layers of her latest novel, Shield of Sparrows. We unpack: The origin of the story's central secrets and the moment that had Devney laughing maniacally as she wrote The unique development process behind this high-stakes fantasy, from royal family dynamics to layered worldbuilding Writing morally complex characters, including a male main character (MMC) whose presence shapes the heroine’s journey without ever giving us his POV Why there are no "evil" parents in this romantasy and what it means to survive the choices of those who raised us The maternal bonds that show up in unexpected places, and what Odessa's empathy says about her strength and vulnerability Female friendship, betrayal, and the question of whether empathy is a fatal flaw or a quiet superpower Devney also gives us insight into where Odessa, Zavier, and Ransom might be headed next, and how their complicated titles evolve into earned identities. Whether you're a long-time fan of Devney Perry or a romantasy reader looking for stories with emotional depth, powerful heroines, and found-family themes, this conversation dives into everything that makes Shield of Sparrows soar. Sponsor: Stop putting off those doctor's appointments and use ZocDoc. Go to Zocdoc.com/BOOKTALK to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Share your thoughts for a chance to be featured! Submit them at ⁠⁠booktalkforbooktok.com⁠⁠ for a future mini-episode or exclusive Patreon discussion. Support the Show: Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/booktalkforbooktok⁠⁠ Merch: ⁠⁠Etsy Store⁠⁠ Follow Us on Social: Instagram: @BookTalkForBookTok TikTok: @BookTalkForBookTok YouTube: @BookTalkForBookTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, I'm A.
0:02.1	And I'm Jay.
0:02.9	Welcome to Moxicated, a space for healing, connection, and life beyond booze.
0:07.2	We share real stories, honest convos, and the tools that helped us ditch alcohol and come back to ourselves.
0:12.3	Whether you're sober, sober curious, or just craving something deeper.
0:15.9	You can do this your way.
0:17.3	So join us every Monday and Thursday for laps, tears, and your besties a.F. Now go listen to Moxicated, wherever you get your way. So join us every Monday and Thursday for laughs, tears, and your besties a.F. Now go listen to
0:22.5	Amoxicated wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Book Talk for Book Talk with Jack and
0:33.9	Amy, your besties with a Larry podcast that deep dives into your favorite novels.
0:38.2	This is Jack. And I'm Amy, and we're currently taking a break from preparing our
0:43.7	Crown of Midnight season to talk to Devney Perry about her new book, Shield of Sparrow.
0:50.0	Devine Perry is a Wall Street Journal USA Today and number one Amazon bestselling author of over 50 romance novels.
0:58.3	After working in the technology industry for a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to pursue her passion for writing.
1:06.1	She was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons.
1:12.9	Welcome to the podcast, Devney.
1:15.2	Welcome.
1:16.1	Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's been one of those interviews that I've been looking forward to.
1:23.3	I mean, I look forward to many, but you know, you've also hurt me. And I have... Sorry.
1:29.9	It's... Not really? No. I'm not sure.
1:35.3	It was definitely sending Amy a text after, and I was thinking, didn't I say, like, why do we do this?
1:40.7	Yeah, why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we do this? Why are we here? It's so fun. It's so fun.
1:46.5	Yeah. You're here to answer the great mystery of why. Why? Yeah. Well, and I will say I feel,
	...

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