3 out of 4 stars
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Not quite prepared to spend a boring summer with her grandparents, Amanda is even less prepared for the secret they are about to reveal to her. Mimi-Rose gives Amanda a key to a portal that transports her to the nation of Emaji. The people of Emaji come in more colors than one would see in a rainbow, and Amanda doesn’t know what to think when these colorful people claim that she is their prophesized savior. In order to fulfill the prophecy, Amanda must complete the Journey of Discovery. She must also survive multiple attempts on her life made by those who don’t want to see a savior prevail.
The Sparrow is not only the title of this intriguing beginning to Denna M. Davis’ Emaji Nation series, it is also the name given to Amanda in the prophecy. Amanda is reluctant to embrace her destiny and is confused as to why the people of Emaji so quickly accept her as the subject of the foretelling. Amanda’s story is quite an eventful one full of teachings about Emaji, a handsome suitor, and death threats from those who don’t want to see Amanda gain her wings, literally and figuratively speaking.
Davis does an excellent job of building the nation of Emaji. She seamlessly integrates new words into the story as Amanda learns them, even going so far as to write Amanda’s failed attempts to pronounce the foreign words. I thought this was an incredibly accurate depiction of anyone struggling to learn words in a foreign language. Davis also describes the nation of Emaji so beautifully. The Emajians, the buildings, and the land are really brought to life through Davis’ descriptions. In particular, I enjoyed the variations in skin color and Amanda’s humorous struggle to understand how siblings are not born the same color.
The author also writes Amanda very true to what I would expect of a sixteen-year-old. She is hesitant, self-conscious, and a little snarky. There is just the right balance of maturity and teen angst to make Amanda an incredibly relatable character. Although I got frustrated with some of her emotions at times, I thought they were genuine.
The Sparrow has just the right amount of plot development to keep the reader interested throughout while making the reader want to delve deeper into the history of Emaji. As one would expect, there is a villain who is determined to steal the happiness of the people of Emaji; he just hasn’t quite reached a point where he can put his plan into motion. Zorn sees Amanda as an obstacle that needs to be removed before she becomes too powerful. I would have liked to have known more about this villain and his plans to conquer Emaji. However, enough is revealed throughout The Sparrow to keep the intrigue alive without creating frustrations in the reader.
This is a well-developed fantasy, perfect for older teen readers and young adults who enjoy reading about other realms and the battles between good and evil that take place in those realms. I am at ease giving The Sparrow 3 out of 4 stars but would have preferred to give it 4 stars. The storyline is intriguing, the ending satisfying yet not quite enough for the reader to want to move on from the series, and the characters realistic and relatable. The reason for the single star deduction is merely a result of missing words, missing commas, and a few other minor errors.
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The Sparrow
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I am glad it is not and the plot you described sounds intriguing. I love this genre and would give this book a try.
