Rites of the Starling
Shield of Sparrows #2
Devney Perry
Publisher: Entangled
Publication date: April 7, 2026
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Rating:
Calandra’s five kingdoms are on the verge of destruction. The crux migration is coming. And in the wake of a devastating attack, I’ve been separated from the man who owns my heart.
I’m lost. Terrified. Homesick. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, the only thing keeping me going is the little girl counting on me to keep her safe. It’s my turn to become the Guardian.Our lives change one fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, I learn the real meaning of fear—and the depth of my own strength.
Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I embrace my crown? What if the secrets I uncover save our realm?
What if my sacrifice means salvation for the man I love?
For too long, I’ve feared the monsters we make.
It’s time to discover the monster within.
My thoughts…
This book did not suffer the usual sequel syndrome that so many series have. You know what I mean, that book that is just a bridge between the first and the last book. This one brought so much to the table, that it was hard to put down at times. We meet new characters, follow along as two sets of story-lines play out, and learn a lot about the world the author created.
Sure we get Odessa and Ransom’s story arc as they travel to her homeland. While that was enjoyable to read, because we meet new characters along the way, I have to be honest… I was drawn to Caspia and Andreas’ story. Caspia is a Starling from another realm. She travels to Odessa’s realm on a mission to find and save her sister. You see, Caspia has visions, and one vision has been playing over and over again, and that is of her sister being killed in a distant land by a silver eyed warrior. Caspia refuses to let that be her sister’s fate, so she decides to travel to this new world to find her sister’s killer, and end him before he can end her sister. However, this new realm is nothing like her homeland and she soon finds herself at the mercy of the land. Thankfully, Andreas finds her, saves her, and nurses her back to health. They build a friendship and then fall in love as time goes on. Which, should be a beautiful story, only… it’s filled with so much uncertainty and heartache. Reading their story was by far the best part of this book.
Meanwhile, between chapters from Caspia, we have chapters of Odessa as she journey’s to her homeland. She travels with the vestos, then hires mercenaries to travel with her, and ultimately makes her way back to her kingdom where she is all but forgotten and unwanted. Which, is no surprise, since in the first book it felt like she was the forgotten princess. Between not knowing what happened to everyone she left behind in Turah, the dangers of being on such a long journey with lyssa spreading throughout the lands, and the migration looming over her head, Odessa is constantly in a state of worry. I will be honest, if this book was only in Odessa’s POV, I would have been very bored since her story, for the most part, was just one big journey. Having Caspia’s story included, helped break up the monotony of Odessa’s journey.
There are some twists and turns that happen. I didn’t catch onto the big reveal until closer to the end, but when it clicked for me, my mouth was hanging open. Then I saw a lot of pieces start to fall into place, and then I just felt sad. Sad for so many characters in this story. I can’t say that everything made complete sense to me. I still have some questions. Like, why does Odessa’s sister seem to dislike her so much? Can she be trusted, or is it just another tactic for something else. I don’t know why, but I feel like Odessa was not treated well growing up. So the shift in her sister towards the end leaves me feeling uneasy.
I do think that I probably should have waited to read this trilogy once all the books come out. I fear I will forget all the major points in this book that will play a large roll in the finale. However, that’s a problem for another day.
Previous reviews from the Shield of Sparrows series
Shield of Sparrows
