Book Review: Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
Published: April 7, 2026
Series: Shield of Sparrows #2
Genres: Adult // Romance, Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit open door)
Quick Thoughts: A slow first half almost lost me, but Rites of the Starling turned into a huge step up from Shield of Sparrows. A new POV added the mystery and emotional depth this series needed, and the converging storylines made the slow build worth it. Just don't go in expecting fast-paced action from page one.
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What is Rites of the Starlingabout?
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.
Rites of the Starling Review
Note: This is the second book in the Shield of Sparrows series, so this review may contain spoilers for the first book in the series, Shield of Sparrows. If you’re new to this series start with my review of the first book here.
I have mixed feelings about Rites of the Starling, but overall, I really enjoyed it. While it’s a huge step up from book one in a lot of ways, it took me forever to finish. Nothing about it was really pulling me in until pretty late into the book. But as a person who didn’t love Shield of Sparrows, I am pleasantly surprised with the direction this book took the series.
Pacing
The book is very slow paced. Some of the action picks up around halfway through but I don’t think the plot really took off until around 80%. The story starts with Odessa trying to escape with Evie after the end of Shield of Sparrows and a lot of the events that follow feel random and unclear about what they were trying to accomplish. Most details do eventually click into place, but in the moment, it was hard to keep going when everything seemed unimportant or mundane. I’ll admit that I regretted not paying more attention or making more highlights to refer back to because so many things ended up being clues for what was to come. So yes, I agree with all the other reviews that say the first half drags, but I do think the slow build was necessary to make the ending land as hard as it did.
Pacing aside, this book leveled up from Shield of Sparrows in almost every other way.
Characters & the Romance
Caspia's POV took the series somewhere I wasn't expecting and added a layer of mystery that kept me engaged in her story. One of my favorite things in a multi-POV book is when separate storylines start to converge, and this is hands down one of the best examples of that I've read in a while. It's satisfying, and her story adds so much emotional depth to Odessa and the people around her. The map also expands through her chapters, which opens the door for deeper worldbuilding and history between the kingdoms. It got a little info-dumpy and confusing at times, but I loved how the small reveals throughout gradually made the stakes of the story clear by the end.
I also really appreciated Odessa’s growth. In the first book, I felt she was helpless and a little obtuse. Here, she’s strong, confident, and resilient, and that development felt gradual and earned.
On the romance front, I preferred reading about Andreas and Caspia over Ransom and Odessa’s relationship. They just had so much chemistry and Andreas was a charming, swoonworthy MMC. Ransom and Odessa’s scenes felt weirdly templated and lacked the chemistry from book one.
So, should you read Rites of the Starling?
After the first book, I was unsure if I was going to read Rites of the Starling, but I am so glad I did. I recommend this book for readers who love slower-paced stories where the puzzle pieces gradually click together, or anyone who loves dual POVs and converging storylines. Skip it if you're looking for something fast-paced or action-packed from page one.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Rites of the Starling FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Potential spoilers ahead ⚠️
Violence/Death
Death of parent
Grief
Animal death
Gore
Pregnancy
Confinement
Threat of sexual assault/violence
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Potential spoilers ahead ⚠️
Prophecies/Visions of the future
Multi-POV
Arranged/Forced marriage
Mysteries
Quests
Hidden identity/secrets
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The third book of the Shield of Sparrows series will come out on March 9, 2027.
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Yes! Rites of the Starling is book 2 in Devney Perry's Shield of Sparrows series, and it was published on April 7, 2026. It picks up right where Shield of Sparrows ended, with Odessa trying to escape with Evie. You'll definitely want to read book one first because this one builds heavily on those events.
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As of the writing of this blog post, Shield of Sparrows is a planned trilogy.
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Rites of the Starling is 4 🌶️ out of 5, which means explicit open door on my rating scale. That means readers are present for spice scenes and they are told in explicit detail.
Spice scenes are more plentiful in this book than in Shield of Sparrows.
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The spicy and almost spicy chapters in Rites of the Starling are:
Chapter 21 (Fade to black)
Chapter 23
Chapter 30 (Open door that gets interrupted before too much happens)
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 49
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Caspia is Odessa's mother in Rites of the Starling.
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Yes, Ransom and Odessa find each other again in Rites of the Starling, but not until pretty late in the book.
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Yes, Andreas is Odessa's father (King Cross) in Rites of the Starling. The dual timeline through Caspia's POV slowly reveals that Caspia and Andreas's love story is actually Odessa's origin story.