Rites of the Starling: Shield of Sparrows, Book 2

Jenna's Just Reading

This Sequel Broke My Heart and Blew My Mind

"⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ 4.75/5 Plot / Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Atmosphere/Vibes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry absolutely consumed my life for a few days. You know those books where you physically cannot stop reading because your brain has to know what’s happening next? Yeah. This was that book for me. I ended up doing a combo read between the physical book and the audiobook because I was so addicted to the story that I refused to stop when I had to do normal life things. And THAT ending?! I am emotionally unwell and desperately need book three immediately. Rites of the Starling picks up after the events of Shield of Sparrows and throws Odessa into an even darker, more dangerous journey across the fractured kingdoms of Calandra. She’s separated from Ransom, hunted by monsters, exhausted, terrified, and trying to survive while protecting a child who depends on her. Meanwhile, a second POV and timeline enters the story through Caspia. And let me tell you, the way these storylines connect is SO well done. I was genuinely more than halfway through the book before the full connection between the timelines clicked into place, and when it did? My jaw was on the floor. This book leans even harder into epic fantasy territory than the first one. Yes, the romance is still there (and still emotionally intense), but this sequel really expands the lore, politics, and mythology of the world in a huge way. The stakes feel massive. The kingdoms are crumbling, monsters are everywhere, secrets are unraveling, and every revelation seems to completely shift your understanding of the story. And honestly? I loved it. I’m a sucker for quest-style fantasy journeys, and this book absolutely delivered that feeling of traveling through dangerous lands while slowly uncovering truths about the world and the characters. There’s something about a long, emotional journey story that just works for me every single time. Odessa’s character arc was especially compelling here. This book is very much about confronting fear, embracing strength, and grappling with the darker parts of yourself. She’s pushed beyond her limits emotionally and physically, and watching her slowly evolve into someone stronger, even while broken and grieving, felt incredibly satisfying. Also… more Evie and Faze? Immediate win for me. The emotional depth in this book is one of its biggest strengths. It explores sacrifice, grief, resilience, motherhood, identity, and loyalty in ways that genuinely hit hard. There’s a heaviness to the story at times, but it feels earned. Devney Perry does a fantastic job balancing emotional vulnerability with epic fantasy stakes. Now, I will say this is definitely a slower burn for a good chunk of the book. The pacing is more deliberate, especially in the first half, and there’s a lot of lore and world-building being layered in. If you’re someone who loves intricate fantasy worlds and piecing together clues, you’ll probably really enjoy that aspect. But if you’re looking for nonstop action from page one, just know this takes its time before the explosive payoff. And that payoff? Worth it. The final stretch of this book is absolutely wild. Twists, reveals, emotional devastation - it all comes crashing together in a way that made the slower build completely worth it for me. Now, the only reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me actually had nothing to do with the story itself. It was the audiobook narration for Odessa’s POV. The narrator had these really strange vocal inflections that repeatedly pulled me out of the story because they became distracting. Maybe it was just a personal preference thing, but it definitely impacted my audiobook experience and I will be avoiding this narrator in the future. Thankfully, the story itself was strong enough that I kept going anyway. Overall, Rites of the Starling is an emotional, lore-heavy, high fantasy sequel that expands the world beautifully while deepening the emotional stakes for its characters. It’s darker, richer, and more ambitious than the first book, and I am officially fully invested in this series. If you love romantasy with epic quests, layered world-building, emotional character growth, monster-filled kingdoms, and devastating cliffhangers, you need to pick this one up immediately. ["

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May 12, 2026 Verified Purchase

Tara Brown

Epic Payoffs, Gut Wrenching Emotion & SO many clues.

"100/10. No notes. Just kidding, I have actual pages of notes because I absolutely ate this up. This was everything I wanted from a sequel. It expands the world, deepens the magic, raises the emotional stakes, and delivers payoff in a way that feels so intentional and so satisfying. One of my favorite things about this book was how carefully it was built. The structure, the timing, the reveals, and the way details are layered in and paid off later all feel incredibly well done. You can tell Denny Perry knows exactly where this story is going, and that made every big moment hit even harder. I loved the POV shifts immediately. I had just come off a reread of Shield of Sparrows, so I was already deep in theories and actively looking for clues, and this book rewarded that in the best way. It is full of hidden-in-plain-sight foreshadowing and connections that make you want to go back, reread, and trace every thread. I also got so deeply invested in the characters. You are not just watching things happen from a distance, you feel the love, the anger, the betrayal, and the heartbreak right along with them. I was fully crying reading parts of this. And the love story? Epic, layered, and deeply felt. The more this story unfolds, the more powerful it becomes. This is not a quick, fast-paced, spice-forward read. It is a rich, world-building, series-deepening installment with huge emotional and narrative payoff. If you love stories with clues, complexity, character depth, and the kind of moments that make you stop and clutch your chest, this absolutely delivers. I loved it, and I am already counting down the days until the next book. ["

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April 16, 2026 Verified Purchase

RJ s Mommy

New Characters, New Secrets, New Revelations!

"I absolutely loved Shield of Sparrows, but Rites of the Starling took a bit to get into. But that ending reveal, I want to kick myself for not paying attention earlier (admission- I skimmed a lot of the initial chapters in Kenn because I just didn't care about these characters). But that ending earns a book re-read because I want to see what clues there were. I was also put off that Dess and Ransom weren't reunited until page 200...I checked. That was my goal. I was drawn into Andreas and Caspia's story once they met and I am intrigued by Jodhi and Thora and await their backstories next novel. So it's four-stars because I actually had to force myself to read (it should not have taken me 5 days to read a 450 page novel but I skipped two days from non-interest), but now that I know what I know---it probably should be 5 stars! 1 Star: DNF 2 Star: Struggled but did finish 3 Star: Glad I read it, but probably won’t read again 4 Star: Would read again and recommend to a friend 5 Star: I still think about this book and need the next one immediately. Recommend profusely and need to have at least one physical copy. ["

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April 12, 2026 Verified Purchase

Shaunna Murphy

Bold, beautiful masterpiece

"I need a reread asap!! Mindblown! Absolutely incredible. I'm reeling. I will be talking about this book. The trilogy really (once complete) for a long, long time. Odessa has been such a refreshing change of pace to read in a FMC. She has truly become one of my absolute favorites. In Shield of Sparrows we get a glimpse of who she will become from her fierceness, her big heart, her need to protect, to love. To gain knowledge, learn truths. We get so much more than I could have ever expected out of her in Rites of the Starling. Her journey is evolving & this story is so much bigger than it being just a romantasy novel. Devney not only expanded the world by giving us answers to a lot of questions but built upon aspects of what was so loved in Shield of Sparrows. Of course that also means the monsters. As much as you fear them, you kinda come to love them too. There were so many epic moments. More questions, so many more (I need book 3, but I'll happily wait until 3/2027). The dynamic between characters at times kept me on edge, while other moments I went through every emotion possible. We meet a lot of new characters & each one fit perfectly into where the story was & needed to go. My mind was constantly spinning in good ways. The pacing of the story was perfection. The storytelling was addictive. The depth of the details from the world of Calandra, Odessa's journey, to intimate moments. I was 100% invested in everything. It was like a slow burn within a slow burn. Each piece stood on its own, while still being part of the bigger picture. Rites of the Starling was bold, beautiful, vast, sincere, daring, romantic, heartbreaking & impactful. In so many ways, Rites of the Starling was transformative & healing. Yes, transformative Odessa but as the reader, there were moments where I just felt a deep connection to what she was going through & the truths that came out.Rites of the Starling captivated me in all the best ways! ["

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April 29, 2026 Verified Purchase