rites of the starling – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Release Date: April 7th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

RITES OF THE STARLING is the epic, heart-pounding sequel to Devney Perry’s #1 New York Times-bestselling SHIELD OF SPARROWS. A princess journeys across a cursed realm to find the truth about her family, only to discover her quest intertwines with the fate of a lost warrior. Love, danger and magic collide in a captivating romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros.

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.

I’LL TAKE IT.

I feel like big, anticipated sequels can go south quickly and I’m grateful that this was not the case for Rites.

But. I do have some issues.

I really can’t stand when the main couple is split for so long when they’ve already become an official couple. It just makes me cranky the longer the pages go on without Odessa and Ransom working together. I do love the interactions between them and loved when we finally got the chance to see them.

There was also a new POV. And I am still trying to figure out why it was added in the first place. YES, we got some back story but I do not think it needed to take up so much page time. It was as if the book needed more pages and this was the chosen way to fill them and it took me forever to feel emotionally invested leaving less room for the main story line to move forward.

I genuinely had an easy time reading this and was invested enough. I love all of these characters. The main leads and the side ones too. I think the world is great and the magic system continually intrigues me. While this book didn’t provide any answers I’m still looking forward to seeing how the [big issue] is solved.

Overall audience notes: