Rites of the Starling is the second installment in Devney Perry’s epic romantasy series Shield of Sparrows. The narrative resumes immediately after the events of the first book, Shield of Sparrows. In that book, Odessa, a princess of the kingdom of Quentis, finds herself forced into an arranged, political marriage to Prince Zavier Wolfe of Turah, who arrives in Quentis with a powerful, brooding figure called the Guardian, who closely resembles him and speaks on his behalf. After the marriage ceremony, Odessa travels to Turah, where it is revealed that the Guardian is the real crown prince, named Ransom, while the person Odessa thought she married is Ransom’s cousin and body double, Dray. Since it was the Guardian (Ransom) who actually spoke the marriage vows, Odessa is married to him, not to Dray. Over the course of the book, Odessa and Ransom develop a deep romantic bond while Odessa also becomes a mother figure to Zavier’s young daughter, Evie (who is revealed in Rites of the Starling to be secretly the biological daughter of the evil King Ramsey and Ransom’s mother, Luella, making her Ransom’s sister). The novel culminates in a devastating crux attack on the Turan fortress of Ellder.

This pivotal event catalyzes the sequel’s primary conflicts, forcing the newly married protagonists, Odessa and Ransom, onto separate, perilous journeys. Odessa, tasked with protecting Ransom’s young sister, Evie, is guided away from the battle’s aftermath by a mysterious Voster priest. Meanwhile, Ransom, believing Odessa has gone to their encampment, embarks on a desperate search for his wife and sister across the kingdom of Turah. This separation establishes a core tension that drives much of the plot. The novel also significantly expands the series’ world by introducing a new continent, Kenn, through a third point-of-view character, Caspia. Her quest to avenge her sister’s death unveils the history of the powerful, shapeshifting Starling dynasty, adding a parallel narrative that explores the deep lore behind the realm’s magic and monsters. Understanding this context is essential for grasping the characters’ preexisting relationships, the immediate stakes of their separation, and the broader narrative ambition of the series to weave together personal quests with world-altering revelations.