After publishing a string of succesful contamporary romance novels, Devney Perry followed in her peers’ footsteps by foraying into romantasy. Shield of Sparrows was published in the summer of 2025 and immediately got lots of attention. Mostly praise, the hype was real. However, I decided to wait until it all died down a bit, because I don’t do well on both huge fantasy/romantasy books in the warmer months of the year and hypes. At the start of 2026, it was finally my turn to figure out if this book was worth all the buzz. Some pacing issues aside, I was pleasantly surprised, and I simply couldn’t wait for the sequel, Rites of the Starling, to be out in the world. The upside of picking up the first book in this what is supposed to be a trilogy for now , is that I only had to wait a few months. The cliffhanger really made me eager to find out what’s next for our main characters Odessa and Ransom, as well as to see little Evie growing up. This review contains spoilers for Shield of Sparrows, so read no further if you haven’t read this book yet.
About the book
Series: Shield of Sparrows Trilogy #2
Published by Red Tower Books on April 7, 2026
Pages: 463
ISBN: 9781682816752
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romantasy
Rating: 3,5/5
The sequel to Devney Perry’s #1 New York Times-bestselling SHIELD OF SPARROWS, a swoon-worthy romantic fantasy filled with legends and monsters, is The Witcher meets Cinderella.
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, drive 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 on fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, when 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 review
This book starts off right at the point where the previous book ended. This is a smart move as it eases the ability to get back into the story and the world straight away. The downside of this approach however, is that if it has been a while since reading the previous book, you might feel lost. There is no summary of the previous events included by Perry before diving face first back into this world. Gradually, memory returns and it’s possible to get sucked into this world once again. However, the building of said world feels lacking. The characters have to travel for the major part of the book. Unfortunately, this amount of travel doesn’t mean you’re able to imagine the world, it simply is not that outstanding.
Another aspect of involving a lot of travel in a book, is the plot not really moving forward. Traveling is often a big part of the second book in what is supposed to be a trilogy, but takes away from both pacing and character development. As both Odessa and Caspia have a story to tell, the author switches a lot between these characters. And while you are able to get to know them, they simply don’t leave a lasting impression. This certainly is a disadvantage for Caspia as this is a newly introduced character. Her role remains unclear for most of the book, but as the end draws near, her inclusion all makes sense. However, Odessa’s character development seems to have come to a standstill as well. Whereas she shows a significant amount of growth in the second half of the previous book, this all seems to have vanished. Not completely, but she feels different somehow. Whereas I actually started to like her before, she transformed into an ordinary character failing to captivate me. Furthermore, her banter with Ransom has a different vibe to it. Where they made me chuckle plenty of times before, they just bore me now. Unfortunately, Caspia bores me too. Again, the show was stolen by Evie, my favorite character in this whole series so far. She is wise beyond her years, knowing and understanding much more than these other characters seem to think.
The characters not sticking too much and the plot involving a lot of travel, leads to the same issues I had with the previous book. A slow first half, and a second half evolving a bit more rapidly. This time however, this second half didn’t capture my attention either. This definitely has to do with the book and its narration, as well as external factors. While the writing isn’t that bad at all, I wasn’t really sucked in by it this time. I finished the first book by switching back and forth between ebook and audiobook, so I tried this approach again. However, the audiobook is solely available in duet narration and I learnt that this is not quite the narration style for me. It is distracting and I am just not a fan of switching narrators in the middle of a sentence. I don’t like plays, and this book feels like one. So if you love to watch these, you will have a lovely listening experience here. However, I missed the ability to choose between audiobook formats. Whereas Shield of Sparrows has a regular narrated audiobook, a duet narrated audiobook and a dramatized adaptation, Rites of the Starling only has the duet option. I prefer to be able to choose how to consume an audiobook, so I would have preferred a regular narrated version as well. Now, I simply didn’t enjoy my reading experience, I got distracted a lot and zoned out a lot. Admittedly, this is not merely due to said narration, but also due to aforementioned issues with both plot and characters.
Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry unfortunately gave me quite a sour reading experience. While I was keen to pick this book up as soon as it arrived, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It definitely suffers from second book syndrome, involving a lot of traveling that slows down the pacing. However, it is necessary for the unfolding of the story. Unfortunately, it neither gives room for the characters to grow, apart from little Evie who once again steals the show. Whereas I was glued to the pages and the audiobook with the previous installment in this series, I zoned out a lot. Plot, characters and audiobook all failed to captivate me. However, external factors play a role as well. I still want to give this book another chance anytime soon, because I want to finish this series anyway. Now, I feel like I missed a lot of information that is being revealed in order to continue the series. Furthermore, so many readers have a positive reading experience, so I want to know if I missed a lot by accidentally taking lots of naps whilst reading.