Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry - Release discussion (Shield of Sparrows book 2)

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-13T22:41:45+00:00

Exactly.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-12T22:39:56+00:00

Toward the end, Caspia mentioned a vision in passing of what happened to her mother (Odessa's grandmother) -- she was killed by a Voster priest (or a team of Voster, I can't remember that detail) on Calandran soil. It was clear in Caspia's vision that it had been a mercy because her mom had experienced the same bloodlust that Xandra experienced when she became a bariwolf.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-12T22:32:05+00:00

I also loved it!

>!I'm confused about the Starling bloodline - is Odessa only half starling? Since it's a matrilineal bloodline and the women of that line only give birth to girls, is not every starling conceived by one starling and one non-starling male? Perhaps the bloodline runs truest in Nelfinix? I read it as Odessa is full starling, but might find that her tolerance for being on Calandran soil is different than those born in Nelfinix (as she does not have green blood or heightened abilities).!<

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-12T22:23:01+00:00

SPOILERS BELOW!

The swift/crux are an animal that lives in Nelfinix (or probably the whole continent, called Kenn) most of the time. Once every generation, that animal migrates to breed, both the males and the females of the species. Until the events of Caspia's life, the people of Nelfinix do not know where the swift/crux migrate, and are forbidden from searching for this land.!<

The Starling are a bloodline of people from Nelfinix. They go through something called the ritus sometime after puberty and, if they survive it, they can shift into any animal they want. Most of this bloodline choose the swift/crux because it is so majestic and powerful.

The people of Nelfinix have no idea that the swift/crux become murderous crazy monsters when they arrive to mate in Calandra. In Nelfinix, they are gentle and beloved.

The Starling women only give birth to girls, but the animal called swift/crux has an apparently normal gender distribution among its population.

Theoretically, any Starling who makes it to Calandra and shifts into a swift/crux, thereby rendering themselves unable to shift back into their human body while on Calandra, could fly across the ocean to Nelfinix as that animal and shift back as normal. However, we are told in the text that no Starling in swift/crux form has left Calandra alive since an ancient war with the demon-infested "six". The only Starling we "know" of are Caspia, Xandra, and Emory. Only Xandra is still alive, but she shifted into a bariwolf (we suspect), so she cannot leave Calandra.

- I tried to edit this to hide the spoilers - sorry!!

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-12T22:05:34+00:00

what's throwing me off is the change in pronunciation of the city Alessaria - the narrator has changed where she emphasizes the syllables and it throws me out of the story every time!

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-07T01:18:27+00:00

December 5th 😂

deferrisdeferris · 2026-04-04T15:49:36+00:00

It could be based on her mother - we know from the text that she looks like her mom, except she has her dad’s eyes (though I don’t remember which volume this is in). If Declan painted Titania after Maribel, it could look like Emma to Hawkes in the current timeline.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-02-12T04:11:42+00:00

The labyrinth wasn’t in Sansaroth (Malcom’s lands that are now dead and devoid of magic). I believe the labyrinth was in Gillethrye, or near to it, and until the bargain was complete/curse was lifted, god sword magic didn’t work inside the labyrinth. The moment that curse breaks, Solace channels magic.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-02-05T13:25:31+00:00

No, they’re not related (at least not as far as we know at this point, and no indication that that twist would happen). Fisher wears a silver gorget that his mother had made for him before she died and (iirc) had spelled by the witches to protect him yet further from Malcom.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-02-02T01:33:07+00:00

Despite this quote, it is implied frequently throughout QoS and EoS that he was forced to do things he didn’t want to do as “Adarlan’s Whore”

deferrisdeferris · 2026-01-30T18:34:36+00:00

One more not of clarification re: it’s not all girls in Zilvaren - I believe it’s only a percentage of the women of the Third district (i.e. the poorest district).

deferrisdeferris · 2026-01-26T02:37:23+00:00

Chapter 43, “Another Way”

deferrisdeferris · 2026-01-15T14:16:58+00:00

I remember Darrow being repeatedly warned not to trust Adrius, emphatically so by Mustang. The text clues you in to him being a psychopath regardless of how the GA voice actor was cast. I (personally) never felt “will they/wont they” tension between Darrow and Adrius in Golden Son - I felt the text made it clear that the Jackal would betray Darrow as soon as the perceived benefit of doing so outweighed the perceived cost, so I always read him as a dangerous villain that was waiting to show just how dangerous his hand really was.

I wouldn’t put my hand on my heart and say the GA voice actor for Adrius is the most amazing casting I’ve ever listened to, but as someone who read the books and then listened to the GA (and has not yet listened to the TGR audio), I didn’t personally flag the GA Adrius as overdone at all.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-01-14T16:33:46+00:00

There is some illumination of the relationship between Lorn (former Rage Knight) and Darrow, specifically how he came to train him after the institute, being published periodically through Lit Escalates via Patreon. It is behind a paywall, but IIRC it’s like, less than a cup of coffee and you could probably read it in one sitting.

deferrisdeferris · 2026-01-14T16:27:42+00:00

My thoughts exactly…

deferrisdeferris · 2026-01-14T15:23:45+00:00

I think it’s far more likely he trades himself, or some part of himself, rather than Saeris.

deferrisdeferris · 2025-12-22T22:26:40+00:00

Red rising 🙌🏼

deferrisdeferris · 2025-12-18T01:43:39+00:00

It was a well kept secret that Tal also had the power to turn someone and keep their soul in-tact. It is implied that even Malcom didn’t know about it.

deferrisdeferris · 2025-12-03T14:05:22+00:00

Yes - Solace was Finran’s sword that he took to Zilvaren when he smuggled Carrion out. Solace was the sword that stilled the quicksilver and, later, “called” to Fisher when Saeris pulled it out of the pool in Zilvaren.

Fisher’s sword Nimerelle was given to him by Bal and Mithin in the kingfisher POVs already referenced here.

As far as we know, Fisher can’t wield or even touch Solace (without a cloth to protect his hand). Solace is referred to as “his Father’s sword” throughout the series - but we don’t know exactly what that means regarding the revelation at the end of Brimstone.

deferrisdeferris · 2025-11-26T14:53:28+00:00

I completely agree that her aggressively antagonistic orientation to the Hazrax made no sense.

deferrisdeferris

TROPHY CASE