QUICK LINKS: Rites of the Starling Recap by Chapter P–8 | 9–20 | 21–30 | 31–40 | 41–51 | 52–59 // Shield of Sparrows Book 1 Summary
Rites of the Starling Chapters 60–64 Summary
This chapter-by-chapter summary of Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry contains spoilers.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 60
After Caspia transforms into the Starling, a dark craving for blood takes over, and the monster inside her wants to attack Andreas. Her baby’s cry from upstairs pulls her back for only a few seconds. Andreas picks up his sword and does what they both knew he had to do. He kills Caspia to save their family. It’s the end she always saw coming.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 61
Two days have passed, and Andreas is still on the throne room floor holding Caspia’s body. He calls Taven by the wrong name and insists Caspia is simply cold, asking for a blanket. Andreas is deep in shock.
Taven brings the baby in, hoping she’ll pull Andreas back. Andreas reaches for his daughter but stops when he sees his hands still covered in Caspia’s blood. He orders the nursemaid to take the child out. When Taven urges him to let Caspia go, Andreas breaks down and refuses.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 62
Odessa meets her father on the throne room balcony and shows him her mother’s journal. Andreas admits every word is true. He killed Caspia at her request after she transformed and killed four Voster priests, and he has carried that guilt ever since. Andreas kept the truth from Odessa to protect her, knowing she would eventually have to take up the fight her mother started.
They talk through the night. General Hawksley has long been an ally of the Kennin, and Brother Dime is a secret loyalist to the same group. After Caspia killed the priests, their remains were destroyed and the ashes cast into the sea. The Kennin used the death of a priest named Hain as cover, keeping the High Priest from learning the truth.
The Kennin want to return to Kenn but remain trapped in Calandra by magical oaths they cannot break without destroying the orbits. Two are secured in Quentis, one in the vaults and one under the infirmary. A third may be near Allesaria. No one has found a way to destroy the orbits yet.
Odessa tells Andreas she plans to hunt down the rest of the orbits, and he doesn’t stop her. She also makes clear she’s telling Ransom everything. Andreas admits he once hoped she would kill Ransom but sees now it was a mistake. Andreas hands Odessa ten magical rings and the key to Ransom’s cell.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 63
Odessa visits the infirmary before the others wake and brings Alore a saliva sample to see if her Starling blood can help create an antidote for the Lyssa elixir. In the main hall, Odessa runs into Thora and Jodhi. The king summoned Thora and Jodhi back a few days ago and made a deal to help them escape Salem’s control in exchange for keeping Odessa alive.
At the royal library, Odessa meets the head librarian Faxon and his son Kos, both close friends of Caspia. Faxon is stunned by how much Odessa resembles her mother. Kos brings her a green journal Caspia hid behind some books years ago. Inside, Odessa finds a heartfelt note and more of Caspia’s prophetic visions.
Later, Brother Skore explains that magic is toxic to those with Starling heritage, but he thinks Odessa may react differently because she has a human father and was born on this continent. He also believes Ransom’s infection began when Xandra bit him. Xandra, Caspia’s cousin, had been trapped in the form of a bariwolf for years.
Brother Skore admits a real cure is probably impossible as long as magic exists. The journals will help Odessa locate the remaining orbits. When Odessa asks how she’s supposed to kill a god, Brother Skore tells her the warrior she needs to find isn’t someone else. It’s Odessa herself.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 64
Odessa stands on a cliff overlooking the ocean, weighed down by everything she has learned. Ransom finds her and holds her steady against the wind. They promise to face what lies ahead together, and Ransom tells Odessa he loves her. She answers with the same playful phrase he always uses on her.
As Odessa and Ransom head inside, a rhythmic pulsing starts in Odessa’s chest and moves into her hands. She recognizes it from her mother’s journal as the same feeling Caspia described right before she began to change. The sensation passes quickly, but Odessa knows it will happen again. When Ransom asks if she’s okay, Odessa says she’s fine. It’s a lie, but she’s not ready to tell him the truth.
A vision from the journal shows a warrior with silver eyes kneeling on the ground with dark green blood on his hands. A massive winged creature bears down on him. Instead of fighting, he lays his sword down and whispers a final greeting to his queen just before he dies.
Did you find this Rites of the Starling book summary helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear what you think.
And if you haven’t read Devney Perry’s Rites of the Starling yet, be sure to add it to your TBR list!