Books Like Rites of the Starling
by Devney Perry
Rites of the Starling is driven by survival under impossible pressure: Calandra’s fractured realms face annihilation as the crux migration approaches, and the narrative centers on one woman ripped from the man she loves, forced into flight, captivity, and brutal caretaking. The book’s mechanics are intimate and immediate — a relentless external threat (monsters and political/religious force), a tight emotional core (a kidnapped heroine protecting a single child), and a powering obligation to become something new in order to save others. Scenes hinge on desperate choices rather than long expositions, and danger arrives in short, vivid bursts that keep the stakes palpable.
If you loved Rites of the Starling, the reason may be any of several clear things: the battered-but-determined heroine who must reinvent herself under duress; the burden and tenderness of protecting an innocent while hunted; the blend of supernatural menace with institutional power (priests, factions) that complicates every sanctuary; or the slow-burning ache of separation from the person who owns the heroine’s heart. The nine picks below are sorted by which of those elements they most strongly echo, with frank notes when a match is primarily tonal rather than structural.
Recommended for fans of Rites of the Starling
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas
High-stakes fae romance, rescue missions, and desperate survivors fighting monstrous threats.
Pick this if you want high-stakes fae-style threats combined with rescue missions and desperate survivors fighting monstrous forces; this is the closest in tone and stakes.
From Blood and Ash
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Captured heroine, forbidden desire, and relentless threats during a looming apocalypse.
Pick this if you were most compelled by captivity, forbidden desire and relentless external threats during a looming apocalypse—this mirrors that emotional and plot pressure closely.
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
Women thrust into magic and danger, monstrous woods, fierce protective bonds.
Pick this if you loved the lone woman thrust into magic and danger who forms fierce protective bonds; this matches the monstrous-woods and guardian dynamic well.
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden
Folkloric monsters, isolated heroine protecting family against supernatural threats.
Pick this if it was the folkloric monsters and an isolated heroine defending family against supernatural threats that drew you in; expect a quieter, moodier pace but similar threats.
The Girl with All the Gifts
M. R. Carey
Kidnapping, survival on the run, and fierce caregiving for a single child.
Pick this if you were most moved by the kidnapping and the fierce caregiving for a single child while on the run — this foregrounds that relationship in a stark, survivalist setting.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon
Epic stakes, monsters and political-religious tension with protective, personal bonds.
Pick this if you want the monster-versus-state scale and political-religious tension layered with protective personal bonds; it's broader and more political in scope than the seed.
The Bird and the Sword
Amy Harmon
Tender, slow-burn romance within a dangerous, magic-haunted world.
Pick this if your primary interest was the emotional arc and a tender, gradual love forming amid danger; this focuses on romance inside a magic-haunted world.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Laini Taylor
Star-crossed romance amid war, kidnapping, and mythic, monstrous forces.
Pick this if you liked the elements of kidnapping, mythic enemies and star-crossed romance, but be aware this is a looser match on the priest-captor and protector-child mechanics.
Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
Young woman with dangerous power, divided loyalties, and monsters threatening homeland.
Pick this if it was the young woman with dangerous power, divided loyalties and monsters threatening her homeland that appealed to you; this shares atmosphere more than the specific child-protector plot.
At a glance
Matches were chosen on three axes central to this book: a hunted/captive heroine protecting a child, monstrous or supernatural threats tied to political or religious power, and a survival-to-transformation emotional arc. Each recommendation shares some but not always all of those elements.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas | 2013 | 451 | Fae menace & survival | 93% |
From Blood and Ash Jennifer L. Armentrout | 2020 | 493 | Captured heroine tension | 90% |
Uprooted Naomi Novik | 2015 | 438 | Magic, monsters, protection | 84% |
The Bear and the Nightingale Katherine Arden | 2017 | 368 | Folklore-driven monsters | 80% |
The Girl with All the Gifts M. R. Carey | 2014 | 416 | Kidnap & caregiving | 78% |
The Priory of the Orange Tree Samantha Shannon | 2018 | 848 | Epic stakes & politics | 76% |
The Bird and the Sword Amy Harmon | 2016 | 328 | Tender slow-burn romance | 75% |
Daughter of Smoke and Bone Laini Taylor | 2001 | 448 | Star-crossed mythic romance | 74% |
Shadow and Bone Leigh Bardugo | 2012 | 352 | Young power & divided loyalties | 72% |
About Rites of the Starling
Rites of the Starling is a fantasy novel by Devney Perry about Calandra and the imminent crux migration threatening her five kingdoms. The plot follows Calandra after a devastating attack separates her from her love, forcing her into flight, kidnapping by a powerful priest, and a duty to protect a little girl.
Frequently asked questions
I loved the protector/child dynamic—what here focuses on that?+
The Girl with All the Gifts is the clearest fit for the caregiving-under-duress element: it centers on kidnapping, survival on the run, and a fierce responsibility toward a single child. Several other picks touch that bond, but this one foregrounds it.
Which picks echo the monstrous, folkloric threats?+
Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale are the strongest matches for folkloric or monstrous woods and supernatural creatures tied to local belief systems; both pair an isolated heroine and uncanny threats much like the monsters hunting Calandra.
I want political and religious power played against monsters—what should I choose?+
A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Priory of the Orange Tree both blend institutional or courtly forces with monstrous threats; the former is more intimate and romantic, the latter more epic and political.
Which titles most resemble the romantic separation plotline?+
From Blood and Ash and The Bird and the Sword emphasize captivity, forbidden desire, and a slow-burn or tender romance that mirrors Calandra’s separation and longing, though each approaches the emotional arc differently.
Are any of these a loose tonal match rather than a plot match?+
Yes. Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Shadow and Bone share star-crossed/monster-fraught atmospheres and divided loyalties, but they are looser matches on the specific protector-child and priest-captor mechanics in Rites of the Starling.
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