Fantasy FanGuide: Everything You Need to Know Before Rites of the Starling

Summary

FANTASY FANGIRLS PODCAST
Fantasy FanGuide: Everything You Need to Know Before Rites of the Starling
Release Date: March 23, 2026
Hosts: Nicole & Lexi

---

Episode Overview

In this lively, theory-rich FanGuide, sisters Nicole and Lexi of Fantasy Fangirls deliver the ultimate deep-dive recap and analysis of Devny Perry’s Shield of Sparrows. With the highly anticipated sequel, Rites of the Starling (April 7th), imminent, they unpack everything fans must remember—covering world-building, political intrigue, key characters, monster lore, magical mechanics, and explosive finale events. The episode is packed with spoilers for Shield of Sparrows but remains spoiler-free for unreleased books. Expect their trademark banter, theory-crafting, and a thorough summary to prepare listeners for book two.

---

Main Segments & Discussion Highlights

1. Setting the Stage: Kingdoms and Worldbuilding

[03:55–13:00]

• The Continent of Calandra: Five kingdoms—Quintus (our main entry point), Tura (mysterious and wild), Lane (gold/spices and alchemy), Ozarth (iron, blue-eyed inhabitants), Genesis (oils, royals named after trees).
• Quintus: Ruled by King Cross—a strategist with a single-minded goal for power and safety. Quintus is small, isolated (bordered by the Mare Ocean on three sides), and highly traditional. It’s “considered quite the safe kingdom because it’s pretty isolated from the rest of the world.” [05:07, Lexi]
• Tura: The book’s wild, perilous antithesis to Quintus, with secretive traditions (citizens by blood oath can't reveal its capital, Alsaria). Villages built high in the trees to escape monsters. “...Like the Ewok villages from Star Wars.” [06:26, Nicole]
• Notable Political Structure: Peace among kingdoms is preserved via the ancient, magic-bound Shield of Sparrows treaty. Every generation, a royal daughter (the ‘Sparrow’) is married to another kingdom’s royal family, and breaking the pact risks a king’s life.

2. The Politics: Treaties, Secrets, and Manipulation

[09:30–13:00]

• Shield of Sparrows: A blood-magic-enforced treaty binding nations together via royal marriages every Crux migration.

  • “Law is law. The designated two to marry will marry and produce an heir…Disobedience…results in the death of the king. And the kings don’t want to die.” [09:00, Lexi]
  • For this generation, Princess May of Quintus was to marry Prince Xavier Wolf of Tura, but a twist of fate and ancient magic (“Chain of Sevens”) changes the bride to Odessa.

• Chain of Sevens: If a warrior kills seven female beasts, they can claim a prize—the king’s eldest daughter, overriding the king’s initial choice.

  • “Prince Xavier Wolfish specifically targeted and slayed seven female beasts. In doing so, he enacted the Chain of Sevens and demanded his prize...Odessa.” [10:10, Nicole]

3. Character Deep Dive

[13:00–21:00]

Key Quintus Characters

• Odessa Cross/Wolf: The protagonist, eldest daughter, previously overlooked, possessing striking red hair and gold eyes without the typical “starbursts” signifying birthplace. “She’s a free spirit...Book one is really a transformation story for Odessa.” [14:45, Nicole]
• King Cross: Cold, strategic, using daughters as political pawns.
• Mae Cross: Younger sister, trained her whole life to be the Sparrow, ambitious, and “Sneaky Mae” with a secret romance.
• Queen Margot: Odessa’s stepmother, former lady’s maid, obsessed with perfection and jealous of the dead first queen (Odessa’s mother—an enduring mystery).

Key Tura Characters

• King Ramsay Wolf: Paranoid, power-hungry ruler, “book-burning tyrant”, tormented by jealousy.
• Ransom (Guardian/Xavier Ransom Wolf): The real Tura heir, infected with Lysa (grants powers at a cost), loyal, brooding, heroic but doomed.
  • “He knows that his time [is] very limited…He feels that inner monster growing stronger, and more deadly, and he’s terrified...” [20:44, Nicole]
• Dre (Decoy Xavier): Ransom’s cousin, the prince’s decoy; loyal, self-sacrificing.
• Evangeline (Evie): Secret child princess, Ransom’s little sister, hidden from King Ramsay.
• Luella: Recently deceased, Evie’s mother, an alchemist responsible for creating Lysa.

4. Monsters & Mythology

[27:50–34:00]

• The Origin: Old gods Amma & Oda created animals. Their children—the New Six—introduced monsters (predators like Grizzlers, Lionwicks, Bari wolves, Marrow eels, Tarkins, and the terrifying Crux).
• Notable detail: The monsters dictate politics and migratory survival plans.
• The Crux: Eagle-like monsters whose generational migrations devastate the land. “The Crux black out the sky for months…Livestock is slaughtered, crops annihilated…the only thing that matters…is survival.” [31:41, Nicole]

Memorable Monster Banter

• “If you had to face off with one of these monsters, which one would you prefer? And phase is not an answer.” [30:27, Lexi]
• “A marrow eel. And I would be on land.” [30:39, Nicole]

5. Magic in Calandra: Eyes, Oaths, and Blood

[33:20–37:00]

• Starburst Eyes: Markers of birthplace—Quintus (amber), Tura (green), Ozarth (blue), with exceptions (Odessa: gold, Ransom: mood-ring eyes).
• Voster Brotherhood: Secretive, long-lived, magic-wielding order pivotal to the enforcement of blood-bound treaties.
• Odessa is uniquely sensitive to Voster magic, suggesting important secrets regarding her lineage and untapped abilities.
• Blood Oaths: Unbreakable contracts enforced by Voster magic. These underpin treaties, marriages, and state secrets—key to the realm’s stability and conflict.

6. Recap of Shield of Sparrows—Major Plot Beats

[46:50–57:43]

A high-energy, thorough summary by Nicole, including:

• Odessa’s Sudden Marriage: To Ransom, via ancient loophole.
• Dangerous journeys, monster attacks (with green, infected blood), and survivalist training in Tura’s treetop villages.
• Betrayals: Jocelyn (spy for Odessa’s father), Banner (ex-fiancé, vengeful), and the devastation wrought by King Ramsay.
• Unveiling secrets of Lysa, Ransom’s infection, and the truth of the prince’s identity.
• Explosive finale: Crux migration arrives months early, chaos ensues, key deaths (Luella, Banner, Brielle, Jocelyn).
• The ultimate twist: When Ransom slays the lead Crux, it transforms into a woman with hair identical to Odessa’s. “A female human body lays where a massive, horrifying bird monster should be. This woman has spiraling curls with the exact same color red as Odessa’s hair.” [64:32, Lexi]

7. End-of-Book Status & Setups for Rites of the Starling

[59:12–75:15]

• Odessa, Evie, Faze escape with Brother Dime, guided by his “secrets within secrets”.
• Banner, Luella, Jocelyn, Brielle—Dead.
• Ransom: Now ready to reveal himself as prince, deeply shaken by the Crux/human twist, on a mission to find Odessa, and processing his mother’s death.
• Key loose threads: The true nature of Odessa’s powers and heritage, the purpose of her enigmatic mother’s necklace, and the consequences of breaking blood-magic treaties. Preparations for the next Crux migration are in chaos due to its premature arrival.

---

Most Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I love an arranged marriage story—while the romance in this book is not my favorite, I do love the twist that we have on the trope where the Guardian is the prince and not Xavier and all of that stuff.” [94:17, Nicole]
• “Are monsters born or made?” —A central question explored throughout, especially via Odessa and Ransom’s arcs. [95:24, Nicole]
• “Does it have to be?”—Odessa, challenging what makes something a monster. [95:41, Nicole]
• “I think Odessa and her mother are ancestors of this Sora goddess… that is where she gets her special connection with the monsters.” [76:55, Lexi]
• “What if Odessa’s people…are all from this region where they all have eyes of gold [...] every 30 years or so, they turn into these birds and they have this monster-like reaction to have to migrate over the sky and then come back. But it’s like they’re cursed.” [78:49, Nicole]
• “When Ransom killed [the Crux], he broke the curse, which is why she turned back into her normal human self.” [79:14, Nicole]
• “What if that necklace [Odessa’s] is Sora’s sigil?” [84:27, Lexi]
• “Demigod was kind of like traits of the monsters as…what Lysa is.” [77:49, Lexi]

---

Theories Galore: Key Speculations Leading Into Book 2

[75:40–91:53]

• Odessa’s Lineage: Likely descendant of Sora (legendary goddess); demigod status may explain her monster affinity, lack of starbursts, gold eyes, and resilience (survived lethal poisoning at 13).
• Crux-Connection: Monsters may be cursed forms of Odessa’s people; the slain Crux at the end could be a relative, possibly her mother or aunt; the migration is tied to her bloodline.
• The Necklace: Ancient artifact, possibly Sora's sigil, may attract monsters and cause Odessa’s unique reactions to Voster magic (pain/nausea).
• Voster Brotherhood: Their magic is antagonistic to Odessa’s; Brother Dime is suspected of serving his own secret role, possibly as a spy for Ransom or safeguarding Odessa due to knowledge of her origins.
• King Cross’s Intentions: May have tried to hide or eliminate Odessa’s mother due to her dangerous nature or growing attention from the Vosters.
• Rites of the Starling: The plural “rites” may signify trials or a ritual Odessa must undergo—possibly relating to becoming a “Starling” tied to her magical heritage.

---

Final Thoughts: What Worked and What’s Anticipated

[92:59–99:43]

• Nicole: On first read, found the premise fascinating but was “half in, half out.” On reread, declares “fuck me, this book is incredible.” Especially loves the interplay of arranged marriage tropes, monster lore, and worldbuilding.
• Lexi: Romance wasn’t the draw, but deeply invested in the world, mysteries, and “mama mystery” of Odessa’s heritage.
• Both: Praise the audiobook and its narrator, Odessa’s unique arc (from overlooked daughter to heroine), lush setting (tree villages!), and monster-centered plot.
• Excitement for Book Two: Hungry to reach Alsaria (the hidden capital), discover Odessa’s mother’s fate & true past, unravel the nature of the crux, and see the larger political/magical landscape.
  • “I cannot wait to keep learning about this world and what’s next with the Crux. And so much mystery around Odessa’s mother. I love a good mama mystery.” [97:26, Lexi]

---

Key Timestamps

• [03:55] World Introduction: Kingdoms & Culture
• [09:30] Treaty Breakdown: Shield of Sparrows & Chain of Sevens
• [13:00] Main Characters: Quintus
• [19:00] Main Characters: Tura
• [27:50] Monsters & Their Origins
• [33:20] Magic System: Starburst Eyes & Voster Brotherhood
• [46:50] Rapid Recap: Shield of Sparrows (Major Plot Points)
• [59:12] Endgame Review & Book 2 Setups
• [75:40] Theory-crafting: Odessa’s Origins and the Mystery of the Crux

---

Tone and Atmosphere

Bright, geeky, and irreverent—with lots of sisterly banter, pop culture jokes (“Ewok villages from Star Wars” [06:26]), and an infectious sense of excitement. The language remains conversational, with plenty of in-text laughs, occasional expletives, and running jokes (animal face-offs; bets over child-sitting vs. puppy-sitting; wild theory spirals).

---

TL;DR: What You Must Remember for Rites of the Starling

• Odessa, a princess with gold, starburst-less eyes and mysterious heritage, is central to the peace—and possibly the monster crisis—in Calandra.
• The Shield of Sparrows and Chain of Sevens treaties are enforced by deadly blood magic.
• Monsters are intertwined with both magic and politics, and the Crux migration is both literal and symbolic of greater mysteries.
• Odessa’s necklace, her mother’s enigmatic past, and connections to the goddess Sora are all likely crucial to what’s next.
• The explosive end of Shield of Sparrows leaves Odessa, Evie, and Faze on the run with Brother Dime, Ransom reeling and ready to claim his title, and much of the cast dead or scattered.
• So many questions remain about magic, ancestry, and the approaching disaster—setting the stage for a world-expanding, secret-revealing sequel.

---

For visually oriented readers or anyone preparing for Rites of the Starling, this episode is your essential, deeply detailed refresher—delivered with wit, warmth, and wild speculation by Fantasy Fangirls.

Transcript

[Ad Read Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H Vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Nicole]

Welcome, welcome welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, character themes, theories and more.

[Lexi]

I'm Lexi, older sister and Fantasy Lore nerd.

[Nicole]

And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart.

[Lexi]

And today's episode highlights a Favorite read of 2025 Shield of Sparrows by Devny Perry, where we're gonna go through everything you need to know before the sequel, right? So the Starling releases on April 7th. First things first, please listen closely to our spoiler warning for today's episode because we are discussing everything you need to know before Rites of the Starling. So naturally that includes spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers from Shield of Sparrows. Like including the ending.

[Nicole]

So with all of that said, if you don't know who Faze is, then do yourself a favor and finish this book. Meet that delightful character because I will go to battle for sweet little phase Face.

[Lexi]

Oh Next, we at Fantasy Fangirls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is

[Nicole]

rated R. If Odessa drops F bomb, so will we. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.

[Lexi]

Additionally, we are so excited to see what upcoming live events on April 8,

[Nicole]

we are partnering with the Denver Nuggets and Rebecca Yaros for a fourth Wing themed basketball night at Ball Arena.

[Lexi]

Plus, we are so excited to do a live show at the neptune Theater on April 19th in Seattle. Tickets are on sale now for you to dive deep into how to train your dragon with us tomorrow. March 24th is a very exciting day for the Fantasy Fangirls Media Network as the first episode of Fantasy Fan Reads Drops.

[Nicole]

This newest podcast in the FFG Network is hosted by the delightful Jess of Lost Books of Jess. This podcast is all about celebrating the joys of reading with author interviews, cozy coffee conversations and more.

[Lexi]

Check out episode one where Jess and I chat cozy fantasies tomorrow March 24th

[Nicole]

and you can find the podcast anywhere. You listen to podcasts by searching Fantasy Fan Reads or Episode one will also be dropped on the Fantasy Fangirls feed as well so you can take a listen.

[Lexi]

Last thing before we jump into the Shield of Sparrows recap episode. If you love Fantasy Fangirls and want more events, more content, more community and so much more, please check out Fantasy Fan Club.

[Nicole]

We have six membership tiers that you can join, which includes access to our Boppin, Discord, live Q&As, book clubs, often featuring the authors themselves, early access to ad free episodes, welcome gifts and oh so much more.

[Lexi]

Learn more and join the [e-mail] fanclub. The link is also in the show notes and really and truly, thank you so much for supporting us as we've turned this podcast into a dream come true. It is all because of you. Thank you.

[Nicole]

And now it is time to go live our Lost Boys life in the Trees. To the trees.

[Lexi]

As we like to do with these fan guides, let's go through basic world building within the story so we're all on the same page. The continent we're on is called Kalandra and it has five major Quintus, where Shield of Sparrows starts and where the FMC is from, Lane, Genesis, Ozarth, and Tura, where the majority of the book takes place. Let's dive more into Quintus, shall we? It is ruled by King Cross, nicknamed the Gold King because he brought the kingdom of Quintus into an era of wealth after his own father was terrible with money. He is married to Queen Margo Cross, his second wife, and the royal children of Quintus are Princess Odessa, the eldest daughter, 23 years old from King Cross's first marriage Princess May, 18 years old and most definitely the favorite daughter. And then we have little Prince Arthy, the heir to Quintus, but he's a toddler right now. Quintus is the smallest and southernmost kingdom in Calandra. The Mare Ocean borders it on three sides and the eastern border is shared with Genesis, one of the other kingdoms. This is important to know because thanks to its geological location, Quintus is considered quite the safe kingdom because it's pretty isolated from the rest of the world. Quintus is a lush, temperate kingdom with fertile farmland and rolling hills. How lovely. They trade crops and cattle for resources like iron, lumber, spices and oil. The capital city is Roselo And Roslo is a busy port city with white buildings, a sparkling bay, and the castle's towers are decorated with teal banners and the royal crest, which is a crossbow woven with leaves and stock, stalks of wheat. As for its culture, Quintus is a pretty traditional kingdom. Women are expected to wear dresses, for instance. Pants are only for men. The patriarchy. And of course, Quintus is bound by the Shield of Sparrows.

[Nicole]

Next is the location we spend the most time in. Tura. Tura is also bound by the Shield of Sparrows and is very secretive of what goes on in its borders. Tura is located on the opposite side of Kalandra from Quintus, but due to the horseshoe like shape of the continent, it can be accessed through a base. Very dangerous journey across the Marxamoor ocean. Thank you, Lexi, for the demonstration. Yes, and when we say horseshoe, it's a horseshoe on its side, basically. So Quintus is at the bottom, Tura is at the top. The very dangerous journey through the Marksmoor ocean is via the Christens crossing, which is vital for the trade route of all the kingdoms. Unlike the manicured countryside of Quintus, Tura is wild, rugged and very dangerous. Ooh. It's not only the steep mountain ranges, the rocky cliffs, the dense forests that make the land here hard to live within. There's also the constant threat of danger from monsters, including in the villages themselves. Because of this danger, some of the villages are built in unique ways, like up in the trees, like the Ewok villages from Star wars, as a way to protect themselves from the monsters that lurk below. In Tura, they trade lumber other kingdoms. While we spend most of our time in the trees in the town of Trio, we have to discuss the capital city of Alasaria because the majority of Shield of Sparrow's is Odessa. Wanting to discover where the fuck Alasaria is so that she can relay that information to her father. Alessaria is the best kept secret in the entire kingdom. As the Turin's are incredibly distrustful of outsiders, the road to get there is treacherous. If you do make it unharmed, shockingly, you'll find it guarded by a stone wal. And the only way to be granted entrance through the gates is by a blood oath, swearing to never reveal its location. Dun dun dun. Because the city is so locked down, the city of Paris serves as the capital. It is the turin center of trade and commerce and where the king makes his decrees going back to that distrust. In order to keep the kingdom's capital city protected, they have outlawed all maps of Tura. And the punishment for having a map is death.

[Lexi]

So clearly I would never live. I could never live here ever, ever, ever.

[Nicole]

No, you really couldn't. You literally couldn't play a video game

[Lexi]

that didn't have a map.

[Nicole]

I am still upset about that whole map situation.

[Lexi]

I was really wishing I had a map last night.

[Nicole]

Also, if turrets make groundbreaking discoveries of some kind, they keep it to themselves. Some of the other kingdoms will share discoveries in exchange for money or other goods, but the turrets do not on that later. The ruler here is King Ramsay. He rules without his queen. He is the father of Prince Xavier, Ransom Wolf and Evangeline, AKA Evie, although he does not know that Evie exists.

[Lexi]

So zooming back out, let's look at the politics of this continent. Because there is a political key to peace across the five kingdoms. The Shield of Sparrows. That's the name of this book. So what is the Shield of Sparrows? Well before the Shield of Sparrows was formed, there were constant wars across the continent. And it was feared that trading goods alone would not be enough to keep the peace. So the kingdoms decided to bind their nations with blood. Literally every generation, before every crux migration, a royal daughter will be married off to another royal family so that their children have ties to both countries and thus ending the wars between the kingdoms. The specific arrangement, like who marries who, depends on the heirs of each royal generation, factoring in ages, genders and kingdoms. But law is law. The designated two to marry will marry and produce an heir. The Shield of Sparrows represents the peace between the kingdoms. And the agreement is bound by blood magic to ensure the kings keep the peace. Disobedience like invading or refusing to cooperate results in the death of the king. And the kings don't want to die. So they play by the rules and keep the peace among the kingdoms. This generation's two royal families for the Shield of Sparrows is Quintus and Tura. And since there are two quintess royal daughters, Princess May was chosen to be the sparrow by her father, even though she is the youngest. So at the beginning of the story, May was supposed to marry Xavier Wolf of Tura.

[Nicole]

So how does Odessa become the Sparrow? Especially when May has been groomed for years to get in with the mysterious Turins. There's actually a loophole. Thank you. Chain of skin sevens. When enacted, the chain of Sevens allows the warrior who claimed the lives of seven female beasts to claim a prize of his choosing. The king has tasked the Turans with slaying marrow eels in the crisant crossing on their way to Quintus. As the Marrow Eels make trade within the crossing extremely difficult and dangerous. And with the Crux migration coming up. Don't worry, we'll get to that soon. They need to be able to stockpile resources between the kingdoms. But the King wasn't exactly precise in his verbiage around slaying the Marrow Eels. So instead of slaying only six random Marrow Eels, Prince Xavier Wolfish specifically targeted and slayed seven female beasts. In doing so, he enacted the Chain of Sevens and demanded his prize for to be King Cross's eldest daughter, Odessa. Which pisses the King off because this was not the plan. Ah, just like the Shield of Sparrows treaty, the Chain of Sevens, though, is sealed with blood magic, meaning death upon anyone who would violate it. So sorry, King of Quintus, your sneaky little plan to have Mae as spy in the Turin Empire is gonna need some last minute editing.

[Lexi]

So why is all of this extremely relevant to the story? Because the King of Quintus is not as sneaky sneaky as he thinks. Like we're saying there, the Turin's know about his plan to invade Tura and his desperation to find Alessaria because of the Shield of Sparrows, there is no way to get out of a wedding between these two kingdoms. And since they've known for years that the King has been training Mei as a spy, something had to change. Tura needed a different Sparrow. The only way for Odessa to become the Sparrow was to enact that Chain of Sevens and demand a different bride as the price. And while right now Odessa's father, the King of Quintus, can't break the Shield of Sparrows peace treaty, he can, if they figure out how to break the Blood Magic binding the treaty.

[Nicole]

Okay, backing up real quick. Let's go through some rapid fire about the other territories. Lain trades in gold and spices. They also have healers and alchemists who make huge discoveries and then make other kingdoms pay handsomely for that knowledge.

[Lexi]

That sounds like it could come up later on in this story.

[Nicole]

Ozarth trades in iron, which is needed to forge weapons. Also in Ozarth, they have deep blue cerulean starbursts in their eyes. Who else has deep blue cerulean starbursts in their eyes? Evangeline, because she was born on Ozark soil. In Genesis, they mine oils needed for lanterns and stoves. All Genesis royals are named after trees. Lexi, this is very apt for what you're doing right now. And you're so much moving away from the kingdom as a whole, and the politics. Let's get into our key players of the book, starting with our Quintus characters, or at least those who are from Quintus at the beginning of our tale. Odessa Cross Odessa Wolf, our FMC. She is the daughter of King Cross and his first wife, person unknown, and she is 23 years old. She is the oldest of the Cross children and was overlooked for the position of the Sparrow in favor of her sister Mae. Growing up, Odessa felt overshadowed and undervalued, always being second to her younger sister May, leaving her questioning her own abilities and value in the world, especially when she's out from under her family's watchful eyes. After her mother died. And Margot, her mother's previous lady's maid, now turned stepmother. Way to climb the chain, Margot. Jesus Christ. Odessa is very artistic and she yearns for freedom from the suffocating expectations of being part of the royal family. She's a free speech spirit. She likes cliff jumping. Dammit. She was never taught how to rule, never taught how to fight, and she had to hide who she truly was, literally, with her hair and her eyes being different. But now she refuses to be anyone else's tool. Book one is really a transformation story for Odessa. At the beginning she's like I was saying, hiding who she is behind gray dresses and dyed brown hair. The only time she feels brave and alive is when she's cliff jumping. By the way, who only sees Odessa as the main character in the movie Brave because that's all I see her as like that is exactly who she is. But throughout her time in Tura via training, befriending Tilia, becoming a motherly figure to Evie, and of course her relationship with Ransom, she discovers this feeling of belonging for the first time. Go Odessa. Some important things to note about this FMC that we will dive much more into in our theories section. Her bright red hair is very noticeably different from anyone else's. Her eyes are without starbursts, something everyone in the kingdom has and the color is based off of where they were born. Normally those born on Quintus soil have amber starbursts, but for some very odd reason, Odessa only has pure gold eyes. Odessa also has a necklace from her mother that again, we will absolutely be diving deep into in the theory section. This drove me up a theory wall

[Lexi]

when I was reading this book again.

[Nicole]

Oh my God.

[Lexi]

Odessa's father is King Crochet. He is cold, strategic and extremely duty focused. Rather than acting as a loving father, he treats his daughters as political assets. His main Goal is protecting his kingdom of Quintus and gaining power, which includes getting access to the capital city in Tura he had orchestrated for his youngest daughter, May to be the Sparrow. And she was trained to be an excellent spy for her father's long term plans. When it is clear that Odessa has to take May's place as Sparrow, he orders Odessa to figure out how to get into the capital, how the Guardian got his magic, oh, and to try to kill him if she can just,

[Nicole]

you know, none at all.

[Lexi]

Lethal last minute meeting notes. Here, honey.

[Nicole]

Here's some KPIs for this quarter. Thanks so much. Next we have Mae Cross, Odessa's younger half sister, who is 18 years old. She is, have we mentioned, groomed to be the Sparrow and trained in espionage last we saw her. She's also having a long time closed door relationship with the captain of her father's guard, Sneaky Mae. Since Mae was trained to be Xavier's bride from a young age, she's pretty pissed that this whole change of her whole life's duty is just turned on its head. While that's the last we see of Mae physically in this book, we feel her all over the pages. In Odessa's inner monologue. Odessa is constantly comparing herself to Mae because she feels inferior. Mae was doted on, she was trusted by her father. She was conniving and always the center of attention. She was a beauty. She had a relationship with passion. And then there's Odessa, who's always a forgotten passenger. I would be shocked if we don't see Mae again next book. I agree, but I can't. I can't wait for Odessa to see her and have a completely different reaction where she's like, I'm not cowering to you anymore, little sister. Grr.

[Lexi]

Then there is May's mother and Odessa's stepmother, Margot, who used to be Odessa's mother's lady's maid. We don't know how she went from lady's maid to the new.

[Nicole]

She got a promotion. Lexi. She climbed the corporate line.

[Lexi]

Sure did. And I feel like there's a story there.

[Nicole]

Probably.

[Lexi]

She is uptight and always striving for perfection. Margo has always been upset that the King loves the ghost of Odessa's mother more than he ever has loved her. And it's her biggest insecurity. She says that the King changed when his first wife died. Speaking of, we know very little about Odessa's biological mother, which is part of the big mystery of the story. But here is what we do know about her. Odessa's Mother was the first Queen of Quintus and first wife of Odessa's father, King Cross. She died when Odessa was a baby and the King had all portraits of her removed. Her lineage is unknown though. How interesting that Voster will ask who Odessa's mother is and the only physical attribute we and Odessa know is that her mother had her same red hair and curly texture. This is why Margo has always made Odessa dye her hair, because her red curly hair reminds Margot of the King's first wife he dearly loved. Or this is the reason Odessa thinks. And if we know anything it is that she is an unreliable limited pov. Narrator More on all this soon.

[Nicole]

Let's move into our major characters in Tura. First up, King Ramsay Wolf, the king of the of Tura and book burning tyrant who's consumed by jealousy and utter paranoia of being usurped. Almost five years ago he attempted to murder his wife. Chill dude. Ramsay and does not know that he has a four year old daughter since his wife escaped to Ozarth and had Evie there, hence why she has blue starbursts. He is trying to create an army of infected Lysa soldiers in a twisted misguided attempt to protect his kingdom from the Crux migration. At least I think that's he also likes power. Let's be real, he and Ransom do not have a good relationship due to Ramsay's treatment of Ransom's mother Luella. Then we have the Guardian himself, AKA Xavier Ransom Wolf. Ransom, which is how he goes, is the true Prince of Tura. He is infected with Lysa which gives him an inhuman speed, strength and advanced healing abilities. But his infection is also slowly killing him. Womp Womp which basically rules over everything he does from not taking his rightful place as claiming himself as prince publicly instead letting Dre continue to pretend to be Xavier. And also he's got quite a thick wall in front of him. He does not want others to get close to him with exception of Evangeline, his little sister, his mother Luella. And after some avoiding his feelings, Odessa manages to get herself into that wall. He knows that his time on this very limited and he talks about that at least with Odessa, very openly. While he has control over the Lysa infection now, he feels that inner monster growing stronger and more deadly and he's terrified of losing that control and becoming the very monster he fights.

[Lexi]

Then we have the Xavier we've come to know in the story. Though his real name is Dray, he is Ransom's cousin and royal double. In public he acts as the tyranny prince pretending to be him to protect the true prince, Xavier Ransom. This position is held in high honor and Xavier has given up his own life and wants to protect his cousin. Not because he's forced into it, but because he is that loyal.

[Nicole]

Generations ago inter an heir was assassinated. So it's become a sneaky little tradition that the heir has a decoy until they come of age. However, Ransom has kept his decoy far beyond that of age and he's actually kept him for 11 years. He's had Dre since he was 13, so Ransom is 24.

[Lexi]

Dre Xavier is secret adoptive father to Evangeline. Evie for short. Who is the four year old secret princess. Yes, there are lots of secret people here in this story. King Ramsay does not know about Evie's existence and her mother is queen in hiding. Luella. But Evie doesn't know that they're her parents. The only parent she knows is Xavier, whose real name is Dre. But she thinks that he is Xavier the prince.

[Nicole]

Do they not think that this is gonna royally fuck her up? Like she is gonna need some mad hot therapy after this. So if they're thinking that long term, that's fair. That's super fair.

[Lexi]

Just gotta get through this crux migration, everybody.

[Nicole]

Last, last, but most certainly not least, we have the sadly deceased Luella Ransom. And Evie's mom. She loves them both so dearly. She was a very intelligent alchemist who ran away from King Ramsay after having an affair with a man named Mikhail. Why would she stay in the same continent as her evil husband? Because her children needed her here. So that was all she needed to stay. But she's not such a cut and dry character. We learned that she's the one who created Lysa. Well, kind of, but we'll get to that later. While Luella died at the end of this book, in the crux attack, her partner Kathlyn is still alive. And at the end of this book, she is with Ransom. Thank you so much for supporting fantasy fangirls. We will be right back with a word from our sponsors.

[Lexi]

These days we are all about quality over quantity, especially in our closets. If it's not well made and versatile, it's just not worth it to us.

[Nicole]

Us.

[Lexi]

And nothing says quality like Quince. The fabric feels elevated, the cuts are thoughtful, and the pricing actually makes sense.

[Nicole]

Quince makes high quality wardrobe staples using premium frap, using premium fabrics like 100 European linen, 100 silk and organic cotton poplin. Lightweight cotton cashmere sweaters, perfect for the changing seasons and can't miss seasonal colors and prints for spring. Versatile and well made made pieces that make getting dressed up simple. Quint's clothing is consistently rated 4.5 to 5 stars by thousands of customers including Lexi and I. Real people wearing these pieces every day and actually loving them.

[Lexi]

I love how Quint supplies me with both my leggings and at home athleisure wear with such comfortable fabrics and also for my going out and date nights with my silk blouses and you know, my fancy outfits. And I just absolutely love love Quince. Its versatility really and truly. Its quality is so great and it is so affordable and I love having these pieces in my closet right now.

[Nicole]

Go to quince.com FFG for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it and you will now available in Canada too. Yes Canada. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to Q U I N C for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com FFG this podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. I remember when we first started FFG and honestly one of the best decisions we made was to put some real time and attention into our website. Websites are essential for any small business success. In fact, I actually just started my new author account using Squarespace for the website and it was so easy.

[Lexi]

I did it in a day.

[Nicole]

I love it.

[Lexi]

And you all know me with my marketing brain. I have pretty high standards for website tools. Squarespace delivers on these tools in every way. One thing I love is their integrated Squarespace SEO tools. Every website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated site map and more so you show up more often on search engines and bring in more of your ideal customers.

[Nicole]

Yes, we love to see it. Plus, Squarespace's email campaign gives you all the tools you need to engage clients, promote your services and grow your business. There's all kinds of automations and email scheduling that helps take off the mental load of staying in touch with your customers and your community.

[Lexi]

Check out www.squarespace.com FFG to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FFG

[Ad Read Announcer]

this episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states hey, it's

[Nicole]

Paige from Giggly Squad. And if you've been thinking about tackling any home or yard projects lately, this is your sign. Lowe's Spring Fest is on Lowe's Spring Fest is happening right now at Lowe's, featuring great deals to help you refresh your homes and outdoor spaces. Just in time for spring. We talked about airing out your home and Lowe's is just taking it to the next level. You can save up to 40% on major indoor appliances and help supercharge your chores. Springfest is happening now and our best lineup is is here at Lowe's, valid through April 22, 2026, while supplies last selection varies by location. See lowe's.com for details. Mulch offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii hey,

[Ad Read Announcer]

this is Adam Grant, host of ted's podcast Rethinking with Adam Grant. Let me share with you why smart finance leaders turn to Bill. They know that clarity isn't just helpful, it's strategic. As the intelligent finance platform, Bill uses AI to automate the busy work for nearly half a million businesses. Businesses so they can focus on intentional growth, eliminate the friction and start scaling with the proven choice. Visit bill.compenven to talk with an expert about automating your business finances and get a $250 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.com proven terms and conditions apply. See Offer page for details.

[Lexi]

All right, now that we've got the basics of the kingdoms and the characters, we're going to explore how monsters are central to this world. Because this is one of the very unique things about the series that I really, really love. This world is shaped by the monstrous creatures of the gods. The story goes that the old gods, Amma and Oda created Calandra's animals as gifts to humans, and they were so proud of their creations. But that pride enraged the gods, children who were the new six gods. And in a fit of jealousy, the new gods, the six made animals of their own. The six crafted predators. In the image of Calandra's animals, though, they were far more beautiful, powerful and deadly. Aha. These monster creations were a reminder to humans and animals alike that we were fragile and insignificant. If you're interested in seeing no spoiler art of the Monsters in this World Deveny Perry has a social post that we've included in our show Notes so, so helpful. The monsters in this world run rampant, both land and sea dwelling. The existence of the monsters and how dangerous they are shapes the political landscape of Calantra. The humans should work together in order to Ensure their survival. Hence why there are treaties and agreements like the shield of sparrows.

[Nicole]

All right, let's go through these monsters, shall we? First we have the Grizzler, which is like a bear with spikes on its back. Then we have the lion Wick, which is a panther like creature with a tail of barbed nails. Jesus Christ. And it's long tail. It's a long boy tail.

[Lexi]

Said of considerable.

[Nicole]

It's a tail of considerable length. And that's spiky. We have the Bari wolf, a wolf the size of a pony and has sharp spikes. It communicates with Clax. And it's the monster that almost killed Ransom. Then we have marrow eels, a large sea serpent with four eyes and a large bone coming out of its forehead. Then we have narwhal, except it's like. Like a seashell narwhal. Like it's a. It's a. It's a. Like it's like. Like that on its head. Okay, just look at the photo, Lexi. Then we have the Targon, a tiger like creature with pink and red stripes and armored scales on its back. This is the monster that Faze is. And last but certainly not least, we have the monster that is the most feared of all. The Crux, which is a massive eagle like monster. Every generation there is a migration of Crux. The last one nearly about 30 years ago, when the monsters flew over Calandra and slaughtered the people.

[Lexi]

So before we get into this migration, because it's very, very important, Nicole, if you had to face off with one of these monsters, which one would you prefer? And phase is not an answer.

[Nicole]

Okay. Damn it. Okay. A marrow eel. And I would be on land. I would just be like in the middle. So cheating right there.

[Lexi]

Oh my goodness.

[Nicole]

Asked if I could face off. So I would stare at it and then run away into land.

[Lexi]

Oh my goodness.

[Nicole]

What about you, Lexi?

[Lexi]

I really. I don't know if I'd want to go up against one. Well, I. I just really gravitate toward the lion wicks. I love the lion wicks. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Okay, okay, okay. I'll give a non cheater answer because you were nice. Okay. A tarkin. But not like, not face. But a tarkin is. I feel like the only one that doesn't have like a literal barbed wire tail or spikes on its back. Like the only thing that could hurt me from a tarkin is its teeth or its claws. And to be quite honest, that is my puppy right the fuck now. So I am facing off with a tarkin every single day. And I have the Wounds to prove it. Oh, no.

[Lexi]

Poor Nicole.

[Nicole]

Each kingdom spends years preparing for this Crux migration, because, yes, we are still on that. Stockpiling food and resources and planning out exactly how their citizens are going to survive the migration and the attacks that go along with it. This could be anything from digging shelters really deep underground, or lighting the roads and roofs with spikes to prevent them swooping down and killing people. But even this, this isn't foolproof. The Crux are able to scent people who are hiding even through the ground if it's not deep enough. This is terrifying. The Crux black out the sky for months. The sun is literally blocked by thousands upon thousands of these winged monsters. Livestock is slaughtered, crops annihilated. The buildings as well as whole villages can be destroyed. The only thing that matters on this kingdom, across all five continents, is survival of the Crux migration. At the end of this book, the crux migration was supposed to be months away, but it arrived soon. But there's something quite off about the female Crux, who is the kicker off of this migration. More on that soon.

[Lexi]

You know, something that I really just wondered about is where do the Crux migrate from?

[Nicole]

Okay, I was wondering that too. I'm like, is there a South Pole?

[Lexi]

Yeah, like if there have, if it takes them months to all get there, then they're just gonna have to turn around. Actually, no. It's years. It's decades. It's decades.

[Nicole]

This world is very large.

[Lexi]

Since this is a fantasy book, how about we get into the magic of this world? Starting with people's eyes and how there are starbursts in them, depending on where they're from from. Starburst magic is rooted deep in Calandra's land, and it tinges a color on people's irises at birth with these starbursts. This links the people of this world forever to the location of their birth. No matter where they live or move. That one burst of color does not change. The starburst colors we know are Quintus has amber starburst, Tura has green starburst, and Ozarth with cerulean blue. And we don't know Genesis or Lane's eye. Starburst. Color, color. Two known characters in the series that do not have starbursts in their eyes are Odessa, whose eyes are solid gold, and Ransom, whose eyes are like a built in mood ring and change color depending on, you know, his mood. Huh, how interesting. Our two main characters don't have starbursts. I do believe Ransom's is because of Lysa I don't know if we get that confirmation, but that is what I. I think is picked up on with context clues.

[Nicole]

See, I don't. I don't think it's Lysa, because I feel like it would be only green if it was Lys, because green is so embedded in the. I mean, also it's like, embedded into her culture. But still, I think that there's. I don't know, I think there's something different about him, because it's basically like the way I've looked at it is it's whoever he's. No, because it's not whoever he's looking at, because he looks at Odessa a lot before his eyes turn gold. So never mind. But, yes, I agree on the mood ring, but I don't think it's because of Lysa. I think we're just not supposed to know yet.

[Lexi]

Well, then. Okay, well, we know. At least it's a huge Easter egg with Odessa and her lineage. More specifically, who her mother might be. And she probably has magic herself. I know we're going to be talking about that a lot, this episode. Getting ahead of myself, because again, we're talking about theories later on.

[Nicole]

Well, okay, we are talking about theories later on, but I do want to point out how interesting that the next book is called Rite of the Starling and Starburst. Starling, I think. I wonder if Odessa is the starling.

[Lexi]

I bet you're right. And Brother Dime is taking her to do this, right?

[Nicole]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lexi]

Bottom line, Odessa not having a Starburst is a trait that people think is very strange. Everyone has a Starburst except her. And all her life, she's had to explain that. She can't explain why she doesn't have one.

[Nicole]

What do you want to bet that Odessa's mom in all of those portraits had no Starbursts in her eye?

[Lexi]

Exactly. Well, I'm. I can't wait to get into all of my theories about her mom.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God, I'm so excited. In this world, we also have something called the Voster Brotherhood and the High Priest. The Voster Brotherhood is a group of magic wielding men who can manipulate air, water and blood. It's unknown how many people are in this brotherhood, as their powers and influence are, you guessed it, kept a secret. But it is believed that the Voster Brotherhood often uses their fluid magic. I'm assuming that's like their blood magic to deliver messages. The Vosters are long lived, but not immortal. The everyday citizen cannot feel the Voster magic. So A Voster could be standing right next to him. And if they're dressed normally, they would have no idea. But how strange, because Odessa can feel their magic. To her, the Foster magic feels. Feels dizzying, nauseating. It's like jumping into a bottomless cliff. And her insights are spinning endlessly. It's not a very fun feeling. Then we have the Voster High Priest. This is the powerful figure who serves the gods, the eight, and is the final key to the blood magic and the treaties that shape the fate of the kingdoms. By killing the Voster and ending the Brotherhood, you also will end their magic bonds, meaning that if you kill every last Voster in, including the practically immortal High Priest. Good luck with that. You can break these ancient treaties like the Shield of Sparrows and the Chain of Sevens. This High Priest is mighty odd because towards the end of this book, he's asking some questions about who Odessa's mother is, so.

[Lexi]

Yeah, so he knows something about Odessa and her lineage and specifically that she will be important. I bet. You are so right there about the starling. And I'm realizing rights is plural. So what if there's a competition or, like, trials that she has to go through? I think it'd be more like trials versus a competition. I also wonder if Ransom knows, too. And we've only heard one reason why they chose her as the bride prize, but it was after she ran into the High Priest. And then, you know, Ransom does have his reason. He wanted to set her free and all of that. And there's, like. I'll call it the romance chance side. Yeah, but I think the High Priest had his own reasons to be like, no, we need that one.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I think that one. I think you're entirely right. I think the High Priest is who? I think he's someone to look out for next book. Him and obviously Brother Dime, who we'll

[Lexi]

get more into later, who is of the.

[Nicole]

Who is of the Voster Brotherhood. Yes. Yes.

[Lexi]

He's of the Vassar Brotherhood, and he

[Nicole]

is based in Quintus. He's supposedly based in Quintus. Yes, yes. Everyone has a secret, Lexi.

[Lexi]

I know. Everybody's got secrets. Blood oaths are the glue that hold the treaties and kingdoms together. Like we just mentioned, the Voster magic is tethered to the blood oaths. Without their magic, the blood oaths would not be binding. This is important to King Cross's mission to null the Shield of Sparrows. He needs to get rid of the Vosters so that he can get rid of their blood magic. That is tying all these treaties together to keep the peace. How dare they. In Calandra, all binding contracts are sealed with a blood oath. And this includes, but is not limited to treaties, marriage contracts swearing fealty to your king and keeping secrets. Another example is the capital city of Tura Alsaria. It is gated with a blood oath, where citizens literally cannot say where it is. The Chain of Sevens and Shield of Sparrows are the two main treaties that keep the kingdoms from destroying each other in constant war. So I know we talked a little bit about those earlier, but we're really going to get into the nitty gritty now of these two treaties. The Chain of Sevens is old magic and was sealed by the High Priest alongside the ancient kings. The legend goes that long ago, before the Five Kingdoms, the lands and sea were overrun by monsters. To regain control, the ruling lords of that time made a decree that states any warrior who risks their life against the beasts overrunning the world would be granted a prize of their choosing if they return with the heads of seven slain females from that species. And like with all treaties, the Chain of Sevens was sealed with foster magic, meaning death to anyone who violated its terms. But in more recent times, this treaty has been deemed a myth in children's legend, and it has not been enacted in a hot minute. This treaty came about because they believed that to alter the chain of life by killing seven females will break the natural cycle in enough places to just disrupt the monster population and protect their people. So basically, the Chain of seven is you kill seven of the females and you disrupt this monster population. I could also see this Chain of Sevens that launches the whole events of this book being tied to a bigger meaning with the series arc as well.

[Nicole]

Ah.

[Lexi]

Oh, I wonder if there's. There's anything with the Crux Migration too, or like.

[Nicole]

Okay, I'm so getting ahead of myself.

[Lexi]

There's so many theory possibilities because killing these monsters is extremely difficult, especially to kill seven of them. The ancient rulers decided that anyone who succeeds in killing seven of these females and breaking the cycle of life can claim a prize like a different bride to be the sparrow overruling its king.

[Nicole]

Let's talk about the Shield of Sparrows. It is the oldest known treaty in Calandra and is a trade agreement at its core. The obligation of the Five Kingdoms to offer a king or future king and a Sparrow a bride every single generation. It guarantees the kingdoms have the necessary resources to thrive and survive during the Crux Migration. The day the Shield of Sparrows was signed, the wars that were commonplace across the continent came to an abrupt halt. But their ancestors feared that just trading goods would not be enough to keep the peace. So they also added a binding of nations with blood. Every generation, before every migration, about every 30 years or so, a daughter is married off to another royal family. So their children have ties in both countries. The treaty stipulates that the daughter chosen can only be picked by her father, AKA her king. The weddings are lavish affairs held on the autumnal equinox, where every kingdom is invited to celebrate, as the unions are to remind them of the greater good. The peace must be preserved at all cost. Since the Shield of Sparrows, the five kingdoms have survived nine migrations and nine marriages. Odessa is the tenth.

[Lexi]

Fun fact. The first bride's name had been Sparrow, hence the treaty's name and why the women offered every generation since has been called the Sparrow. The first Sparrow's father, the Turin King, had given her as a bride to his sworn enemy, the Genesis King. When the treaty was signed by the original five kings, it bound the crown of the king to the treaty, meaning that anyone who is crowned king is automatically bound to to the terms of this treaty. And remember, ultimately, it is bound by blood magic. So each new generation's Shield of Sparrows marriage must seal in blood the continued treaty assuring another generation of peace.

[Nicole]

Now, there is one very important clause to the Shield of Sparrows. It is forbidden for the two united kingdoms to evade one another. Doing so would cause the blood magic to immediately kill the king of the invading nation. And there are laws that bind a husband to wife. A king cannot kill his sparrow and a sparrow cannot kill her king. Kings are expected to maintain peace. They can squabble and fight all they want, but they cannot wage war on each other. This is what makes what Odessa's father was doing with having Meya spy to find out where Alessaria is. That is a very sneaky and slippery business, you slippery snake King. Cross us.

[Lexi]

Let's talk about the alchemy in this world. Because in Calandra, there's also the study of science and more specifically, alchemy. Scholars and alchemists are the ones who develop the drugs and medicine used for things like amputations and surgeries. And then there are the people who create poisons sold on the black market, like Fennec Tux powder, which is a deadly poison in a high enough dose.

[Nicole]

Let's talk about one of the most popular creations, Lysa. Lysa is a deadly infection with no known cure that was created by a combination of alchemy and magic. How was it created? When Ransom's mother, Luella, was traveling during her youth, she started practicing alchemy as a nice little hobby. She tinkered with different herbs and spices to make teas with medicinal properties. After she got married and became pregnant with Ransom, she became close to the healer. And when Ransom got older, she was introduced to the best alchemists in Alasaria. She also spent a lot of time in the library, reading books of adventures and old tales. One caught her eye about a monster claw that was given to a man as a gift for saving the beast's life. When the claw was worn around his neck, the man never felt pain or sickness. And only after he took it off off did he give it to his son. And then he died.

[Lexi]

This story in particular sparked something within Luella, and she started asking questions, like what if humans could be stronger and more capable of hiding away safely and healthy for months at a time during the migration? Because not only are people killed by the crux, these giant birds, but they also can die from being holed up from sickness and all of that when they're underground again for months at a time. Through Luella's research, she and her alchemists created an elixir that would enhance a human's natural abilities. And they figured this out with ingredients linked to monsters and their super strengths. This is the elixir that was given to Ransom to heal a nasty gash on his leg a long time ago. But the elixir itself is not lysa. There are 10 others who have taken this elixir too, and not a single one of them has Lysa. The elixir had no effect on them. Them. The difference between Ransom and the others is that Ransom has been bitten by a Bari wolf. The elixir is like the base, the foundation for Lysa, plus the Beowulf's saliva. The two together create a magical bond, a bond between man and monster and magic. So Lysa is only possible because of a bite from a monster. And this elixir. The day that Ransom was bitten, the Beowulf and him both created Lysa, and it has since morphed in their bodies. The Beowulf continues to spread Lysa as it bites other monsters, who then bite others, and so on and so on. And now Marowiels have it. Where with Ransom, Lysa has given him powers beyond a normal human. However, it is gradually turning Ransom more feral until he will be like a monster himself. So he is convinced that there is no possibility for A cure and his fate is sealed. Lysa will kill him soon enough. And to top it all off, the Voster's magic. Magic cannot cure Lysa. A recap episode means Nicole has to recap the book, right?

[Nicole]

Not the has to. She's forced to. I pin her down and make her do it.

[Lexi]

Recap the book.

[Nicole]

Jukebox.

[Lexi]

Yes, Nicole.

[Nicole]

Do it. Do it. Odessa Cross, Princess of Quintus, stands on a cliffside high above the water. Today is a very important day. Her kingdom is welcoming her younger half, half sister May's future husband, Xavier Wolf, Prince of Tura. But they are to be married in accordance with the Shield of Sparrows, something May has trained her entire life for. Have we mentioned that before? Lexi? Dripping wet. Ew. Odessa attempts to sneak back into the castle, but she's not as sneaky as she hoped as she runs into her father's emissary, one of the Voster priests. Brother Dime and his magic is like bugs are crawling under her skin. Nasty. Back in her chambers, Odessa's handmaidens, along with Queen Margot, Odessa's stepmother, frantically attempt to get Odessa ready in time, including re dying her beautiful red hair brown. The stock on the box to dye. They must have. Oh, my goodness. In the throne room, the Turans are waiting. But wait, who's this gorgeous tall glass of water? Oh, you know, just the Guardian. One of the most powerful and deadly warriors in all of Tura. The who also happens to speak for the prince, as the prince does not talk to anybody outside of his own people. How convenient, Xavier. But the Turin's twist those negotiations on their head because they didn't fulfill their promise to just kill any Marrow Eels. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. They killed seven female beasts. Dun, dun, dun. The Turins demand that in accordance with the chain of sevens, the Prince is allowed to claim a bride prize. And he wants Odessa Eeny meeny minie, not May. Congratulations, Odessa. You are officially the next contestant on the Price is Right. Come on down. Well, this is awkward, as the only person who wants Odessa to be the Sparrow is the Guardian. I mean the Prince. But it is okay, because her dad has a plan. Mae has been training her whole life for this mission as spy. But now it falls to Odessa to spy on the Turins and find a way into their capital city. As well as finding a source for the Guardians power. Good luck. And may the odds be ever in your very unprepared favor. At dawn the next morning, the new Odessa Wolf and her husband set sail across the Crimson Crossing. But the journey isn't all sunshine and rainbows. The ship is attacked by a marrow eel and Odessa is thrown overboard. The gasp. The Guardian shoots a harpoon into the water where she is able to grab it and is reeled in. She. He's saved. What? A fish they caught. But something is different about the beast that attacked him. Its blood is green. Ah, it's probably nothing. Land ho. They finally make it to Tura. Time to rest and have a nice bath. Haha. Just kidding. It's time to trek through dangerous forests filled with grizzlers, tarkins and briarwolves. Oh my. And sadly, there is more than one horse this time. Wink. After a night in the deadly forest, it is time for Odessa's training. She's not one to give up so easily. And she. She pushes through, even gaining some approval from the Guardian. Their training session is cut short by the Prince, who informs his wife that he will be breaking off from the party. See ya. The next night, their camp is attacked by a grizzler. And if not for the Guardian arriving just in time, Odessa would be beast chow. Maybe there's something going on because this beast also has green blood. There's no time to focus on that. When the Guardian is getting mighty comfy with Talia, Odessa is 1000% definitely not jealous. The next day, they arrive in Trio the Amazing Ewok Tree Village. Odessa asks Tilia again about the super secret capital of Alasaria. But she, like everyone else, is super hush hush. Which is very sus sus. Every day in this village is the same. Odessa wakes up, she trains, she reads, she goes to bed and repeat, you know what's missing. Her hubby, Xavier. But the matrimony comes to an end when King Ramsay and a group of his soldiers arrive and burn every book in the village. Well, except for Odessa's journal, which is cleverly hung from a tree limb within her satchel. Phew. One week later, Odessa's training has definitely paid off. And she's even impressing the Guardian. But the surprises don't stop there. Xavier is finally back, and a little girl named Evangeline sprints up to him and calls him Papa. One awkward family dinner later, and Xavier gives Odessa to the tldr on Evie. And she agrees to add Evie to her ever growing list of secrets. Tired of being stuck in this God's damn tree village, Odessa and her handmaid Brielle work together to get Odessa on a merchant's cart to head off to Ashmore. But dun dun dun, the Guardian is In Ashmore as well. Oh, shoot. He absolutely is pissed. But before they can head back to the Tree Dome, the village is attacked by a group of Bari Wolves. The Guardian fights like a madman against his pack. Like his wife's life depends on it or something. After the Bari Wolves are dead, dead, dead, or have run off, off, off. Odessa finds herself in a room at an inn with a drunk Guardian. And he spills the beans that the green blood is actually a sign of an infection called Lysa. The next day, it is time to head to Elder. And guess what? There's only one horse. Huzzah. More time passes and Odessa Sweet starts to feel guilty. She's falling for a man who's not her husband. Gasp. Whatever will she do? The Guardian decides that it's time to retrieve her horse from Tree. Al and him, Odessa and Evie all take the trip together. During said trip, the Guardian tells Odessa more about Lysa, like how it spreads through a bite from an infected monster and that the Vosters have been studying it for four years. But that's not all she learns. She also learns that the Guardian hidden himself is infected with Lysa and that there is no cure. Not an MMC infected with something in which there is no cure. Whatever will we do? Shit hits the fan when they get to trial. The village is being attacked by a pair of Tarkins. Odessa sacrifices her own well being to protect two young children from being killed by the monster. Later, in the infirmary, Odessa witnesses the Foster using his magic on the Guardian. And that sets off all kinds of alarm bells in her head. But upon asking the Guardian about this, she learns that the Voster is siphoning the Lysa from his blood, offering him temporary reprieve from the infection. Odessa, not so quietly follows the Guardian as he investigates the infected monster's den. They find a baby talking pup, and after ensuring it is not infected, she claims it as her pet. Welcome, welcome, welcome phase. Doing what any reasonable human would do when face to face with a baby animal, the Guardian's walls start crumbling down and he offers up his real name, Ransom. But the Guardian's work is never done. And it's off to another town. This time to Revali, a town that was recently attacked by a lion. Wick and Ransom needs a tldr on what happened. Odessa spends her time with a local named Samuel and inquires about the mysterious capital city that no one seems to want to talk about. Turns out they can't because they are sworn by a blood oath to never reveal its location. Also they have the greatest alchemist hidden away, which surely has no relation to Lysa. Right before Ransom and Odessa can leave the town, King Ramsay and his militia arrive. Ramsay burns Samuel's shop and home, but thankfully Ransom saves the man. When Ramsay goes to leave, Odessa loudly calls him a coward for burning books. Go off, Queen. Back in Elder, Odessa discovers that Xavier, her husband, has been having sexy time with her lady's maid, Jocelyn. And homegirl is relieved that she can now be with Ransom. There's only one slight problem, though. She's married to Xavier. Or is she? That's right, folks. The royal family of Tura has been lying to everybody. Ransom is actually Xavier Ransom Wolf, and she's been married to the Guardian the whole time. The whole time. The whole time. Even though Jocelyn has technically done nothing wrong, Odessa, still she doesn't know that she didn't do anything. And that me.

[Lexi]

That is the Prince.

[Nicole]

Oh, that's so awkward. Odessa still decides to keep face and send Jocelyn home with a message for her father. She has failed her mission and there is no way into Alessaria. Lies, lies, lies. Speaking of lies, Ransom finally tells Odessa the truth about Evie. She is Ransom's little sister, but technically they didn't lie because Xavier is truly raising her as his daughter. Everything good has come to an end as a pack of Bari wolves attack the fortress. When the pack retreats, Ransom and a group of warriors head out to hunt down the remaining beasts. Later that night, Odessa expresses her theory that the monsters are drawn to her, and Ransom agrees. So he gives her a sword from when he was a child so that she can protect herself. And bang, bang, bangly bang. I said, oh, we're just getting started, wife. Bang. The next day, Odessa is attacked by an infected man. A man. And during her stay in the infirmary, she finally figures out who Evie and Ransom's mother is. It's Luella. It's Brevelli. But officially, meeting her mother in law takes a sour turn when Luella shows up with cave ginger in her hand. And that happens to be the same green as the infected Lys of blood. And the truth comes out. Luella and a team of alchemists created an elixir that, when combined with a bite from a Bari wolf, they together create Lysa. Oh. And there's no cure, but don't worry, she's looking for one. Just don't die or anything. Luella. And on top of that, the King has discovered the elixir and is attempting to recreate Lysa within his militia to make Big, strong men. Odessa and Ransom are making plans in case shit hits the fan. And perfect timing, because shit hits the fan. The King and his army show up at the Elder Gates. And he's not alone. Banner, Odessa's ex fiance, is here as well. And he's bargained to take his fiance back to Quintus before the migration. But Ruh Roh Raggy, his fiance, isn't Odessa anymore. But Brielle Legasp, can her handmaidens stop fucking her exes? But it's not the only plot twist. Jocelyn is a spy for Odessa's father. This day couldn't possibly get any worse. But oh, it does. The Crux has arrived months early. The crux brings total destruction and chaos to the fortress. Odessa is able to take Evie and with the help of her father's emissary, foster priest Brother Dyme, they get out of Elder safely. But the same cannot be said for everyone else. Luella, Banner, Brielle, as well as countless others are perished in the Crux attack. Halsin and Xavier were both brutally injured and they might not survive the night. Thankfully, Ransom is able to kill the Crux. But where a monster's body should be instead lies a female who looks impossibly like Odessa. That's a problem for a later date, because right now, Ransom needs to find his wife.

[Lexi]

You know, there's a running joke with the last hundred pages of books sometimes, but with this one, it's like the last like 20. It's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Nicole]

That's so true. Oh my God.

[Lexi]

God, thank you so much for that recap, Nicole. We will be right back after a word from our sponsors.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Here's how to stay alive longer so

[Nicole]

you can enjoy Boost Mobile's unlimited plan

[Lexi]

with a price that never goes up.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Do not mistake a wasp nest for a pinata.

[Lexi]

Stay alive and switch now at boost

[Ad Read Announcer]

mobile, after 30 gigs, customers may experience lower speeds. Customers will pay 25amonth as long as they remain active on the Boost Mobile unlimited plan. Unlock the savings at Boost Mobile and save up to 600 a year. I've been scouting these big carriers for a minute now, and I've seen them pull the same play a thousand times. They promise you the world, then hit you with a price hike right when the game gets tight. But Boost Mobile, their 25amonth unlimited wireless plan is the most consistent player on the floor. No contracts, no price hikes. Unlock the Savings [e-mail] Unlock based on average annual single line payment of AT&T, Verizon and T mobile customers compared to 12 months of the Boost Mobile Unlimited Wireless plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boostmobile.com this episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations

[Lexi]

all right friends, we've talked about the world, the characters, the magic, and recapped the book. Now let's zone in on where things leave off at the end of Shield of Sparrows because again, a lot just happened here and also any other important nuggets to remember. So we are all as ready as can be jumping into rights of the Starling when it releases. A whole lot happens at the end of this book where our heads are on a swivel, characters are dying left and right, and our jaws are on the floor. So beyond Nicole's lovely recap there, what else happened there? King Ramsay shows up in Elder, a village in Tura with an army legion seeking to collect his son and punish his wife. He has been searching for for years. Years. But with him are a few familiar Quintus characters. Brother Dime, the Quintus emissary, and Voster Priest Banner, Odessa's former fiance and her father's right hand, as well as Jocelyn, her former lady's maid. And this is where we find out that the woman Banner has loved from the beginning of the book has been Brielle. Oh my goodness. And Jocelyn has been a spy for Odessa's father this whole time. And she sold out where the Queen of Tura is. Oh my goodness gracious. So many things are going on. But the King also brings bad news. A Crux scout was spotted along the Western front two days ago. This means the Crux came months early. The Crux were not supposed to migrate until next spring at the earliest. That's like six months away. No one is ready right now. Preparations are not even close. Trenches have not been dug, protections haven't been built yet. This is bad, bad, bad folks. The King wants to round up as many people as possible and bring them to Alessaria to be safe. Safe from the incoming Crux migration.

[Nicole]

A female Crux drops into the courtyard, blocking anyone from leaving out of the gate. And this leads to absolute chaos and devastation of Elder and a crap ton of deaths, including Jocelyn. So bye bye Odessa's father's spy Ransom's mom Luella, which I cannot believe. Gone too soon. Brielle. Brielle voluntarily walks into an open space where she drops her knives and lifts her face to the the stars. Where she is then taken by the Crux into the shades, which I'm assuming, oh, maybe that's where the crux are hanging out. So I'm guessing that's where they are. They're in the shades.

[Lexi]

I thought the shades was like.

[Nicole]

Like hell. Not.

[Lexi]

Not. It's their. Not like heaven, but it's like their version of afterlife. The afterlife. Yes, exactly.

[Nicole]

Odessa takes Evie and Faze to collect books from a secret compartment in an underground room in Luella's room. Yay.

[Lexi]

Odessa has the all important research from Mama.

[Nicole]

Mama's research. Thank God we got Mama's research. On her way out to escape with Evie, Banner, her ex fiance blocks her path. He reveals that he intends to kill Odessa as his way to hurt Ransom and avenge his brother who Ransom killed. And he also just hates Ransom. As the fight breaks out, Odessa manages to hold him off for long enough for Xavier or Dray to arrive, distract Banner long enough for Odessa then to kill Banner. But Xavier is severely wounded during the confrontation. At this point, the ground is basically covered in entrails and gore and yuck. Odessa, Evie and Faze make it to the barracks where they are targeted by the Crux and are saved from being plucked off the ground by Ransom. Ransom is convinced that the monsters are drawn to Odessa and tells Odessa to take Evie and leave, take the small child and have the monster magnet be the one who takes the child. I have questions. They are safer in Quintus, so where they're headed or where they're hoping to be headed, as it has a geological advantage for surviving the migration compared to the other kingdoms Ransom gives her.

[Lexi]

It's going to take them a long time to get there. Or they have to cross the open sea. And the crooks are coming, everybody.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Do you. Okay, that's actually a question. Do you think that they're going to be on a boat through that? Like Trade of the Cross? I don't think so either. I think they're going to be going through because especially next book, Daphne has said that it's going to be world building, so I'm assuming we're going to be going through some kingdoms. I'm so excited. Okay, so they are safer in Quintus, which is where they're hopefully headed, as it has a geological advantage for surviving the migration compared to the other kingdoms. Ransom gives her his cuff. That is the road to Alasaria the instructions for her are to take Evie and if he doesn't arrive in trial by the day after tomorrow. So two days from now, she is to take Evie from Tura and do what needs to be done. Meaning give her father, the king who wants to invade Tura, the map of the location where he wants most, Alessaria, which could lead to the death of the Vassar, the end of Alasaria and the spread of Lysa. Who knows? That's quite the risk there. Ransom. When they get to the hidden tunnel entrance, she is met by Brother Daim, who has her horse. She has asks him, well, first and foremost, what the fuck are you doing here? But secondly, if his intercepting this and wanting to take her has anything to do with her mother. And he remains silent. But Ransom does trust this particular Voster, so that has to be good enough for Odessa right now. Without another word from Brother Dime, he leads Odessa, Evie and Faze out into the night.

[Lexi]

And then the very last chapter of the book is the only one in Ransom's POV be Whereas the aftermath of how much damage this single female crux did. Because of the gruesome way in which the crux killed so many men, women and children, it is impossible to know exactly how many lives were lost. But a whole bunch. The crux had picked Ransom up and he was able to drive his sword through her chest straight into her heart. So yay, he successfully slayed the crux. Huzzah. But what's this? A female human body lays where a massive, horrifying bird monster should be. This woman has spiraling curls with the exact same color red as Odessa's hair. Ransom decides to shear a lock of it off. So, yep, I bet you anything that'll be important for book two, I bet that's going to be included in some kind of right of Starling thing. I can't get that out of my mind. Now, after you said that. Nicole, this has never happened before. When any other crux has been killed prior to this, any dead crux had a monstrous body when it died. It was, you know, just a regular crux bird they had never turned into a human. In order to keep people from. From freaking the fuck out, Ransom orders the body to be burned. But this leaves us readers spiraling with theories.

[Nicole]

I just got another one as you were talking. Oh, God. Okay, so where do things leave off for our main characters? Odessa, Evie and Faze are together. Huzzah. Less of a huzzah. They were led to safety by Brother Dime because we haven't really talked much about this guy. Let's do a quick tldr on Brother Dimension. He is, possibly was, Odessa's father's emissary. Like all Voster priests, his magic makes Odessa feel physically ill. He's creepy as hell, and he's seen, mostly in this story, side by side with the high Voster priest. Doesn't seem like a coincidence that Brother Dime was the one who the high priest turned to when the high priest was curious about who Odessa's mother is literally asking Brother Dimension time, quote, did you know? Know what, High Priest?

[Lexi]

Ah, my head is going to burst wondering about these mama Mysteries. And it's like, yes, of course he would know, because he knew who her mother was. And this is especially important because it is happening after the Foster grabs Odessa and she has, like, a visceral reaction. It is so intense for her. And it's only after that that the high priest is like, oh, my God, did you know about who she is? Is.

[Nicole]

And I bet you he does. Yes. So if he's Odessa's father's emissary, why was he walking in with King Ramsey?

[Lexi]

Wait, what if. I'm so sorry. What if the reason Margot has been dyeing her hair this whole time is because they have been trying to keep Odessa from being seen by the Foster, by Brother Dime, and now Brother Dime knows who she is. Who he actually did not know really before. I have no idea how this would work with her mother and all this.

[Nicole]

No, he would have known because remember after the cliff jumping, her hair dye was falling out and she ran into Brother Dime.

[Lexi]

Oh.

[Nicole]

At the very beginning of the book. She did. She did.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Oh, my gosh. That's how.

[Lexi]

And, like, that's how he knew who she was. And. Oh, my gosh. So maybe he, like, hadn't fully known or, like, wondered if there was a hunt or something like that, and then it, like, all clicked into place, and now he's like, okay, now you're important.

[Nicole]

Now you're important. You need to come with me. So I do have a question. Because. Because if he is Odessa's father's emissary, which I'm still in a question mark about that, because I think he was possibly a spy. Why do you think he was walking in if he was not a spy? Why do you think he was walking in with King Ramsay, King of Tura, at the end?

[Lexi]

I assumed that it was related to Banner's presence, and I do think that was, like, the outer reason that he was supposed to be here. He was here to come with Banner to make sure that he got his. His fiance back.

[Nicole]

Who is Brielle?

[Lexi]

However, I do think that Brother Dime has an ulterior motive, and that is tied to the mystery around Odessa and her potential power and connection to the monsters.

[Nicole]

I definitely think you're right when he's got some kind of ulterior motive. But why does Ransom trust Brother Dime? And why is Brother Dime specifically looking for Odessa if it is, like, outside of something to do with her mother? I mean, honestly, that's probably. Probably got enough reason. And why, when Odessa asks at the very end if he wants her because of something to do with her mother, does he remain silent? I. Okay. So as I was writing this, honestly, I'm kind of liking your other theory that we were just coming up with. But I did have a theory as I was writing this, especially when it comes to Ransom's trust with Brother Dime. Is Brother Dime a spy for Ransom? Because that would. That would explain how Ransom knew about maybe being a spy for the. For the king. Also, it would include why. I mean, why. Obviously, Ransom trusts him at the end. Now, that would mean that Brother Dime is definitely keeping something from Ransom because he knows some shit about her. Mom. What are your thoughts?

[Lexi]

I'm not entirely convinced that Ransom doesn't know anything about. Oh, yes. I. I don't know. We remember this is a trilogy, and we still need conflict in the romance.

[Nicole]

That's true.

[Lexi]

Still have more secrets.

[Nicole]

Everybody I love a good secret. Secret.

[Lexi]

I will say. They are so deep in Tura right now. And looking at the map, I mean, they are in, like, the northernmost part away from all of the other kingdoms right now.

[Nicole]

That's true.

[Lexi]

So if the Crocs are coming, like, I know that they still have a tiny bit of time. It's not like thousands of them are going to be coming tomorrow. But, like, scouts do mean. Yeah. Like, everybody finish your preparations, because they're coming very soon.

[Nicole]

We've got, like, maybe a week or something.

[Lexi]

Exactly. Like, that's kind of my. My theory thinking. Yeah, too. So, with the Crux coming, I assume that he has some kind of secret Voster route for them to get to wherever they're going. Like, we know that there are underground y. Tunnels. Tunnels and things like that. Yeah. So I bet you the Voster have their own methods, and so he's going to make sure that she gets that. I could even see there being some quick transports we got. The kingdom's very large, so.

[Nicole]

I know, right?

[Lexi]

The V are having their own little choice cheat Sheets in there,

[Nicole]

monster proofed

[Lexi]

cheat sheets or like just like from getting from point A to point B much faster. I don't think that he is taking her back to Quintus, probably to somewhere shrouded in secrecy with the Foster, where she will learn more about her lineage. I think it's extremely important now with the migration coming again, going back to that Rights of the Starling, I think that she is a starling and they got to get some stuff going here.

[Nicole]

Yeah, so. So in one of the sprayed edges versions of Rights of the Starling, it's not the like special edition that is being mass produced. It's a little bit more of like a limited edition one. The sprayed edges are a woman standing on a hill looking at a palace that I guarantee you is Alisaria. So what if he's taking her to Alessaria?

[Lexi]

He very well could be.

[Nicole]

Yeah, he could be.

[Lexi]

Or he's taking her to the rendezvous point that Ransom is going to be going to as well.

[Nicole]

Especially if he's a spy for Ransom. Exactly. I agree.

[Lexi]

Yes, very possibly.

[Nicole]

Now I will say, if he is bringing her to Alessaria, I think we can immediately cross off that he's a spy for Ransom, because that would be going against what Ransom wanted him to do or wanted Odessa to do. Yes.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Yeah. In the aftermath of this insanity, Brother Dime finds Odessa, Evie and Faze and together is leading them, like we're saying, somewhere, as far as we know, they are all healthy and alive, maybe not happy, even though they are all scared shitless and have no idea if anyone in Elder is still alive or if the Crux is still after Odessa. She doesn't know if Ransom's alive or not. And also, Odessa has no idea that the Crux woman is a doppelganger to herself.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Oh, God. Ah, so good.

[Lexi]

And we cannot forget that Odessa and Ransom have the theory that the monsters are drawn to to her. So they are extra terrified that she is attracting the Crux. And yes, she is. Let's see, that's a four year old.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

They're working with one problem at a time.

[Nicole]

Get the four year old out of

[Lexi]

the immediate vicinity, number one.

[Nicole]

And to be fair, Ransom is the best bet to defeat the Crux in that moment. And he needed someone he trusts to take Evie, so I can't fault him too much. But it is a little, little funny that it's like take the four year old with who? The monster magnet.

[Lexi]

All right, so let's talk about where things are left off with Ransom. The Guardian. So he is processing the loss and destruction from this crux attack. His mother has just died and he had to send his wife and his little sister away with no way to guarantee their safety unless he had brother John go after them. And now he is on a mission to find his wife wife to find Odessa. And he plans to figure out the mystery behind this dead crux turning into a woman who looks like his wife. Yes, it is definitely implied that he thinks Odessa might unknowingly be the key to this because that was such a WTF curveball with the crux turning into a human. Separately, Ransom has also decided that Xavier has sacrificed enough for his kingdom and that if his cousin survives his wounds, he is free to be dray again and to live his life as a own.

[Nicole]

AKA Ransom is ready to embrace crown prince status. But speaking of Dre Xavier, Xavier is alive but fighting for his life in the infirmary thanks to Banner's attack. The healer who found him tells Ransom to basically prepare for the worst, that no man likely could survive such a wound. Maybe he might give him the elixir. I'm not sure. He no longer wears the circlet indicated him as a faux prince like we were saying earlier because Ransom has taken it ready to don the prince title again.

[Lexi]

All right, so now let's talk real quickly about Tilia and Halston, who is her husband. Halston lost his leg while trying to help defend the settlement and he is currently fighting for his life in the infirmary. Tilia, who is part of Ransom's inner circle, she is the one who has really been one on one training with Odessa and become a good friend of hers all book. She is alive and she is pregnant. Remember that? We found that out about what, 2/3 of the way through the book there?

[Nicole]

That's right.

[Lexi]

She is focused on their loved ones fighting for their lives right now. And it's like Tilia is determined to find a way through pure stubbornness to make sure her husband and Xavier make out alive.

[Nicole]

And as for some last other little characters, the king and his surviving soldiers escaped the chaos and Ransom knows he will have to deal with his father later. Catelyn is also alive and uninjured as far as we know. But she is grieving the loss of her partner Llewellyn.

[Lexi]

So yeah, Luella dead, Banner dead, Brielle dead, Jocelyn dead.

[Nicole]

A lot of people died at the end of this book, swear to God. All right, Lexi. It is the moment we have been waiting for to round out this episode. We couldn't not include a section for all the theories that we have going into rights of the starling. Because our heads were spinning on this reread and we were just like texting each other in all cases caps back and forth.

[Lexi]

We've alluded to it all Episode. So let's finally dive in and theorize about Odessa, her lineage. Why she reacts so strangely to foster magic when no one else does. Why she doesn't have Starbursts in her lives like everyone else. Why she might be attracting the monsters. Oh my goodness, there is so much to dissect. So first of all, I want to bring up a big theory that I have. We didn't talk much about the old gods and the new gods, but we do know about the the six, the new gods who are the children of the old gods. They created monsters out of jealousy of their parent gods. I've read enough fantasy to wonder if Odessa is directly linked to the gods who created the monsters. And then I remembered in chapter 33, Cathlene shares an old myth with Odessa. And I'm just going to quote this whole thing here. Quote. It's about a woman named Sora who sailed across the horizon. She was gone for a hundred years, but when she returned to Calandra, she brought with her creatures and animals our realm had never seen. Some believe this is where the monsters came from. Not the new gods, but a God. We've never known a God more powerful than any other. It always made me wonder. Yes, Cathyn, I wonder this as well. I think Odessa and her mother are ancestors of this Sora goddess. And that is where she gets her special connection with the monsters. How she is drawn to the them, how they are drawn to her. And if this God, Sora is more powerful than the rest, how does Odessa's mother's bloodline fit into this? Interestingly, in Japanese, Sora means sky or heaven. So it could be another tie in with the crux and the winged emblem that she has with the necklace.

[Nicole]

Yes, yes, yes. This would also explain why Odessa's eyes are gold and they don't have starbursts. Because if Sora is a God, that would make Odessa a demigod. So that would be absolutely a reason why her eyes are different. Also, there's a passage where Odessa talks about how she was poisoned by fennec tusk powder when she was 13 and by a scullery maid, which, shame on you, Scullery made not very nice. She should not have survived that. Poisoning like that was insane. And yet she did.

[Lexi]

Demigod was kind of like traits of the monsters as.

[Nicole]

Yes. Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

What Lysa is. I mean, I'm not saying that she has Lysa by any means, but, like, she. She has the natural traits, unknowingly, that Luella purposefully did with creating Lysa. So I do think, yes, like, there's that superhuman ness to her. And going back to the Starbursts, it would mean that she doesn't technically come from a land. And I'm betting that neither Odessa or her mother would have the Starbursts tied to the region they are born because they cannot be tied to the land here. Going back, they embody magic of something different. Like this God, Sora just came out of nowhere with these monsters. So what if, like, that is where they are from? What if that is where the Crux migrate from?

[Nicole]

There you go. Okay, well, okay, so then that actually brings me to the thought that I was having when you were talking about the Crux. So if this. And this might be a crack theory.

[Lexi]

So please, we're all here, crack theories,

[Nicole]

filter this out as I'm speaking. What if Odessa's people, they all look the same. They're all from this region where they all have eyes of gold. And that's where they're chilling in human form. But then out of nowhere, every 30 years or so, they turn into these birds and they have this like, monster, like reaction to have to migrate over the sky and then come back. But it's like they're. It's like a curse, basically.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

And then when Ransom killed her, he broke the curse, which is why she turned back into her normal human self. So Odessa is from that location.

[Lexi]

Okay, and like, like, even, like you think. What if she was even born somewhere else because her mother died when she was a baby.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

What if her mother never returned from.

[Nicole]

Well, so what if her mother didn't die, but she turned? Or she needed to go back to her homeland with the Crux?

[Lexi]

Okay, so I. This is so much fun. Like, so I will say Ransom is very specific in asking if any of the Crux monsters have died and turned into humans before. And the answer is no. So have they?

[Nicole]

Have any Crux died? Have any Crux died before?

[Lexi]

Yes, yes, they have killed them in the past. And again, like, not in this generation, because this is the first Crux migration of this generation. But, yeah, in all past, there has never been any recorded information about this, even though they have killed Crux before.

[Nicole]

Okay, so let's throw a little wrench into the theory.

[Lexi]

I think, that Odessa's Presence. Something about Odessa is causing some kind of change.

[Nicole]

Oh, okay. Well, I have another theory to bring into the mix. Okay. Because I found this one on Reddit from user Sun MedPub up 17 8. This person wonders if the crux at the end, who the dead crux that Ransom killed, who has those very similar features to Odessa, is actually Odessa's mother. Like is her mother itself. And that's why at the end, the crux was killing everyone who was near Odessa, especially whenever she screams or whenever someone was in danger. It was literally her mother trying to protect her. Now, this would bring up some mighty complicated feelings. Next book. Because Ransom killed that crux with which would be messy if he killed her mother. But to be honest, with all the

[Lexi]

builds up aspects, Mother killed his mother first.

[Nicole]

That's a good point. That's a good point. I will say this though. With all the buildup around who is Odessa's mother? Who is Odessa's mother? I think it is more likely that we are going to see the version of Odessa's mother or learn a lot more about her and. And her death next time versus this one being her mother and then she just dying in less than a few pages. So I could see this being more like Odessa's aunt or someone related to her, if we're talking that route. Now, this does bring up the question though, going back to what you were saying is that if she is, who would know that she could be a descendant of the God Sora? Because I really think you're onto something here. Would Brother Dime know? Would King Ramsay know? Because he seemed to also have some insight on her. Her. Would Margot know because she's been dyeing Odessa's hair? It could be from saving her from being noticed as a descendant of Sora. I do like your idea about saving her from the foster priest, but I think we're both in agreement that Margot is helping Odessa, even though she's being a about it.

[Lexi]

Oh, yes, definitely. I don't think of Margot as like a bad character, like a villain here. I think she's just a. I'm gonna say, kind of like a classic stepmother who is really striving for perfection and has those insecurities about the past wife. However, I will get to my theory here shortly.

[Nicole]

Oh, okay. Okay. So then I have another one while we're on the topic of Odessa and her mother, because we have to talk about the necklace Odessa has from Odessa's mother. This is a big, big, big old clue about Odessa's mother's connection to the Monsters.

[Lexi]

Real quickly. Odessa found this necklace in. Was it like her mother's closet or something? Like it was very, very well hidden. Hidden.

[Nicole]

So she was 13.

[Lexi]

That's right. When she was 13. So I think that she's just automatically knows that it was her mother's necklace, right? Or like she's assuming that, right?

[Nicole]

I think so, yes. Okay, cool.

[Lexi]

Yeah. And again, like, everything with her mother has been removed, and so she's just grasping for whatever she can. And she found this.

[Nicole]

Yeah. So I want to pull out a passage that really stood out for me from Chapter 56, aka Luella's massive download in the library at Elisaria. There was was a story that a monster's claw. We talked about this a little earlier. The monster's claw was given to a man as a gift for saving the beast. And that claw was worn around the man's neck. As a result, the man could not feel pain or sickness. This is the story that sparked the idea for Luella and the other alchemist to create the human elixir to survive the crux. But. Huh, how odd that on the front of the notebook with Louella's alchemist research that is connected to all the other alchemist research who were creating this elixir. What is the one thing on the intricate etching on the front of the notebook? A winged emblem. The same emblem as Odessa's mother's necklace. So what if this old tail with the claw. What if this is Odessa's mother's necklace and it's been passed down?

[Lexi]

Oh. Oh, that's interesting. Here I am being like. When she put the necklace on when she was 13, it was almost like it activated something within her. What if that is what is drawing the cruxes and all the monsters? Because also, the crux just came like six months early. So I bet she is also, sadly, the indirect reason about for.

[Nicole]

Oh, 100%.

[Lexi]

Absolutely. And so I also wonder if maybe the winged emblem. What if that was Sora again?

[Nicole]

I'm just going back to Sora.

[Lexi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What if that is like Sora's sigil or something like that?

[Nicole]

Possibly. Definitely going to this necklace though. Because in this legend, remember it says that the wearer cannot find feel pain, but Odessa has it and she feels pain and nausea with the Vosters. What if the magic within this necklace, it counteracts with Voster magic. So that's why she feels ill in their presence.

[Lexi]

Oh, that's interesting. I. That is. I like that.

[Nicole]

Thank you. So.

[Lexi]

So let's talk now about the Voster Magic, too. Because I. I have another theory.

[Nicole]

I love this.

[Lexi]

So Odessa has an extremely unique reaction to the Voster magic whenever she is in their presence. And especially when the Foster touches her. Yeah. When she feels the Voster's touch, Odessa goes into so much pain, she feels like she's split in two. And that is when it's obvious who or what she is to the Foster. And that is when the high priest asks who her mother is. So I will say it was not necessarily her hair specifically that made it. I'm sure that was, like, a clue. But it really is about this severe reaction to the Vosters touching her.

[Nicole]

It might have also been the necklace as well. Because if that's another connection to her mother, the Voster would probably have known her mother. Because they're so old.

[Lexi]

Yes. Well, and if the winged emblem was on Luella's notebook, that could be how Ramsay knows some about Odessa as well. So, first of all, yes, I think Brother Dime knows way more about her mother and her past being that Foster in Quintus. Unless, again, what we were saying earlier, where Margo was dyeing her hair to keep her hidden from Brother Dime. Real quickly, I will just go ahead and throw out that Odessa is not a Voster herself. As far as we know on the page, Odessa has not shown any signs of magic, especially the Voster's kind of magic, which is more elemental magic. And like the blood magic and all that. It's very. A little vague exactly what they are able to do and, like, how they get their magic and all, all that kind of stuff. So we're not going to worry about that. I think that Odessa comes from something other. Again, like Sora, the God who is actually countering the Foster. Like, they are opposing magics. So she comes from this magic that innately is opposing with the Foster that counters the Voster magic. Essentially, she is what you're describing as the winged emblem is. And that is why it's so weird with. With her reaction with the Foster, because she. He innately repels them. Let's also not forget about the interesting rumor that Samuel printed in his book about how King Cross killed his wife, Odessa's mother. Which seems like it couldn't be further from the truth. The king loved Odessa's mother. And when Odessa questions Samuel about this and why in the world he would think such a thing, he says he embellished a rumor from a drunk nobleman because he knew it was satisfied. As much as Odessa wants to learn more about this drunk nobleman in Quintus, she does not press. But what I think is that the king was indeed involved in her death or disappearance. And his guilt and fear of the truth, and especially of the truth escaping are what has shaped the king's life, why he changed so much after his wife's death and why he had everything removed about his previous wife.

[Nicole]

Just throwing out there. If she can change back and forth into a crush trucks, let's say she did. And then he's like, oh my God. Shoot, shoot. Away with you. Away with you. But like. And that was. I mean, obviously it would be much more dramatic. It wasn't like, I don't think anybody

[Lexi]

else would know that happened though, like 30 years ago.

[Nicole]

They're in the room, they're having a bottle of wine. How big that person? He has a big room. Room. He's got a big balcony.

[Lexi]

Probably the head is three times the size of a person.

[Nicole]

Okay, fine. Continue doing your theory.

[Lexi]

Okay, so I really do think that the king is trying to make all of this forgotten. The reason they're always trying to get Odessa to blend in with the background. The reason that May was chosen as the sparrow and Odessa was to marry someone close to her father and stay close to home. The reason Margot dyes Odessa's hair brown. Because they need Odessa to be forgotten. Just as they're trying to get everyone to forget about her mother. They need the truth to be hidden and lost to history. The king may have fiercely loved her mother, but what if her mother was a danger to the kingdom? I'm not saying she turned into a crux right then and there, but like, he knew that she was a danger or the wrong people were learning about her. Maybe the Vasser were starting to ask questions like, and that is associated with that mystery there about how they clearly know about her and are very interested. Okay, so that leads me to my crack theory.

[Nicole]

Theory here.

[Lexi]

The last crux migration was about 30 years ago. What if it was right around then that the king met her mother? Because we know that Odessa is like 23 years old. So seven years before that is easily when the king and his future queen could have met. And her mother is linked to the previous crux migration. Like that is when she arrived into this world. Like, not saying that he just pointed out to the crux of the sky, but like, that is how she arrived to this world. And again, that is because she doesn't have the starburst in her eyes eyes either. Or what if maybe the reason her father wants to go to Alisaria so much is because he believes that her mother is there and she is the lone female crux here. And she, when she was in Alizaria, turned into a crux and escaped. And that is why she's like this. Only one lone crux.

[Nicole]

You do not get to say that. You don't stand on my crux theory and then go off queen about her turning into a crux and being the solitary crux, just throwing herself out into the world. You said she turned into a crux

[Lexi]

in the dining room.

[Nicole]

Okay, my. Listen, crazier things have happened in a dining room.

[Lexi]

Man, bear, pig.

[Nicole]

I was talking about blowjobs, but continually. I don't know. Actually, I think they're three times the size of a human bird. Is a little bit crazier than a blowchop.

[Lexi]

May be like a little micro penis, no matter how. How big it actually is. I will say, though, as I'm having fun with this theorizing, I have a hard time getting behind the theory that the female crux was specifically a. Odessa's mother.

[Nicole]

Same.

[Lexi]

Are they connected? And I mean, I'm going to say related, but I don't think that's quite the right language. But, like, definitely connected. Absolutely. And this is going to be the huge plot line about Odessa's ancestry. Was that her mother that Ransom killed? I'm like 60, 40, thinking.

[Nicole]

No, I. I think I'm 60, 40, maybe even 70, 30 also. Yeah. The priority being. No, simply because. Because with that amount of buildup of the mystery behind her mother. The mystery behind her mother, to only have her husband kill her mom in like five pages would be like, whoa. So I think from a storytelling standpoint, that definitely makes sense for her to be related. And it's just another part of the mystery. But it's not her mother per se. Yes. I have one final question before we go into the last segment of this episode, and that is, do you think we are going to Alasaria next. Next book? And if you do think so, because I definitely think so.

[Lexi]

Me too.

[Nicole]

When? Okay. So when do you think we're going to Elisaria next book?

[Lexi]

Oh, I think probably in the. By the first third.

[Nicole]

Whoa. Okay.

[Lexi]

Early on. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Okay. I'm gonna go with the last third.

[Lexi]

All right.

[Nicole]

Okay. Are we making a bet? Bet?

[Lexi]

Sure, Nicole, we can make a bet.

[Nicole]

If I win, I need you for a night of puppy sitting whenever I want.

[Lexi]

That sounds fine, but when? Whenever you want. Is going to have to work with my family schedule.

[Nicole]

Within reason. Okay. All right. All right.

[Lexi]

Let's just keep it easy then. For me, a night of kid sitting.

[Nicole]

Okay, yes, I think one of us has a much easier task than the other, but that sounds good.

[Lexi]

I know we could theorize all day long, but let's go ahead and start wrapping up this episode with a question we always like to ask ourselves when we discuss a book on the podcast. And that is, what did we like about this book? Shield of Sparrows. And I'll also follow up with what are we really excited about for rights of the Starling.

[Nicole]

It's so funny because I feel like there's such truth to the whole, like, right place, right time when you're reading a series or a story. This was right book, slightly wrong time. Because when I first read it, I was like either deep in a reading slump or maybe it was honestly deep in our Kindred Curse saga outlines. Because I loved the premise of the story, but I got lost in it. I think I was like listening at a faster speed on audio and I was kind of half in and half out. And this is a book you cannot be half in, half out on. Like, it's not quite when the moon hatch when it comes to world building, but it is still a lot of. I mean, obviously we probably two hours of an episode just talking about things to know about the story. And when I was reading it, I was like, okay, I'm not really following. I don't really understand why this is such a big deal. And da da da, da da. But I liked the premise. And then when I was rereading it for this, I was like, fuck me. This book is incredible. I love an arranged marriage story. While the romance in this book is not my favorite, I do love the twist that we have on the trope where the Guardian is the prince and not Xavier and all of that stuff. I love that on a reread. I remember even when I was reading it for the first time and Xavier didn't say the wedding vows and the Guardian said it in his place, I was like, oh, something's here. Like, that was definitely clocked that.

[Lexi]

Yes, I guessed the plot twist and

[Nicole]

I was very proud of myself. I will say this, that plot twist, I do think we were supposed to guess. Especially if you've read a lot of Roman fantasy, you might know the signs there. But like the stuff with Luella and Lysa. Yeah. Most of all, I really keep going back to whenever I think about what has stood out to me about this book. It's the presence of the monsters is unlike anything I've ever read before. And a line really stuck out to me it's when Ransom says that phase is a monster, and Odessa says back quote, does it have to be? And one thing I love about this book is it's this ever surfacing question of, are monsters born or made? And what. What constitutes as a monster? Because Ransom technically believes himself a monster, and obviously Odessa doesn't believe it. Is it a certain quality, like being a crux or even having Lysa? Is it something that others tell you you are, but you don't have to be, like, faze, like, where he's just raised as a little baby tiger? He's a freaking house cat. He's freaking adorable. Ransom is determined that he himself is that monster because he's infected. But just because you're infected, does that change who you are? And I just. I think that's such a cool concept to explore over and over again in a story, especially when the two main characters have such differing answers for it. So rereading this fan guide, I was like, oh, my God, there's so much here. Like the lines that make you go, gasp. Does that mean something? And if you know ffg, you know that that's something we latch onto.

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

To answer your second question, look, see? Like, what are we excited for when it comes to rights of the starling Odessa's mother? I really am excited to go to Alasaria because I hope, hope to God that we do that next book. And this. This whole crux turning into someone who's Odessa's doppelganger mystery. I'm really excited. It's so funny because, yes, I am definitely much more of the romantic, but when I think about things that I'm excited for, it doesn't lean into the romance here. And it's nothing against them. I like the Guardian, I like Ransom, and I like Odessa separately. I don't know if it's like, them together that I'm just like, okay, like, it makes sense, but I'm not like, gung ho.

[Lexi]

I feel the exact same way as you with that. I admit that the love story and the romance itself are not my favorite.

[Nicole]

It.

[Lexi]

Despite really liking the individual characters.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

And for me, that is totally okay because I am so invested in everything else going on in this plot and even being in Odessa's inner monologue. Like, I love being in her head and with all these loose ends, it has me really excited for what's next. Even if the romance is not something that I'm picking up the next book for. Right.

[Nicole]

Yes. Well, and I'll also throw out something that I'm really excited for is Evie and Odessa's relationship. I love when one of the main characters, whether that's the fmc, the mmc, or even just a close side character, becomes this paternal figure. And there's just something that really warms my my heart when it comes to that. And I love Evie. And yeah, I'm really excited to see how that unfolds. And of course, to see Faze. I can't wait to see Faze grow up.

[Lexi]

Yes, I'm a little bit worried about how that's gonna work and. But we'll figure it out.

[Nicole]

They'll figure it out. Faze is a house. If they can train jaguars to be house cats, they can train a Turkin.

[Lexi]

I am so fascinated by the story's premise with the monsters and so much mystery. I've been saying that it reminds me a lot of the Witcher with the monster vibes and all of that. I've never read a Romantasy like this before. I've had so much fun with this fan guide episode because this book one has a great balance of answering a few questions, like Lysa, but leaving so many loose ends for us to continue exploring. I love the setting, the tree houses. I love the tree houses, the culture, the migrations and the monsters and how they all shape the kingdoms. And so many theories going into book two, which I do remember Devny saying that book one was more focused on the romance, while book two will be more world building and story expansion. So, yes, I cannot wait to keep learning about this world and what's next with the crux. And so much mystery around Odessa's mother. I love a good mama mystery. Yes, all of that. And I also really love how different of an FMC Odessa is. She is a little clumsy. She is not the chosen one with her and her sister. And she's not trained to be a spy or a fighter or to really be her own person. Back in Quintus, it was always like she was in the way of everybody else and she was supposed to blend in with the background. And I love how her arc goes in Shield of Sparrows, where Odessa begins to build her self confidence. She starts to discover who she wants to be and what she's capable of. Even in her inner monologue, you start to see a transition from a lot of questions that she's just always asking to towards the end, there's a little bit more assertion, right. And it's her maybe not knowing the answer but having to go for it anyway. And she's really starting to discover who she wants to be and what she is capable of. And also, can I just give a shout out to the audiobook? It is phenomenal. And the narrator captures Odessa's inner monologue so, so well.

[Nicole]

It was so well in her, like dry humor. She really captures Odessa's level of dead panning dry humor so well. Yes, I adore Odessa and she also does male voices very well.

[Lexi]

Oh yeah, A lot of people thought that there were two narrators. Like it was a duet. Yeah, it was just a female voice and then there was a male voice for Ransom's pov, but not for the rest of it.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Yep, yep, yep.

[Lexi]

All right everyone, thank you so much for listening to the Shield of Sparrows episode as we get excited about the sequel rights of the Starling coming out on April 7th. Also, we will be doing a reactions episode to Book two within a few weeks of its release, so keep an

[Nicole]

eye out for that in case you're new here. Hey. Hi. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you so much for listening to this fan guide. If you like what you heard, please check out our Deep Dive coverage. We've got Empyrean series, the Acotar series, the Kindred's Curse, Saga, Fae and Alchemy. We're currently deep diving when the Moon Hatched and we've also done a very similar fan guide series for Throne of Glass. Next week we continue our when the Moon has Hatch Deep dive covering chapters 29 through 36. To Ma's retreat we go. I'm so excited.

[Lexi]

If you would like this episode outlined to study before you read rights of the Starling as well as get access to our podcast episodes a whole day early and ad free. Join our fan club@Fantasy Fangirls.com Fan Club Link is also in the show notes. We would love to give the biggest warm welcome welcome welcome to our newest feral fans and deep divers. We we are so happy that you are here.

[Nicole]

Welcome, welcome, welcome. Caitlyn C. Morgan, Shelby M. And Michelle B.

[Lexi]

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

[Nicole]

Yay.

[Lexi]

And if you're like hey, I want my name shout out on the podcast and be shouted with all this love too, join our fan club@Fantasy Fangirls.com Fan Club Link is also in the show notes. And hey, if you like this episode outline to study for before you read rights of the Starling as well as get access to our podcast episodes a day early and ad free, you can also sign up right there for the fan club for those things as well.

[Nicole]

Thank you as always to our content researcher, our Vester Priest if you will, Brooke. And of course our executive producer, our sanity manager and co host of the Fantasy Fan, Fellas Hayden.

[Lexi]

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th is the very first day of our newest podcast in the Fantasy Fangirls Media network, Fantasy Fan Reads. It is a delightful celebration of the joys of of reading with host Jess of the Lost Books of Jess. And that kicks off with the very first episode tomorrow where I'm actually on where we're talking about cozy fantasies. We are very active on social media so please be sure to give us a follow on Instagram and/ or TikTok antasyfangirlspod. And if you're watching this on YouTube or you want to watch us on YouTube, pretty please hit that subscribe button to keep following along.

[Nicole]

While you're hitting buttons, don't forget to hit that five star button on whatever podcasting platform you are listening on. And if you want to go above and beyond, write a little love note in that review section. And friends, don't just do that for this podcast, do it for any podcast that you regularly listen to. It is so, so, so helpful. And last but most certainly not least, share this episode with your fellow readers. If you read Shield of Sparrows last year, texted your friends to have them immediately move it up on their tbr. This is a perfect episode to also move up on their lbr. Listen. Be no to be listen tbl. Okay with that. Bye bye everybody. Bye bye. He is trying to create an army of infected LYSA soldiers. LYSA soldiers. Fuck me. He is. When did I. I'm like, I'm struggling with episodes. Jesus Christ.

[Lexi]

Scholars and alchemists are the ones who develop the drugs and drugs, drugs, bugs. Who developed.

[Ad Read Announcer]

AI is transforming customer service. It's real and it works. And with fin, we've built the number one AI agent for customer service. We're seeing lots of cases where it's solving up to 90% of real queries for real businesses. This includes the real world. Complex stuff like issuing a refund or canceling an order. And we also see it when FIN goes up against competitive competitors. It's top of all the performance benchmarks, top of the G2 leaderboard. And if you're not happy, we'll refund you up to a million dollars. Which I think says it all. Check it out for yourself at FIN AI. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliate. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.