Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

215 reviews

tattedtrashreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Enjoyed the mystery aspect and the whole novel. Storytelling was great but I found myself confused sometimes as to whether or not our MC  was having a dream or she was experiencing reality. Also confusing sometimes when the narrator switched the perspectives of Opal and Arthur but that may have been just the audiobook component. Enjoyed this novel overall though and it was quite the switch up from my normal lineup and I’m happy I picked this one up! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Sexual content

stormeno's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

luckykosmos's review against another edition

emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I keep saying, this one was a ok for me, both in the aesthetic uses of the House, the lore of the Starlings, the tension of capitalism and people deciding who family really is. The parallels of Arthur and Opal pushing away the people they love because they believe they alone can fix their problems. E Starling's children's book as a character in its own right. I would read four more of these in a heartbeat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Slavery and Medical content

sashahc's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just finished a really good one.  “Starling House” by Alix Harrow is a glorious onion of a Southern Gothic.  Although linearly told, it masterfully tangles myth, dream, reality, past, and present.  There are family abandonments, small town dramas, an evil coal company, and a haunted house that may be the gateway to the underworld.  The main character is fierce, funny, scrappy, traumatized, and deeply loyal.  It is beautifully written and not at all a cozy, but it was a wrench to let the characters go at the end.  Read it.  #book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Incest

erinreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

My first reaction upon finishing this book is that it was way longer than it needed to be. I enjoyed the second half, which is where most of the plot occurs, but I was bored during the whole first half of the book, to the point where I was considering not finishing it. 

Once the plot picks up around the 50% mark, it gets interesting and I began to get invested in the mystery of the house and the people surrounding it. I was entertained as Opal unraveled it but I must admit it was pretty frustrating that she withheld so much information from her brother with no real explanation. If it came from some sort of desire to have something for herself, it might have been nice for the author to have alluded to that, but without explanation it was almost infuriating that she wasn’t sharing this information she was finding out. 

I liked all the secondary characters and I wish we got to spend more time with them, perhaps seeing more interaction with them in the first half to invest the reader a bit more. 

Ultimately, the end was more or less rewarding as everything was revealed, but I wasn’t rooting for Opal as much as I was rooting for everyone else around her. 

Read if you don’t mind slowly paced dark mysteries with light mythological elements. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

raptorq's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Racism, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, and Slavery

roseleebooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I liked this book overall, and enjoyed the writing. The narration took me out of the story a couple of times so might have preferred reading more than listening to audiobook.

The story was atmospheric and had an interesting take on how stories change and evolve depending on the teller. I especially enjoyed the way the ending was handled.

I did find that the story dragged a little in the middle and the romance felt rushed. However, the house as a character and the side characters made up for this in a lot of ways. Their influence and contribution helps to keep the slower middle portion interesting, as well as providing some counter to Opal's viewpoint and narrative.

The main character, Opal, is flawed but in a way that allows us to sympathize. She makes many mistakes and while she doesn't face any truly dire consequences, she does have to reconcile the outcome of her actions.

I keep thinking about her and her actions and the way she approaches life. I can't fully decide if I like her as a character or not. I suppose that's a comment on Harrow's effectiveness as a writer. I will definitely be rereading this at some point.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse

amandawhyatt's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Violence and Classism