Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Starling House

This book was simply amazing and so well written, I had such a hard time putting it down. The beasts were so alive that I could feel them in the room with me, breathing and the nails clicking. The end was so great as well. Definitely will read again.

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cyberhavok's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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eleanor_r's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

As an Alix E. Harrow fan I had high expectations for this release, and it still blew me away!

Built on the skeleton of Beauty and the Beast, but told slant, Starling House has everything I've loved in Harrow's past books: dark fairy tale power, rich resonant writing, and twists that feel both unexpected and inevitable. But Starling House also feels more taut and focused than 10K Doors of January or Once and Future Witches, with the plot centering on two main characters and one cursed house in a bad-luck town.

I really felt Opal's struggles to suppress her wants and dreams so she has a chance at what she needs, and how her drive for survival has blinded her to truths around her. The layers of story surrounding Starling House were so satisfying to peel away, like a folklorist comparing variants of an oft-told tale.

I also loved the slow-burn romance

between Opal and Arthur, and how we get insight into Arthur's motivations and Opal's attraction drip by drip

. This felt like a new element from Harrow, and I love what she did with it!

As a midwesterner, I appreciated the Kentucky history that peeked through the story at times, and the real sense of desperation in a town where all the jobs are precarious.

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sustainably_lucia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Perfect October read. It is a dark, mysterious, and strangely sweet story about a haunted house, its brooding, reclusive warden, and a young woman who will do almost anything to get her younger brother out of this nightmare town.

This is not the type of book that I typically read but I really enjoyed it. The beginning was a bit slow, but then it took off and I really got sucked in. I loved the layers that were slowly uncovered throughout the story about the House, the town, and the main characters. The truth is nuanced and complicated but also very simple. I was satisfied with how it ended (although I was on the edge of my seat for most of the last 100 pages). Not everyone gets what they want, but they do get what they need.

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yilliun's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

An excellent cozy southern gothic fall read. Slow to start and some of the plot points felt a little too predictable. I did love how the House becomes a character in its own right.

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lauren_shilling's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was absolutely incredible! I didn't expect to love it this much when I first picked it up, but I was almost immediately sucked into it. Opal was literally the perfect character for a story like this, and I cannot imagine any other main character for this book. Jasper was amazing as well, and I found that I really really appreciate his storyline and the sibling relationship between him and Opal. It was definitely a highlight of the book for me! Another highlight was definitely Arthur! I loved him so much, though he definitely creeped me out at first. It didn't take much for me to warm up to him, though, and then I absolutely fell in love with him. One thing I will say was that it took me a little bit to get into the romance, and when I first realized that's where it was going, I was a bit disappointed. I think my main issue was that I struggled to picture how they would function as a couple in any other circumstances. However, by the end of the book, I was rooting for them so hard! I ended up loving the romance so much, and there were some scenes that I will not forget reading. The twists were perfect and they were revealed in amazing ways, and the last chapter was everything I could have ever wanted out of this story. I loved the atmosphere too! It was so creepy and chilling and it was exactly what I was looking for when I picked up this book! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy horror story!

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kris386's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

3.0

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nisaak's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was just on the edge of my comfort level for horror. It's not really horror but it's scary. I hoped for a good ending and

that's kind of what happened.

It definitely kept me on my toes. I really adore Alix Harrow's writing. I love how she describes Starling House and all the love, blood, sweat, and tears that Opal puts into it.

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