Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

8 reviews

hagwife's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Starling House holds a special place in my heart among Alix E. Harrow's books. I love that she keeps some of her trademark elements (faerie tales, vibrant and flawed characters, fuck you's to the patriarchy, etc.) and this time mixes it with Southern Gothic and horror elements. The result is a brooding fantasy novel that combines family, monsters, the House, and the all-too-real violence of small-town nastiness into something biting and beautiful.

I love that the characters' flaws have rhyme and reason and the chance to change; morally grey characters are always one of my favourites, but neither Opal nor Arthur nor Jasper are flawed for the sake of being flawed. They're all aggregations of their lived experiences,  of inherited traumas and expectations that they didn't ask for, even as they continue to perpetuate some of them.

I love that this is a haunted house mystery without the haunting necessarily being about the house. Harrow's Starling House is less in the company of Hell House or Hill House, but that of Mervyn Peake's Gormengast, Susanna Clarke's the "World" from Piranesi, Jeanette Winterson's Tanglewreck, Tilly Walden's castle in The End of Summer, and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle. 

It has a life of its own, but it's not really a haunted house. The haunting is separate and the House merely does its best to contain it.

Concerning the end of the book, I wanted perhaps just a bit more.

I understand that part of the healing process here is that while "angry gets shit done", in order for Opal, Jasper, and Arthur to move on with their lives, they, along with Eleanor, have to put down what they can. The finale allows for the main characters to get the time they need to carve out a life for themselves and dream about a future that has hope and not despair. I just wish that perhaps those who had it coming had a little more actually come to them.

For those who liked this book, especially the gothic and horror elements, I highly recommend Cherie Priest's The Toll.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Grief, Racism, Death of parent, Blood, Car accident, Violence, and Child abuse

issamay's review

adventurous 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Slavery, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Drug use, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Vomit, and Sexual content

sashahc's review

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

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Incest

judassilver's review

dark emotional funny 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Slavery, Violence, Car accident, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Vomit, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Incest and Child death

jmyodafriend's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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: Cursing, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Vomit, Slavery, and Incest

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Excellent narration added to this creepy horror novel.  Perfect for October.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Grief, Incest, Kidnapping, Stalking, Abandonment, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Toxic friendship

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Alcohol, Car accident, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, and Vomit

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I am beyond obsessed with this book and will be screaming from the rooftops about it.  Eerie and haunting this book follows the story of starling house, from local town knowledge to the deepest darkest secrets behind its actual truth.  

Opal has always been gravitated towards the house and after winding up working there we see so much change and develop for better and for much worse. I can’t say much without spoiling this but this is one of those must read books which I can just tell is going to pop off!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Stalking, Vomit, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Car accident, Classism, Death, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Blood, Death of parent, and Grief