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piscesonpaper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
dearhaleynicole's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book had fantastic characters and a complex, ever-evolving setting that had me invested at every twist & turn in the journey Opal (the FMC) goes on in an effort to uncover the mystery that is Starling House. Her drive and inquisitiveness pushed the story along in such an enjoyable way.
Being from the south, I could really clearly picture the town of Eden, KY while reading. I feel like Alix did a great job setting the scene and the attitudes of the people there. She didn't shy away from some of the harder topics surrounding such a setting and I really appreciated that.
I will say some of the magic felt a little unexplained at times, but that may have very well been a creative choice the author made in her writing (wanting to leave some things up to the imagination of how their inner-workings operate). I could see that at least being a reason for that decision! This sort of bleeds into my only other negative critique of the book, which is that they ending felt maybe a little rushed. It was such a slow-paced read up until the last 15% or so and then it was very quick and Opal was explaining why things were happening in such a quick way that I did have to read things a few times.
The more sub-plot romance was actually a surprise personal favorite of mine! I love a brooding love interest so Arthur fit that bill very well. And I really appreciated the way Alix wrote the way their relationship bloomed. It felt genuine and comfortable. Would have loved to have had more fo them!
Overall, this was a very unique read unlike anything I've read before! Definitely a fan of books with eerie, sentient houses and this one definitely set itself apart from others maybe somewhat like it in premise. The vibes were 1,000% there and I would especially recommend reading during spooky season π» (but you could read whenever! It's literally the week of Valentine's Day as I write this review π)
P.S. Had to mention. I loved the queer representation in this book, as well! Bev & Charlotte were very cute π₯° and we love a bi king Arthur!
Being from the south, I could really clearly picture the town of Eden, KY while reading. I feel like Alix did a great job setting the scene and the attitudes of the people there. She didn't shy away from some of the harder topics surrounding such a setting and I really appreciated that.
I will say some of the magic felt a little unexplained at times, but that may have very well been a creative choice the author made in her writing (wanting to leave some things up to the imagination of how their inner-workings operate). I could see that at least being a reason for that decision! This sort of bleeds into my only other negative critique of the book, which is that they ending felt maybe a little rushed. It was such a slow-paced read up until the last 15% or so and then it was very quick and Opal was explaining why things were happening in such a quick way that I did have to read things a few times.
The more sub-plot romance
Overall, this was a very unique read unlike anything I've read before! Definitely a fan of books with eerie, sentient houses and this one definitely set itself apart from others maybe somewhat like it in premise. The vibes were 1,000% there and I would especially recommend reading during spooky season π» (but you could read whenever! It's literally the week of Valentine's Day as I write this review π)
P.S. Had to mention. I loved the queer representation in this book, as well!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Gore, Incest, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Classism, and Death of parent
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
From me, Starling House gets 3.75 stars! βΊοΈ
This is a standalone adult fantasy with a healthy dose of gothic and paranormal mixed in with some mystery aspects! π In this book we follow Opal as she gets an unexpected job as a house keeper at the dreaded Starling House ππ«£, with the sole purpose of getting her brother out of Eden, Kentucky - just another dying, bad-luck town known only for the legend of E Starling, author of Underland - a creepy children's book.
CW: bigotry, exploitation of people of color, mentions of slavery, white supremacy, homophobia, colorism, sexual abuse, etc..π
I want to begin by mentioning that I always had a great time while reading this! Both our MCs, Opal and Arthur, were interesting people, flawed and even unlikable in some aspects...something that I enjoy.
The problem for me was the whole thriller? Mystery?π€π€·ββοΈ with Miss Elizabeth Baine...frankly...her role wasn't defined enough for me to accept it... Otherwise, this gothic house story of found family and societal issues disguised as fantasy was amazing! πΊ
Sooo..I guess the main problem you could have here is with the conflict, as what I deem as writing craft and context - Eden and the careful stitching of the narrative with its history - was without reproach! π€π
Let's say some more about #story and characters : I found myself rooting for our MCs relationship! I sympathized with Arthur as well as with Opal..although she is definitely more difficult to like as a person. Saying that, her care and dedication for Jasper is to be admired and despite coming from a flawed POV, she cares deeply and tries her best to protect and support him. Jasper is also compelling and clever! He knows how to push with his sister and when to take things into his own hands...I really liked that he chose for himself and helped Opal do the same!
As for Bev and Charlotte, wasn't vibing with them in the beginning, to end up admiring them! π
Now...E. Sterling....ππ« ...I don't know what to think of her...I felt her pain but punishing Starlings like that...yeah... I'm glad things got resolved as they did.
Overall, I recommend this.
This is a standalone adult fantasy with a healthy dose of gothic and paranormal mixed in with some mystery aspects! π In this book we follow Opal as she gets an unexpected job as a house keeper at the dreaded Starling House ππ«£, with the sole purpose of getting her brother out of Eden, Kentucky - just another dying, bad-luck town known only for the legend of E Starling, author of Underland - a creepy children's book.
CW: bigotry, exploitation of people of color, mentions of slavery, white supremacy, homophobia, colorism, sexual abuse, etc..π
I want to begin by mentioning that I always had a great time while reading this! Both our MCs, Opal and Arthur, were interesting people, flawed and even unlikable in some aspects...something that I enjoy.
The problem for me was the whole thriller? Mystery?π€π€·ββοΈ with Miss Elizabeth Baine...frankly...her role wasn't defined enough for me to accept it... Otherwise, this gothic house story of found family and societal issues disguised as fantasy was amazing! πΊ
Sooo..I guess the main problem you could have here is with the conflict, as what I deem as writing craft and context - Eden and the careful stitching of the narrative with its history - was without reproach! π€π
Let's say some more about #story and characters : I found myself rooting for our MCs relationship! I sympathized with Arthur as well as with Opal..although she is definitely more difficult to like as a person. Saying that, her care and dedication for Jasper is to be admired and despite coming from a flawed POV, she cares deeply and tries her best to protect and support him. Jasper is also compelling and clever! He knows how to push with his sister and when to take things into his own hands...I really liked that he chose for himself and helped Opal do the same!
As for Bev and Charlotte, wasn't vibing with them in the beginning, to end up admiring them! π
Now...E. Sterling....ππ« ...I don't know what to think of her...I felt her pain but punishing Starlings like that...yeah... I'm glad things got resolved as they did.
Overall, I recommend this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Homophobia, Racism, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Classism, and Self harm
Minor: Pedophilia
megnut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was wondering how a dark story with a living house, nightmares and a love story would weave together... but I love the way it did. And at the same time didn't? Because it's not really about any of that at all. It's about finding a home and the power of dreams.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Classism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Police brutality
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Confinement, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Sexual violence, and Incest
purplatypus's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Car accident
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Cursing, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcohol, Racism, and Alcoholism
seaton44's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Gore, Death of parent, Blood, Domestic abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Classism, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit and Sexual assault
ambert's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
There is allusions that one of the characters is raped, but it is never explicitly stated.browniebby's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.75
This book was not good. I went in expecting something completely different from what I got. The main character seemed much younger than her age, the love interest was really just boring (oh he gave her a coat and over payed her must be true love)and the side characters just felt like they were there because the author needed more people.
Also...the author kept mentioning how people treated the brother due to his race, which is vaguely implied to be Latino although it's never said from where. And she had a whole section about slavery told from the perspective of a descendant, but...it had a very magical negro type ending so any credit I might have given was immediately lost. It felt like she wanted YOU to know that she's aware of Kentuckys racism but she's not gong to delve too deep into it.
As an aside that audiobook narrator was a poor choice. This book is supposed to be set in small town Kentucky but from the narrator you'd never know that. Even the characters born and bred in the areas don't really have an accent. It was very odd because the location is a HUGE part of the story.
Also...the author kept mentioning how people treated the brother due to his race, which is vaguely implied to be Latino although it's never said from where. And she had a whole section about slavery told from the perspective of a descendant, but...it had a very magical negro type ending so any credit I might have given was immediately lost. It felt like she wanted YOU to know that she's aware of Kentuckys racism but she's not gong to delve too deep into it.
As an aside that audiobook narrator was a poor choice. This book is supposed to be set in small town Kentucky but from the narrator you'd never know that. Even the characters born and bred in the areas don't really have an accent. It was very odd because the location is a HUGE part of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual assault
bookswithbethx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault