Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

113 reviews

pineapplebunnies's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

The only valid Romantasy book!! 
Gorgeous writing. I literally wanted to live in the world, drink in the atmosphere of it all. I haven’t felt so attached to characters in a while but I loved Opal and Arthur and Jasper and Charlotte!! And Bev. Bev deserves a mention. The structure of the novel and interludes of footnotes and articles were so unique and really made the book feel like a work of art. And the character arcs were truly satisfying. Knocking a few points off because the ending (I feel like this is a common theme for me) felt a bit anticlimactic and tied up a bit too neatly.

Opal x Arthur forever!!! Love that the book also made sure to mention how ugly they both were lmao . Give us conventionally unattractive people some romantic hope 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident and Grief

Minor: Incest, Violence, and Slavery

lauramcc7's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Incest, Murder, and Sexual content

annamorgan27's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Sexual content

tspice24's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

nclausel25's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Death

Minor: Sexual content

vaguelyredhead's review against another edition

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Blood

Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Slavery

szuum's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, Grief, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Incest, Sexual content, and Racism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Slavery

lue_moon's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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 didn't quite know what to expect going into this book, but ended up really loving it (I'm a sucker for semi-sentient houses that can't help but meddle). It had many elements I really enjoyed: Fantasy and (sort of) mythology slipping it's way into modern day. Aformentioned semi-sentient house and a hellcat who bites as much as it purrs. Grumpy × grumpier relationship. Queerness as a normal part of existence (always lovely to discover as part of a book). Stories that intertwine and overlap until you find out which one is true. Dreams, found family, and figuring out what home actually means.

It also is not a perfect book and I'm sure not for everyone. It does have a slow build, some characters that I viciously hated (rightfully so), some potential plot holes, and a couple things left unanswered or that I wish got to be expanded upon. And still something about it struck a chord with me.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Classism and Racism

Minor: Incest and Slavery

mpbookreviews's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Slavery

swilli's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Car accident and Grief

Minor: Death of parent