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miblette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked parts of the book, but this one dragged on and on a bit then I felt like there was a significant rush at the end. I went in expecting more fantasy and magic, but we spent most of the time in the "real world" which is fine... I just thought we'd end up someplace different.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery and Injury/Injury detail
issamay's review against another edition
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
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
bkc's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
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
2.0
Rating: 2/5
I wanted to read something with a gothic vibe and on paper, this book was everything I wanted - a mystery, depiction of grief, normal people. Unfortunately, I was bored out of my mind. I should have quit it but I kept hoping it would improve. It delivered on the vibe front, since there were a lot of descriptions written in a flowery way, but they went on for too long. The pacing was completely off and I couldn't cope with the constant information dumps.
The writing style reminded me of VE Schwab in a way. My issue, however, was mainly that I didn't care about the characters and the plot unravelled at a snail's pace. Nothing happened until 50% of the way through! It felt like the plot could have been summarised in two chapters, since it was just description after description about (what I felt were) irrelevant events, such asJasper's creative video. Fortunately, everything ended happily ever after.
In terms of characters, Opal didn't leave much of an impression on me. Firstly, I was not particularly happy that she was a liar. I can't pretend to understand what poverty is like, so I chalked it down to survival (Opal was definitely a survivor - her PTSD was rough). Secondly, if she wrote stories and this book was a translation, was the whole book a story by Opal? I liked that she was doing everything she could to provide for her brother but there were some major communication issues. Also, the way Opal would get angry around Arthur only was very random but fulfilled that classic trope.
Like Opal's story, Arthur's story was pretty sad and I initially didn't care about him. However, he grew on me. He was a kind individual, burdened with purpose, but still forgettable. I felt awful that he was described as ugly by everybody. On the other hand, it was nice to have a book with unattractive characters, rather than the usual "everyone is attractive" situation.
Jasper was irrelevant in a way, there to provide an incentive for Opal. I didn't even care that Starling House was sentient! I usually love that kind of thing! I was interested and saddened by Eleanor's story though.
Overall, I hated the writing style and it affected my ability to care about anyone or anything in this book. I recognised that it was well-written and even though I should have loved the book, I didn't.
I wanted to read something with a gothic vibe and on paper, this book was everything I wanted - a mystery, depiction of grief, normal people. Unfortunately, I was bored out of my mind. I should have quit it but I kept hoping it would improve. It delivered on the vibe front, since there were a lot of descriptions written in a flowery way, but they went on for too long. The pacing was completely off and I couldn't cope with the constant information dumps.
The writing style reminded me of VE Schwab in a way. My issue, however, was mainly that I didn't care about the characters and the plot unravelled at a snail's pace. Nothing happened until 50% of the way through! It felt like the plot could have been summarised in two chapters, since it was just description after description about (what I felt were) irrelevant events, such as
In terms of characters, Opal didn't leave much of an impression on me. Firstly, I was not particularly happy that she was a liar. I can't pretend to understand what poverty is like, so I chalked it down to survival (Opal was definitely a survivor - her PTSD was rough). Secondly, if she wrote stories and this book was a translation, was the whole book a story by Opal? I liked that she was doing everything she could to provide for her brother but there were some major communication issues. Also, the way Opal would get angry around Arthur only was very random but fulfilled that classic trope.
Like Opal's story, Arthur's story was pretty sad and I initially didn't care about him. However, he grew on me. He was a kind individual, burdened with purpose, but still forgettable. I felt awful that he was described as ugly by everybody. On the other hand, it was nice to have a book with unattractive characters, rather than the usual "everyone is attractive" situation.
Jasper was irrelevant in a way, there to provide an incentive for Opal. I didn't even care that Starling House was sentient! I usually love that kind of thing! I was interested and saddened by Eleanor's story though.
Overall, I hated the writing style and it affected my ability to care about anyone or anything in this book. I recognised that it was well-written and even though I should have loved the book, I didn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
afaerytale's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I won’t lie, I should’ve finished this at 30% but my goal this year is not to DNF a book and I was so tempted to by this one.
First off the bat, Opal is one of the most insufferable characters I’ve read in a while - angsty, woe is me through the book. I cannot stand her brash, rude attitude towards those trying to help her and a seemingly reckless abandon towards her little brother. A brother who just seems to be trying to escape the miserable af world his sister has created for him. Yes, she has sacrificed some aspects of her life for her brother but do we really need to complain about it forever?
Secondly, Arthur’s character is horrifically awkward to the point reading his POVs or Opal’s descriptions of him make me uncomfortably physically cringe. Yes, he’s got a huge secret to keep from Opal and the rest of the world but his whole character could’ve been replaced by an antique vase and it would’ve had more personality. I felt like Harrow was trying to portray a mysterious handsome character but all I could picture was some grim basement dweller with mommy issues.
Arthur and Opal’s romance - I’m sorry, was the spark in the room with us or did this wet wipe of a “relationship” extinguish it? There was zero chemistry and even less “love” shown through the progression of their relationship, one minute Opal detests the sight of him and the next minute their necking on? The whiplash I got from that I swear! The whole romance added nothing to the story and was boring beyond belief.
The shining graces from this tale were Jasper, a character with a decent attempt at bettering himself despite his sisters choices and the world building which was pretty good, although at times rambling, especially when discussing Underland. However, the footnotes which disappeared just before half way through and gave next to no input to the story? What was that all about? I picked this up as it was marketed to me as a gothic horror, neither of which I got the vibe of throughout this.
This book was just a whole lot of maybes, almost and nothings. It maybe could’ve been good with better characters, we almost got a plot resolution but nothing really made me want to pick up this book day after day except the urge to get it out of the way for a better read. I don’t know how one book feels like you’ve wasted a year of your life but this was it.
First off the bat, Opal is one of the most insufferable characters I’ve read in a while - angsty, woe is me through the book. I cannot stand her brash, rude attitude towards those trying to help her and a seemingly reckless abandon towards her little brother. A brother who just seems to be trying to escape the miserable af world his sister has created for him. Yes, she has sacrificed some aspects of her life for her brother but do we really need to complain about it forever?
Secondly, Arthur’s character is horrifically awkward to the point reading his POVs or Opal’s descriptions of him make me uncomfortably physically cringe. Yes, he’s got a huge secret to keep from Opal and the rest of the world but his whole character could’ve been replaced by an antique vase and it would’ve had more personality. I felt like Harrow was trying to portray a mysterious handsome character but all I could picture was some grim basement dweller with mommy issues.
Arthur and Opal’s romance - I’m sorry, was the spark in the room with us or did this wet wipe of a “relationship” extinguish it? There was zero chemistry and even less “love” shown through the progression of their relationship, one minute Opal detests the sight of him and the next minute their necking on? The whiplash I got from that I swear! The whole romance added nothing to the story and was boring beyond belief.
The shining graces from this tale were Jasper, a character with a decent attempt at bettering himself despite his sisters choices and the world building which was pretty good, although at times rambling, especially when discussing Underland. However, the footnotes which disappeared just before half way through and gave next to no input to the story? What was that all about? I picked this up as it was marketed to me as a gothic horror, neither of which I got the vibe of throughout this.
This book was just a whole lot of maybes, almost and nothings. It maybe could’ve been good with better characters, we almost got a plot resolution but nothing really made me want to pick up this book day after day except the urge to get it out of the way for a better read. I don’t know how one book feels like you’ve wasted a year of your life but this was it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Car accident
booksandstardust's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Suicide, and Murder
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Classism, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Death of parent
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content and Slavery
tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Car accident
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Sexual content
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Incest, and Slavery