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tianne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Slavery and Xenophobia
Minor: Incest
megnut's review against another edition
- 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
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
gracescanlon's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Classism, Self harm, Death of parent, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Car accident, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Incest, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Animal death, Slavery, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
purplatypus's review against another edition
- 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
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
micheala's review against another edition
3.0
There is a plot, however this does feel like the characters are the main focus. It's hard, because most of the characters are very unlikeable however that's clearly the point. It's also in first person, which always knocks down my enjoyment a little.
At the beginning we had these fun footnotes that kinda just stop, as if the author forgot that was a thing she was doing. I wish they had continued, especially based on how the ending of the book was framed.
There are a lot of topics that fall into content warnings that feel more in line when you view this as a horror novel rather than a fantasy novel. None of them are super graphic, but they are clearly on page.
The prose was good, and I might give Harrow another go with a book that has a more appealing premise.
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Incest, Xenophobia, Body horror, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Grief, Car accident, Child abuse, and Child death
issiwerro's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Death, Death of parent, and Slavery
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Suicide attempt
jessicarenz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Grief, and Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Racism, and Classism
nadiamasood's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
And it's written so beautifully! I find the prose captivating, evoking an almost fairy-tale ambiance. I also loved the charming, understated romance, and the extraordinary Starling House that is a character on its own!
If, like me, you've grown tired of characters who are perfectly attractive and flawless, Opal and Arthur offer a delightful change. The way they describe each other had me in stitches:
Opal on Arthur: “His face is all hard angles and sullen bones split by a beak of a nose, and his hair is a tattered wing an inch shy of becoming a mullet.”
Arthur on Opal: “a freckled scarecrow of a girl with crooked teeth and holes in the knees of her jeans, utterly unremarkable except for the steel in her eyes.”
I think adding Arthur's POV is clever! It tells the reader that this mysterious, brooding character has feelings and emotions.
As someone who doesn't read many horror novels because I scare pretty easily, I've discovered that Starling House doesn't fit the typical horror narrative that induces nightmares. There's a subtle infusion of horror, but even the descriptions of the eerie are rendered so beautifully that it softens the impact. Additionally, it unfolds as a mystery, featuring a house that resembles a puzzle box, concealing secrets both outside and beneath its structure.
I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy gothic fantasy novels with haunted houses and dark secrets. It's also an excellent choice if you're drawn to characters who are misfits, outcasts, and dreamers, discovering love and a sense of home in unexpected places. Furthermore, if you enjoy atmospheric, vividly descriptive writing that transports you to a different world, this book is sure to captivate your imagination.
Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Racism, Incest, and Suicide attempt
darkdahlia9's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abandonment, Murder, Incest, Slavery, and Alcoholism
ghostingarden's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Incest, Death of parent, Classism, Slavery, Cursing, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury