Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

120 reviews

fairytales's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

I enjoyed this, especially the setting. I liked that it was a bit darker and thought the depiction of a small town was both realistic and gave a strong sense of place, as did the environmental aspects of the story, with the mining environmental issues. Opal did seem a bit stuck in a teenage space, perhaps because of her mother’s death. I honestly forgot how old she was, which was an oversight on my part given that she’s been looking after her brother and wasn’t in foster care. I feel like she could have used a bit more of a growth arch. I really enjoyed the supporting characters, Jasper, Charlotte, and Bev. I liked the idea of Starling House and its aliveness/magic/personality and the whole Starlinn theme.

Elizabeth Bain and the Gravelys were very effective villains and the blackmail was an interesting plot point. I appreciated that the characters weren’t described as being incredibly good looking and were just normal people, though the relationship development between Opal and Arthur could have used some more build up. That being said, it does fit Opal’s character to ignore what’s in front of her. Opal’s understanding that her found family is her home is a valuable one, and I thought the E. Starling mystery and gradual revealing of her story was really good, as was Underland.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism, Car accident, and Blood

Minor: Slavery

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, and Gore

Minor: Incest, Slavery, Sexual content, and Vomit

tamara_joy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Blood, Sexual content, and Car accident

Moderate: Classism, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, and Police brutality

Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Slavery, Abandonment, and Vomit

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

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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

rshearon's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

SO GOOD. The spooky tension had me hooked from the first chapter. I typically roll my eyes at this rough-around-the-edges FMC character type, but she only got on my nerves a little, when she was being extra frustrating. The storyline and the lore was so intriguing and kept my attention the entire time; I could barely put it down to go to bed. I also adored the romance, though it was a lot more subtle than I usually go for and it took me a minute to get over the fact that the author repeatedly describes them both as “ugly as fuck” lol. But they were emo and so was their love 🖤 

I can’t wait to binge read everything Alix E Harrow has written because the writing and characters and magic was so entrancing !! and i’m sad it’s over!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, and Blood

Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism

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

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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

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Blood, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Violence, Cursing, and Racism

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual content, and Slavery

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Vomit

Minor: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Incest, and Slavery

robin_reads's review against another edition

adventurous 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

5.0

If you like ”Haunting of Hill House” the show, you will like this. 
A sentient and haunted house, mysterious creatures, reluctant working together, a lot of trauma and sadness. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Drug abuse, Bullying, and Blood

Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

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. 

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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