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adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Deportation
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't think about ghost stories or murder mysteries, sins or starlings, because none of that matters. I'm going back to Starling House, because I have to.
Starling House looms over the small town of Eden, Kentucky, a mysterious house with a secret, one that everyone in town would prefer remained buried. Opal doesn't have time to speculate, even if all her life she has been fascinated by the place. Raising her younger brother, Jasper, all on her own after the passing of their mother, she only has time to cheat, steal, and scam her way into a better life for him. It doesn't matter what she wants, and certainly not her obsession with Starling House and the dark children's book its first owner, Eleanor Starling, published. Until one day she's drawn into the house by an offer she cannot refuse: enough money to get Jasper out of town. But that's not the only thing that she's drawn too, there's also the last Starling heir: Arthur. As she's pulled more and more into the enigma that is the house and its inhabitants so are the dark forces surrounding the property, both supernatural and human.
This was entertaining and I had fun, but there were some issues. I'll start with what I didn't like. The pacing needed to be tighter, the first 10 or so chapters were more of the same to the point I had a bit of trouble continuing with the book. Once you hit around 25% or so it picks up steam, with the action being well written. There are two points of view in the book, one of them is in first person and the other in third person, I don't have a huge complaint about this but I'm certain not everyone will like it. There's also these footnotes throughout the book that were confusing and distracting, they didn't mesh well with the narration and were not explained. I feel like I understand what the author was going for but it didn't work. And my last complaint is more of a personal one regarding a trope I quite dislike: Miscommunication. Thankfully, not between the main couple, but
The plot itself was well thought out and had some interesting twists I didn't see coming. Loved how the house was described and the fact that it was a character that played an important part in the story. The writing was quite lovely, and the last 40% kept me glued to my Kindle. My favorite bit of the whole book was the romance and the developing relationship between Opal and Arthur. It felt real, yet magical and raw. It was a good last book of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Incest, Racism, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racism, Grief
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, Vomit, Abandonment
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Incest
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Pedophilia, Vomit
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Neither the romance nor the ending really satisfied me but otherwise I mostly enjoyed this story.
I would have liked it to be darker than it was, and also would have liked the house to play a bigger, more active role.
I would have liked it to be darker than it was, and also would have liked the house to play a bigger, more active role.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Slavery, Colonisation, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Lore 100% - skvělý balanc mezi tím, kolit toho je popsáno a jaký to má dopad na knihu. Postavy - sympatické a živé. Příběh - ideální mix charakterového vývoje a zápletky. Antikapitalismus, komunita, chosen family, queerness. Haunted house jako postava. Kočka.
Zápletka je přímo navázána na příběh strašení a postupně odkrývá další a další body historie.
Lore domu propojený s celou knihou. Vlastně to byla částečně detektivka. Od začátku je jasné, že s domem Starlingů je něco jinak. Ale vysvětlení o řece a původu Eleanor Starling prostupuje celou knihou, jak jsou postupně odkrývány další souvislosti. Mám ráda, když jsou domy jednou z postav - v tomto případě dům také ožil kvůli entitě, ze které vychází strašení. V tomto případě je ale protistranou ke zlu, kdy to zlo samotné také není černobílé. Zlo v této knize pramení z hlubokého utrpení Eleanor Starlingové přinesené rodinou uhlobaronů. Jak vůči tomu nemám cítit sympatie? Její beasts, které jsou v knize i vyobrazeny, jsou poetická spravedlnost, až zkroucená neporozumněním, osamělostí a smutkem.
Kniha ale končí dobře a to až potom, co téměř všechny postavy projdou nějakou proměnou - hlavní hrdinka si musí přiznat, že se jí Starling líbí, a tak dále a tak dále.
Dům samotný ožil jako proti-síla pro rod Starlingů, kteří celou dobu bojovali s Beasts Eleanor Starling zrozenými ze snů a strachu.
Zápletka je přímo navázána na příběh strašení a postupně odkrývá další a další body historie.
Kniha ale končí dobře a to až potom, co téměř všechny postavy projdou nějakou proměnou - hlavní hrdinka si musí přiznat, že se jí Starling líbí, a tak dále a tak dále.
Dům samotný ožil jako proti-síla pro rod Starlingů, kteří celou dobu bojovali s Beasts Eleanor Starling zrozenými ze snů a strachu.
Content Warnings
Minor: Incest, Rape