Reviews with content warning for Incest - Будинок Старлінгів

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Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Будинок Старлінгів by Alix E. Harrow

188 reviews

rubberrosebooks's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

aprilpamyl's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark 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: Yes

Content Warnings

erikagibson126's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

typewritersandteacups's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

sarahholliday's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

This is my first Alix E. Harrow novel, which I picked up after finished her short story (novella?) The Six Deaths of the Saint.

I can officially say that I adore her writing. She crafts gorgeous characters that are both brittle and strong, and creates really beautiful tension throughout her stories. I'd be reading for long stretches of time and not realize I was holding my breath until I let it out in a giant gasp when the tension finally broke.

I think several of the side characters could've been more fully fleshed out, but that's almost always the case in a story told from a single character's first-person POV. Overall, Starling House is an unflinching and brutal meditation on legacy—the things we leave behind, the impact of decisions across generations, and the stories we tell ourselves and others. It's beautifully layered, dripping in atmosphere, and gorgeously written. I highly recommend!

Content Warnings

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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

lyall_reads's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark hopeful reflective medium-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

Great book to read while in line waiting to vote lol.
Really enjoyed the themes of home, family, and belonging as well as the device of repeating the same story multiple times from different storytellers as the narrative progressed. I'm a sucker for fake wikipedia pages and faux primary sources in a horror-adjacent story. The romance element was eh for me-it made sense, but I cared way more about Opal's relationships with her mother and brother as well as the mystery of the house. Really loved Opal's younger brother, Jasper, and how their bond was written- loving but messy and complicated in a way that felt real for a teen. An ending I'm going to let sit with me for a while, but I think will resonate with anyone with a complex relationship with the place they're from.
Apparently I'm just a fan of haunted house stories (Mexican Gothic, Gallant, A Study in Drowning, Crimson Peak, The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor). I think I enjoy how storytellers use them to play with themes of belonging and what a safe place truly means.

Content Warnings