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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually really fucking enjoyed this???? Funny, sad, tense, mystical, with a smigde of vengefulness… delicious book
Opal was a funny as shit protagonist, and Arthur was so sad and pathetic in a very cute way. I love when men are described as ugly and annoying at first sight but by the end of the book your heart is like vVvVvV. do you get me
I also loved the narrative style; things were kept from Opal, but not from the reader; Arthur’s chapters were deliciously revealing while Opal still went 100mph towards answers. Loved it.
Jasper was sweet and made my older sister heart grow 3 sizes. your baby brother that you spent so long protecting becoming a protector in his own right is so !!! the sibling relationship was everything
Eleanor… my unhinged queen and ally white woman… incredible work
the funky little lesbians also made my day, Opal being the most oblivious straight to ever het only added to her charm lmao
10/10 read, buying this is print but thank you to BCPL for the ebook <3
Opal was a funny as shit protagonist, and Arthur was so sad and pathetic in a very cute way. I love when men are described as ugly and annoying at first sight but by the end of the book your heart is like vVvVvV. do you get me
I also loved the narrative style; things were kept from Opal, but not from the reader; Arthur’s chapters were deliciously revealing while Opal still went 100mph towards answers. Loved it.
Jasper was sweet and made my older sister heart grow 3 sizes. your baby brother that you spent so long protecting becoming a protector in his own right is so !!! the sibling relationship was everything
Eleanor… my unhinged queen and ally white woman… incredible work
the funky little lesbians also made my day, Opal being the most oblivious straight to ever het only added to her charm lmao
10/10 read, buying this is print but thank you to BCPL for the ebook <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Car accident, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia
dark
mysterious
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
The genre of this book isn't something I'd normally pick up, but something about this book just drew me to it.
And weirdly in the nature of this book, that just makes sense.
The unsettling vibes of the writing were amazing and just sucked me right in all the way through. It felt slow to progress but never in a bad way. And Opal as a flawed woman protagonist was an amazing character.
And weirdly in the nature of this book, that just makes sense.
The unsettling vibes of the writing were amazing and just sucked me right in all the way through. It felt slow to progress but never in a bad way. And Opal as a flawed woman protagonist was an amazing character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Racism, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Vomit
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was very fun, gothic, spooky, and just a great read overall. I loved having a semi sentient house, and the kind of beauty and the beast points. The ending was actually really good, sometimes these southern gothic novels can't hit the final notes of the story, but this one did
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Racism
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, Slavery
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Classism
Moderate: Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content
Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't quite know what to expect going into this book, but ended up really loving it (I'm a sucker for semi-sentient houses that can't help but meddle). It had many elements I really enjoyed: Fantasy and (sort of) mythology slipping it's way into modern day. Aformentioned semi-sentient house and a hellcat who bites as much as it purrs. Grumpy × grumpier relationship. Queerness as a normal part of existence (always lovely to discover as part of a book). Stories that intertwine and overlap until you find out which one is true. Dreams, found family, and figuring out what home actually means.
It also is not a perfect book and I'm sure not for everyone. It does have a slow build, some characters that I viciously hated (rightfully so), some potential plot holes, and a couple things left unanswered or that I wish got to be expanded upon. And still something about it struck a chord with me.
It also is not a perfect book and I'm sure not for everyone. It does have a slow build, some characters that I viciously hated (rightfully so), some potential plot holes, and a couple things left unanswered or that I wish got to be expanded upon. And still something about it struck a chord with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Classism
Minor: Incest, Slavery
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Yes
This book was very slow, I feel like the same story could be told with a quarter of it taken out and nothing would be lost. The pacing was very slow and it felt like a lot more should have and could have happened. That’s the reason for two stars being taken away. Otherwise, it was written well and I liked the characters. The romance felt a bit forced and the male love interest reminded me more of an awkward teen than a grown man.
There are a few people I’ll likely recommend this to—those who like slow, laid back paced stories with a bit of dark intrigue.
I can see why this was popular, mostly because it was fairly predictable and an easy read, but I like a faster paced stories.
There are a few people I’ll likely recommend this to—those who like slow, laid back paced stories with a bit of dark intrigue.
I can see why this was popular, mostly because it was fairly predictable and an easy read, but I like a faster paced stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, Death of parent
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn’t get *much* of a fairy tale vibe from this like many reviewers have said but it did hit all the gothic vibes I was looking for. I love how Alix Harrow writes and even at parts where the story dragged a bit, I was drawn to keep reading. One aspect that I LOVED was the different depictions of the lore of the Starling House Story and I really enjoyed how it all came together at the end. Harrow remains an autobuy for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent
Moderate: Incest, Slavery