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Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Classism
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Incest, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Classism
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
Minor: Incest, Slavery
This oozed rich, gothic atmosphere from the start. It felt like a dark and twisty fairytale, with fantastic similies that brought the writing ever more to life.
I was pleasantly surprised to see some illustrations were included, especially when learning about E. Starlings uncomfortable and eery art.
I like that when reading from Arthur's perspective, it switches from first person narrative to third person, which I found greatly emphasised this detached, recluse lifestyle he had.
This was reminiscent of Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood, with the theme of a reclusive author, that wrote one book, mysteriously disappeared and has sinister fairytale that may be steeped in truth. There were moments between Opal and Arthur that reminded me also of The Secret Society for Irregular Witches.
It was quite nice to read this alongside Heroes by Stephen Fry, as Starling House has some beauty symmetry and mention to the Greek myths.
The character growth of Opal, Jasper and Arthur was beautifully depicted as were the details on their desires and nightmares and how trapped they felt in Eden. You really got a strong sense of how deep the rot of the town was; despite the citizens believing they were good in every way that counted, they were often complicit in so much corruption, cruelty and neglect of those vulnerable.
The mirroring and rewriting of stories, lonliness, homelessness and desperation for vengence were such strong themes in this. They were so harrowing and devastating, but it swept me away perfectly into another world whenever I picked Starling House back up.
This was such a moving tale, of lies woven into truth and truth woven into lies and begs you to ask yourself what your story will be. Where will you choose to burrow your roots down and make a home?
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Gore, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Car accident, Classism, Deportation
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Deportation
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Confinement, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Incest, Vomit, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Slavery, Abandonment