Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Incest, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Incest
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Might have been 5* but I had to whizz through before the library due date.
The fantasy elements were a little bit hard for me to get my head round, but I was so invested!
Such a unusually romantic story as well, there's a little pashing but it's nice to have a story that really leans into romance wit out being _erotic_.
And there's a cat.
The fantasy elements were a little bit hard for me to get my head round, but I was so invested!
Such a unusually romantic story as well, there's a little pashing but it's nice to have a story that really leans into romance wit out being _erotic_.
And there's a cat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent
Minor: Violence
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism
adventurous
challenging
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the gothic vibes and mystery within this. It has a romantic undertone which didn’t overtake the plot I always appreciate that. Opal is certainly a flawed character, despite her obliviousness at points, the characters around her do seem to pick up on it. As she learns more about herself, her personality at the start of the book begins to make more sense. I enjoyed the re-telling of Starling Houses’ history as a way of gradually leading to the truth. Perhaps more could have been done with the personification of the house, however I ultimately appreciated the subtlety of it. I was a bit surprised by the quick ending, but really loved the sense of a found home and home being where you are loved.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
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
The story was interesting, but wasn’t enough in itself to carry this to being a five or even four star book. Honestly, I wish the first half of the book was more like the second half.
The first half felt overly slow, like you were hearing the same stories on repeat, to bring home the fact that everyone has their own version of the story of Starling House. The second half did get better though, and did ultimately bring up my rating, but couldn’t fully make up for the first half.
I also really didn’t like the FMC opal in the first half. I found her grading, rude, quick to judge, and all around a brat, who thought she knew best for her brother, all the time. I mean, why bother asking him what he wants. I suppose it was to make her character development more sharp and extreme, but I really felt it could have been scaled back , and gotten the same result. All in all, a decent story, not a great book, though, but it was OK.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
I loved the setting of this book, first of all - having gone to grad school in southeastern Ohio, I can picture these small Appalachian towns that are this strange combination of heavy industry (factories, coal mines, chain stores etc) and the natural world. They’re honestly a perfect place for a dark, Gothic, cursed story, so I really resonated with that choice of setting.
Also obsessed with the use of footnotes and then a bibliography at the end - I thought that was a great touch.
I found the characters really compelling, especially Opal - we so often see the smart-mouthed, protective, independent heroine but sometimes it feels forced and disingenuous. Opal to me felt four-dimensional, both perfectly likable and unlikeable, and realistic for the setting. Also love that neither of the two in the main couple are supposed to be conventionally attractive, more of that please.
The buildup of the mystery and spookiness was so good and I was worried the payoff wouldn’t be enough, and I was sorta right. The ending didn’t quittte stick the landing for me, and the twists didn’t hit as hard as I would have liked them too. I also think the romance went from zero to just appearing, but once it was solidified I was fully on board.
Overall I think I leave feeling slightly unsatisfied and wishing for more, but also happy to have experienced it and would recommend to others.
Also obsessed with the use of footnotes and then a bibliography at the end - I thought that was a great touch.
I found the characters really compelling, especially Opal - we so often see the smart-mouthed, protective, independent heroine but sometimes it feels forced and disingenuous. Opal to me felt four-dimensional, both perfectly likable and unlikeable, and realistic for the setting. Also love that neither of the two in the main couple are supposed to be conventionally attractive, more of that please.
The buildup of the mystery and spookiness was so good and I was worried the payoff wouldn’t be enough, and I was sorta right. The ending didn’t quittte stick the landing for me, and the twists didn’t hit as hard as I would have liked them too. I also think the romance went from zero to just appearing, but once it was solidified I was fully on board.
Overall I think I leave feeling slightly unsatisfied and wishing for more, but also happy to have experienced it and would recommend to others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Incest
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Incest, Slavery