Scan barcode
aharrison_33's review against another edition
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse
moniquewrites's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This booked sucked me in and I stayed for the vibes. I was really intrigued by the mystery of the house and the writing was really beautiful (although at times it broke the fourth wall). It had an unconventional structure, and I liked the interspersing of stories about the house and Eleanor Starling throughout, that got you closer and closer to the “truth.” The characters are not overly likeable but they all kept telling you that until you saw their soft spots and stopped believing them. The mythology was interesting, and brought history into it in a way that I felt honoured a truth about how people from a place would tell their story, but then showed you the layers underneath the fresh paint. I also appreciated that the Gravely’s past involving slave ownership and the reason for their success in the mines was named, and done in a way that came from the voice of a descendent (although fictionalized still felt like a thoughtful way to tell it). I also loved how the book felt like a fairy tale I wasn’t expecting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Child abuse and Homophobia
hagwife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Starling House holds a special place in my heart among Alix E. Harrow's books. I love that she keeps some of her trademark elements (faerie tales, vibrant and flawed characters, fuck you's to the patriarchy, etc.) and this time mixes it with Southern Gothic and horror elements. The result is a brooding fantasy novel that combines family, monsters, the House, and the all-too-real violence of small-town nastiness into something biting and beautiful.
I love that the characters' flaws have rhyme and reason and the chance to change; morally grey characters are always one of my favourites, but neither Opal nor Arthur nor Jasper are flawed for the sake of being flawed. They're all aggregations of their lived experiences, of inherited traumas and expectations that they didn't ask for, even as they continue to perpetuate some of them.
I love that this is a haunted house mystery without the haunting necessarily being about the house. Harrow's Starling House is less in the company of Hell House or Hill House, but that of Mervyn Peake's Gormengast, Susanna Clarke's the "World" from Piranesi, Jeanette Winterson's Tanglewreck, Tilly Walden's castle in The End of Summer, and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle. It has a life of its own, but it's not really a haunted house. The haunting is separate and the House merely does its best to contain it.
Concerning the end of the book, I wanted perhaps just a bit more. I understand that part of the healing process here is that while "angry gets shit done", in order for Opal, Jasper, and Arthur to move on with their lives, they, along with Eleanor, have to put down what they can. The finale allows for the main characters to get the time they need to carve out a life for themselves and dream about a future that has hope and not despair. I just wish that perhaps those who had it coming had a little more actually come to them.
For those who liked this book, especially the gothic and horror elements, I highly recommend Cherie Priest's The Toll.
I love that the characters' flaws have rhyme and reason and the chance to change; morally grey characters are always one of my favourites, but neither Opal nor Arthur nor Jasper are flawed for the sake of being flawed. They're all aggregations of their lived experiences, of inherited traumas and expectations that they didn't ask for, even as they continue to perpetuate some of them.
I love that this is a haunted house mystery without the haunting necessarily being about the house. Harrow's Starling House is less in the company of Hell House or Hill House, but that of Mervyn Peake's Gormengast, Susanna Clarke's the "World" from Piranesi, Jeanette Winterson's Tanglewreck, Tilly Walden's castle in The End of Summer, and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.
Concerning the end of the book, I wanted perhaps just a bit more.
For those who liked this book, especially the gothic and horror elements, I highly recommend Cherie Priest's The Toll.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
blacksphinx's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Deportation
Once again, why doesn't Storygraph have a "drowning" warning???tamara_joy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Police brutality, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Slavery, Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol
erinreadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.5
My first reaction upon finishing this book is that it was way longer than it needed to be. I enjoyed the second half, which is where most of the plot occurs, but I was bored during the whole first half of the book, to the point where I was considering not finishing it.
Once the plot picks up around the 50% mark, it gets interesting and I began to get invested in the mystery of the house and the people surrounding it. I was entertained as Opal unraveled it but I must admit it was pretty frustrating that she withheld so much information from her brother with no real explanation. If it came from some sort of desire to have something for herself, it might have been nice for the author to have alluded to that, but without explanation it was almost infuriating that she wasn’t sharing this information she was finding out.
I liked all the secondary characters and I wish we got to spend more time with them, perhaps seeing more interaction with them in the first half to invest the reader a bit more.
Ultimately, the end was more or less rewarding as everything was revealed, but I wasn’t rooting for Opal as much as I was rooting for everyone else around her.
Read if you don’t mind slowly paced dark mysteries with light mythological elements.
Once the plot picks up around the 50% mark, it gets interesting and I began to get invested in the mystery of the house and the people surrounding it. I was entertained as Opal unraveled it but I must admit it was pretty frustrating that she withheld so much information from her brother with no real explanation. If it came from some sort of desire to have something for herself, it might have been nice for the author to have alluded to that, but without explanation it was almost infuriating that she wasn’t sharing this information she was finding out.
I liked all the secondary characters and I wish we got to spend more time with them, perhaps seeing more interaction with them in the first half to invest the reader a bit more.
Ultimately, the end was more or less rewarding as everything was revealed, but I wasn’t rooting for Opal as much as I was rooting for everyone else around her.
Read if you don’t mind slowly paced dark mysteries with light mythological elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent
roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I liked this book overall, and enjoyed the writing. The narration took me out of the story a couple of times so might have preferred reading more than listening to audiobook.
The story was atmospheric and had an interesting take on how stories change and evolve depending on the teller. I especially enjoyed the way the ending was handled.
I did find that the story dragged a little in the middle and the romance felt rushed. However, the house as a character and the side characters made up for this in a lot of ways. Their influence and contribution helps to keep the slower middle portion interesting, as well as providing some counter to Opal's viewpoint and narrative.
The main character, Opal, is flawed but in a way that allows us to sympathize. She makes many mistakes and while she doesn't face any truly dire consequences, she does have to reconcile the outcome of her actions.
I keep thinking about her and her actions and the way she approaches life. I can't fully decide if I like her as a character or not. I suppose that's a comment on Harrow's effectiveness as a writer. I will definitely be rereading this at some point.
The story was atmospheric and had an interesting take on how stories change and evolve depending on the teller. I especially enjoyed the way the ending was handled.
I did find that the story dragged a little in the middle and the romance felt rushed. However, the house as a character and the side characters made up for this in a lot of ways. Their influence and contribution helps to keep the slower middle portion interesting, as well as providing some counter to Opal's viewpoint and narrative.
The main character, Opal, is flawed but in a way that allows us to sympathize. She makes many mistakes and while she doesn't face any truly dire consequences, she does have to reconcile the outcome of her actions.
I keep thinking about her and her actions and the way she approaches life. I can't fully decide if I like her as a character or not. I suppose that's a comment on Harrow's effectiveness as a writer. I will definitely be rereading this at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse
megnut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was wondering how a dark story with a living house, nightmares and a love story would weave together... but I love the way it did. And at the same time didn't? Because it's not really about any of that at all. It's about finding a home and the power of dreams.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Blood, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
laurenmiller100's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
- Characters: 7
- Atmosphere/Setting: 8
- Writing Style: 9
- Plot: 7
- Intrigue: 8
- Logic/Relationships: 8
- Enjoyment: 6
This books is pretty good! It’s really cool take on the haunted house. I really enjoyed the build up of tension and mystery. Opal is an unusual heroine, and while that can make her frustrating, it also makes her interesting. There were times where I wish the book did more though. I think if it had leaned further into horror, it would’ve been a better book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child death
micheala's review against another edition
3.0
This is a haunted house story that toes the line of horror. Honestly, if not for the fact that it came in my Illumicrate box, it's far enough outside of my normal reading preferences that I would not have picked it up.
There is a plot, however this does feel like the characters are the main focus. It's hard, because most of the characters are very unlikeable however that's clearly the point. It's also in first person, which always knocks down my enjoyment a little.
At the beginning we had these fun footnotes that kinda just stop, as if the author forgot that was a thing she was doing. I wish they had continued, especially based on how the ending of the book was framed.
There are a lot of topics that fall into content warnings that feel more in line when you view this as a horror novel rather than a fantasy novel. None of them are super graphic, but they are clearly on page.
The prose was good, and I might give Harrow another go with a book that has a more appealing premise.
There is a plot, however this does feel like the characters are the main focus. It's hard, because most of the characters are very unlikeable however that's clearly the point. It's also in first person, which always knocks down my enjoyment a little.
At the beginning we had these fun footnotes that kinda just stop, as if the author forgot that was a thing she was doing. I wish they had continued, especially based on how the ending of the book was framed.
There are a lot of topics that fall into content warnings that feel more in line when you view this as a horror novel rather than a fantasy novel. None of them are super graphic, but they are clearly on page.
The prose was good, and I might give Harrow another go with a book that has a more appealing premise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism