Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Starling House

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.

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roseleebooks's review against another edition

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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.

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megnut's review against another edition

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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.

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laurenmiller100's review against another edition

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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.

I felt that the plot became overly sentimental at the end, and I don’t think I understood the dream aspect of everything. I don’t really get how the beasts are dreams in the end and some of the “battle” between Opal and Eleanor is confusing. However, the final moments are beautiful.

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micheala's review against another edition

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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.

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katielouisef's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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brewdy_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘎𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 • 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺
𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘨 • 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 • 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 3 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.75)

"𝑪𝒐𝒛𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓" may sound like an oxymoron but is a perfectly fitting description for this book. 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 had me from the jump: the atmopshere, the scenes and the setting of rural Appalachia - poor "backwater" Kentucky - the underdog narrator (Opal), the sentient house, the depth of the writing, the nuance, the civil war battle references, the witty banter between Arthur and Opal, the sarcasm and the strife, the mystery and the misery.... loved it all. Until the last 20% which was a lackluster fever dream of a final act. No spoilers here, but it fell flat for me relative to the rest of the book. I had to dock a star for that.

I still think this was worth the read and would recommend, because the rest of the book was well done and the atmosphere perfectly gothic. How many times can you say you read a cozy horror novel? I also loved how Arthur and Opal are not your traditional "beautiful" and "handsome" heroes. They are hardened, cunning, ruthless, flawed, shunned, and maybe even a bit ugly. They don't always make the right choices, and yet even these outcasts may make a house a home.

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jerseynoonatic's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

What a disappointing book. The idea could have been good, but the characters were so awful and the story fell sort of flat. The romance was poorly done, and the smut was unwa.

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