Reviews tagging 'Death'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

105 reviews

jazzsilvestri's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Car accident

katielouisef's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse

micaelamariem's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.0

I really really enjoyed this Southern Gothic horror. I’ll try to write a full review on my blog tomorrow but for now..wow!
The descriptions were vivid and beautiful in a haunting kind of way. The characters were uniquely flawed to the point where you couldn’t help but empathize with their pain. The sins in the book were atrocious, and the themes of identity, belonging, and mercy crawled across the pages, igniting the words into some higher morals. And of course, who doesn’t love a sentient house? 
I also thought it was super unique to include footnotes and a fictional bibliography! What a way to add voice. 
The only reason it’s not five stars is because there are parts of the ending I wasn’t thoroughly satisfied with. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racism, Slavery, Grief, Sexual content, Car accident, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Death of parent, Addiction, Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

machenn's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Cursing, and Death of parent

seaton44's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Gore, Death of parent, Blood, Domestic abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Classism, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit and Sexual assault

jerseynoonatic's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, Vomit, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Police brutality, Violence, Cursing, Drug use, and Death of parent

judassilver's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Slavery, Violence, Car accident, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Vomit, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Incest and Child death

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment, Sexual content, Incest, Racism, Vomit, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery

persephonefoxx's review against another edition

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

5.0

It occurs to me that this lonely, beastly, bleeding boy is the only person who has ever fought for me, ever stood between me and the dark and told me to save myself.

Modern gothic is a genre that I just want to wrap myself in forever. What more can you ask for? A stubborn and bold main character. A brooding love interest. An asshole cat and a brazen sentient house falling into disrepair. All  tied up with Alix E. Harrow’s beautiful prose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Slavery

Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Incest

drolefille's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Alix Harrow has the ability to transport me to another place and time. In this case it's our time but it's a small coal mining town in Kentucky. Where nothing good happens and no one ever really makes it out. 

I was so into Opal's experience, I tasted the air, felt the motel bedspread, and joined her in her dreams of Underland and Starling House. This is a story about a family trying to survive after tragedy, about a House that's more alive than inert, about a man fighting monsters no one else believes in, and about the stories of what happened when the original owners of the mine died, one after the other. Who killed them? The daughter, the widow, the enslaved miners or something more mysterious; and who believes which story? 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident and Death

Minor: Physical abuse, Slavery, and Death of parent