Reviews with content warning for Incest - Starling House

Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

107 reviews

nadiamasood's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

Starling House is a spooky old house with a personality of its own, brimming with dark shadows and ominous vibes (but also with an attitude, complete with moody shadows and vibes so ominous they're practically rolling their eyes).

How do I classify this book? A haunted house saga? Contemporary gothic fairy tale, perhaps? Cozy horror? But what's clear is that this book is an exploration of dreams, rage, exploitation, love, and the profound longing for a sense of belonging. It delves into the realm of monsters, whether they lurk in imagined places or exist in the harsh light of the real world.

And it's written so beautifully! I find the prose captivating, evoking an almost fairy-tale ambiance. I also loved the charming, understated romance, and the extraordinary Starling House that is a character on its own!

If, like me, you've grown tired of characters who are perfectly attractive and flawless, Opal and Arthur offer a delightful change. The way they describe each other had me in stitches:

Opal on Arthur: “His face is all hard angles and sullen bones split by a beak of a nose, and his hair is a tattered wing an inch shy of becoming a mullet.”

Arthur on Opal: “a freckled scarecrow of a girl with crooked teeth and holes in the knees of her jeans, utterly unremarkable except for the steel in her eyes.”

I think adding Arthur's POV is clever! It tells the reader that this mysterious, brooding character has feelings and emotions.

As someone who doesn't read many horror novels because I scare pretty easily, I've discovered that Starling House doesn't fit the typical horror narrative that induces nightmares. There's a subtle infusion of horror, but even the descriptions of the eerie are rendered so beautifully that it softens the impact. Additionally, it unfolds as a mystery, featuring a house that resembles a puzzle box, concealing secrets both outside and beneath its structure.

I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy gothic fantasy novels with haunted houses and dark secrets. It's also an excellent choice if you're drawn to characters who are misfits, outcasts, and dreamers, discovering love and a sense of home in unexpected places. Furthermore, if you enjoy atmospheric, vividly descriptive writing that transports you to a different world, this book is sure to captivate your imagination.

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darkdahlia9's review against another edition

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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

3.5

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ladyflash's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective

Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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ghostingarden's review against another edition

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5.0

this is actually my books, sorry guys. Like Harrow actually specifically wrote this for me. This book changed my life so badly I made playlists for it... it was that serious. I spent weeks thinking about Opal and Arthur. It has everything I love: sentient house, small southern town with ~~secrets~~, gothic atmosphere; all cultivating to create my perfect book. I have no notes. I knew this was going to be my favorite book of the year 50 pages in. And I get it might not be for everyone, but it's absolutely for me and I can't praise it enough.

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acethirtynine'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? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book grew on me - it took me a minute to really get into it, but once the story picks up it really gets going. I found Opal both challenging and sympathetic in a good balance based on her life and experiences. Not my favorite of Alix. E. Harrow's but still very enjoyable.

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rhiannonaradia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

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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.

Content Warnings