Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

122 reviews

livlamentloathe's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I think both the beginning and ending of Starling House were strong, but the middle really dragged along. There was a lot of back-and-forth between Arthur and Opal that could've been pared down. Of the 2 weeks I spent reading this, the first 65% I read in a couple days. Then the remaining 35% took a week and a half. I do think the narrator was part of my issue though. I just wasn't engaged by her reading.

I also wanted more of the book to touch on the racism Jasper faced in Eden. I wanted Jasper to better scold Opal for the way she ignored about that part of him. She made a comment later on that alluded to her getting it in part. But she also definitely was very forgetful of his race. The book itself barely even acknowledged his race. It took until the middle of the book for me to determine his ethnicity - maybe that's my bad and I missed an early tell. But I think overall, this book wanted to hide details and it didn't always handle that well. It would be evasive and add extra page time instead of being a bit more upfront about things. Maybe that was purposeful too with Opal's personality. But it felt like it was just trying too hard.

The premise felt like a cross between The Hazel Wood and Book of Night. I thought it was meant to be horror, but it wasn't horror so much as gothic. More of a magical realism/low fantasy romance. This book could've been great but I think it needed further editing and less evasive plot points. I get it. Most details were meant for "reveals" later but it became excessive when I got lost wondering what the point of the book was. Or what was going on period. 

P.S. I'd have loved more of a violent ending for the Gravely family and Elizabeth Bane.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Car accident, Stalking, Slavery, Racism, Sexism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Violence, Grief, and Police brutality

Minor: Homophobia, Hate crime, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Incest, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Animal death

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Death of parent, Violence, Car accident, and Death

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Child abuse and Homophobia

ljp817's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Car accident

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Lesbophobia, Vomit, Murder, Slavery, and Homophobia

ciwanski's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.25

A beautifully written book!!!! A masterclass in showing not telling, and one of the sweetest depictions of a developing relationship I’ve ever read. 

Loved the homage to beauty and the beast in the story, love the found family aspect, and love a man who is constantly kneeling for a woman 

Also the first book I’ve read where the two main characters are supposedly ugly??? Felt (surprisingly?) represented. 

I feel like this review makes this book sound like a romance and, like, it IS a love story, but it’s definitely not a romance and I love it for that

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Slavery, Vomit, Abandonment, Car accident, Death, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Alcohol

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Car accident, Grief, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Racism, Slavery, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Religious bigotry, Vomit, Homophobia, Deportation, Bullying, and Child abuse

Once again, why doesn't Storygraph have a "drowning" warning???

noblelandmermaid's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Slavery, Incest, and Blood

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury

biome_'s review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Blood, and Slavery

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

briannagriffin567's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Slavery, Classism, and Racism

Minor: Sexual content, Homophobia, and Incest

cyndi1966's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Abandonment, and Car accident

Moderate: Violence

allyareads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

If you put the song Abbey by Mitski, Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, the masterpiece film Monster House (iykyk), Howl's Moving Castle, Gallant by V.E. Schwab, a bit of American Gothic Ethel Cain vibes and a pinch of Erin Brockovich all together you would get the beginnings of this book. 
Personally I ate this up. A sentient house will get me <i>every. single. time!</i>
My other favourite arcetype in media: <b>The Angry, Hunger, Resourceful Woman™</b>
e.g. Alex Stern from Ninth House, Lila Bard for Darker shade of Magic, El from Deadly Education etc
The author's note at the beginning surmises it perfectly. This is a <s>love</s> letter about loving a place that doesn't always love you back and that it is. 
4.5 ★ only cause I wanted a little more from the ending and it was a little over written in parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Car accident, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexism, Abandonment, Death, Blood, Grief, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Slavery