Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

268 reviews

lmcclel's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny inspiring 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

4.75

This is not a book I would ever think of reading if I knew more about the plot going in, however I am SO GLAD I decided to read this and not find out more information about the story first.

I loved the the main characters (Opal, Arthur, Starling House) and most of the supporting characters (Bev, Charlotte, and the Hellcat [who has a happy ending]) other than Opal's brother Jasper who was a snotty, stubborn teenager but who loves snotty, stubborn teenagers? The baddies were bad and I hated them.

I did not think Opal was immature for 26, I thought she was written very well and her choices reflected the upbringing and life experiences she had. I also do not think the author repeatedly focused on how "ugly" Opal and Arthur were- it is refreshing to not have stunningly beautiful/handsome/striking characters.

I'm not a big romance person and was glad that there was minimal Romance (with a capital R); limited to two fairly small parts, in the last 25% of the book.

This is not a 5 star book for me, only because I am very stingy with 5 star ratings - I think I have rated less than 10 books as 5 stars in my +/- 35 years of reading adult novels. But this is a book I wholly recommend.

Reasons I would not normally read a book like this are

this is very much horror with phantoms and horrible beasts, I prefer more "realistic" Gothic mysteries/thrillers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

lefthandlou's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is lean and sinuous, tight and tautly wound, with nothing more than what is needed and not a stray syllable out of place. This story coils over itself again and again, remaking the narrative at every twist into the same tale, but new somehow. Starling House was everything I hoped it would be and more, a dark fairy tale of teeth and blood and beauty and love. The past is a monster, brutal and ravening, but monsters can be slayed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Rape and Fire/Fire injury

otakatoe3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

underscoresyd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Homophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Slavery

nukie19's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail

fran_buesa's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Car accident, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Vomit, Car accident, and Death of parent

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

eyeleash's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

finnickdeservedbetter's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest, Racism, Slavery, Vomit, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content and Suicide

snickies'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
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Vomit