Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

112 reviews

bookforthought's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-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

3.0

Captivating and engaging, this book confirms the impression I'd had from reading The Once and Future Witches: Alix E. Harrow's writing is so atmospheric! I still need to catch up on her other books, but I have a feeling I could read anything she writes and enjoy the ride.

Starling House starts from an intriguing premise and delivers an enjoyable and entertaining (if not overly creepy) read rich in gothic vibes. There is an abundance of themes, which maybe could have used a tad more space for fleshing out and nuance, some underdeveloped side plots, and characters that feel way too YA for an adult book, all of which prevented me from fully appreciating this. Also, there is a heavy reliance on non-communication as a plot device, which is a big no-no for me since it's one of my most disliked tropes.

Still, there is a mystery and Big Family Secrets, half-truths mixing with full-on lies and legend, which were very well-constructed and layered, leading to a mostly satisfying resolution and character arcs.

Overall, not a new favourite but a pleasant read nonetheless. I'll need to check out The Ten Thousand Doors of January next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Abandonment

Minor: Racism

lauramcc7's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Incest, Murder, and Sexual content

annamorgan27's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Sexual content

lianaet's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

The genre of this book isn't something I'd normally pick up, but something about this book just drew me to it.

And weirdly in the nature of this book, that just makes sense.

The unsettling vibes of the writing were amazing and just sucked me right in all the way through. It felt slow to progress but never in a bad way. And Opal as a flawed woman protagonist was an amazing character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Death, and Slavery

Minor: Vomit and Incest

aseel_reads'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This was very fun, gothic, spooky, and just a great read overall. I loved having a semi sentient house, and the kind of beauty and the beast points. The ending was actually really good, sometimes these southern gothic novels can't hit the final notes of the story, but this one did 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Police brutality

Minor: Homophobia, Incest, and Racism

vaguelyredhead'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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Blood

Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Slavery

lue_moon's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

I didn't quite know what to expect going into this book, but ended up really loving it (I'm a sucker for semi-sentient houses that can't help but meddle). It had many elements I really enjoyed: Fantasy and (sort of) mythology slipping it's way into modern day. Aformentioned semi-sentient house and a hellcat who bites as much as it purrs. Grumpy × grumpier relationship. Queerness as a normal part of existence (always lovely to discover as part of a book). Stories that intertwine and overlap until you find out which one is true. Dreams, found family, and figuring out what home actually means.

It also is not a perfect book and I'm sure not for everyone. It does have a slow build, some characters that I viciously hated (rightfully so), some potential plot holes, and a couple things left unanswered or that I wish got to be expanded upon. And still something about it struck a chord with me.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Classism and Racism

Minor: Incest and Slavery

mpbookreviews'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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Slavery

ksilvio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit and Slavery

Minor: Racism

gardens_and_dragons'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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

Very brief mention of incest by way of marriage in 1800s. Nothing graphic.