Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Starling House

I felt the story was very captivating from the start, even if the excitement level was slow to build. Some of the story is predictable but in a way that is endearing. I like a twist on a classic bad power family tale and the whimsy of the house. It was well written and easy to get sucked into.

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jowiththetbrshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A welcome addition to the gothic haunted house trope, it reminded me of if Alice in Wonderland blended with Starless Sea. Utilizes the gothic trope to delve deeper into themes including class in rural Kentucky, inheritance both fantastical and literal, and family. Creepy and funny and satisfying.

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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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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livlamentloathe's review

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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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orizenda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I really loved this book. I’m not typically one for romance but this one was handled really well, I thought. It wasn’t overly done. and I loved the complexity of so many of the characters (Opal, Eleanor, Arthur, etc)

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