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silversparkles50's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Child abuse
hagwife's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I love that the characters' flaws have rhyme and reason and the chance to change; morally grey characters are always one of my favourites, but neither Opal nor Arthur nor Jasper are flawed for the sake of being flawed. They're all aggregations of their lived experiences, of inherited traumas and expectations that they didn't ask for, even as they continue to perpetuate some of them.
I love that this is a haunted house mystery without the haunting necessarily being about the house. Harrow's Starling House is less in the company of Hell House or Hill House, but that of Mervyn Peake's Gormengast, Susanna Clarke's the "World" from Piranesi, Jeanette Winterson's Tanglewreck, Tilly Walden's castle in The End of Summer, and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.
Concerning the end of the book, I wanted perhaps just a bit more.
For those who liked this book, especially the gothic and horror elements, I highly recommend Cherie Priest's The Toll.
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Grief, Racism, Death of parent, Blood, Car accident, Violence, and Child abuse
ljp817's review
- 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
Graphic: Classism and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Lesbophobia, Vomit, Murder, Slavery, and Homophobia
booksandstardust's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Suicide, and Murder
biblioglot's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
sashahc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Car accident, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Incest
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Blood, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual content, and Slavery
micheala's review
3.0
There is a plot, however this does feel like the characters are the main focus. It's hard, because most of the characters are very unlikeable however that's clearly the point. It's also in first person, which always knocks down my enjoyment a little.
At the beginning we had these fun footnotes that kinda just stop, as if the author forgot that was a thing she was doing. I wish they had continued, especially based on how the ending of the book was framed.
There are a lot of topics that fall into content warnings that feel more in line when you view this as a horror novel rather than a fantasy novel. None of them are super graphic, but they are clearly on page.
The prose was good, and I might give Harrow another go with a book that has a more appealing premise.
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Incest, Xenophobia, Body horror, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Grief, Car accident, Child abuse, and Child death
jessicarenz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Grief, and Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Racism, and Classism
darkdahlia9's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abandonment, Murder, Incest, Slavery, and Alcoholism