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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I liked elements of the book and appreciated Opal by the end, despite not liking her.
Starling House begins as a tale of a small town's infamous haunted house with a creepy and mysterious past and ends as a compelling tale about finding a place - or person - to call home.
“To every child who needs a way into Underland. Befriend the Beasts, children, and follow them down.”
This book is a fantastic blending of gothic fantasy and mystery, with elements of romance - Alix Harrow is a fantastic storyteller and her prose creates an incredibly atmospheric tale along with characters who are fully developed, flawed, and relatable. The twists and turns of the plot kept me turning page after after, and I could not put this book down.
Some of my favorite quotes:
Star rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating:
“To every child who needs a way into Underland. Befriend the Beasts, children, and follow them down.”
This book is a fantastic blending of gothic fantasy and mystery, with elements of romance - Alix Harrow is a fantastic storyteller and her prose creates an incredibly atmospheric tale along with characters who are fully developed, flawed, and relatable. The twists and turns of the plot kept me turning page after after, and I could not put this book down.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“I have no home, no porch light. But I have what I need, and it’s enough. It’s just that, sometimes, God help me, I want more.”
“Drinking, because then be would sleep, and when he sleeps the House sends him dreams of her, of them, of a future they won’t have. How selfish, how fundamentally silly, that he should start wanting to live right when he ought to die.”
“Surely the precise shape of the wound doesn’t matter as much as how much they hurt, and whose hands dealt them.”
“They simply told themselves a different story, one that was easier to believe because they’d heard it before: Once there was a bad woman who ruined a good man. Once there was a witch who cursed a village. Once there was an odd, ugly girl whom everyone hated, because it was safe to hate her.”
“The only monsters here are the ones we make.”
Star rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating:
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
This isn't a book I would typically like. I thought it was a haunted house/ghost story, but it was more of a dreamlike fantasy story with elements of magic. That type of story normally bores me to tears, but I found this story to be beautifully written. There were some slow parts, but I loved the love story between Opal and Arthur. I also loved the other relationships Opal had with people in the town. It was paced well and very sweet. I also liked the allegory of the Underworld they found themselves in. It had so much meaning and touched on important points regarding trauma, forgiveness, and family. My favorite character was Starling House itself, and there were many funny parts in the book that made me chuckle.
A bit of a different thriller, with some paranormal thrown in. The protagonist is tough, a survivor with sharp teeth and claws. I was never really sure if I liked her, until the end. I'd describe this story as dark, rusty, and uncertain. My favorite part was the House, which grew its own personality as the pages turn - although for quite a lot of the story I wasn't sure how I felt about the House either. It's a very different feel from January, by the same author, and worth a read.
slow-paced
We (two dysfunctional loners) found love (begrudgingly) in a hopeless place (a rotting, sinking, maybe sentient? house).