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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending dropped my rating by 1 star. I felt it was a little unsatisfying for all the build up. I was hoping to have more time in Underland than we actually got.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Incest, Sexual content
I’m normally not one to reach for a horror-themed fantasy, but I’ve always loved a good gothic mystery / haunted house story, so I wanted to give Starling House a try after hearing good things and liking the premise. I also adored the cover!!
Although the story itself wasn’t that original, there were bits and pieces of the book that made it unique. For example, I absolutely loved the artwork scattered throughout, I wish more adult books would do this. I also liked how there would be little footnotes at the bottom of the page correcting historical inaccuracies or adding “history” to the home like a nonfiction would that the reader could choose to engage with or not.
What started to lose me was the last half of the book, when I realized how much of the plot would be focused on the relationship between Opal and Arthur. I also thought for a relatively short book that it got pretty repetitive. I got bored of all the different retellings of the Starling story by the end, just in time for the most important one, and I lost count of how many times Arthur told Opal to leave the house, and then she’d come back, and then he’d tell her to leave, and then she’d come back. Lastly, I found the ending to be rushed.
I’d say I liked this more than Ten Thousand Doors, and a few small changes could have made this great.
Although the story itself wasn’t that original, there were bits and pieces of the book that made it unique. For example, I absolutely loved the artwork scattered throughout, I wish more adult books would do this. I also liked how there would be little footnotes at the bottom of the page correcting historical inaccuracies or adding “history” to the home like a nonfiction would that the reader could choose to engage with or not.
What started to lose me was the last half of the book, when I realized how much of the plot would be focused on the relationship between Opal and Arthur. I also thought for a relatively short book that it got pretty repetitive. I got bored of all the different retellings of the Starling story by the end, just in time for the most important one, and I lost count of how many times Arthur told Opal to leave the house, and then she’d come back, and then he’d tell her to leave, and then she’d come back. Lastly, I found the ending to be rushed.
I’d say I liked this more than Ten Thousand Doors, and a few small changes could have made this great.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm not angry...I'm just disappointed in myself that I didn't dnf this book when I was advised to. I have so many issues like is this novel meant to be dystopian? Is this a fantasy world that is close to our own?
For all fantasy readers I can most definitely say that this was not fantasy. I don't even know how I would describe it but fantasy is not it.
Some of the sentences used so many words that I almost felt like the author used AI to get over the top descriptions and using all types of adjectives.
The way the POV would randomly change mid-chapter was not my favourite because often it would seem quite random. I swear some of her chapters were from first person and his were randomly third person?
I just felt like this had so many plot points happening that I couldn't keep track of the story and how things related any longer. There were multiple familes mentioned but not actually it was all the same family, a magical house (that could have been made a much more in depth character and was not- which was so wasted), a book related to the house, the coal company, the town hating whatever the main female characters name is. It was just so much and it feels like none of it went anywhere significant. This book might have been only 300 pages but my word it just went on forever.
This book had the clumsiest sex scene I have ever encountered and it just kind of came out of nowhere? The main characters had no chemistry at all. Mainly because Arthur had no personality whatsoever. His personality was alcohol and agonising over the house.
Some of the sentences are just so random that I had to go back and read them a few times because I thought I made a mistake.
"She blinks down at his arm with an expression like she has never seen one before"
Really? Really?
"I am awake. I am still sleeping"
Yes that is totally English, good job.
Overall I would say give this a skip if you are a fantasy reader. It gets better around chapter 16 until chapter 26 and then just bombs the ending.
It's a no from me 👎🏻
For all fantasy readers I can most definitely say that this was not fantasy. I don't even know how I would describe it but fantasy is not it.
Some of the sentences used so many words that I almost felt like the author used AI to get over the top descriptions and using all types of adjectives.
The way the POV would randomly change mid-chapter was not my favourite because often it would seem quite random. I swear some of her chapters were from first person and his were randomly third person?
I just felt like this had so many plot points happening that I couldn't keep track of the story and how things related any longer. There were multiple familes mentioned but not actually it was all the same family, a magical house (that could have been made a much more in depth character and was not- which was so wasted), a book related to the house, the coal company, the town hating whatever the main female characters name is. It was just so much and it feels like none of it went anywhere significant. This book might have been only 300 pages but my word it just went on forever.
This book had the clumsiest sex scene I have ever encountered and it just kind of came out of nowhere? The main characters had no chemistry at all. Mainly because Arthur had no personality whatsoever. His personality was alcohol and agonising over the house.
Some of the sentences are just so random that I had to go back and read them a few times because I thought I made a mistake.
"She blinks down at his arm with an expression like she has never seen one before"
Really? Really?
"I am awake. I am still sleeping"
Yes that is totally English, good job.
Overall I would say give this a skip if you are a fantasy reader. It gets better around chapter 16 until chapter 26 and then just bombs the ending.
It's a no from me 👎🏻
Eleanor was so angry she made demons of her own that wanted to end her because she wanted to destroy everything else.
I think she has all the right to but it's not the right thing to do.
4.5 stars
I think she has all the right to but it's not the right thing to do.
4.5 stars
Gosh I loved this book. Everything about it. It took me a minute to get into it but once I did I didn't want it to end.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes