A review by maggers94
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

This might actually be the first time I’ve read a BOTM within the month that I got it, and it was easily one of my favorite books of the year, possibly in my list of all time. By the end of it, I loved Eden Kentucky and all it’s characters just as much as Opal does. The story does such a beautiful job of bringing the lore of the town and Starling House to life. It felt mythical at times, a bit like falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland at others. It was vivid and lush, gothic and magical. Just all around enchanting. Unexpectedly, I loved the mixed use of first person and third person and the many oral storytellings about Eden’s history and superstitions. I think that’s what gave it such a mythical or fairytale-like feel. It gave me the same feeling A Princess Bride does, and suddenly I felt like Fred Savage having this tale woven for me as I’m completely absorbed. This was overall just a fantastic read and I’m so glad I bumped it up my TBR list.