A review by thalassa_reading
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

This is an amazingly written modern gothic story about finding beauty in the beastly, about learning to see the good in people and in yourself. The protagonist is a revelation, what an incredible character. I loved her voice, her development and the very slow-burn romance. Also remarkable prose, the descriptions and metaphors were often surprising but very visceral and fitting. I've seen this book described as somewhat of a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but while the story features an initially scary guy in a weird house, it's really the protagonist who discovers that she isn't the Beast she thought. I loved how she almost grudgingly realizes that there are people who care for her, and she doesn't have to stay behind her wall of self-sufficiency and hardness.
Also, the House!! It's amazing!

But I found the ending quite unsatisfactory. Central arcs that motivated Opal's actions were suddenly set aside, the previous villains didn't matter anymore. The story spent so much effort on showing injustice and cruelty but then turns around and seems to say, cocooning oneself away is the path forward. I don't understand what happened to the House and why but I didn't like it. And finally, the author seemed to shy away from showing actual happiness and found family, instead there was a weird epilogue written from a great distance. It's far too short and unemotional to wind down from the finale. 
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