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A review by ellereadsbookslike
The House of Sorrowing Stars by Beth Cartwright
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Thank you to Del Rey for sending me a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
~Short Synopsis~
"How do you heal a broken house? First you unlock its secrets".
Sorrowing stars - flowers that shine as dusk begins to fall. On an island surrounded by these magical flowers, sits an old, faded house. Rooms cannot be rented here and visits are only for those haunted by the memory of loss.
Liddy receives a mysterious invitation to the House of Sorrowing Stars. At first she thinks there must have been some sort of mistake as she has never experienced loss. But when she arrives, she realises that there must be another reason for her invitation...now she must work out her true purpose in this story.
~Review~
A historical fiction with magical realism running through its core, The House of Sorrowing Stars is an utterly immersive and transportive fairytale about loss and letting go.
This kind of writing style is so up my street! The detailed descriptions produce such beautiful imagery. Cartwright does a wonderful job at creating an alluring yet downright creepy ambience. The pace is slow and steady which gives you time to really soak up the atmosphere. The lyrical writing style painted the images so clearly in my head that I could see every last detail. Oh how I wish sorrowing stars where real so that I could see a lake full of them in real life!
I think my favourite part of the book was the Library of Lost Souls. "The interior took her breath away. It felt more like a cathedral than a library, with its vast space and domed roof." I think every book lover dreams of owning a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast, well I want one like the Library of Lost Souls. The library also contained my favourite character, Eloura.
With magical libraries and stories within stories, there are definitely elements that remind me of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern which is a book I love very much.
The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the romance. For me it all happened too quickly and I struggled to connect with it. I personally really like to see the connection grow between the two characters, that way I can really root for them. I feel like I missed out on that. But with the book being a fairytale-style story, I am willing to forgive the love at first sight.
An enchanting, haunting and intricate fable of love and loss, sure to make any fairytale lover lose themselves in the pages for a few hours.
~Short Synopsis~
"How do you heal a broken house? First you unlock its secrets".
Sorrowing stars - flowers that shine as dusk begins to fall. On an island surrounded by these magical flowers, sits an old, faded house. Rooms cannot be rented here and visits are only for those haunted by the memory of loss.
Liddy receives a mysterious invitation to the House of Sorrowing Stars. At first she thinks there must have been some sort of mistake as she has never experienced loss. But when she arrives, she realises that there must be another reason for her invitation...now she must work out her true purpose in this story.
~Review~
A historical fiction with magical realism running through its core, The House of Sorrowing Stars is an utterly immersive and transportive fairytale about loss and letting go.
This kind of writing style is so up my street! The detailed descriptions produce such beautiful imagery. Cartwright does a wonderful job at creating an alluring yet downright creepy ambience. The pace is slow and steady which gives you time to really soak up the atmosphere. The lyrical writing style painted the images so clearly in my head that I could see every last detail. Oh how I wish sorrowing stars where real so that I could see a lake full of them in real life!
I think my favourite part of the book was the Library of Lost Souls. "The interior took her breath away. It felt more like a cathedral than a library, with its vast space and domed roof." I think every book lover dreams of owning a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast, well I want one like the Library of Lost Souls. The library also contained my favourite character, Eloura.
With magical libraries and stories within stories, there are definitely elements that remind me of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern which is a book I love very much.
The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the romance. For me it all happened too quickly and I struggled to connect with it. I personally really like to see the connection grow between the two characters, that way I can really root for them. I feel like I missed out on that. But with the book being a fairytale-style story, I am willing to forgive the love at first sight.
An enchanting, haunting and intricate fable of love and loss, sure to make any fairytale lover lose themselves in the pages for a few hours.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death and Death