Book Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Starling House
Publisher: Tor Books
Pub Date: 3 October 2023
Genre: Gothic Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that itโ€™s best to let the uncanny houseโ€•and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starlingโ€•go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something sheโ€™s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, sheโ€™ll have to fight for it.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Grief, death of a parent (recounted), drowning (recounted), car accident (recounted), blackmail, fire, brief imprisonment, asthma attacks, poverty, racism, slavery, implications of sexual assault/incest/paedophilia, child marriage, gun violence (minor), implications of drugging, violence, blood

Why is it always the hardest to review a book you love? The words are swirling around in my head but they just won’t come out in the way I need them to! So sorry if this is a ‘mid’ slightly nonsensical ramble of a review.

TL;DR: Starling House is a hauntingly beautiful Southern Gothic with a rich fairytale-esque atmosphere. It doesn’t matter that I’ve probably read something similar-ish before because the combination of the author’s lush prose, relatable characters, and well-loved tropes mixed with the creepy foreboding vibe felt unique. I fell in love with Opal, Arthur, and the sentient House with its oddly endearing personality. I loved where Harrow took this story and what it turned intoโ€”from a slow beginning that steadily builds to an utterly explosive and ultimately satisfying ending.

This was a buddy read with Leslie and Julie and we had so much to gush about! It was a great group read and I’m so happy to say that all of us really loved it! ๐Ÿ˜

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