Starling House
- Downloads：3073
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-11-02 04:20:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alix E. Harrow
- ISBN：B0BVKWJ267
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Calyssa Foster
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2。5 rounded up to 3 for GR！ This was a miss for me and I never connected with the main characters which made for a difficult read。
Ashley
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Going on my favorites shelf 100%
The Library Ladies
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（originally reviewed at thelibraryladies。com） This was a book I was always going to read。 The cover is right up my alley， of course。 But the description of the story with its references to gothic houses and brooding men was also ticking all of the right boxes。 On top of all of that， this is the same author who wrote “The Ten Thousand Doors of January，” a book I absolutely adored。 Now， all of that said， I was a bit concerned going in due to the fact that this is a contemporary fantasy novel s （originally reviewed at thelibraryladies。com） This was a book I was always going to read。 The cover is right up my alley， of course。 But the description of the story with its references to gothic houses and brooding men was also ticking all of the right boxes。 On top of all of that， this is the same author who wrote “The Ten Thousand Doors of January，” a book I absolutely adored。 Now， all of that said， I was a bit concerned going in due to the fact that this is a contemporary fantasy novel set in our modern world。 For whatever reason， I’m very picky about this subgenre of fantasy。 But it’s also just a tall task to write a compelling story that introduces magical elements into a world that in every other way is the same as our own。 One or the other often is lacking in believability， either the magic or the description of our current society， leading to a disjointed weave where neither element really works with the other。 But， frankly， this book served as a relief and reassurance: there ARE contemporary fantasy novels out there that work for me！There was so much to love about this book， but I think I have to start with the voice of the main character。 Yes， the book is broken up between two POVs， but it is not an even split， with Opal narrating the majority of the book。 I won’t go off again on my main rants about the success of failure of multi-POV books， but I will note that Harrow takes advantage of an approach that I think vastly helps in this endeavor， and one that is often overlooked by authors。 Opal， the primary narrator， tells her story in first person， while Arthur’s chapters are told from third person。 Such a simple solution， but one that makes them easily distinguishable from one another without falling into the common trap of writing two voices that sound nearly identical。 Third person storytelling is also the dominant form of storytelling across genres for a reason in that it allows a greater lens of commentary and description of events and scenes。 So using this method， we are centered in Opal’s very distinctive voice， but through Arthur’s chapters， we are given a wider view of the greater circumstances。But let’s get back to Opal。 First person is a hard writing style to tackle， and one that I feel few authors truly master， often feeling that many books would be elevated form the mundane to the more exceptional had a simple change of tense been employed。 But Harrow proves here how successful first person storytelling can be when done right。 Opal’s voice is fierce， unique， and so clearly her own from the very start that the reader will immediately feel as if they know the exact type of person narrating the story before many details are even revealed。 What’s more， Opal’s narration is clearly that of a somewhat unreliable narrator， which I think is the only honest way to truly do first person narration。 When a character can only evaluate people and events from the perspective of their own world-view， their understanding colored by their own insecurities and past experiences， OF COURSE their narration is unreliable！ Such is Opal’s story， an honest， and at time heart breaking， look at the harsh realities of poverty and small town life， but one that is also told from the perspective a young woman who has fought every day to make a life for herself and her brother。 Opal isn’t a perfect person， but her story is one of self-acceptance， and learning the true nature of trust and family。 It’s bracing at times， but ultimately beautiful。Arthur’s story also covers some deep themes， such as duty， responsibility， choice， and， similar to Opal， family and grief。 Of course， tied between them is a lovely slow-burn romance of the exact variety that I prefer。 Firstly， their relationship is secondary to the overall story。 And secondly， it develops in a natural manner full of small， every day moments and delayed realizations。 Beyond these two， the house itself played a very unexpected role。 I definitely went into the book expecting a certain type of haunted house story， and while some of this held true， I was also surprised and very pleased with the nuance brought to the house itself。 In many ways， it served as an important third character all on its own。I also loved the setting and overall story。 The pacing was steady and gripping from the very start， never once lulling or letting the reader free from its captivating grip。 Pieces to the larger mystery are slowly unspooled， all while greater and greater tension brews in the looming conflict between the house， its caretakers， and those who exist beyond it。 Every time I felt like I had a good grasp on exactly where this story was going， it would abruptly swerve into an entirely different lane。 The end， especially， took a turn I wasn’t expecting at all， but ended up really enjoying。Honestly， I can’t say enough good things about this book。 It’s stayed with me every since I finished it， and it’s definitely been one of those “ruiner” reads where I’ve struggled picking up my next few books because my mind keeps drifting back to this one。 This is the sort of book that I think will appeal to a wide range of readers。 It is fantasy， of course， but it also has elements of horror and historical fiction。 Beyond this， it delves deeply into themes of power， privilege， and rage， topics that I think will interest many readers。 And， of course， any fans of Harrow’s work previously should definitely check this one out。Rating 10: Haunting in the true sense of the word， this book will stick with you long after you’ve finished the last page。 。。。more
Jay
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Starling House is the story of Opal and， well， Starling House， a dilapidated old mansion known at one point to house a reclusive author who wrote a terrifying children’s book called The Underland。 Opal is beyond poor and caring for her younger brother。 When the current heir living in Starling House， Arthur offers Oal a job， it just might be the thing that helps her out of poverty or it might just be the thing that gets her killed。This book started out strong and I was super invested until it los Starling House is the story of Opal and， well， Starling House， a dilapidated old mansion known at one point to house a reclusive author who wrote a terrifying children’s book called The Underland。 Opal is beyond poor and caring for her younger brother。 When the current heir living in Starling House， Arthur offers Oal a job， it just might be the thing that helps her out of poverty or it might just be the thing that gets her killed。This book started out strong and I was super invested until it lost me。 I’m not sure exactly at what point the book failed to hold my attention， but it did unfortunately。 I was super intrigued by the lore of Starling House and was ecstatic when the book talked about The Underland， a bit disappointed not to see any pictures because this book had reference entries， so I thought it was coming。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC。 Natalie Naudus was a fine narrator。 I wanted to love this book， but in the end， I thought it was just okay。 。。。more
Karen
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I loved this book。 It’s an exciting ride from a plot standpoint， but what makes it magical is what it has to say underneath the plot—about love and family， becoming an adult， handling the baggage your family gives you， and learning how to be safe enough to actually feel things。 I will definitely revisit this book， and I look forward to whenever that will be。
Corinne
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2。4/5 — just not my type of book。 felt like some parts of it was slow。 also it had footnotes which i didn’t like
Brodie
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I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。The secrets of Starling House immediately draw you in。 Why does this house call to certain people？ Why do they dream of things inside the walls of the house that they have never seen。Opal is one of the many draw to Starling house and is eager to learn the secrets。 Arthur， the latest resident offers Opal a job and soon the horrors of the house come to light， and secrets better kept in the dark start popping up。This I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。The secrets of Starling House immediately draw you in。 Why does this house call to certain people？ Why do they dream of things inside the walls of the house that they have never seen。Opal is one of the many draw to Starling house and is eager to learn the secrets。 Arthur， the latest resident offers Opal a job and soon the horrors of the house come to light， and secrets better kept in the dark start popping up。This book is pretty fast paced and easy to get through， the characters personalities shine through in every scene， even the ones that pop up rarely in the whole book。 The mysteries and horrors will keep you reading and on the edge of you seat until the end。 。。。more
Adeline
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Boring。 Zero tension。 And why have your characters be in their mid/late twenties when they don't act that way？ Boring。 Zero tension。 And why have your characters be in their mid/late twenties when they don't act that way？ 。。。more
Amanda Bradburn
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All the stars 🤩🥲
Crystal Jackson
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Starling House is a spectacular read。 It has a gothic horror fantasy feel， and the story had so many layers。 I can’t wait to read this again just to pick up on the nuance I missed while devouring it the first time。
Deepshika
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It's a refreshing take on fairy tales and the nightmares they wrought on。。 I finished the book in 2 days（kindly note that I'm quite a slow reader）。。I just could not put it down。。 I even took a day off work， it's blown my compréhension。 A masterful chef-d'oeuvre。 Not all loose ends are tied but that's the beauty of it， dream it， is what the book is all about。 How in the midst of flaws and ugliness， one dares to dream。 I rate it a 5/5 effortlessly。 I grew attached。。 I set my camp in the book。 It's a refreshing take on fairy tales and the nightmares they wrought on。。 I finished the book in 2 days（kindly note that I'm quite a slow reader）。。I just could not put it down。。 I even took a day off work， it's blown my compréhension。 A masterful chef-d'oeuvre。 Not all loose ends are tied but that's the beauty of it， dream it， is what the book is all about。 How in the midst of flaws and ugliness， one dares to dream。 I rate it a 5/5 effortlessly。 I grew attached。。 I set my camp in the book。 。。。more
G
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Fave of the year， no contest。
LeAnne
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Adored this story so very much。 Harrow has quickly become one of my favorite authors。
Karen
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Just didn't click with me Just didn't click with me 。。。more
Becca
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Somewhere between a 3 & 4。 Cozy spooky vibes but felt that it took a long time for the story to build up。
Cate
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DNF。 I just can’t with this main character。If you want a great book with a real gothic house， you should try “The hacienda”。 The first phrase of the book is amazing “I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen。” Perfect！ But the perfection ends there。 1。 I did not enjoyed it at all。 The writing is awful， I felt like I was reading a bad middlegrade book。 There’s too much description of little things and some of them made me laugh and cringe。 There’s so beautiful or atmospheric writing。 There’ DNF。 I just can’t with this main character。If you want a great book with a real gothic house， you should try “The hacienda”。 The first phrase of the book is amazing “I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen。” Perfect！ But the perfection ends there。 1。 I did not enjoyed it at all。 The writing is awful， I felt like I was reading a bad middlegrade book。 There’s too much description of little things and some of them made me laugh and cringe。 There’s so beautiful or atmospheric writing。 There’s nothing gothic， no emotion to these characters， no fairy tale。 2。 No plot。 I couldn’t understand what’s with the house， who’s haunting the house， if it’s someone haunting the it。 nothing is well explained and it bored me。 There were some parts where the house occasionally does something， but only for 2 seconds。 The author tried to make it look gothic and scary， but it’s just a house。 Shame。3。 It’s very cliche and predictable。 We have the poor poor girl who’s mean so she can’t be hurt and she doesn’t want to get close to anyone。 Her language is awful， she’s 27 I think and she acts and speaks like she’s 17。 Who swears so much？ Who is so mean towards the people who help her？ Who has such childish comebacks？？ She’s so tiresome。 She’s not clever， she just yells。 She doesn’t know how to talk to someone， she just assumes all the time， and she doesn’t let people talk。 She thinks she’s better that everyone and she doesn’t know how to be a kind person。 I got frustrated with her and I’m pretty sure she’s my most hated character ever。 And the way she acted towards her brother…。 Ugh。 4。 The male character， Arthur， he’s the most boring one。 There’s no romance between them， it felt forced and childish。 He doesn’t have a personality at all。 No chemistry between them。 Nothing。 5。 Also， what’s with the footnotes？ They just ended randomly somewhere in the book。 I think they were supposed to bring some mystery throughout the story， but the mystery was their disappearance。 6。 Boring。 Nothing happens。 There’s just “twist” after “twist” and suddenly， multiple plots and the government appears。 And it’s not horror。 It’s not even romance。 I won’t try this author ever again。 I don’t understand how many people rated it 5 stars， but ok。 。。。more
tig :3
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starling house is what you would get if pans labyrinth， monster house and the raven cycle had an illicit affair， spawning something sinister and gritty and unbelievably wonderful。 4。5， full review to come soon :3
Dilan
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Half through， dnf
Megan
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3。75
Fatma Abdullah
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2。5 ⭐️Wasn’t bad or anything， just wasn’t for meThe writing was nice， well thought out story， nice plot linesThe main thing for me was the characters， couldn’t connect to or like any of themThe ending was alright but not satisfying， like I thought y’all hated this place？ 😭
Christina Moore
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Had me in the first half but the third act flailed。 Also the footnotes were SO unnecessary。
Meagaan
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I could barely finish this。 Cliché characters， bad pace， foot notes and pov swaps that add nothing。 Very disappointing
Saint Alana
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3。5It was good。 Very slow for the first half。 Interesting themes of found family， duty， following one's dreams， dark secrets， rejection of truth。 The romance seemed to come out of nowhere。I'm not sure I get the ending。 3。5It was good。 Very slow for the first half。 Interesting themes of found family， duty， following one's dreams， dark secrets， rejection of truth。 The romance seemed to come out of nowhere。I'm not sure I get the ending。 。。。more
Sam
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I need to write a review for this book， but I don't really know how to。 I'm torn because I want to give it 5 stars， but it just didn't quite hit it for me。 The writing is beautiful and evocative， but I think some of the other things fell short。 While I love good writing， it's really the meat to everything that keeps a book lingering in your mind。 。。。I somehow always make my 4 star ratings sound cranky。。。Anyway， Starling House started really slow for me。 I was interested but not intrigued。 There I need to write a review for this book， but I don't really know how to。 I'm torn because I want to give it 5 stars， but it just didn't quite hit it for me。 The writing is beautiful and evocative， but I think some of the other things fell short。 While I love good writing， it's really the meat to everything that keeps a book lingering in your mind。 。。。I somehow always make my 4 star ratings sound cranky。。。Anyway， Starling House started really slow for me。 I was interested but not intrigued。 There was something about Opal I didn't like。 She seems like the scrappy take no shit female character I should love， but she's almost too hard。 And I get it， her life has been fucked。 She grew on me， though， and she slowly shows some softness to her edges， but if you're not careful， they're still there willing to cut you。I think I struggled with the pacing of this book a bit。 It definitely picked up about halfway through or so， had another bit of a lull， and then rushed fully to the ending。 It mixed hard to get into and hard to put down without deciding which one it was going to be。I did love the character of Starling House， and it definitely stole the show every time we were with the House。 There's something so cute and wonderfully gothic about an animated inanimate object with feelings and responses。 I honestly just want to read more about the day to day living in such a house。The plot is a mystery where I think maybe too much is revealed at the end。 There are a bunch of different stories about Starling House， it's creation， and it's purpose and all of them are true， and yet none of them are true。 I think I was almost let down by the truth at the end？ Or it was just that the truth was sad and human， and that's always such a depressing thing to read。 It's still a recommended read from me， however。 The writing is wonderful， and this is definitely a book where I could really see the things written happening。 I didn't want to skim and fill in any blanks in my head， but read slowly and savor the prose。 I like the characters and the plot， but the pacing just held this from being a 5 star read for me。 。。。more
Ben Nathan
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4。5 rounded up to 5
Eva
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I enjoyed this read， the story was engaging and had a happy ending， and I especially liked the play on dreams materializing hence the four stars。 Now for the negative comments; the angst was a little much and the writing was awkward at times （why oh why use the word ooch？ ）。 I do recommend for a nice little gothic escapism read。
Lily
，
"Because to ask is to hope thatsomeone answers， and it hurts so bad when nobody does。 "Opal is stubborn and crass。 She lies and steals。 There's only one thing she lives for， her brother Jasper。 Opal's deepest desire is taking care of her brother and finding a place to call home。I loved Opal's humor and determination。 Her strong will is what helped her survive so many years without a parent。 Along the way， Opal finds out that maybe she was wrong about what "home" really means。The banter between O "Because to ask is to hope thatsomeone answers， and it hurts so bad when nobody does。 "Opal is stubborn and crass。 She lies and steals。 There's only one thing she lives for， her brother Jasper。 Opal's deepest desire is taking care of her brother and finding a place to call home。I loved Opal's humor and determination。 Her strong will is what helped her survive so many years without a parent。 Along the way， Opal finds out that maybe she was wrong about what "home" really means。The banter between Opal and Arthur is top-notch。 I also love Opal's relationship with Bev。 The relationships are what really make this book。I felt the "Underland" time lasted far too long for my taste。 Stories repeated over and over。 There was a bit of gore/fighting。 Overall， I enjoyed this book。 Also， the hardcover had some really cool drawings throughout。 。。。more
Bethany Brittain
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Kind of odd but interesting
abigailthebibliophile
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Starling House is one of the most interesting books I’ve read in a long time and is DEFINITELY outside of my comfort zone。 This is a story that reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher。 Opal， a 26 year old in Kentucky， finds herself having questions about this mysterious house on a hill。 There are rumors on how the house got there and who lives there now— not that they can be trusted。 Arthur is the Warden of Starling House。 When Opal comes knocking at his door， he doesn’t expec Starling House is one of the most interesting books I’ve read in a long time and is DEFINITELY outside of my comfort zone。 This is a story that reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher。 Opal， a 26 year old in Kentucky， finds herself having questions about this mysterious house on a hill。 There are rumors on how the house got there and who lives there now— not that they can be trusted。 Arthur is the Warden of Starling House。 When Opal comes knocking at his door， he doesn’t expect that he’d lend a hand to a “stray”— let alone begin to care for her。 What I love about this book is the flushed out characters。 This gothic style story rides the line of fantasy and reality which characters that you can picture in any town in America。 Opal can easily be placed in my mind， and that’s what I love about her。 When the book starts to lean more into the magical realism， you can suspend your disbelief just enough to make the story feel real。 While the fantasy/gothic imagery in this book is heavy （enter House of Usher vibes）， I found it to fit like a puzzle piece。 I will say， this book took me more time than I would have liked to get into it— but I got there。 I loved this book！ 。。。more
Amanda
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