| Title | : | Starling House |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1250799058 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781250799050 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 308 |
| Publication | : | First published October 3, 2023 |
| Awards | : | Audie Award Fantasy (2024), Goodreads Choice Award Fantasy (2023) |
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 it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―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 she’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, she’ll have to fight for it.
Starling House Reviews
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What if we rotted in this old house together is a love language
This book is literally EVERYTHING TO ME. Read my full review over on my
blog!
thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing this review copy
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4 hours of uninterrupted reading? My adhd was found dead in a ditch!
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**4.5-stars rounded up**
💚🖤💜💚🖤💜💚🖤💜💚🖤💜💚🖤💜💚
Starling House is darkly enchanting. A perfect October read!
If you've read
my review of
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, you already know that Harrow and I didn't get off to the best of starts.
I could see glimmers of greatest, but that story just wasn't for me in anyway. In spite of that, I never write an author off after just one try, so have picked up other works from Harrow since then.
I had a ton of fun with her Fractured Fables novellas and was ready to try this one out upon its release.
This story is set in the small town of Eden, Kentucky, known for being the home to a reclusive 19th-Century author and illustrator, who mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind her gorgeous gothic estate, Starling House.
We follow a young woman named, Opal, who hasn't had it easy. She cares for her younger brother and works hard every day to try to make ends meet. She wants a better life for him and sacrifices a lot.
Through a series of interesting events, Opal ends up with a job offer to work at Starling House. She's to become the regular housekeeper for the estate; trust, a full-time job.
Opal knows better than to mess with supposedly haunted houses, but regardless of her trepidation, she sort of needs this. Bonus, the house-cleaning position offers her the chance to get to know the last heir to the estate, the handsome, yet prickly, Arthur Starling.
The story involves a lot of history of the house, the property, the Starling family, as well as the growing relationship between Opal and Arthur.
I enjoyed learning about all that. Harrow made it so interesting. I just wanted to know more. I will note, there are footnotes utilized in telling this story, and although generally I am fairly ambivalent about their use, I felt here they worked quite well for providing the Reader with extra information needed to truly connect with this story.
Starling House includes a trope, or maybe it's more accurate to call it a theme, that I have seen pop up recently in quite a few other novels. Most memorably,
Hide,
These Fleeting Shadows and
Episode Thirteen.
If you have read any of these, you may know the concept I'm referring. For me, this is BY FAR, the best that idea, or concept, has been brought to the page recently. I haven't enjoyed it in any other case, but there was something about the way Harrow told this story that just worked for me.
I loved how dark and whimsical this felt, almost like a Dark Fairy Tale, but while also containing an 'our world' modern feel. It was almost a story out of time. It made me think about that television show, Once Upon a Time. Not because of the content, but just the overall vibe.
I became quickly invested in this. Early on I was hooked. I loved how Harrow chose to tell and build out this story. It was easy to get invested in the characters and while I wasn't at the edge of my seat, I still didn't want it to end.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Adult Fiction with dark undertones. If unsettling atmosphere, potential whimsical monsters and dark fairy tales are your jam, you have to check this one out.
I'm so glad that I continued to pick up Harrow's work and encourage every Reader to give authors a second chance. Delightful reads like this could be just around the corner.
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Starling House is a book of almosts.
I almost liked it.
These were almost interesting characters.
It almost had a good plot resolution.
It almost has something to say about race and class.
It’s full of great concepts that are almost executed well.
But none of it ever hits the mark.
I nothing this book. I don't like it. I don't know that I care enough to really dislike it.
This was such a bizarre reading experience because all the individual pieces are great. In explaining the book to a friend as I was reading I was aware that everything I was saying sounded really interesting, because in theory it all should be! So why was I just bored reading it?
All those really cool pieces never quite came together into anything cohesive. They resolved into a book, but the pieces were shoved into the puzzle at odd angles wherever they might fit and in the end the picture they made was just…off. Don’t mind my bad metaphor, it might be a symptom of me just having read this book.
This book feels way too slow and entirely too long, which is a wild critique to have about something that’s barely 300 pages. I don’t know, I just think nothing worked. Nothing was as fleshed out as it should have been, the characters weren’t very deep, the fantasy aspects were never explained well enough, the climax was anti-climactic, even the prose felt appropriately moody and atmospheric only sometimes. The whole book was just…meh.
It was too long for what it did and too short for what I think it was trying to do.
I guess what I’m saying is that this book is the definition of mid. The house is the best character in the whole book. -
I think I liked this best when it didn’t feel like it was auditioning for Tiktok content creation…
The past speaks in a multitude of voices, though far too often those with power use it to silence the voices that make them uncomfortable or dismiss them as discordant and dangerous. The titular house in Starling House, the southern gothic fantasy from Alix E. Harrow, is not only a place around which many rumors are whispered but one where such discordant voices may just be waiting in its gloomy eaves just waiting to be heard. Starling House is a rather cozy horror that, despite an unfortunately slogging pace, wraps you up in irresistible prose and intoxicating, uneasy atmosphere as it teases out its secrets. Combing the legacy of Southern Gothic with a rather
Beauty and the Beast-esque romance and other fairy tale elements, we watch as Opal goes from poverty and struggling to care for her younger brother into becoming caretaker of Starling House where it’s reclusive Warden holds back a shocking secret. Despite a story that is overly reliant on miscommunication and an ambitious narrative that doesn’t land all its tricks, Starling House is a satisfying and sinister good time that examines the way storytelling can reshape the truth and why some truths seem to be a vortex of violence.
‘He told me Hell was real, and so were its demons.’
While I felt that this book was reaching to pull off too many techniques that, ultimately, felt unnecessary, it isn’t to saw Harrow is a bad writer. Quite the contrary, as this story really engulfs you in its dreariness and dread. It is a slow-burn narrative, one that is perhaps a bit stretched out, but it functions quite well as a thematic exploration of the ways the truths we try to bury will always return. Harrow raws on the tradition of American gothic writers, such as
Nathaniel Hawthorne and
Edgar Allan Poe, and the ways the focus is less on a specific evil but on the ways evils are folded into the very fiber of the past, such as an American legacy of colonialism and slavery. Though Harrow also figures into the legacy of women’s rage that speaks so sharply in the Southern Gothic and seems to channel many of the ideas of outsiders and moral frustrations that appear in the works of
Flannery O'Connor and offers a specific Southern US setting. It is her first story to take place in home of Kentucky, something she spoke about in
a conversation with NPR:‘This is the first book that I set fully in, like committed to writing about Kentucky…One of the reasons that I had found that difficult to do before is because I find it to be a place of very mixed experiences that I love very, very, very much, and which has just an incredible violence and terror to it.’
That legacy of violence and terror is certainly present here, in the ways that, like the best of Southern Gothic, grotesqueries and spooky settings tend to function as a symbol of past sins that seep like shed blood towards the present.
‘Starling House makes me think of an underfed pet or a broken doll, a thing unloved by the person who promised to love it best.’
Starling House is the perfect symbol of all the silenced rage and sacrificed lives that haunt the town if one knows under which rocks of history to look. It is a house that calls to Opal all her life.‘Because I dreamed of Starling House long before I ever saw it. Because sometimes when the light slants soft through the west windows and turns the dust mots into tiny golden fireflies I like to pretend the house belongs to me, or that I belong to it.’
Though, as readers learn, this is no ordinary haunted house. In his introduction for the novel
Burnt Offerings, horror author
Stephen Graham Jones offers two distinctions of haunted houses: the Stay Away Houses and the Hungry Houses. Jone’s explains that Stay Away one's drive people away but‘Hungry Houses aren't complete without people to digest for reasons or decades or centuries,’ though here we have an interesting twist that the house—more a character than a setting itself—draws people in to keep to care for it and protect the secrets it holds dear. The way Harrow excels at making settings a character is really wonderful and in keeping with many gothic themes, though the town itself feels rather underutilized, more existing off-page or in history than really engaged with in the present.
This is an aspect of the novel overall that felt rather lackluster. There is a lot of potential for town itself to feel like a character, either cloyingly or comfortingly, (which is something that
Stephen King has long been known for executing with incredible results) though it almost feels like an afterthought after the initial set-up. Characters like the librarian in particular—I often find helpful librarian characters to be eyerollingly saccharine caricatures of the field or only serve as twee nods (see also:
vocational awe) but here she felt really authentic and to function the way a modern library setting would to the point where I wonder if Harrow has worked in libraries—or even the brother feel under used. And E. Starling, who seems should be a major figure in the book, gets far too little page time.
There are a lot of little strands that either fall flat or seem left underexplored and occasionally it felt like Harrow was trying to pack in as many tropes or ideas as possible to appeal to a vast variety of “to read” lists instead of doing any of them particularly well. Two examples are how, while racism comes up here, it feels more just a nod and under examined which is a shame as it fits really well into the major themes of Southern Gothic, and a character is briefly mentioned as bisexual almost as if to say “put this on library lists for LGBTQ books, please” rather than earnest attempts at representation (as someone who is pansexual it’s like…oh yay rep but also seems just something an author can say without having to explore and still have a straight relationship so is it really?). I also appreciated the footnotes (which do sort of get explained) but she abandons the technique a third of the way through the book and makes it feel tacked on rather than integrated.
Harrow does a good job, however, at stradling the line between YA and adult fiction and I think this is a book that would really appeal to readers of both genres. That said, I think this might have worked better as a YA. The horror elements are fairly tame (its almost cozy), the romance (which feels very unearned and out of nowhere) isn’t exactly spicy, and the characters felt much more like older teens than adults. Opal especially feels more like a fiery teenage character with too much on her plate than a mid-twenties woman struggling to feed her brother in a rent-free hotel room. ‘I slam the door as I leave, because if you’re going to act like a hormonal teenager you might as well commit to the role,’ she says at one point, and I think this would have benefitted to Harrow commiting to Opal’s role by making her a teen.
‘The house has always had a taste for the brave ones.’
I did like the characters, however. Arthur, who seems an allusion to the similarly reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley from
To Kill a Mockingbird, is constantly mentioned as being ugly. This ties into the Beauty and the Beast allusions, but it also is part of a larger theme that what is considered ugly is cast aside and ignored. It is, perhaps, almost gratuitous how much Opal talks about how ugly he is (but then almost like flicking a lightswitch is in love with him) but it does seem to fit the themes quite well.
‘They averted their eyes from evil, and in doing so, became complicit in it.’
What does really work is the exploration of how a place can be trapped or haunted by the past. Opal is given a multi-figure offer to dig up some secrets by the Big Bad Company of the novel and decides to do some digging for her own sake (for a character that is supposed to be really intelligent, she is always the last to know and not since reading
Verity have I so much wanted to shout “pay attention to the important clues oh my god what are you doing”). We discover so many histories are enfolded inside, and each time she probes another voice emerges adding a new dimension to the tale, rewriting previously believed histories and often adding more layers of mystery than questions answered.
‘I was a songbird in a den of foxes, and they were so hungry.’
Power, we see, is often about shaping history for the purpose of the powerful. It is how stories fall through the cracks, or get reconfigured into something far from the truth. And then go to great lengths to ensure their version becomes the “history,” which, as anyone who has read the gothic tales can attest, tend to be the reason why ghosts and ghouls come screaming back from the grave.‘They simply told themselves a different story, one that was easier to believe because they’d heard it before: Once there was a bad woman who ruined a good man. Once there was a witch who cursed a village. Once there was an odd, ugly girl whom everyone hated, because it was safe to hate her.’
Which all works really well and leads to a rather exciting conclusion, though for a novel that felt stretched out the climax (which is, admittedly, rather emotionally lovely and tender) feels rather rushed.
Starling House is a rather thrilling, slow-burn gothic fantasy that was tough to put down. While I may have been rather critical, overall it is quite enjoyable and just felt like it needed more polishing to smooth out the elements and pacing. Those who enjoy gothic tales, fantasy and a bit of romance will find much to enjoy here and while this wasn’t my favorite it makes me really want to read Harrow’s earlier tales. A creepy yet charming story.
3.5/5
‘It occurs to me that this lonely, beastly, bleeding boy is the only person who has ever fought for me, ever stood between me and the dark and told me to save myself.’ -
I am generally not the type of person to read scary/horror books but this one perfectly fit my low/medium spooky threshold. In this book we get to meet a haunted house and it's equally dismal homeowner. But perhaps both just need a little attention to turn this house into a home? Well, as long as you don't count the horrors that come out at night. This to me is a perfect book to read in October, which happily is when it comes out (pub date: Oct 3, 2023) so add this to your Halloween reading list!
I have had some hits and misses with this author before, but I am happy to report this one was a win. Opal is a fully fleshed out character, with realistic baggage and a prickly personality that matches her circumstances. Without even meaning to, she lands a job tending to the haunted Starling house, that no one other than the mysterious owner ever steps foot inside of. The house honestly was my second favorite character. Even though it's not a person it definitely has a personality.
I had a couple of small quibbles with how the book got to it's ending, but overall I was satisfied with how things ultimately played out.
I received an ARC of the audiobook via Netgalley (this did not impact my review/rating), and I have to say I really enjoyed listening to this and recommend reading this book in that format. -
3.5
I had a rocky start with this one & I was pretty bothered by the use of footnotes within the story (it's one of my pet peeves.. sorry bout it!) but overall I ended up really enjoying where things ended up as all the story seeds that were planted began to blossom. -
“Looking at them felt like stepping into someone else’s skull, someone who knew the same things I knew: that there were sharp teeth behind every smile, and bare bones waiting beneath the pretty skin of the world.”
One thing is certain - Alix Harrow is a really good storyteller. I didn’t think twice staying up till 2:30 in the morning to finish it (well, plus it was due back to the library today and I’ve procrastinated) and the book flow was very conducive to my poor read-till-stupid-o’clock choices. It takes a special skill to be a good storyteller, and Harrow has it. I can imagine sitting by a campfire all night listening to her tell her story and barely realizing hours and hours just flew by. Her descriptive skills are superb, and she’s great at atmosphere building. Plus, she can mix humor and tension well, and that’s a skill I adore.
But why oh why are these characters too stupid to live? Why can’t they communicate? And why is the story that started with teeth and bite ends up quite neutered in the end?
It’s a Gothic story of a plucky girl from a poor background who’s sacrificing her own needs for those of her younger brother whom she’s raising alone, who’s always been obsessed with a local Gothic house that once upon a time belonged to the author of her favorite childhood story, the house near a little Kentucky town where something supernatural may be afoot. And then she gets a job as a housekeeper of the haunted mansion where a Heathcliff-y owner with dark secrets may be developing an inevitable attachment to her red-haired pluckiness. Oh, and there are Beasts, of course there are. It’s gothic after all.
No, I don’t really like Opal as our protagonist. She’s supposedly a tough young woman coming from a tough upbringing, but the way it’s portrayed reminds me of a cozy and comfortable idea of what a hard childhood looks like while seen from a comfortable middle class security. And the gothic-ish love story in a haunted-ish mansion made me sigh in annoyance. I’d love less romance and more possibly-alive house, please.
This story reads a bit young despite the protagonists being adults in their mid-to-late 20s. But without specifying that, I would have assumed they were about 16. The sharp edges are safety-padded, really. It’s a fairy-tale that slants a bit dark but a fairy-tale nevertheless. It’s a gothic love story, and yes, I felt at so many points like reaching into the book and asking the characters to please just talk to each other and pay attention to plot clues. And major plot decisions often make little sense except for moving the plot forward.Oh, and dear Opal, I have a bone to pick with you here.
“The sevens are crossed with old-fashioned lines, the area code bracketed in parentheses.”
Old-fashioned? Old-fashioned? Get off my crossed-sevens lawn, you damn kids.
But annoyed or not, I still flew through this book and now have red-rimmed eyes to prove it. And therefore I’m happy to 4-star the storytelling and 2-star the characters and plot, and respectable 3 stars it is.
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Also posted on
my blog. -
In a Nutshell: A Gothic Fantasy with minor shades of horror. Contains beautiful prose and interesting characters, but not much plot depth. The pacing was somewhat off.
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Story Synopsis:Eden, Kentucky is a dying town that’s been ravaged by pollution, thanks to the Gravely Power company. The only positive thing springing from Eden has been the legacy of author E. Starling, a reclusive nineteenth century author who left behind a children’s book titled ‘The Underland’ and a sprawling mansion rumoured to be haunted. Today, the only resident of Starling House is the equally mysterious Arthur Starling, whom no one knows anything about but everyone agrees that it is best to stay away from him.
When Opal gets a job offer from Arthur to housekeep Starling House, the salary is good enough for her to fulfil her dreams of sending her intelligent younger brother Jasper away from Eden. But as she cleans up the mysterious mansion, she unearths dangerous secrets from the past and the present. Now it is up to Opal and Arthur to ensure that Starling House doesn’t result in the end of Eden.
The story comes to us in the perspectives of Opal (first person) and Arthur (third person).
I had loved this author’s
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and while I do want to read her interim books, I expected a lot from my second Harrow pick. Unfortunately, while this book began well, it spiralled into chaos as it progressed and the ending was a mess. I usually have extensive notes in my review draft so that I can remember the key points while actually reviewing. But this time, I had almost nothing in my draft except for a couple of comments about the characters. Based on what I remember, my feelings are pretty mixed all the way.
✔ The book is supposed to be a Gothic fantasy with shades of romance. The Gothic angle works excellently.
⚠ This is not at all horror, despite the presence of “monsters”. The fantasy elements are explained to a certain extent at the end, but I didn’t like the format of the explanation – it was almost like an infodump coming out of nowhere.
❌ The romance, while not unexpected, was underdeveloped. I couldn’t see the attraction at all, especially from Opal’s side as her feelings seem to go from 0 to 100 within no time and with no reason.
✔ The fictional town of Eden, where the story is set, creates a great atmosphere for the story. The town’s struggles because of pollution and corporate apathy come out well through the atmospheric writing.
❌ The setting could have been utilised much better. The small town vibe has been used only for its negative traits.
✔ Opal as the main character is tough to like but tough to ignore as well. She is gutsy and doesn’t shy from speaking her mind. At the same time, she is loyal and ready to do anything for her brother. It would have been easy to hate Opal, but I admired her determination.
❌ Opal Is twenty-seven; she acts seventeen for more than half of the book.
✔ Arthur is the strong, silent type. He reminded me of ‘Beast’ from Beauty & the Beast. It was nice to see a reserved and introspective male character as the warden of a haunted house.
❌ Why was his physical unattractiveness vital for the plot? I was tired of the stress on his looks, or rather, lack thereof.
✔ Starling House makes for an impressive third character. I love this trend of houses with feelings, though I have seen this handled much better in other fantasy novels.
⚠ The hotel owner and the librarian had much potential. As did the hellcat. Wish they had been used better in the story.
❌ The motivation behind antagonist Elizabeth Baines didn’t make any sense. E. Starling’s character is sorely underutilised. Jasper (Opal’s brother) could have also been used better for his brains. But he hardly get anything to do.
✔ There is an excellent use of metaphors and imagery to enhance the plot. The author’s vocabulary had impressed me in her debut novel, and her prowess with words is visible in this one as well.
❌ The story seems overly elaborate at times. Despite this, many plot points are left dangling. Who was narrating the footnotes? What was with Arthur’s tattoos? What’s with the townspeople keeping so many secrets from Opal?
✔ The start is excellent in establishing the two main characters and the baffling backstory of Starling House.
❌ The pacing drags much in the middle. The end is a weird combo of dragged + rushed – go figure! The action is limited to the climax. The rest of the book is more like a slowburn exposition of fears and feelings.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 26 min, is narrated by Natalie Naudus. She does an excellent job with the female characters and a decent job with the male characters. She is most impressive with the footnotes. There are many footnotes in the book, explaining or countering a point made in the main story. However, Naudus narrates these footnotes in a distinct voice, making it very clear that the narration has segued into the footnote.
That said, this audiobook was a challenging exercise – listening to extensive footnotes in audiobooks isn’t easy. I wouldn’t recommend the audio version to newbies, though avid listeners might find it a good way of completing this slow-paced book.
All in all, I knew I could expect great prose from this novel, and I got it. But I was looking for a better experience with the fantasy/horror elements. Going for the midway rating as my feedback is pretty balanced between the pros and cons.
3 stars.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Starling House”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
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When my ARC copy request got the cold shoulder from publishers, I unleashed an ugly cry that echoed through my apartment. I howled so loudly that my concerned landlord asked if I had a secret feral animal causing a ruckus! But after buying and devouring this literary beauty (reading is an understatement; I consumed it in a few breathless breaks, absorbing the marvelousness of this unique creation), I realized my reaction was spot on. The rejection pushed me to not only secure my own copy but also gift it to my loved ones.
How do I encapsulate my feelings about this novel? Thrilled, mesmerized, and awed—yes, I'm head over heels! I'm even contemplating a change of heart in my Goodreads Choice Awards vote because this book exceeded my expectations and deserves a top spot in the author's repertoire. It's not merely a horror, gothic, paranormal mystery; it's a haunted, unconventional, magical, and dark love story that transports you into a universe reminiscent of Tim Burton's creations—unusual, bleak, scary, distorted, and disturbing. Welcome to Eden, Kentucky: a town rooted in bad luck, where unexplainable things happen to its citizens, possibly tied to the haunted mansion of Starling House. This mansion, the residence of E. Starling, a famous 19th-century child book illustrator and creator of 'The Underland,' holds mysteries that still linger in town gossip.
Meet the latest heir of the house: young Arthur, leading a secluded life, perceived as callous, indifferent to the deaths of his own parents. Enter Opal, a 26-year-old orphan, working odd jobs and resorting to theft to pay her brother Jasper's art academy tuition. Drawn to the haunted house as if it were a living entity, Opal dreams of it calling her. Determined to break through Arthur's barriers, she applies for a job as a cleaner, unaware that this house holds the key to the secrets of her own life. As she unravels the sinister truths hidden within, she discovers Arthur is not just the heir but the guardian trapped in the house. Their connection may unleash something dangerous, not only endangering the lives of the townsfolk but transporting them to a place they never intended to face.
Opal faces a choice between loyalty to her family and the house, which may awaken a power inside her, along with her complicated feelings for Arthur.
Overall, this is an epic, unputdownable, nightmarish story that begs to be adapted into a series, preferably directed by the one and only Tim Burton. Move over, Wednesday! This
is a must-read horror fantasy that you dare not miss!"
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4.5 stars
Alix Harrow has a knack for straddling the line between adult fiction and YA in an appealing way. Her characters are usually adult enough and have adult-enough problems, yet her books read a little young to me for one reason or another.
And this is not at all a criticism, because Harrow sucks me in and taps into teenage Melissa time and again, the girl who would hug her books to her chest and swoon over the hot guy on the page. (This time it’s Arthur Starling, in my mind a grumpy and less handsome Ryan Gosling with dark hair. It worked for me.)
While I wouldn’t say that Starling House is the most original story I’ve ever read, it’s so engrossing that it doesn’t really matter. Some of the book’s plot and themes are recycled, what with Opal being an outsider who’s forced to grow up too soon in a small Kentucky town and being drawn to the creepy old house that everyone else avoids. But the eerie gothic atmosphere and the dark fairy tale vibe of the story, the chemistry between Opal and Arthur, and Harrow’s sharp turns of phrase make up for it.
Ah yes, the writing. I’d like to linger here for a moment, because I admire Harrow so much as a writer. Not only does her prose flow like water, but it’s pretty, and she knows how to dig into a character’s emotions. She can also propel a story forward in a way that leaves readers no choice but to feverishly turn the pages.
My own expectations got in the way of the ending, though. I wanted more of a bang, a punch, a final showdown. A bit more drama would've been good. -
Despite this being pretty different from anything I usually read and taking me a bit longer to get through, I ended up really enjoying it. The vibes were just TOO GOOD
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I am old so I remember the TV show American Gothic. (This is not the famous painting but a series about a small town in the South with an evil sheriff and a dead girl, etc, etc.) I loved that show but I haven't watched it in a decade, so I have no idea how it stands the test of time.
But I digress.
My point is, the South is always ripe for a good Gothic tale, tainted as it is by its deep sin and its Victorian haunts and the blood that soaks the land whether from Native displacement, slavery, or coal mining. Harrow dips into all three, and a bit more, to weave this haunted house tale set in a forgotten backwater of a small town in Appalachian Kentucky where coal was once king and now it simply poisons the land. And from that poison, and the deeds of bad men (one particular family in general) rises retribution upon a town that simply looked away when evil came calling.
This is not horror (there's really nothing scary here) as much as a dark modern-day fairy tale (as others have mentioned) with a bit of romance and commentary on race and class. It is also a story within a story within a story that says something about the malleability of history and self, and, in the end, the meaning of home. Good reading for when the leaves are falling and the nights are getting longer and you want to curl up in front of a fire. -
3.5 stars!
I enjoyed this book! This was an intriguing and spooky gothic fantasy about the cost of power, family, love and finding your home. Starling House follows Opal who works part-time and wants to find a better life for her brother. Then Opal walks near Starling House, a spooky house covered in rumors, one day after work and is offered a job by the mysterious warden of the house, Arthur. Eventually Opal learns the true story behind the house and discovers shocking secrets.
It took me a while to become immersed in this book, the pacing in the first half is considerably slow. The second half of the book was great, the pacing was better and I was engaged. I really enjoyed the gothic and spooky vibes, it's a perfect read for October. The spooky vibes reminded me of Supernatural. I enjoyed learning about the history of the town in the beginning and learning the background of the story, although I felt it was a lecture instead of story. The footnotes at the bottom of some of the pages provided detail to the history of the town, but it distracted me from the story at times. I liked Opal, she is strong willed, stubborn, hard working, and brave, but she is also immature and dramatic. I had a hard time relating to Opal at first, but I can relate to being close to family and wanting whats best for them. I liked Arthur, he has a hard exterior but once you get to know him he is caring and protective. I wished that the author showed the depth of Arthur more, he felt flat at times. I also liked the side characters especially Charlotte, Bev and Jasper. The chemistry between Arthur and Opal was lacking, I didn't feel the connection between them. I liked that the romance between them developed slowly. I enjoyed reading the story from both Opal and Arthur's perspective, it provided a larger view of the story. The ending was exciting and it was resolved well. -
She compared someone to « the human equivalent of unsalted butter » 😂
Don’t get thrown off by the rating - I did enjoy this
What I liked
- Opal (like me) had to raise her brother and dedicated herself to working hard to provide a good life for him. I related to that 100%
- Good survival story
- Mystery/fantasy/horror
- Strong willed characters
- Stand-alone
- The magnificent cover
What I wasn’t a fan of
- When Opal fell into her victim era
- Miscommunication
- Sort of predictable
- The writing changed at the 50% mark
- I would’ve enjoyed a longer epilogue… I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied with the ending and I still have questions
—•
Pre read ; Happy Sunday my lovely friends ❤️
Nothing beats the feeling of finally being in the right mind space to read 🥹 -
TW: Language, toxic parent relationships, child abandonment, smoking, drinking, cheating, death of parent, classism, sex
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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 it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―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 she’s never had: a home.
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Horror/Fantasy
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Liked the cover
2. Liked the idea of the book
What I Didn't Like:
1. God this writing is so over the top
2. Does the book ever end
3. Zero horror
Overall Thoughts:
I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen...
I did not enjoy this book at all. I honestly feel like I've read this book so many times before;
"Tough as nails girl left to take care of a sibling, mother wasn't good with men, mother dies, father out of picture, has to take random job, owner of house is loner, owner of house is out of touch with "poor" people, owner slowly starts to be nice..blah blah.. They fall in love...blah"
This book is edging between Beauty and the Beast too - even with the character reading a retelling of the book in this story.
I found very very odd that they would hire one person randomly to clean this huge house by herself. And of course Opal thinks nothing of this.
I felt weighed down by the overly descriptive writing of every little thing. Describing the smallest thing like a blade of grass felt endless and pointless. Some of the descriptions made me laugh at them.
"Sucks the sugar off of her teeth."
How prey tell does one suck sugar off of their teeth? You'd look ridiculous even trying.
Why in these stories is government assistance never a thing? They just have to suck it up and live in this motel. She would rather her and Jasper struggle for his schooling to pay for it rather than ask for help. But it's even better because her working at the Starling House and putting all her money into the school is pointless because Jasper doesn't want to go. He got a scholarship and Financial aid too. So I guess he didn't need to know any of Opal's info to apply for those things. These two hiding things from one another is ridiculous.
I found the parts of the book with the authors noted very out of place and disruptive. I got the ebook & audiobook and the sections with them were something I found out I didn't care about at all.
Final Thoughts:
I dipped out at page 250. For so many reasons but it just kept going on and on. Opal felt too whiny. The book felt too long. The story is too similar to other stories that told it in a better way.
Recommend For:
• Gothic novels
• Creepy houses
• Sibling stories
IG|
Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio & Macmillan. All thoughts and opinions are my own. -
★3.5 stars, rounded down
✎𓂃 “A Warden falls. The house calls someone new–someone lost or lonely, someone whose home was stolen or sold or who never had a home in the first place. It calls them, and they come, and they are never homeless again.”
A southern gothic tale, Starling House is the story of Opal and Arthur, both individually drawn to the magical Starling House, in Eden, Kentucky–a small town with an extremely messy past. From the beasts below to the starlings above, these two become entangled in the secrets that threaten to drag them under, down to Underland 👻🏚️
☆My Thoughts:
This was such a mood to read a spooky story in February, right around Valentine’s Day even (or rightly appropriate?? 😅). Can’t be too mad, romance this time of the year makes me feel even more painfully single than I am lol.
First off, this COVER. My god it’s gorgeous. The illustrator did such a beautiful, detailed job–I love how it perfectly captures the novel’s moodiness, and the keys!!! So clever 👀
Opal and Arthur were such interesting characters, both dealt unfortunate hands in life. Opal (first person POV), the older sister with the instinctual need to care for her younger brother. Arthur (third person POV), the drive to protect the town and those he cares for most. I’m not sure I felt anything towards their romance til the end, but I also felt conflicted about these characters in general.
Everything Opal did was for her brother, and my heart ached for them both with each new hurdle thrown their way. But for being essentially a 26 year old mom/caretaker, she came off as surprisingly immature to me. Her lengthy wallowing period had me so unsympathetic and disinterested 🙄 Thank god for Bev for moving the story along!! Arthur is a commendable, valiant hero, but severely underestimates the power of a woman’s will 💪🏼 Elizabeth Baine might have been my favorite character in this whole thing, and I still have so many questions about her!! Folks, Harrow KNOWS how to write an antagonist!
Overall, I loved the darker atmosphere of this book. A sentient house rarely lets me down, and the Starling mansion didn’t disappoint. At its core, Starling House is a story of trust and what defines 'home'–is it the place you were born/grew up, or is it where/by whom you are most loved? The melding of the past, especially Eleanor Starling’s Underland novel, with the present kept me constantly engaged with the book. I’m just not left feeling wowed, if that makes sense??
----------------
Pre-Review:
Reese’s picks can be a hit or a miss, but omg I’m a sucker for a good haunted house story 🏚️👻
This has been on my library list since OCTOBER 😵💫 smh a much better time to read something spooky -
4.5 stars - maybe 5!
TW: death of family members; self harm; drowning; blood
Harrow does so well with dark fairytales and myth. This is own world mythos spun into a gothic horror involving a cursed town, a sentient house, stories, dreams, and the sins of rich men. -
3.5* Alix E. Harrow is one of my favorite authors; i love her writing and methods of storytelling so much. Starling House was a great little cozy gothic fairytale is what i would call it. I loved how the house was basically a character, and our main character was a rough and tumble sort of gal doing whatever she needed to in order for her and her little brother to get by. The story line was interesting, and all the fairytale elements were much more prominent than the gothic elements in my opinion. Which isn't a bad thing...but i was wanting/expecting descriptions to be a bit richer or spookier with a book that has a label as "gothic" and "horror". It felt cuter/endearing than it did spooky to me. How the plot was written was very well done though! The call backs to earlier sections of the book, and plot twists involving different characters were great...but overall i just felt good about it. There were very few moments where i remember being really hooked on, and mostly those were when our two main characters Opal and Arthur and their lil bouts of sexual tension, and a few of the monster scenes; otherwise, i was finding myself easily distracted from the story. Harrow will always be an auto-buy author for me; i just think 'fairytale-esque' stories are hit or miss for me, and this one landed somewhere in the middle in terms of enjoyment.
-
I just read Starling House by Alix E. Harrow and here is what I thought about it:
When I was the only person in January of 2023 reading The Six Deaths of the Saint and couldn’t understand what the hype was about I should have taken that as a signal that Harrow’s writing style is not for me. This book was a highly anticipated 2023 read for me based on the premise and it ended up feeling half-baked. Before I get into it, let’s do the thing.
Summary
Starling House follows our main character Opal who is a mid-twenty-something woman trying to scrape enough money together to send her younger teen brother to a nice private school out of their small town that seems to curse all its residents with bad luck. Things happen and she finds employment at the town’s famous “haunted house” under the supervision of the last known member of the house’s family, Arthur Starling.
The Good
Starling House has an interesting premise, a beautiful cover, strong marketing, and enough of a romance thread that will ensure this book does well on the market. I liked the first 30 pages of the book which set the reader up for a nice mystery that clearly involved a protagonist that actively lies to the reader and other people, and that was interesting. I think Opal’s brother Jasper is the most interesting character in the book. It is a real shame we didn’t get more of that character and more from Opal’s relationship with Jasper other than a very simple “we’re the same” revelation at the end of the book, but I digress. There were lovely descriptive moments of the southern atmosphere, and that’s about it.
The Bad
This book tries to do every trick in the literary bag and fails at doing any of them well.
On the most technical level, the book keeps slipping in and out of passive voice, which isn’t the end of the world, but surely the copy editors could (and may still) fix it for the full release.
The book starts with a lot of footnotes (like in Babel by R. F. Kuang) that attempts to give the reader additional information (it’s unclear why they are a part of a first-person narrative). They kind of make sense in a very loose way later on in the book but by that point the footnotes mostly disappear around page 113 and then that’s it. The information written in the footnotes is never necessary nor are they interesting because the town/place the footnotes are trying to historically contextualize is basically non-existent in the book—we only get to see 3 buildings or so in the town. I saw potential for a participatory community in this novel, and I think the author did to, but it never really became anything.
The book is filled with scenes that are very self-contained by instant gratification. For instance, there is a scene in the book when Opal doesn’t have a jacket because she lent the one jacket she has to her brother and that makes Arthur a little uncomfortable. It’s a good (if cliché) set up for a cute moment later in the story, but he gives her his mother’s jacket at the end of her shift on the next page and that’s it. It’s the decent thing to do, but it’s not inherently romantic. The book tried to be a slow burn in the romance sections but in didn’t pan out because the book lacked tension.
Early on we are shown that Opal is immune to consequences that have any narrative impact (not that bad things don’t happen to her, but she is so toughTM they don’t seem to matter which is especially difficult to interpret from a close 1st POV) so all of her crummy decision making holds no weight. I never doubted that everything would turn out fine. The is mainly due to a combination of the series of instant gratification scenes and a lack of any real communication between the main characters in the book. Information would be revealed to Opal that both the reader and every one of her friends and family knew and these reveals always fell flat which is a problem when the narrative relies on these info reveals to build any momentum. The book was in conflict with itself the entire time: Opal was smart, but didn’t know what everyone else knew, maybe because she secretly didn’t want to know, while simultaneously being the most nosey and invasive individual I’ve ever read. Fml miscommunication trope strikes again.
Speaking of character work… every character (except for Jasper who I wanted more of) felt like a caricature of a trope and while the narrative tried to fill them with depth it just never worked. The romance was unconvincing, Opal was one-dimensional, and I didn’t really care about anyone by the end of the story. At least the villains of the book had a clear goal they wanted to accomplish, but even the villains felt like they were pulled straight from the “capitalist bad” handbook.
Along with this ever-present theme of things feeling half-baked, there were several times I felt like the book wanted to say something about race and the south’s history rooted in the enslavement of black people, but it never really did say anything more insightful than “slavery bad” and the moments where the book talked about black “flesh” felt tonally odd because they were never insightful enough to do anything.
The Ugly
Apparently Opal and Arthur… which Harrow told us over and over. Like over twenty time these characters were described as ugly. lol. For real though—
I don’t think everyone will feel this way, but I certainly felt uncomfortable with how often it was emphasized that Opal was very poor and as a result whenever Arthur learned how poor Opal is he was more endeared to her and felt the need to give her things. There is a scene from the book where Arthur learns that Opal doesn’t have a car which led her to being a bit manhandled by the “villains” on the way to work and he is reeling from that piece of information. That scene is immediately followed by this line, “He recalls in that moment the real reason his mother forbade him from getting a pet: once you open the door, you never know what else might come in,” (ARC 88). In this ham-fisted metaphor, Opal is the scared pet, and it bugged me. I don’t think the author intended for Opal’s poverty to be her defining trait, but it sure feels that way in the first half of the book at least. And if that was a part of Arthur’s character and was developed as a flaw, there wouldn’t have been a problem at all. It just felt weird.
That being said, Harrow’s work is not my cup of tea and I don’t think I will continue to read her books. Do I think people will like this book? Sure. It’s easy to read and it has a romance between two tropey characters that people will like. Does it hold up under scrutiny? Not at all.
2.5/5 - Normally would be a 3, but my feelings regarding the book getting a little too close to fetishizing poverty dropped it a bit lower. -
This was my first Alix Harrow book and it didn't disappoint. I really liked the writing and how well it grabbed your attention. I liked all the characters and what they brought to the table, though I'm not sure the whole Baine storyline was necessary. It didn't really amount to anything tangible, just some struggle during the middle, but I think some of the effort in that storyline could have been used toward the house and its history and figuring out how to end the line of wardens.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, though I think it could have been a little more longer (I think this is a frequent complain of mine >D) -
3.5 Not quite sure if this would be considered a Gothic horror novel or fantasy. Maybe a mix up of genres that seem to be more and more mainstream. The atmosphere is most definitely Gothic as is the old house at the center of the story , and the accident prone and dying Kentucky town. An author that disappeared years ago after writing one novel, The Underground. A young woman whose curiousity leads her into a very strange and dangerous scenario. Plus, a romantic involvement that centers around the old, strange house that is able to change itself when it is needed.
I enjoyed the adventure, the strangeness, like Alice going down a hole where she is not sure where she will find herself. The last part of the book was too, too much of everything to be at all believable. Though I guess it wasn't meant to be believable and I don't have the mindset for too much weirdness.
The audio and the narrator were awesome. -
I will never not be swooning over this book!
-
okay so i haven't disliked what seems to be shaping up to be a hyped, popular book like this in quite a while, and im honestly so disappointed because i was really looking forward to this one, it's on my most-anticipated shelf for a reason, as i love 'gothic' books, as this one sells itself to be.
but it's not. at all. and it's also not creative, original, or even interesting.
these are some of the notes i made while forcing myself to finish this book, because even as i was not enjoying it, i kept thinking maybe it would get better (it never did). there aren't any specific spoilers but a light spoiler warning below if you don't want to know anything about the novel's workings:
1. it's a really predictable and boring plot. nothing is explained well, and the moments of interest are so few and far between i spent the majority of the novel just waiting for something, anything interesting to happen.
2. it's really badly paced, which is probably why it felt so dull to me. we have so many repetitive chapters where nothing happens and our main character, opal, languishes over the same problems without actually trying to do anything about them (more on her later)
3. it's so unoriginal that i'm honestly a bit surprised to see people touting its creativity. it just read like the plot of a book i've been told over and over and over again? the characters were also extremely unoriginal. the tough, trauma-ridden girl who refuses to get close to anyone is too stubborn for her own good and hides her feelings from everyone propels the plot forward by her refusing to open up to anyone or letting any one get close to her. this just feels so tired to me as a narrative device, and i'm sure there are ways to make it new and fresh but harrow, as far as i'm concerned, failed to do this.
4. there is a lot of talk about the writing being this beautiful, atmospheric and gothic writing, but to me the writing was the biggest slog to get through. this novel is overwritten, in the sort of way that shows it's trying to be atmospheric and flowery, but it lacks any real emotion or depth, and that, combined with caricature characters, makes the writing feel extremely one-note.
5. the 'dual' pov immediately gives the entire plot away which was just wild to me, because then we have to sit for 300 pages and wait for opal to catch up and find out what is already extremely clear to us as the reader because of arthur's pov
6. speaking of opal, so much of the plot of this novel happens because opal doesn't let other people talk. she constantly assumes and interrupts people, and to me this is frankly just a lazy way to write a story. i got so frustrated with opal because there's absolutely no tension in the novel because she does this, and again, as the reader we already understand everything, and so we have to watch opal wallow in self-pity and pretend she knows better than everyone, and if this was done well, to show her growth, that would be one thing, but opal literally does not seem to grow as a person in the entire book. she apologizes like. once? but she is certainly meant to be seen as this relatable character the entire time and she just isnt. she's super selfish and the chip on her shoulder just ends up making the novel feel much longer than it needed to be
7. speaking of arthur, i'm not sure how or why this novel thought we would root for him as a love interest. the entirety of the romance in this novel was so contrived and lacked any chemistry i was just skimming through the scenes. arthur doesn't have a personality?? he has like two traits that are repeatedly hammered at us, and he also does not experience any growth in the novel. despite it being a dual pov at points as well, his motivations are weird and feel under explained. so it's like the novel should have committed fully to a dual pov or not at all at that point.
8. this read YA to me?? which would be fine if it was marketed that way but it's not. but the immaturity of opal and the shallowness of all the surrounding world building and characters just really read as though this was supposed to be for a younger audience.
9. the actual house is extremely underutilized. i'm not sure, honestly, how people are saying that the house 'is its own character' because it is hardly even a part to the story once the plot gets rolling. it occasionally squeaking to say hello to opal or something does not constitute it as a character, nor does it ever give off the gothic atmosphere the book touts itself to have.
10. there is literally a moment in this book, where a queer couple comes out publicly and are like 'sassy' and people clap for them. i wish i was kidding. i felt like i was reading a fanfic on wattpad or something.
11. in general, people's actions and motivations are not well explained, which is also a bit asinine to me considering this book was so boring and felt so long, but we spend all that time with opal's repetitive thoughts and actions, so nothing of importance is ever really explained to us. because of this, the climax of the novel just felt weird and corny/cartoonish to me, and i spent the entire time wondering how any of the before events reasonably built up to this, and why any of this was happening or why any of it mattered.
12. there's also a strange and sporadic use of end notes that just ? stop ? at some point in the novel? like just don't include them then if you're not going to use them consistently throughout the novel?
13. the majority of the plot is literally dumped on us in the form of backstories and 'this is the story of' 'this is the tale of' and to do this even at the climactic moment of the novel felt so odd to me and sucked any tension out of the moment because we were just told to sit down quietly and listen to someone tell their backstory basically, and that was supposed to be the most exciting and important part of the novel. -
This is a book that I think you’re going to see everywhere when it releases in October and I’ll just say it now, yes this is the perfect book for your spooky Fall tbr. Get the plastic skeletons, pumpkins and haunted house movies out now because you’ll be dripping in black and orange after hearing my review for this.
I knew by the first few pages that this was going to be addicting. Sometimes you just know, "yup, this is a 5 star read" and it was. I can with certainty describe this book as very Howls Moving Castle but instead of a castle, it’s a creepy old house with a personality of it’s own and instead of pure fantasy, it’s set in modern day but it still has that whimsy feel.
Our main character Opal is your typical 26 year old trying to get by. She works at tractor supply, lives in a motel and is trying to help her brother get out of Eden Kentucky though his education has him stuck there but she’s kind of stuck there to. She’s always had these strange dreams about starling house, a creepy old manor that people of Eden consider the curse of the town, the stain that can’t be removed and she relates to this feeling as the people of this town don’t like her either so she feels a connection because of this. So every night when walking home from work, she passes starling house and there’s always a single light on in one of the windows so she gets curious, and through a series of events, meets the last remaining heir to starling house and she gets a job as a caretaker there for some faster cash.
Cozy horror is a really good descriptor for this. Whether you like scary books or you don’t, I think you’re going to love this either way. It’s just spooky enough to quench my horror cravings because there are definitly some scary scenes, some that are bloody but also not so spooky that someone is going to have nightmares and the whimsical, magical, mysterious feel to the story helps dilute that. What adds depth to this story even more is we get the POV of Arthur starling, the caretaker himself, the last warden of Starling House and I thought this was a really clever add on to touch base with the reader that this wretched character that we’re supposed to fear has feelings and emotion and is fighting an invisible war all on his own.
I loved this. It’s in my top 5 reads of the year. It’s the most perfect fall read that you can imagine. -
Starling House by Alix E Harrow is a Blend of Light Horror, Mystery-Thiller and Romance Fiction!
Welcome to Eden, Kentucky! The only thing missing from this washed up town is the tumbleweed rolling down the street...
Eden's only claim to fame is being where the reclusive 19th Century author-illustrator, E. Starling lived. She only wrote one book, a well-known and widely-read children's book titled The Underworld.
No one remembers when Starling House appeared, but it was before the author vanished. She left behind speculations about her disappearance and a house that's said to be haunted.
Now no one cares about the house. No one except Opal.
Opal loved reading The Underworld when she was a child and as curiosity continues to get the best of her, she trespasses onto the Starling property in the middle of the night. After meeting the reclusive owner and current resident Arthur Starling, getting a job offer for housekeeper of Starling House is like the dream come true she's been hoping for...
Starling House is beautifully written with characters that are ambiguous, yet interesting and creatively-drawn. This author certainly knows how to tell a dark story about things that go bump in the night. The atmosphere is foreboding but with unexpected splashes of humor that are appreciated by this reader.
I enjoyed the strength and resilience of the MC, Opal who's been raising her much younger brother, Jasper since their mother's death, a daunting responsibility. She's struggled between right and wrong in the past but seems determined to provide her brother with a better future than she's had. She has a plan, focused on her goal, and perhaps may even discover the person she wants to become in the process.
Starling House has less Horror than I expected and more Mystery-Thriller mixed with Romance Fiction and, as a result, it's feels character-driven rather than plot driven. I love character-driven stories but I was expecting most of the activity to encompass the house and, frankly, I have trouble buying into the romance. A friendship seems more likely based on the characters involved and how they're drawn by the author.
Starling House audiobook is a wonderful listen narrated by Natalie Naudus who has outstanding voicing skills and is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Starling House is a story I very much enjoyed, especially the beautiful writing style of an author I've previously read. Based on this, I was also expecting a bigger wow-factor from her storytelling, which felt a bit subdued this time around.
I look forward to Harrow's next offering and I recommend Starling House to readers who have enjoyed reading her past work and to those who have yet to discover her writing talent!
4⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alix E. Harrow for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. -
THIS STORY. THIS BOOK COVER. THIS WRITING. This one is a top 20 for me. If you love Stranger Things and Never Ending Story mixed with a dark Secret Garden, this book is calling you, just like the house. I was completely drowning in the river of Eden with these underdog characters and the entire theme. Then, to learn that this is based off historical events and actual people takes this to another level. I WANT A TRILOGY AND A MOVIE! The magical realism and weight of Opal’s world had me wishing and wanting for her the entire time. I would have read this in two days but I was moving into a new house. I picked it up EVERY chance I could get to see if Opal, Arthur, Jasper, Charlotte, and Bev would prevail. There was never a dull moment in this book. Nearly everything was explained in the end - except for Elizabeth Baine. What WAS she exactly? I WILL be thinking about this book for the next three days. I only wish to see Starling House in my dreams.
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I can count on one hand the number of books that have ever made me cry. Three of them were written by Alix Harrow. Starling House is obviously one of them.
Starling House is a Southern (Middle-American?) Gothic fantasy novel, with a strong romantic subplot. The book primarily follows Opal, an orphaned woman who spends most of her time and energy trying to carve out a future for her little brother, Jasper. When Opal stumbles into a job as Starling House's housecleaner, she starts to realise that the eerie house has a mind of its own, and that many of the tragic accidents which plague her small town Eden might not be so accidental after all. The book draws heavy, unapologetic inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, among other sources, which gives it a delicious kind of horrific whimsy.
The first thing I have to say is this: Absolutely no one does atmospheric prose quite like Alix Harrow. She has such a beautiful way with descriptions—and since this story is mostly in first-person POV, every description carries bits of the main character's voice and emotions. Harrow also carelessly scatters hard-hitting lines throughout her writing, summing up difficult, complex emotions in just a few words. Opal's hardness, desperation, and ruthless talent for survival all come through plainly—as does her sharp-edged anger.
And Starling House is a wildly angry book. Honestly, that's part of what I love most about it. Harrow uses the tools of gothic horror as allegories for bigotry, abuse, and generational trauma. The darkness that seethes beneath Eden is ultimately a result of deeply human sins, made worse by the town's stubborn refusal to reckon with its own past. The book has a real love/hate relationship with the idea of small towns which comes through strongly. As an ostracised outsider, Opal experiences all of the worst that small towns have to offer—but her relationships with specific people remind her that towns are made of individual people, some of whom she loves too much to leave behind.
On deep reflection, I suspect that the reason Alix Harrow never fails to make me cry is because her happy endings feel so incredibly hard-earned. Her stories rarely pull punches when it comes to describing how awful people can be and how rarely happy endings actually happen—but Harrow specifically chooses to tell the one story in a long line of unhappy stories which finally breaks the cycle. There's a special spark of angry, defiant hope involved in that which always touches me. Sometimes, it says, when people fight long enough and hard enough and clever enough—after several other clever and determined people have fought and failed already—sometimes, the next time just works.
But anyway, if you're looking for a TL;DR—coal companies are poison, and lots of small-town folks would rather let chthonic, misshapen monsters eat their faces than get therapy. 10/10, no notes, will absolutely read again when I'm prepared to cry into a hanky. -
Loved this! 💜
Alix Harrow has been a mixed bag for me, I adored The Ten Thousand Doors of January, but was less enthralled by The Once and Future Witches.
Starling House however was right up my street! Opal and her brother Jasper live on the breadline in a motel since their mothers abrupt death in a car accident.
Opal feels inexplicably drawn to Starling House, the mysterious and most likely haunted house in town that everyone else avoids.
When the owner finds her loitering, he offers her a job as housekeeper, and pretty soon Opal finds herself in Starling House along with all it’s dark and dangerous secrets.
This was the perfect mix of fantasy and horror. I loved both Opal and Arthur, loved how they were both described as conventionally unattractive because you never see that. The reveals were great and made sense.
Overall I was gripped and loved it! -
4.5 stars rounded up
A character-driven gothic tale about money, power, small town secrets, older sisters having to grow up too fast, and environmental damage in middle America, Starling House is at once disturbing and hopeful. And the titular Starling House is something like sentient, haunted not by ghosts, but by monsters and dark secrets. It is also a love story about two broken people finding home.
I'm a bit hit and miss with Alix E. Harrow, but I really liked Starling House. It's atmospheric with interesting secrets, but the foundation of the story is the main characters Opal and Arthur. The novel is set in small-town Eden, Kentucky where coal mines and the mysterious Starling House (former home of a reclusive author of a creepy children's book) are its only claim to fame.
Opal is 18 (maybe 19?) and living in a hotel room with her asthmatic teenage brother, struggling to make ends meet since their mom died and desperate to make a way for him to get out of town and have better opportunities. Which is why she takes a job cleaning at Starling House where only the young and brooding heir to the property now resides. But there are strange things about the house, dangerous secrets, and polished blonde businesswoman who will do anything to get her hands on them...
This was thoughtful and well-paced with characters who feel real even if the things happening around them might not be. A great book heading into fall. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Content warnings include grief, death, abuse, incest (attempted, not graphic or involving main characters), bloodletting, depressive episodes including with use of alcohol, drugging
