This is not just another story about a haunted house. This story makes you feel for every character including the house and the cursed town they live in. Have you ever dreamed of a house? Had a feeling it was calling to you? That’s what happens in the thrilling story of Starling House.

"The purpose of fantasy is not to make the world prettier, but to lay it bare"

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is a gothic novel about a small town full of secrets and a haunted house hiding monsters within its walls. I've read quite a number of books by Harrow found them quite mid or just downright didn't like any of them, but I gave this one a try as a last ditch effort and I surprisingly had quite an enjoyable time reading this. If you enjoyed books like last Tale of the Flower Bride and Juniper and Thorne, you probably might enjoy this one too.

It's dark and atmospheric and heavily southern in setting. The town is both extremely nosy and really good at looking away. It is a little cliche at times but it does deliver on the vibes and well written prose, which honestly was all I was looking for reading this novel.

"I want to explain about people like me. About the two lists we have to make and the one list we get to keep. the everything we give up for the one thing we can’t"

I enjoyed Opal's character. I also really liked her stream of consciousness and the realizations that she had throughout the prose. The book also features a sentient house and a love interest whose skin is a map of his suffering - full of scars and self-made ink. While most people might enjoy the romance, It did feel little contrived and a little forced to me at times.

Overall, I was enjoying for the most part. It was slow and I was more focused on the lyricism of the prose up to about 45% and then after that I was extremely hyped up on what was going on with the plot. The ending fell horribly flat to me simply because Harrow does the exact same thing in this book that she does in all her other works - has characters just stand around monologuing at you for the entire ending.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review

Yes, yes, yes. This book was such a creative ride. I was really able to connect to Opal and her list - of what she wants and what she has to actually provide, with taking care of her brother as priority number one. Getting through the dribble of small town life, dealing with greed and blackmail, and even having your favorite fairytale be true. This book had so much power, so much perseverance - simply put, I loved this book.

First off, I absolutely loved the narrator in the audio version. She pulled me into the story and the pacing was so great, I found myself sitting for an extra 10, 15, 20 minutes in my car listening to the story. That also says something about the story, too. I was sucked in Opal's life and while I questioned her actions in one moment, I understand her "two lists" way of life. I also connected with her in her quest to make sure her brother was taken care of, even at the cost of her own well-being.

This was a perfect end of the Halloween-season read. It had the eerie, creepy and deadly vibes that all haunted house stories should have. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs between Opal and Arthur, and at first the footnotes were a bit distracting, but eventually they too fell into a pleasant rhythm that I found enhanced the story in realtime.

The romance aspect was nice, two lost souls forced together and then finding refuge in one another. I also found the stories that the townspeople told Opal during her research to be a great reflection on real life. Depending on the angle you are approaching the story, the connections you feel with those involved in the tragedies - can really skew the truth in dramatic, damaging, and in this case, deadly ways.

Highly recommend Starling House, and I look forward to other stories by Alix E. Harrow.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for review. I enjoyed listening to the story unfold, uncovering the secrets within and behind Starling House and discovering how Opal fit in to all of this. At times I did have difficulty paying attention and found some of the wrap-up towards the ending to not quite fit, but overall an enjoyable novel.

Starling House is a book that I enjoyed while listening, and forgot almost immediately when done with it. The whole Gothic vibe didn't scream dark enough. It was a bystander to the romance and conflict that could've been resolved with one single conversation. The titular house supposed to be magical in some way and communicate with the world, yet there are parts that remember about it and there are some that forgot about it completely. The main character and her relationship with her brother was the most precious and warmed my heart big time but because of not huge age gap between the protagonist and her teenage brother I felt like she forgot h'ow it is to be a teenager and again: one conversation. I think that elements didn't blend together seamlessly and there was way too much chaos to actually enjoy the ride. Let me also say a couple works about the male character here. He was portrayed as this tragic figure who sacrificed himself for the greater good yet has this grumpy aura about him that doesn't strike me as enchanting enough. Like there is no character in his character. The narrator tried to do the best she could, but I truly wanted to be done with it ASAP. Like the case of the story that is too good to be left behind but not good enough for you wanting to stick.

📚Review: Starling House 🐦‍⬛

By: Alix E Harrow
Published: October 3, 2023

Eden, Kentucky is known for two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, a creepy book with a cult following, that disappeared over a hundred years ago. All Starling left behind was her book and her home, which is in disrepair and is inhabited by her mysterious heir, Arthur. Opal - a resident of Eden, orphan, high school drop out, and cynic - is determined to help her brother find a better life outside of Eden. Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child and, when she gets a chance to step inside Starling House and make some extra cash, she jumps at the chance. However, sinister forces are at play and the ghosts of Eden’s past aren’t going away.

Wow, wow, wow, wow! I can never get enough of Harrow’s books - with her writing, you know each word is there for a reason, doing its job to build up vivid settings and characters that draw you in.

This is a horror fantasy, a sub-genre I don’t get into often. There’s this undertone of creepiness throughout the book that turns grim and profoundly sad at times, as we move with Opal to get closer to the truth behind Starling House.

Speaking of Opal, what a character! The sheer tenacity she has to improve her brother’s life is moving. I can respect her gruff exterior, even if it was a little frustrating at times — she’s on a mission.

With all Harrow’s books, there’s always social commentary on our world. I appreciated how she didn’t shy away from tackling America’s grim history and the generational impact of it all.

Now, we wait for Harrow to grace her with her next masterful work!

Verdict: Really Loved 🥰

Shoutout to @torbooks for the #gifted ARC I read and loved so much I had to get the B&N edition at the book launch event! 🥰

Gods, what a beautiful book! A grim story about a nobody from a nowhere town, a house who invites the homeless and unwanted, and the monsters who haunt our dreams. A gothic tale about finding home in the people around you, rather than a house. Although the house is pretty freaking cool. Love this book!

This audiobook was stunning to hear and so atmospheric it kept me on my toes the entire time! I listened to this in one day as the narration was fantastic!

4.25 stars dark, twisty, bizarre, fabulously entertaining.
I didn’t think I would enjoy a character who was repeatedly referred to as ugly and mean, but here we are lol. Opal was kind of awesome, and was probably one of the most entertaining characters I’ve met in a long time. She’s not kind, and never tries to be. She is, however, obsessed with Starling House, the creepy place behind the iron gate in the woods. She dreams about it?! Listen, that ups the creep factor by approximately a million. And this house?! I swear I need one just like it.
There’s so much I can’t say about this book, because I hate spoilers, but what I can say is: if a well dressed woman in a pant suit approaches you in a parking lot, calling your name but you’ve never met before, RUN. Absolutely nothing good will come from that interaction, I promise.

Amazing and very well written! This book was very different from anything I've read before and I love that so much!

I enjoyed EVERY MOMENT. Opal is defiant, sarcastic, snarky, flawed, earnest, approximately 80% a-hole. Arthur is scarred, hopeless, a total douche. Jasper is sullen and difficult. Bev is a mean old bitty. God help me, I loved them all.

Starling House is a haunted estate, where Arthur is the Warden and one light in an attic room glows rarely. Opal is struggling to raise her brother, manage her nightmares of Starling House and balance her hatred of her hometown. One day, she follows her heart and knocks on the door of Starling House, and against his better judgment, Arthur hires her.

Part gothic horror, part haunted house, part fantasy, part coming of age (a little late) and part love and redemption story, Starling House is magical, and frustrating and heartbreaking and uplifting. I enjoyed EVERY MOMENT.

Thank you @NetGalley and @Macmillan.Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Alix E. Harrow writes weird, literary, fantastic romance, and also funny clever stories. This is definitely more the former than the latter. If you liked Ten Thousand Doors or January and also like spooky house books, you'll probably enjoy this one. There are some completely delightful turns of phrase, really evocative and atmospheric. I found that the overarching plot itself was pretty generic, but the details were creative. Like, a spooky old house with a ~dark and misunderstood~ male caretaker, and a spunky, don't-need-no-man, I-am-independent-nobody-help-me-or-else woman has been done before. But the Dread Pirate Starling and cult favourite children's book and vaguely threatening corporate goons are a fun addition to that foundation. To me, this is "read it for the writing" book more than a "read it for the story" book. To be clear, the writing is definitely worth reading for.

I've realized that I don't think I like spooky house books very much, but that's a me problem. I also LOVE novels with footnotes, so I was delighted to see those here, but the footnotes peter out pretty quickly for reasons I can't quite figure out, so that's too bad. That one is a book problem, not a me problem.

While I'm not usually a fan of horror books, this one was the perfect level of spooky for me. It's about a haunted house and its gloomy owner, but it's also a story about finding a home and healing. The house itself is a fascinating character, and the main character, Opal, is well-developed and relatable.

Even though the book has some horror elements, it's not too scary for those who are easily spooked. I had a few minor issues with the ending, but overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of haunted house stories and Southern Gothic fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eAudiobook of this book. I immensely enjoyed listening to it!

This is my first book by this author and now I want to go listen to them all! This was a great gothic mystery/romance mash up. I don’t usually go for the spooky vibe, but this was perfect for October! The writing was lovely and was perfectly paced. This was a character driven story and I really enjoyed these characters. The narrator was fantastic with every voice she did. I highly recommend this on audio!

This was a wonderful book. The characters were great, however a little stuck in their boxes. I relate to parts of Opal's mentality a lot.

The world building is truly the best part of this story. I usually say the characters, but this is such a wonderful universe that there's no way I could possibly say it was the characters.

This is a great book for people interested in horror fantasy with a hint of mystery.

The book was okay. It was neither great nor poor. The narrator for the audiobook had a breathy way of speaking that was rather annoying to me from time to time and I think that played a role in why the book wasn’t as good as it could have been. However, I shared a snippet of the audiobook with a friend and they quite liked the narrator’s voice so I think it is a matter of preference.

The author has a way of writing that is so visceral that it grabs you by the collar and forces you to take notice. They also have a tendency to create characters that can be irritating or get under your skin a bit but you still find yourself rooting for them. This book had twists and a gothic small town magic to its atmosphere that really made you want to keep reading, especially towards the end.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a good fall read for sure! I enjoyed the world building and thought it was very well written. The narrator did good as well.

I usually love a good spooky, family drama, but I could not get into this one. While I liked the idea of the book I found the characters unlikeable.

This was such an immersive, haunting, atmospheric read. You can always count on Harrow to deliver in story telling. We have a Cursed small town, spooked locals, misfit families, sibling relationships, a FMC with realistic baggage/flaws, a little romance, and spookiness. It was an excellent audiobook experience. My attention did seem to drift around the middle of the book. I had to rewind a couple times. Ultimately I don’t think this book is going on my favorite reread list, but I had a good time overall. Definitely recommend the audio version for this story. Gothic vibes all the way.