Title: Starling House
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Published: October 3, 2023
Source: Scribd
Type: Audiobook
Blurb:
A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.
Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that 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.
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Any “Beauty and the Beast” retelling cannot be less than a winner in my opinion. Yet, something in “Starling House” did not level up to all my expectations. I took the audiobook route and it was a great decision, as the narrator was absolutely amazing!
Even from its first chapters, I was captivated by the beautiful writing and our main character’s personality. Starling House stands like a dark queen over Eden and it has influenced many generations. The pull that Opal feels, the way the house lulls her behind its gates is very well presented. In her quest to understand this pull, and also try to offer a better future for her brother, she accepts a job at the house and with this, she gets to know its owner Arthur a little better. She also gets to know the House a little better. An unbreakable relationship forms, one that either character is willing to accept or deal with. This was by far my favorite element in the story. But Starling house is full of secrets and harbors mysterious dangers for the town. Arthur and Opal will try together to push those dangers away.
The plot is built on mystery, with the action mostly happening toward the end. This did not bother me, as I enjoyed the build up to the main events. The author creates a fabulous atmosphere, not only around the house and Arthur, but also around Eden. The town life, where everybody knows everybody, where gossip moves quicker than the wind, is exceptionally depicted.
I must refer to the things I did not like. Unfortunately, the characters were not to my liking. They felt incomplete and in most cases dragged the action. I did not understand the corporate lady interested I the Starling House – it is hinted in the book that she’s after what the house is hiding, but she is also interested on the profit the land would bring to the oil company. The romance was not actually there. It felt forced somehow, like the only intention was to tick the Romance box. It felt sudden, I did not feel emotions of the thrill of their first kiss. However, I do appreciate that there was no emphasis on the physical beauty. Both characters fall in love as a result of their actions.
As I was mentioning in the beginning of this review, I opted for the audio version, and I can tell you that the narrator did a fantastic job! She was amazing interpreting each character and transmitting their personalities. If you do choose this avenue, you should know that there are footnotes in the beginning and the back and forth between the story and the footnotes may be bothering.
All in all, I believe “Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow is a good book, that delivers on the gothic element. There are some themes which the author addresses (family and sister-brother relationship, trying to make ends meet, businessmen working their influence and many more) and she does this beautifully. For me, the romance was forced and some plot elements were rushed, especially in the end, while some sections of the story dragged.
Cover Review: Absolutely stunning!!! I love it and it fits the story perfectly. The birds, the keys, the gloominess and the flowers discretely blooming – all these are tied to the story. This is what I call a smart cover!
Favorite Quote: “Because asking is dangerous, I could tell her. Because to ask is to hope that someone answers, and it hurts so bad when nobody does. I stiffen my spine instead.”
Let me now in the comments below if you have read the book and what is your opinion. I do have some spoiler discussions that I’d like to initiate (I’d like to discuss some scenes) and if you’re interested, let me know below.
Until next time, happy reading!
About The Author
A former academic, adjunct, cashier, blueberry-harvester, and Kentuckian, Alix E. Harrow is now a full-time writer living in Virginia with her husband and their semi-feral kids. She is the Hugo award-winning and NYT-bestselling author of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY (2019), THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES (2020), a duology of fairytale novellas (A SPINDLE SPLINTERED and A MIRROR MENDED), and various short fiction.
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