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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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This was incredible and made me cry. Extremely well done.
0Alix E. Harrow delivers once again with 'Starling House.' The dual perspectives of Opal and Arthur offer a captivating exploration of sacrifice and survival in Eden, Kentucky. Opal's only goal is to get her brother Jasper out of Eden, which results in morally gray but understandable decisions. She is delightfully snarky at times. Her interactions with Arthur help readers learn more about the mysteries behind Starling House.
The Gravely power company intersects with Opal's life in sinister ways, and there was a tonal shift I didn't care for when that part of the book reached a climax. But the rest of the novel made up for that. I particularly loved the sentient nature of Starling House, and the fictional footnotes (and mostly fictional bibliography) add whimsy. I didn't find this as strong as The Ten Thousand Doors of January or The Once and Future Witches, but it's still a solid piece of writing.
04.5 stars. I’m such a fan of Alix Harrow’s writing. It’s lyrical and always paints such an immaculate picture. It's whimsical and vibey. She never misses.
Starling House had me hooked from the start. The characters were interesting and the pacing was right on. I loved the way everything teased out, the role of the house, and the reveals along the way. The end of every chapter made me want to keep going. This book is a “just one more chapter!” book and suddenly you’ve read the whole thing wayyy faster than you anticipated.
It did have gothic elements and I LOVE a sentient house, but I feel like we could have leaned into the gothic vibes even more. Honestly, it actually felt more cozy and comforting vs. the gothic/horror vibes I was expecting. Not bad, just unexpected!
I loved the ending.
Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC. The narrator was also fantastic if you decide to pick up the audio version of Starling House.
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