STARLING HOUSE is a gothic mystery where houses are main characters and plot twists are a given. I really enjoyed the world-building here, and the budding relationship between Opal and Arthur is also an engaging addition to the overall story.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

I requested this book because <i>spooky vibes</i>. The premise kind of reminded me of Mexican Gothic (minus the mushrooms), and it's been a while since I've read a spooky book, so I thought I would give this a chance.

I pretty much went in with zero expectations and only a vague idea of what this book was about. And boy did it take me by surprise.

So to start off...

1. Spooky House duh
2. Grumpy warden of said Spooky House who is mysterious and lonely and no he doesn't need anyone and the mc is annoying and she needs to leave him alone but also 👀
3. And a cat who likes to bite and scratch and hates everyone except a certain grumpy man

So pretty much, a recipe for a great book.

I was not expecting to feel so many feelings. Opal, our mc, is the kind of character you can't help root for. She's very abrasive, speaks her mind, and is always willing to put up a fight for the things she wants to protect. You feel so much for her and her story, both the past and present. Her motivations are very relatable and understandable, and she's overall a very captivating character.

I laughed out loud so many times in this book thanks to Opal, but also thanks to Arthur. There's something about a lonely, tortured, self-sacrificing man that just gets to me. <s>Definitely don't see myself in that at all.</s> He's constantly fighting himself and denying his feelings, and while usually this trope annoys me, this was done really well, and Opal was a good counterbalance to his moodiness, so I fell in love with the two of them instead. Their back and forth is just so good, and the yearning is so <i>yearning</i> I ended up having to scream about it on my Instagram stories.

I think what carries this book is the narrative style and Opal. She has such a unique voice, that without it, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much. I think it would listen quite well as an audiobook. The vibes are spooky and creepy, but if you scare easy like me, Opal and Arthur make it more digestible and funny.

This book reads fast and is kind of an "edge of your seat" read, which fulfills all my expectations when it comes to spooky books. There is more depth and history to the storyline than I was expecting, and I really appreciated the mystery behind it and watching Opal try to figure out the truth among all the different stories surrounding Starling House.

The ending wrapped things up nicely, though it wasn't as action-heavy as I was hoping for.

Overall, I highly recommend if you're trying to figure out a tbr for October and want a book that is a bit creepy, but won't give you nightmares!

There aren't enough stars for this book. I truly want to make that statement my whole review. I absolutely loved this book with every fiber of my being. I simultaneously could not put it down and at the same time didn't want it to end. So, I pretty much forced myself to go slow and make it last. This book is perfect magic.

When you grow up in a place that has taken everything from you, you might want to take something back. This is the case with Opal, who lives in a hotel room with Jasper, her astonishingly creative, asthmatic high school brother. Opal scrapes by as best as a young person can, working for and thieving from Tractor Supply, saving any money she can to get to make sure Jasper doesn’t get stuck in Eden. Eden is the place dreams seem to die – their mothers’ certainly did when she drowned after her car swerved to avoid a creature and landed in the Mud River. Eden is a dead-end coal-mining town in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky – the industry and the Gravely men who run it found personal success by running it into the ground, the cost being the health of the people, the community, and the land itself.

Dreams are what get Opal into worse trouble than getting caught writing bad checks or stealing from the local Dollar Store. She’s dreamt of Starling House since she was twelve or thirteen years old, of the light she can sometimes see from the upstairs window, of walking up the drive and entering, of crooked hallways and dark rooms. The Starlings are an odd family who rarely leave the confines of their property. Rumors abound: the first Starling, a young woman by the name of E. Starling, gained fame as the notorious widow of the original middle Gravely boy. She took the money gained by his untimely and bizarre death to build a giant, creeping home on the land across the Mud River from the power station. She also wrote and illustrated a children’s book, The Underland, about a little girl, Nora Lee, who escapes the clutches of a fox by travelling underground to the Underland, where she meets and befriends a menagerie of grotesque creatures. They save Nora by killing off the fox. The book did not do well then, but over time developed the following of a cult classic, and Opal’s grew up reading the battered old copy her mom gifted her one birthday. The rest of the Starlings are a mismatched, disparate group – all seeming to take over Starling House when the latest occupant dies, often horribly.

On a cold February night, after a shift at Tractor Supply, Opal is drawn to Starling house. She grips the gate, staring at the square of light in an upstairs window, and swears when the iron bites into her hand and draws blood. And now there is someone standing on the other side of the gate…it could only be one person, the latest Starling, a scarecrow of a figure with a haunted appearance.

I’ll leave it at that, because there’s nothing worse than a review that gives too much away.

One of my favorite’s of 2023. I absolutely loved Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January and appreciated The Once and Future Witches, so when I saw a new book was coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it. This is my new #1 of her books.

I love the way Harrow built this story, from the untrustworthy narrator whose narrative is pickled with footnotes, to the untrustworthy Arthur Stirling. I love that Harrow’s characters are unlovely, difficult to love. I can hear a Kentucky accent in the way Opal muses unapologetically on her circumstances and the bad choices she’s forced to make. This is a Pride and Prejudice kind of story–lots of pride, lots of prejudice (no ballrooms), and a fantastically awful set of villains who use their influence in the worst ways.

For those who plan on reading, I recommend that you stop and find the lyrics to John Prine’s “Paradise” as soon as Opal mentions it. Better yet, listen to it.

Reader’s Advisory: language, sexual references, one consensual sexual act described very obliquely - The characters’ ages are mid- to late-twenties, so keep that in mind! Some violence and gore, but with brief and limited descriptions. Nothing gratuitous: everything in line with the setting, character, themes, plot.

Thank you, Tor and NetGalley, for granting me a copy of this book for review. Any opinions are my own; I’m not receiving any kind of douceur for my write-up.

Arthur is Warden of the mysterious Starling House, and Opal is a local liar and thief doing she best she can to help her younger brother after the death of their mother. Together, they find out how to overcome the past and turn nightmares into dreams. Opal especially is a wonderfully complex character. Great combination of Southern Gothic, fantasy, and a realistic depiction of life in a bleak rural Kentucky town.

Opal is absolutely determined to stick out her lucrative new job as housekeeper for Starling House, despite the fact that the house is filthy beyond reason and her boss, Arthur Starling, is kind of a rude jerkface. Arthur's ancestor wrote a children's book called The Underland that has since haunted generations of kids, Opal among them. As she starts to poke around the house hoping to share in its secrets, Opal will discover far more than she ever intended, and she'll have to make decisions about her loyalties that frighten even her brave soul.

This book is so perfectly CREEPY and I absolutely loved it!! A wonderful spooky season read for sure, and I cannot wait to see artists' renderings of the monsters described in this book. Opal is a great character, I definitely connected with her and though the romance aspect wasn't super believable for me, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. The ending is just flawless in my mind, I love the way this book wrapped up.

Definitely pick this up if you're looking for spooky fantasy vibes this fall!! Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, Tor Books, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

Alix E. Harrow has created a story that will stay with me for a long time. I love this book so much.

Starling House is a Southern gothic tale about a haunted house in a small town with a dark history. The main character Opal is a 26 yr old doing her best to survive. She works at a supply store to support herself and her younger brother, saving as much as she can to send him off to school. Opal keeps dreaming of the Starling House, the uncanny house everyone considers to be bad luck. When the lone heir of Starling House, Arthur, offers Opal a job to work as a housekeeper there, she takes the job for her brother.

Opal is a jaded and prickly character who mistrusts everyone. She's a liar and a thief and not your typical 'likable' character while Arthur is your typical brooding recluse. The book is mainly written in Opal's POV with some sections written in Arthur's. I love the characters in this book. Alix E. Harrow gave voice to their humanity in a way that feels real, true, and heartwrenching.

This is a story about people growing up too soon, a story of dreams buried, of loneliness and lies we tell ourselves and others, of longings for a home and family you could have had. But more than that, it's a story about choosing your own family, being your own person, and creating a home.

Endless thanks to Tor and NetGalley for my review copy! All opinions my own.

Starling House by Alix Harrow

I first heard of Alix Harrow when her short story “A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” was nominated for a Hugo Award. I read it, and I loved it. When her first novel came out, The Ten Thousand Door of January, I read it right away, and was a little disappointed. The book felt disjointed, and I didn’t care for the protagonist or her struggles very much. I felt like the author didn’t successfully make the leap from short story to novel. I read Ms. harrows, two fractured fairytale Novelas when they were nominated for the Hugos and I enjoyed them, although they felt a bit glib.I think I’m part because I’m getting a little tired of the hard-drinking, Devil-May-care protagonist trope. But they were entertaining, if not exactly treading new ground, and I enjoyed them more than her first novel, so I was intrigued when I read the blurb for her newest book, Starling House. I was excited when the publisher and NetGalley granted me an eARC and wow. Just wow. Was this book ever a leveling up!

I’m not a huge horror fan, but after reading some T. Kingfisher novels over the last couple of years, I find myself enjoying it more. And this book was an excellent book of the “creepy house” variety.

The protagonist, Opal, felt very real and three dimensional. Her life and her struggles were rooted in reality and didn’t seem either overly glamorized or exaggerated. I loved the slow build and unfolding of the mystery and all of the secondary and tertiary characters. And it was creepy in just the right way. And I love the house! The titular Starling House is practically a character itself and I love it so.

This world felt real and lived in and shone a light on a part of the world (rural Kentucky) that I don’t often see in SFF books. The resolution of the novel was satisfying on several levels - in this type of book, it is essential to stick the landing, and this one does so in a very satisfying way.

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes horror, likes Alice Harrow, likes thoughtful, well written books that are a tad creepy.

This was my first Harrow but it will not be my last! This tale unfurled like a most dreamy fairytale. I’m thoroughly enchanted!

I really enjoyed this book. I expected the spooky house elements to be stronger — the House itself isn’t spooky, but it’s guarding something sinister. But once I adjusted my expectations and accepted that the House is more friendly than scary, I really enjoyed this read. I’ve only read one of Harrow’s novellas before, but I enjoy her writing and am interested in reading more of her work. The love story worked for me as I was invested in both Arthur and Opal as characters and the slow-burn romance was satisfying. I enjoyed how Opal and Arthur uncovered the mystery of the House and the fairytale qualities to this story. I also appreciated that Harrow, who is from Kentucky, set this in rural Kentucky and used environmental destruction as a plot point. Overall, a great read, especially for the approaching Spooky Season!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and Tor Publishing for copies of Alix E. Harrow's Starling House.
I actually think going in to this book as spoiler free as possible is the way to go, just let the story unfold.

I loved this story, it was magical but also so grounded in very real themes on sibling relationships, self love/resilience, and the impact of family history and identity. I also love a book that is about a book, the ability of an author to develop that secondary book world within the bigger story always impresses me and here it is so well done... the idea of darkness as a part of children's books is thoughtful and well executed. The pacing was excellent and the audiobook narration really captured the mood, mystery, and tension in the right way and with great tone and style. There is some romance in the story but I loved that it was placed within a slow burn tension progression and it was secondary to bigger themes for me about family, about feeling like you belong, all stood out within a story that has well developed themes on monsters and mysterious houses and related themes.

This is my first book from this author, I know a popular author who I just haven't gotten to, so this has been a great introduction to her style and themes.

Another winner from Harrow! I adored all the characters, especially Opal's dry wit and resiliency. This is a love letter to the orphans, the outcasts, the locals, and to home. The sense of place, in both the physical house, and in found families and comfort, is very strong. I wanted to climb inside Starling House and poke around all it's strange rooms. Imagery places a huge role, and Harrow never uses a cliched simile or metaphor.

"Starling house makes me think of an underfed pet or a broken doll, a thing unloved by the person who promised to love them best"

I really surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this book, while the synopsis attracted me I wasn't sure if I'd be gelling well with the writing because cozy horror can be a hit or a miss most of the times but when I first read the first few chapters, I got a feeling that I would enjoy this book. This is perfect October read when there is slight chill in the air, with medium spook factor and refreshing non typical characters I am sure many of the readers are going to pick up this book

I'd say this is a bit both character and plot driven but the characters are what took precedence for me and of course we can't forget the house itself. Starling house itself is a living, breathing entity in itself and honestly the house's character is also well fleshed up along with Opal's and Arthur's. I really enjoyed the author's writing and how it slowly unveiled the darkest past of the house, Opal character is chef's kiss, a lot prickly and a bit curious she ends up working at the alleged haunted house because she is determined to give the best to her brother. Her attitude to do anything to survive is strangely attractive and I reluctantly fell in love with her just as Arthur does, with an air of mystery and unexpectedly lovable characters-Starling house in its almost dead and forgotten city will be a memorable read this fall. Definitely recommend picking it up if you want to enjoy something moody and spooky but not too horrific

Unsurprisingly a 5 out of 5 for me. I am a sucker for Alix Harrow, Beauty & the Beast retellings, and anything Gothic. It would have been truly shocking if I didn't like this book. Harrow never disappoints.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is a story set in Eden, Kentucky; a town with a dark, haunting history complete with a forbidding mansion, meddling corrupt town members, and deliciously real characters. Harrow is able to blend gothic horror, modern fantasy, romance, and fairytales into an almost familiar yet classic feeling story.

The audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus, who did a fantastic job. With wonderful pacing and character distinction, she really brought the story to life.

You may like this book if you enjoy found family, stubborn protagonists, and all the fall spooky vibes.

Alix E. Harrow has become an auto-buy author for me. This book was incredible. I was expecting a modern Gothic fantasy, and I got exactly what I wanted plus a great mystery and a romance all wrapped into one.

Opal is such a lovable character. She is clearly so very flawed and traumatized, but the way she fights every day for Jasper is beautiful. Bev and Charlotte were a delight. The prose was absolutely gorgeous. I don't think there was a single thing I didn't like.

Starling house | Alix E. Harrow
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 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.

I really enjoyed this book. The atmospheric writing and gothic vibes were so well done.

What to expect:
Haunted house
Beasts
Secrets
Gothic/Eerie vibes
Strong willed FMC
Small town
Dark fairytale

I really liked the romance and the characters. Opal is described as having crooked teeth and Arthur is described as being “ugly”. This made them feel so human to me and I just adored that aspect of the story.

Opal is strong willed, witty and strong and would do anything for her little brother. I loved Opal and Jasper’s relationship so much.

I thought the story was really unique. Although, since Starling House is described as a “haunted house.” I was hoping it would be creepier but besides that this was a great read and I highly recommend it!

I love Alix Harrow's The Once and Future Witches and her fairytale novellas. Starling House is best described as Kentucky Southern Gothic vibes meets Beauty and the Beast. I love Alix Harrow's heroines, and Opal is no exception. She has serious flaws but is easy to love and cheer on. It is no secret I love fairytales, and Harrow does a great job incorporating folk history here and how the same story gets told in many different ways. I read Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo earlier this year and Starling House reminded me a lot of Summer Sons (which I wholeheartedly recommend for anyone interested in queer Southern Gothic vibes), plus there was a Lee Mandelo shout-out Easter Egg in the book itself. Harrow makes great use of footnotes throughout Starling House, and if you're looking for a Gothic fairytale story, you won't be disappointed.

Filled with dark whimsy, mystery, and needle=sharp prose. This is a southern gothic fairy tale, with vivid characters -- both human and house (and feline). While there were spooky, haunting elements to this story (and plenty of spilled blood and injuries), I never found it too scary or squicky for my delicate flower sensibilities.


[NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, my NetGalley feedback is not a blurb or endorsement. If a publisher wishes to use any part of my comments for promotional purposes, please contact me or my agent via email. I would prefer not to include star ratings but NetGalley won't let me post without one, so all will be 5 stars.]

Starling House by Alix Harrow - eBook ARC from NetGalley 4.5 STARS!

Going on my top reads of 2023! This book was like Monster House meets Stranger Things meets T. Kingfisher! It was so much fun, so enjoyable and I could have devoured it in one sitting, but stretched it out over a weekend because it was so good.

So many things to love about this book. The found family vibe, the complex past that makes up this characters, the magic, the angsty romance... It felt like a Spooky October vibe! If you like horror/gothic vibes but want low stakes and low scares, this is for you! Alix's prose, pacing and beautiful characters in the midst of a dark and magical house... it's just so good!

My only critique and the only reason it's not a 5, is the way the ending came about. It didn't feel as thought out and some parts were a bit off and confusing. I have already pre-ordered my copy and will be re-reading every year!

Thanks NetGalley! Appreciate the opportunity to read and review Starling House!