This was something that I couldn't put down. I went in expecting a fantasy novel, but was drawn more into the relationships and the small Southern town setting. Set in a toxic town that is rotting from the inside out, the characters all feel very real. They hold onto things they shouldn't, make endless (incorrect) assumptions, have horrible communication skills, and everyone in the story needs therapy. The healthiest personality in this book is a haunted house. I loved this book to pieces. 10 out of 5 stars.

This was my first Alix Harrow book and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the gothic feel and tone as well as the suspense as to what would happen next!

From the characters to the mysterious town, to the mysterious estate it was all just such an engrossing read.

Definitely will be checking out the backlist asap!

Thank you for the early copy!

This book is the perfect atmospheric read for those rainy autumn days when you want to curl up with a blanket and a cup of coffee.

I found Starling House a bit difficult to get into at first but once I settled in, I was definitely sucked into the town of Eden and it's many secrets.

The writing was superb and authentic to the author but I did find that the characters fell a bit flat for me. The romance was sweet but I was not entirely convinced. I did however love Starling House as a sentient character and thought that was done very well.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Tor, and Alix E. Harrow for the opportunity to read Starling House as an ARC! This was easily one of my most anticipated reads this year, and I am so pleased to report that it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Harrow’s writing style is such a delicious blend of unique storyline and beautiful prose that allows her readers to experience each novel in an all-encompassing way; Starling House is a perfect example.

This is a story about a girl, about grief, about longing, about a magic house, and about an exploration of love and connection. I have always loved books about magic/sentient spaces, and the House displayed itself perfectly as the kind of place I would dream about, too. I loved the differences in narration from Opal and Arthur’s point of view, as well as the development of their connection to one another. I desperately wish the epilogue were longer so I could have held onto them a little bit longer, but I don't think this story could've ended any other way.

Starling House releases on Halloween this year, which is truly the perfect atmosphere for reading this book. It’s the perfect mixture of unsettling and heartwarming at the same time, and I look forward to adding it to my shelf along titles like Juniper and Thorn, A Dowry of Blood, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and Other Words for Smoke. I have a feeling I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time, and I highly recommend giving it a shot!

4.5
This begins with strong Melissa Albert vibes (and I mean that in the best possible way) but resolves somewhere entirely unique. The deeply satisfying snark from the main character made up for a couple of thinner plot points.

So good!

Opal, an orphan who will beg, borrow, and steal to make a better life for her younger brother, encounters Arthur, the latest heir in a long line of Starlings who is the current warden of Starling House. The strange (and sentient) house was built in the late 1800’s by Eleanor Starling, mysterious author of The Underland - a famous children’s book published in 1881. Opal dreams of Starling House and can’t resist the opportunity to work for Arthur, even though nobody but the coroner has ever seen the inside of the house.

Starling House protects the world (and especially Eden) from an unimaginable evil. In more recent years, the wardens don’t last as long and the house can barely contain its sinister secret. Arthur promises to be the last warden of Starling House by uncovering and facing the malevolent force hiding behind a single locked door. Opal and Arthur must fight Gravely Power (the most influential business and family in the area) and supernatural beasts, while uncovering the true history of Starling House and its connection to Opal.

I was immediately captured by Harrow’s descriptive language, which brought Starling House to life. It was difficult to put this book down and go about my daily routine. I wanted to crawl into this story and ignore everything else. I love that the protagonists were flawed, and even though Opal and Arthur are described as unappealing, I couldn’t help but see the beauty in them. The story is haunting, with a true sense of place. The pace is perfect as it builds towards the climax, weaving in history and memories, which fill in any gaps. Harrow likes to use footnotes in fiction, which helped to clarify a few plot points. This book is perfect for fans of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake, and Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs.

Alix E Harrow does it again! I have been waiting for this book for so long! Dark and mysterious only begins to describe it. This novel is so hauntingly beautiful you will not be able to read fast enough!

Thanks so much to Tor for allowing me to read a Netgalley arc of this book by one of my favorite authors!

This is Harrow's third full-length novel, and I highly anticipate getting my hands on a physical copy of it, even more so after reading the arc. I hope to preorder a special edition. I see myself tabbing / annotating the book like I highlighted and left notes in the digital arc on my kindle.

Starling House, which had more than one potential title in its early life, has so much to offer readers. It's a Gothic fantasy novel with metafiction elements, a romance subplot, and personification of the House. Found family is a key part to Opal's life, and I love understanding that with her. There is a little blood magic here with portal fantasy for the Underland portions of the story. Reading this reminded me of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Gallant by V E Schwab. I was also slightly reminded of The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Harrow directly and indirectly alludes to many other literary works including: The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Boxcar Children, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Rip Van Winkle, Greek & Roman mythology, Ovid, and I'm sure other literature that I missed. The use of footnotes adds that something extra to truly make the story and Eden's history feel real. I must note the poetic use of naming the unfortunate town Eden, after all. Being a Louisiana girl, I am very aware of the overlay map of the historical paths of the Mississippi River and appreciate how it is incorporated into everything.

Opal feels very much like a lost girl, despite raising her younger brother, Jasper, after losing their mom. I think anyone who has searched for home in any sense of the word could identify with her. How much does our past and/or our family define us? Do we decide who we are or does everyone else? Are we constantly running away from something or towards something? Is dreaming worth our time and energy? These are all questions Starling House caused to tug at my mind. I loved it and am anxious to see the finished work. Perfect read for a crisp, chilly fall day of night, which is ideal for its Halloween release date.

Writing: 4.5/5 Plot: 3/5 Characters: 3/5

A haunted house in a dying town (the inaptly named “Eden”). Somehow bound up with snarly Beasts, the house attracts a new Warden to defend itself (and the town?) through the dreamworld whenever the current Warden dies or disappears. And yet somehow Opal — struggling to keep herself and younger brother going long enough to get out of Eden — finds herself attracted to the house and the strange, gaunt, and equally haunted Warden against her better judgement.

I’ve read and loved (5 star reviews) every Harrow book to date, but I admit to being a bit disappointed in this one. Wonderful writing, as always, and characters that I cared about, but the characters were all stereotypes — nicely drawn stereotypes, but stereotypes nonetheless. And the “bad guys” didn’t even have the depth of a decent stereotype. Additionally, the pace was quite slow and I felt like I had to read a lot of words before the story inched forward. I’m sure the extra prose added deeply depicted ambiance, but I grew impatient. It’s got all the feeling of a nice creepy horror story with a good ending, some recovery-style positive self-discovery, and an odd, but compelling, love story along the way.

Just a couple of quotes:

“It’s just that I had to work eight Entire hours with Lacey Matthews, the human equivalent of unsalted butter.“

“Mr. Cole is a nice man, but he doesn’t know what to do with people raised on the underside of the rules, where the world turns dark and lawless, where only the canny and cruel survive.”

“Even if it’s only a foolish old house with ambitions of sentience.”

My first Alix E. Harrow book (I know, I know, I'm sorry) and I can't wait to dive in! This cover is gorgeous and I think I've finally started to really hit my ✨Fantasy Reads Girlie-era✨ stride over the last few months (which is a goal of mine for this year), so I'm excited to start branching out more now that I've figured out what I like and don't like. Thank you Tor for this advanced e-copy and opportunity!

Different, original, fantastical, out of the box. This read ticked a lot of boxes, end was a little weak , but it did fit the storyline well.

. Living in the downtrodden bad luck town of Eden, Opal is continually drawn to the towns haunted house, even invading her dreams. Opal and her brother live in a motel room and she’ll do anything to ensure she makes enough money to get her brother out of this dead bad luck town. So she forces her way into cleaning Starling House which seems alive and embraces her presence. She even begins to like it’s sole occupant, Arthur Starling who has a purpose in the house she still can’t understand. Well written, with great characters, and plot.

There are a lot of things I enjoyed about Starling House, but overall found this to be a surprisingly generic read (surprising because I'm a big fan of Alix Harrow's earlier novels which I found very unique and engaging). Starling House does deliver in many aspects - it's very atmospheric with an evocative haunting setting and achingly bittersweet plot, and turns of phrases that will cut you dead. There are strong themes of family (and found family), choices and loyalty, and who you are in your most desperate moments.

In terms of what didn't work for me - I thought the romance was weak, and didn't find the character voice(s) very distinct. Though overall well written, there were a lot of generic-feeling elements - a grumpy caretaker with a secret heart of gold, a down-on-her-luck, hard-as-nails older sister with a secret heart of gold who's just trying to provide a better life for her younger brother, and a magic house with ~secrets~ (and a secret heart of gold?).

The print version does look absolutely gorgeous, and since there were some formatting issues with the e-arc, I may give this another try once it's released.

Alix Harrow is back with yet another masterpiece for us. Can they ever miss? They haven't yet. I really enjoyed the characters and how they were developed throughout this story, and the pace was set nicely.

Either Opal or the town of Eden is cursed. Possibly both. Bad luck and vibes are all she knows, but she's determined to stick it out long enough to provide a brighter future for her beloved little brother, Jasper. So when the mysterious occupant of the even more mysterious Starling House offers her a job, her need for money combined with the strange pull of the house itself are impossible forces to resist. She's soon sucked into a complex puzzle, unraveling history and staring down eldritch magic to find out who she really is and save everyone she loves.

I've read all of Alix E. Harrow's books and she never fails to amaze. I'm especially loving this traipse into the gothic. A story that manages to be grungy and sensual, horrifying and tender, told in her compulsively readable style. I'll be thinking fondly of Opal and Arthur for a long time.

A gothic, Rust Belt haunted house story for the 21st century! It's about looking to find a place that feels like home, and the stories that place tells about us in turn.

This book did not disappoint, it definitely delivered on everything it promised. A Southern gothic with a creepy house? Yes. A very creepy book within a very creepy book? 100%. A haunted looking man that is compared to a bird? You bet. And best of all, an absolutely feral woman who spits curses and throws punches, who will do absolutely anything to take care of the most important person (persons???) in her life? Opal is that and more.

This book is about family and home, the ones you inherit and the ones that you don't. It has a heart-achingly beautiful as it is ugly romance between two people desperate to find a way out. It touches on the horrors that white rich men will inflict upon people just to get another 0 added to their bank accounts, from 200 years ago to present day.

I absolutely loved this book. The prose had teeth and wasn't afraid to bite, the characters jump off the page, and the story will certainly stick with me for years to come.

Alix Harrow wrote a haunted house book? Sign me up! I liked this a lot, though it wasn't as mind-blowing as January or Once and Future Witches. Still, a solid haunted house story with a bit of a meta-framing (footnotes!) which I always love.

A note: this ARC is AWFUL. Really poorly formatted, with some weird paragraph breaks, dialogue spacing, and broken footnotes that show up in the middle of the chapter. While this did not affect my rating, please take note if you're considering requesting / downloading!

Full review from my blog:

Like Alix Harrow’s other heroines, orphan Opal is a savvy, strong-willed girl. She’s a Kentuckian, so she’s also willing to bend (or break) rules or face down any danger in order to fight for her kin. STARLING HOUSE is also a flipped fairy tale like Harrow’s Fractured Fables, but to tell you which fairy tale is flipped in particular would be a spoiler, and anyway, the novel is an amalgam of many mythical tropes with modern themes of racial identity, oppression, found family, and inclusion, which are hallmarks of Harrow’s work. THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY* and THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES are progressive, envelope-pushing novels.

STARLING HOUSE flips the Girl-Meets-House trope. Starting with JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte, a white girl is supposed to flee the spooky house, whether she comes back or not. Possibly she should flee in terror with porcelain bosom heaving, as per innumerable pulp book covers (check out this blog dedicated to Joan Aiken for examples including JANE EYRE). Besides not being white, Opal just ain’t the running, or terrified type. The novel does have a male heir, brooding appropriately, in the haunted house. Best to set aside your expectations where he is concerned.

Gutsy and indomitable Opal reminds me of Ivy Rowe of FAIR AND TENDER LADIES by Lee Smith (Berkeley/Penguin Random House, 2011), and of Kentucky misfit Dawn Jewell in the Canard County KY trilogy by Robert Gipe (Ohio University Press, 2015, 2019, 2021). Opal also reminds me strongly of El, the star of Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy (Del Rey/Penguin Random House, 2020, 2021, 2022). Without giving much away, both young main characters are quick with a hilarious comeback.

The fictional small town of Eden, Kentucky is instantly familiar to native Appalachians like me. A few wealthy families who’ve long been in charge of exploiting natural resources and labor for generations have all the money, and the rest of the population is barely scraping by. Opal has tenuous custody of her intelligent teenage brother, and she has big dreams on his behalf. Change the Darrell Scott song “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” to “You’ll Never Leave Eden Alive” and that is the destiny for her brother that Opal will risk everything to prevent.

I was breathless as I approached the denouement of this novel. My heart was pounding. The ending was brilliant and a total surprise. Starling House is indeed haunted, but every time you think you know precisely how the house is haunted, Harrow throws you another curve ball. Only scrappy Opal can decipher the many tales that swirl around Starling House just like its flock of starlings.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is a gripping and eerie tale of a small town haunted by secrets that won't stay buried. The book revolves around the mysterious Starling House and the reclusive heir, Arthur Starling, who lives there. Opal, the protagonist, knows better than to meddle with haunted houses and brooding men, but an unexpected job offer takes her to Starling House, and before she knows it, the house begins to feel like home.

As the story unfolds, sinister forces converge on Starling House, and Opal and Arthur find themselves facing a dire choice: confront the buried secrets of the past and their own fears or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares. Alix E. Harrow's writing is atmospheric and captivating, drawing the reader into the mysterious world of Starling House and Eden, Kentucky.

The characters are well-drawn and engaging, and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Harrow's use of Gothic tropes and eerie imagery adds to the sense of foreboding that permeates the book, making it a perfect read for fans of dark, atmospheric fiction.

Overall, Starling House is a haunting and atmospheric read that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. It is a story of buried secrets, ghosts, and the power of home, all wrapped up in a gothic tale that is sure to captivate readers.