Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing & Alix E. Harrow for an arc of Starling House in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis quote & review below.

"I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen….

Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she's determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago.

All she left behind were dark rumors—and her home. Everyone agrees that it’s best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate.

Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House—and make some extra cash for her brother's escape fund—she can't resist.

But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur’s own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around.

In my dream, I’m home.

And now she’ll have to fight.

Welcome to Starling House: enter, if you dare."

Oy vey - I had such high, HIGH hopes for the book, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. I really think the problem is me, though. I also wasn't a fan of Ten Thousand Doors of January and I know that it was wildly popular as is Starling House. I guess I am just not a fan of Harrow's work, unfortunately.

The pacing was done well and I enjoyed the characters and actually most of the story, except for the last 25% of the book. The explanation and conclusion just didn't work for me and I absolutely hate the ending. But that's just me.

I would still promote this book as I feel like many others will enjoy it even though it wasn't my favorite.

While this was certainly an atmospheric read, I didn't expect the fun and dry humour bits, the odd Lemony Snicket like characterizations. It was giving a lot of Series of Unfortunate Events with supernatural for adults. While I didn't love any of the characters, I found myself wrapped up in their problems and flaws until the very end.

In Eden, Kentucky, there is a strange house that belonged to Eleanor Starling, the author of The Underland who disappeared. Everyone in the town avoids the house, and it’s occupant, Arthur Starling, at all costs. Opal has lived in Eden for most of her life. She lives in a motel with her younger brother, who she wants to give the best life. Opal has always been drawn to Starling House, seeing it in her dreams and nightmares, so when Arthur offers her a job with a huge paycheck, she accepts. However, Starling House is more haunted than Opal expected. Opal and Arthur must battle the beasts in the house before their nightmares take over.

Eleanor Starling’s book The Underland was based on her life at Starling House. Since Opal loved that book, she got to live in her favourite story when she went to the house, which is a reader’s dream. I think the story would have had more tension if it was a little shorter. There were some long descriptions and drawn out scenes that could have been condensed. At the beginning of the story, there were footnotes that expanded on what was written in a funny way. I wished those footnotes continued to the end of the story because they were entertaining.

Starling House is a spooky, gothic novel.

Thank you Tor Books and Raincoast Books for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent, drowning, car accident

#StarlingHouse is a deliciously creepy haunted house story for those who enjoy creepy but not terrifying tales.
A great book for readers who enjoy mysterious spooky houses with enigmatic, broody residents; books that incorporate another book or story nestled inside; antiheroes doing their best in a world that only offers up disaster and hardship.

I enjoyed the pacing, I found the characters likable and the resolution was complete and satisfying. My only complaint is there wasn’t enough from the house. Evidently, I’m a fan of the “sentient house trope” and would have absolutely leaned into the house as a character. 😆 A fun read that I certainly recommend. One that I was so immersed in, I forgot I’d have to review it later and just allowed the story to sweep me away.
Thanks to #Netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an #ARC

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: My Introduction to her work

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9798885794282

Release Date: October 3rd, 2023

General Genre: Dark Fantasy, Magical Realism, Gothic

Sub-Genre/Themes: Orphaned siblings, brother & sister relationships, haunted house, small-town drama, housekeeping, identity, family curses, secrets, romance

Writing Style: Multiple POVs, *Footnotes, Intricately plotted

What You Need to Know: Horror fiction fans, and genre readers need to know that Starling House leans hard toward Dark Fantasy/Magical Realism fiction; a modern fairytale (surprisingly, this book reminded me a lot of Beauty & the Beast) with Gothic undertones.


My Reading Experience: I had an odd reading experience. I felt fully committed during the first third of this book. I enjoyed the style of the storytelling voice and the “rough-around-the-edges” protagonist, Opal who cares for her sixteen-year-old brother, Jasper after they were orphaned. She has a quiet obsession with a seemingly abandoned “haunted house” in her small town. One day, she crosses paths with a young man who lives there and they begin a curious, working relationship when he offers her a housekeeping job.

There are footnotes throughout the narrative that I skimmed or skipped, more distracting to the flow than enhancing it.
During the second act, the middle of the book, the author pulls in several storylines surrounding Starling House that start to muddle the plot; unsuccessful genre-blending.
Gothic themes of the estate, a cursed history, a brooding young man with secrets, the potential for romance, and paranormal or supernatural elements mashed into a fairytale about a female writer/heiress who wrote a book called, Underland, and lives in a magical house with “beasts” combined with an antagonistic, meddling, corporate woman who wants to buy the house/land and at any cost. Just a lot going on and the storylines compete with each other instead of complimenting each other. The modern tone of the dialogue felt out of place in the atmosphere of the Gothic Fairytale.
The texting between the two leads, Arthur and Opal diffused any Gothic romance chemistry for me, and during an intimate sex scene, Opal says, “Christ on a bicycle!”
The fact that Opal heads to a library to research Starling House instead of a Google Search–I mean, it was difficult to settle into those Gothic or fairytale vibes with so much modern life tamping them down. I was disappointed when I finally discovered what was going on with Arthur and Starling House–the last third of the book unraveled for me.

Final Recommendation: This book is perfect for dark fantasy fans looking for a haunted house story that feels like a retelling of an old fairytale.

Comps: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling, The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin, Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

A horror/fantasy with a twist. Opal knows what loss and loneliness are. When her mother died, she was left with nothing but the responsibility of her little brother who she will protect at all costs. Now she is trying to figure out a way to get him out of dead-end Eden, Kentucky where bad luck reigns supreme. Opal is drawn to the mysterious Starling House and when she is offered a position cleaning there by its reclusive young owner, Arthur, she accepts - knowing this could be her brother’s ticket out. But there is so much more to the house, the town of Eden, and Arthur himself than it seems.

A quick and immersive read, with a little flowery descriptions here and there that didn’t quite fit the narrative. Overall, enjoyable and a fresh take on the idea of a haunted house.

I read a fair amount of books these days, and I can usually tell within a couple of pages how much I’ll enjoy a book. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow was love at first sight. Just like with the Fractured Fable series, the writing pulled me in within the first page. Harrow’s descriptions had me highlighting passages from every other paragraph. The way she writes is poetic and yet never ostentatious.

Perhaps even more profound is the way you root for Opal, who is, by all rights and self-admission, not a great person. Her one saving grace is her love for her brother, which can be stifling at times. But her heart is in the right place, and I’m glad I got to bear witness to her adding Arthur to the minuscule circle of people she cares about. And speaking of Arthur--on a surface level, he is cold and unforgiving, and yet he’s dedicated his entire life to keeping the mysteries of Starling House at bay, fighting to protect the residents of Eden, even as they continue to ostracize him as they have every other person who has lived in that house.

These two are often at odds, and yet they are pulled together time and time again. While the romantic aspect of the book is not at the forefront of the story, you can find it throughout the pages. As someone who’s been reading a lot of romance lately, this scratched that itch and gave me an incredible world to explore at the same time.

All that said, Starling House is fantastic, not only because of the resplendent writing and complex characters, but because this book has meaning. It has purpose. It is as much about the mysteries of the house as it is about the history of the town, and the fact that one person’s truth can become someone else’s fiction—just as someone’s fiction becomes the universal truth. This book is dark and spooky, yet so full of light and hope. History and mysticism combine to create a magical and yet wholly grounded world. There’s a little something for everyone, and I can’t wait for more people to read this one.

2.5 STARS

Honestly, this would have been a DNF if it weren’t one of my Book of the Month selections. At first, it gave off some creepy American Horror Story vibes (in a good way!) as Opal got a housekeeping job at Eden town’s very own haunted house. Down on her luck, she hopes to turn things around for herself and her younger brother. According to other Goodreads reviews, my opinion appears to be very unpopular—I was struggling to turn the pages! It just got weird when creepy Arthur and Opal sealed the deal with their lips. The “romance” simply didn’t fit into the book’s storyline. I did really like the concept of the Starling house and those who are drawn to it, though. A place of refuge or a deadly dwelling? Only the Warden knows for sure.

Starling House by Alix E Harrow is a gothic horror novel that centers around a house.
Opal is trying to make ends meet for herself and younger brother. She knows about the rumors about the Starling House and how important it is to stay away, but she gets an unexpected job offer from the mysterious new owner, Arthur Starling. Opal is unable to turn it down and soon starts cleaning the old house. She soon learns more about the house and the owner.
This was so good. I loved the relationship between Opal and her brother. I also enjoyed the setting and atmosphere that surrounded the novel.

I was expecting a little more horror and spookiness with this one but I did enjoy it. Opal's single-minded focus on protecting her brother was heartbreaking (I cried!). More fairytale than gothic, but that's ok.

This was an interesting novel about a mysterious house in a small coal town in Kentucky. It was set up almost more like a fairy tale, so the characters felt held at a bit of a remove. I listened to the audiobook, and although the reader did a good job, I felt that a huge opportunity was lost in not finding a reader with at least a hint of a KY accent.

I love Alix E. Harrow and have read them all. This one was just as good, if not better. We get to see how a children's story comes to live, how a small town is all-consuming to it's residents, the cost of poverty, and all told with a heart and soul that had you rooting for Opal and Arthur from day one. The perfect amount of creepy and mysterious and awe-inspiring and now is the perfect time of year to read it! Don't miss this title!

The perfect book for those who want a spooky but cozy read centered around a haunted house and small town folklore!

I loved the dark, fairytale storyline that Harrow wrote. It had lyrical writing and a unique story line that is perfect for the fall. I thought it brought in a lot of socio-economic issues and merged it into this folklore-esque story effortlessly.

While I loved the plot, the main character, Opal, sometimes got on my nerves and took me out of the story. It also had a bunch of moving parts that didn't connect too well together at first, but somehow smushed together at the end.

3.5 stars from me!

This isn’t my typical genre, I believe more and more as a read it’s harder for me to get into genres that are in my preferred categories. That is this to say, this is my review and it’ll be fair to the book, and not base it off my own preferences as that’s not fair.

Opal is in need of work to look after her little brother, but she is stuck in a dead end town dominated by a mine which poisons the water and the air and contributes to her brother's asthma and the need to get him out of there which requires money she doesn't have or can realistically earn with her measly retail hours. So when she's offered the job of housekeeper to an obviously haunted house, with a reclusive owner, she takes the offer. But her Heathcliff isn't brooding, he is determined, but what if the house has been calling for her?

Opal’s character was written beautifully and captured me from the get go. Also a bit relatable if I’m being honest.

I did enjoy this book! The style of writing was really nice. Characters developed well, and the story didn’t fall as it continued to grow.

Such beautiful writing, a bit spooky, a lot gothic, beautiful and atmospheric- the perfect pick for fall !
This book is an amazing slow-burn southern gothic/ urban fantasy/horror novel about a creepy house with a complicated history, a book about a book, an exploration on how history distorts the truth and is told by the winners, how poverty can be just as horrific and scary as the fantastical horrors plaguing this fictional town of Eden, Kentucky - or is it really a Beauty And The Beast retelling ?
Opal's character from start to finish was so incredibly written - a grumpy MC with crooked teeth hardened by years of not really being wanted anywhere, just tolerated. I feel that Harrow has truly nailed her flowery prose with this one - descriptive, emotive and atmospheric with a straight to the point plot.
Opal is in need of work to look after her little brother, but she is stuck in a dead end town dominated by a mine which poisons the water and the air and contributes to her brother's asthma and the need to get him out of there which requires money she doesn't have or can realistically earn with her measly retail hours. So when she's offered the job of housekeeper to an obviously haunted house, with a reclusive owner, she takes the offer. But her Heathcliff isn't brooding, he is determined, but what if the house has been calling for her?
I could not stop reading this book.

Entertaining story, and I'm not one for "horror" type books. This felt like a cross between YA and adult, even though the characters are in the mid to late twenties. Opal wasn't a very likable character at times, but she knew that about herself, which strangely made her more appealing. I enjoyed the writing style, and the way the story was pieced together with the various retellings of the Starling House story, and how the ending tied everything together (mostly, anyway).

What a great premise just really fell flat with slog pacing and clunky story telling. Also, the main characters had the inner monologues of hormonal teenagers and yet they were in their mid 20s to 30 years old?!?

This did not do it for me.

I love everything about Starling House, the gothic setting, the aching romantic B plot, and the hidden secrets in plain sight.

This book transported me and I adored every second of it.

All the stars go to Starling House, I will be dreaming of it for years to come.

If you are a fan of sentient houses, gothic settings, spooky vibes, and romance that makes you ache - read Starling House.

I really wanted to like this one, but I wound up DNFing at 40%. Unfortunately it just wasn't grabbing me and when I put it down, I never felt compelled to pick it back up.

I don't typically give star ratings to books I DNF but since NG requires one for me to post this, I guess I'd give it 2 stars.

This was a stunning novel and I didn't want it to end! Definitely a 5-star read for me, and I think Patrons will really like it. We might even have it as our fiction book club pick soon! Highly recommend purchasing for your collection.