TL;DR REVIEW:
Starling House is another top-notch novel from Alix E. Harrow. It was perfect for fall, exactly the plunge into plot that I needed, with lovable characters to boot.

For you if: You like gothic/urban fantasy and want a quick, fast-paced book that packs a punch.

FULL REVIEW:
Well, folks, Alix Harrow has done it again. She’s an auto-read author for me, and every new book she publishes reaffirms that decision — including this one. (The Once and Future Witches is still my favorite of hers, but that’s because of that book’s sheet brilliance, not because of any flaws in Starling House.)

The book takes place in the fictional blue-collar town of Eden, Kentucky (which is actually based on a real town whose history Harrow describes on her Substack). Opal is a young woman just trying to keep her and her younger brother, who is in high school, fed. She’s also haunted by dreams of Starling House, the ancient Victorian with a reclusive warden that nobody likes to talk about. And honestly, I don’t know how to keep going with this synopsis because there is just so much: a fairy tale kid’s book, magical beasts, a sentient house, a lonely pining man with tattoos and a sword, a cat named Baast, and a plot that unearths slavery and racism and its lingering repercussions today. Basically, IT HAS IT ALL.

Truly, I loved my time with this book. It’s perfect for October, with all the gothic vibes without going full-on horror. I also loved Opal as a main character. She’s not quite reliable, but she’s got a ton of spirit and grit. Her choices aren’t always perfect, but her heart’s in the right place, and it’s easy to empathize with her. I also loved Arthur and their slow-burn romance. The audiobook edition of this one was also excellent, with Natalie Naudus incredible as always.

TLDR: If you like gothic/urban fantasy and want a quick, fast-paced book that packs a punch, this is a good choice!


CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death of a parent/grief; Fire/Fire Injury; Violence and blood; Sexual content (minor)

Okay, I am convinced that Alix E. Harrow can do no wrong. I have loved all of the books that I have read written by this amazingly talented author so far (I still need to read The Once and Future Witches and I promise to get to it sometime soon.). This story grabbed me from the very start, and I didn’t want to stop listening. I had a fantastic time with this entertaining novel that I found almost impossible to put down.

Opal was a wonderful character, and I wanted to see things work out for her and her brother. She has faced a lot of challenges in her life and does what needs to be done to care for both herself and her brother. She can’t turn down the job at Starling House that she is offered. Arthur was equally amazing. He is doing the best that he can with the situation that he has found himself in. I loved the gothic vibe of the story and thought that it was just creepy enough to really pull me in.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Natalie Naudus did a wonderful job with the story. I loved the voices that she used that helped bring the characters and story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story. I will definitely be recommending this one to others. I found this story to be a wonderful tale filled with characters that were easy to fall for. I cannot wait to read more of Alix E. Harrow’s writing.

I received a review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and Tor Books.

Overall I enjoyed this book and the narration on the audiobook was fantastic. It was a interesting story with some great characters! However, this was not the spooky gothic October read I was looking for. The It was not creepy and the forces in the book did not strike me as sinister. I'm also not sure if it fits into the genre of fantasy for me. While it definitely had fall vibes, I would not recommend it if you are looking for a Spooky season read. Save it for November.

Opal is a 17-yo orphan and morally gray FMC with a big attitude. She’ll do just about anything to provide the best for her little brother, Jasper, including accepting a cleaning job from Arthur Starling at the very secretive (and seemingly haunted) Starling House. She’s dreamt of the house before ever stepping foot inside and it almost feels alive with its own story and nightmares.

Sure, the book is about this mysterious house and what goes bump inside, but I felt like I learned more about Opal as a character than I did about Starling House. This is by no means a bad thing; it just wasn’t what I expected! Opal isn’t necessarily a lovable character—she’s a thief and a liar, she has a huge chip on her shoulder, and she makes the wrong decision more than once. However, she’s fiercely protective of Jasper and loyal to those she considers her found family. While I found the mysterious, fantastical nature of the house interesting, I actually quite liked the focus on Opal.

For the most part, I listened to the audiobook version of Starling House, thanks to @netgalley!
Natalie Naudus did a fantastic job of capturing Opal’s teenage, dgaf, smart-ass attitude. Idk if it was the author’s writing or the reader’s voice, but I felt like knew exactly who Opal was as a person. I also appreciated that all the footnotes were read into the text bc I usually have a tendency to skip footnotes in written form.

Overall, I liked Starling House, but I wouldn’t call it my favorite dark YA/fantasy book of the year. I'd give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, so I'll round up to 4. :)

I’ve been looking forward to this book, so I’m grateful for the audiobook from netgalley!

I think ultimately this just wasn’t my kind of book. I thought the first half was engaging and atmospheric and creepy. The house is definitely a character in the book and then the second half fell flat for me and felt like the plot slowed down and dragged on. I almost DNF’d so many times but I kept on going for ultimately not much pay off. Not the right book for me. I loved the 10,ooo doors of January and so I was excited to give this one a try but it was not a good match

I had heard a lot of hype around this book and now I know why. This is a wonderful story with engaging characters and such an interesting plot. The narrator does a great job of creating atmosphere.

Oh my goodness, WHAT?! This audiobook was amazing. The world building was stunning and the story captivating, and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I enjoyed both The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches by Harrow, so I was excited to receive the ALC of Starling House from #Netgalley and #MacmillanAudio. I’ve seen it described as both a Gothic tale and as a fantasy, but I would describe it as Gothic-ish with some fantastical elements. If you aren’t a fan of either genre, I believe you can still enjoy Starling House.

“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.”

While the mysterious Starling House provides a strong sense of place that definitely draws the reader into the story , the tale is character-driven. This is a tale of small town secrets, the struggle of growing up without parents, class struggles of the rich and poor, power, money, brokenness, and finally finding peace and hope found.

Opal, a young adult struggling to provide for herself and her chronically young brother, and Arthur, the owner and caretaker of a house with a mysterious past and a constant battle. It has great characters who help the underdogs of the story, and the reader develops empathy for the main characters in spite of and sometimes because of their actions. It casts a needed spotlight on the difficulties society places on youth and young adults trying to survive without parents who should provide the basics of education, housing, and medical care.

Harrow researched her topic well and put together a well-paced story that shines a light not only hope for our main characters but also the unsung heroes, the average, ordinary people who do small things that make a huge difference to the overcomers of the world.

I love this story. Natalie Naudus narrated the audiobook and did a fine job depicting these characters and pacing the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Advanced Listener’s Copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

#starlinghouse #alixeharrow #netgalley #macmillanaudio #torbooks #gothic #fantasy

“But Starling House was no longer just a house. We had begun as stone and mortar had become something more, with ribs for rafters and stone for skin. It has no heart, but it feels; it has no brain, but it dreams.”

Even though the creep factor is high with this one, the writing is so atmospheric and beautifully descriptive you can’t help but be instantly transported into this gothic story.

Reading this book is like an experience in and of itself. There are illustrations sprinkled throughout the pages and the layout is so unique, adding yet another element to your reading journey.

The audiobook was great and I enjoyed being able to listen to it on the go, but the physical book should not be skipped over with this one. At the very least I would recommend reading with your eyes and ears. Overall a great gothic story with Starling House being the best character in it!

If you enjoy stories about found family, creepy monsters, finding yourself and your strength, and loyalty, add this to your tbr today! There’s a reason it’s a @reesesbookclub pick!

Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio, and @alix.e.harrow for the ALC.

I didn’t know cozy horror was a sub genre until I read this book and what an amazing introduction. Starling House is haunting, achingly beautiful, heartwarming yet heartbreaking and surprisingly funny.

I don’t know how Alix E. Harrow managed, in a book about a haunted house, to build a relationship between Opal and Arthur that was so sweet it had me squealing and kicking my feet. No I am not kidding.

I cannot recommend this book enough it’s cemented itself as one of my all time favourites.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for the audiobook!

One of my favorite types of books is a book you read that completely surprises you in the most unexpected way! When I first started STARLING HOUSE, I was very unsure about it to the point that I wavered on dnf line. Why? The slow pace, incorrigible characters, and the inability to determine if this would be a thriller or a horror novel. (Not a fan of horror books. Thrill me a little, but don't flat-out terrify me.) But something in me was like, give it a little more time, mainly because I'm a big fan of narrator Natalie Naudus, who brought the characters and setting alive so beautifully in a realistically macabre way. Let me tell you, I am so happy that I kept reading because this book is odd yet hopeful at the same time. I loved it.

STARLING HOUSE was not a book I could listen to at night to go to sleep as it made me a little nervous, but I think that's just me. I feel that book friends will read this review and say, "I read it at 3 a.m. with a flashlight during a storm while the power was out." But I liked the thrill and how the plot had some fantastical elements to make it more than just a small-town 'ghost' story.

I'll recommend any audio narrated by Naudus as they are exceptional at narration. I enjoyed this audio with the added sound effects - just the right amount to enhance the story. I also think that this book would be a lot of fun to read with your eyes because the story is different. Definitely one on my recommend list!

This was great! The pacing was a bit weird at times, with the first half unwinding quickly, stagnating for a bit, and gradually unfolding again. I did enjoy the audio, but having the physical copy on hand was helpful, as the footnotes sometimes interjected oddly, and the illustrations were lovely to see. A pet peeve--why was the main character's hair described as red in about five different ways (including blood, rust, and clay)?

I will never not love gothic novels where the haunted house is treated as a character. Starling House is more than a piece of architecture and the way the sentient house takes over the book made it an absolute delight for an October read.
That being said, there were a lot more things that I loved in this book than the house. I felt that all the characters were layered and complex beings and they undoubtedly drove the story at a perfect pace. The mix between the historical mystery, the heavy gothic tropes, the romance and the fantasy elements made it into a well-balanced and atmospheric tale.
The fact that the two protagonists are far from being classically beautiful was a huge selling point for me, but what pushed this from a 4-star read to a 5-star one for me what the whole discourse about how some places tend to forget they build on slavery and the exploitation of minorities, about the importance of who gets to tell the story and how even when you have heard different versions, you can still miss the truth under them and its horror. I would have enjoyed knowing more about Boone, but it was still satisfying to know about his part in the story.
I also really adored the way the whole book is set as an academic research work, with the footnotes and the bibliography at the end, this was the perfect added touch.
If you’re still looking for more books to read in October, you should give this one a try.

Not quite dark academia but this definitely scarred that itch for a dark secretive fall story. Starling House captures the juxtaposition of small town oppression, family responsibility, and generational trauma. The shift from everyday struggles to magic and monsters highlights the overlap between the two. The monsters and monstrous humans of the past and present come together as a common enemy in a way that is often lost in fantasy novels where the monsters are all literal monsters. Instead Harrow makes a point to highlight the real life monsters making life unbearable for the town.

The narration was well done and the pacing worked well to build tension between the characters, the town, and the starling house itself. A great fall read.

Alix Harrow is an auto-buy for me because I absolutely love her writing and characters. This book was unlike other things she wrote in a few ways. Some of those ways I liked and other I didn’t.

The concept of the living house with its secrets and mysteries was fun and spooky and fit right in the gothic vein I love. However these books tend to be a tad on the slower side which means the characters usually have to do the heavy hitting in the beginning. I didn’t love the characters. They didn’t feel as unique as Harrow has been able to capture in her other books. There were a lot more of the stereotypical gender dynamics that show up in a lot of other mainstream books. In the past, Harrow’s books have stood out to me because those dynamics are NOT present. It made the book a little less compelling because I was as invested or in love with the characters as much.

Overall still a good read. I did the audiobook which was fine, but the narrator now narrates so many books that it also made it less of an individual experience. Probably 7 of the books I’ve listened to in the last year have been narrated by her so it becomes difficult to see this as a separate story. She does a fine job. But I think reading instead of listening would have made this experience more enjoyable.

Starling House: 3.5 stars

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
I felt like this book was just on the precipice of being something that I would absolutely love. It had so many elements that sound perfect for me - A grumpy/grumpy dynamic, a sentient house, fairytale/folklore vibes, a scrappy heroine - but I felt like this book could have gone a bit deeper.

I would have particularly enjoyed a lot more character exploration. I think that everyone's personalities and feelings were explained more than they were shown. There was only one moment where I felt tension in my own gut and there was a lot of potential for this to be a much more emotional story. We had very traumatic backstories and complex motivations that were presented but not explored as deeply as I would have liked and I felt like I was left wanting more.

I also thought that this book felt pretty YA and I think the issues I stated above lent to that. I kept forgetting how old Opal was because she lacked the complexity I would have expected from someone who was almost 30 and lived the life that she did. I think there were a lot of cases where her mindset and behavior would shift to fit whatever was convenient for that part of the book.

I think the plot could have used some more complexity, as well. I feel like it was oversimplified and maybe too literal for my liking. This reminded me, in parts, of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride and that book is a great example of the ambiguity and mystery I would have loved to see in this story.

I think this book would be good for someone transitioning from YA to adult books, someone who is new to fantasy, or someone who wants a spooky vibe without having to pick up a true horror book.

I received an audiobook ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm not sure what exactly this book was going for in regards to who is telling the story and it didn't bother me until the end. The story is told in first person and third person with footnotes. But the footnotes stop towards the end of the book and the book ends with another person telling the story? I don't know. The book is good, I enjoyed it, but those things do bother me. I was left wanting more, but also felt like it was a proper ending to the book, just that the story teller change in the epilogue through me off.

The writing style is classic Alix E. Harrow if you've read any of her other works I think you'll enjoy this one. And of course Natalie Naudus is one of my absolute favorite narrators, I've listened to many books narrated by her and she really brings the story to life.

I give this book a solid three stars, thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the ARC.

My Heart! This book.... my heart!

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow was magnificent! I absolutely loved The Once and Future Witches by this author so I jumped at the chance to request this ARC and I was rewarded with another 5-star read. Alix E. Harrow has the ability to write characters that are both uniquely flawed and heartbreakingly honest. The character work... chef's kiss. I also loved the pacing and plot points. Perfect for Fall and the US cover is gorgeous. I will be ordering a finished copy from @bookofthemonth. I need to own it in print.

The narrator did an amazing job bringing the atmospheric nature of this book to life. #macmillanaudio has been knocking it out of the park with its crisp audio quality. I'm certainly a fan!

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of Starling House, by Alix Harrow. I requested it because I don't normally seek out horror, spooky or fantasy books, but this seemed lke there was a thread of thriller in it as well-plus it is set in Kentucky-my state. I appreciated the narration and it was a fast listen. I was intriqued and also drawn into the world of Eden and Starling House. The first half of the book was wonderfully engaging and descriptive. The second half dropped slightly but still a very good listen. Perfect October book!

This was a great book. It was out of my normal reading path. I’m not sure how to describe the genre, but I really enjoyed listening to this book.