This book was not what I expected but only in the best ways. A Gothic horror with a sprinkling of romance, and bunch of different murder mysteries to think about. A semi sentient house with a cold man of a guardian. A street kid forced to grow up to take care of her brother after her mother's untimely death. Mix all this together and you get a creepy ghost store that will have you snort laughing one second and turning the lights on the next.
This book will resonate with so many people out there and has the message that everyone needs help sometimes and it is okay to ask for it.
Harrow did such a great job writing this in the style of an autobiography of sorts that I sometimes forgot this story is all fiction! (yes I did some research just to be sure...).
The narrorator was also absolutely perfect. She didn't try to do a 'male' voice but you could hear the difference in her tone between characters. She didn't force any kind of accent so it wasn't hard to understand nor was it cringe.

Overall I absolutely loved this book and will never not recommend it. Now I will be going back to read all of Ms Harrow's backlist!

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio/TOR books for an e-arc to read (listen), rate, and review.

If you adore Gothic fairy tales, this modern tale is for you.

"This is the story of the Starling House..." and not everything is as it seems.
This story grabbed me and kept me holding on to the end! Well developed characters, a spooky setting, mystery, small town hate/corruption by a wealthy family, and a great narrator (I listened to the audiobook) left no doubt why it is a Reece pick as well as an extremely popular BOTM selection for October.
Starling House is the perfect spooky season read! 5 stars

Starling House is the perfect spooky season read! The house itself brings the story to life, and I was on the edge of my seat almost every moment of listening. The main character and her brother have been surviving on their own for years, but things are coming to a head. It’s pretty obvious from the start that this small town is full of secrets. I really enjoyed all the different themes: the sister as caretaker, small town vs. evil corporation, and mystery house and owners. The book takes place in winter, but will definitely be great for fall vibes as well.

4.5 stars

I knew I had to read this one after my friend @amy_always reading described it as “part fairy tale, part gothic horror…the very essence of fall and begs to be read snuggled under a cozy blanket.”

SOLD!

This is perfect for horror lite readers like me. I like a little spooky but not too much, and this one was just the right level of creepy for me.

What I Loved 🐦‍⬛

✨The richly drawn characters I couldn’t help but root for

✨The themes of small-town corruption, corporate greed, found family and belonging

✨The atmospheric setting and the house itself – haunted not by ghosts but monsters and sinister secrets

✨The romance. A story about two broken, morally grey people trying to protect what matters to them and in the process finding each other – and home.

There’s a reason this is the October pick for @reesesbookclub. It’s perfect for discussion and just the right mood for fall.

I listened to STARLING HOUSE on audio, and I was immediately drawn into the story by @natalienaudus. Her performance kept me connected to the very last page.

I highly recommend it.

My thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

4.75 We'll let's just round it up to 5 ⭐️

A new fave. This is my first book from Harrow and I adored her writing. How she describes certain things is fascinating and stunning. The story itself was wonderful. I was immediately drawn in by the setup and the mystery of it all. It reminded me of Gallant by Schwab and Lakesedge by Lyndall Clypstone but somehow I loved this more than the latter. Perfect for spooky and eerie vibes mystery readers. You should definitely add this to your autumn TBR.

I really enjoyed the history of the Starling House. The story mainly centers around Opal. I have to say I really love Opal. She is feisty, irreverent, snarky and sarcastic. In other words, very lovable. She’s concerned for her younger brother, Jasper, she is concerned with Arthur, the resident of Starling House and with the living and breathing house itself. There are beasts that prey on people, opinionated towns folk, and a history of the people who lived in the house which was anything but honorable. The story is how Opal navigates all of it. There is a slow burn romance too. It wasn’t extreme horror but nevertheless spooky. It was very well written.

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan audio for a copy of the audiobook. The narrator, Natalie Naudus brings the story to life. This is my honest review that I give voluntarily.

This was an excellent book to read to get me in a spooky, eerie Halloween mood. I've found Alix Harrow's stories put me in the best October mood, and this didn't disappoint. While not my typical genre, I was keep intrigued and wanted to keep going.

Starling house centers around two siblings Opal and Jasper who now live in a fictionalized town of Eden. The residents of Eden do not care for the two because Eden is kinda like a Stepford town where everything is “perfect” and appearances matter above all else and Opal and Jasper remind them of past tragedies. I really loved the siblings, Opal’s refusal to be what others wanted her to be and her resolute need to take care of Jasper was so admirable. Jasper was just a sweet bean and the love between them was so cute.

Opal lands herself a job at Starling house a property that she has low key been obsessed about for a long time. With her working there everyday she can’t help her curiosity and her obsession blooms to love not only for the house but for the person that lives there.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. It really lended to the gothic atmosphere and reading this in October was the perfect start to spooky season.

Thank you to Macmillian audio for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a string of books lately that started out strong, and then fizzled, but Starling House broke that trend. If anything, it took a minute to get going, but finished strong. Opal is a likeable main character, plucky and resourceful. Her relationship with her brother feels very real. I love the theme of family and home throughout the novel. Starling House itself is a character, much like the house in Discovery of Witches. The interactions that the human characters have with the house are fun. Overall, the monster fighting and banter between Opal and Arthur kept me entertained.

Summary:
After dreaming of the Starling House for years, Opal takes an unexpected job offer within the home. Working to save her orphaned brother from a desolate small town life, Opal will sacrifice everything for the only family she has left. In a town of bad luck and bad memories, the haunted Starling House might just be the answer to save them all.

Title: Starling House
Author: Alix E Harrow
@alix.e.harrow
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75/5
🌶️ 0/5

Tropes:
World guardians
Destiny
Small town haunting

Triggers:
Blood
Grooming
Death of parent

Deb’s Thoughts:
This perfectly gothic, creepy read set in the middle of Kentucky will give you the chills as you read it next to the fire this fall. The author truly understands the emotional toll of poverty and the desperation behind building a better life for those you love. 4.75 stars!

Rating: 4.5 stars

I've never read a book by this author before, but I can already tell you that I cannot wait until I can pick up another one by them. This was such a great book! I was a little worried going into it since it's tagged horror; however, I shouldn't have been worried at all. This was an amazing and intriguing read. I listened to the audiobook of this one, and really enjoyed the audio. The narrator did a great job telling the story and capturing my attention. I definitely recommend this one! It's one of those books that you won't want to put down.

In a gothic novel centered around home, dreams, and revenge schemes, Starling House is more than just the crumbling mansion hidden in the woods of Eden, Kentucky. It also haunts the dreams of people without a home; in this case, those of an orphaned young woman doing her best to keep her brother safe, no matter how many illegal acts it takes. With the House haunting her dreams, she ends up in a housekeeper role for Arthur Starling, the strange lonely heir of the home.

I was drawn into the story immediately. Harrow's prose is evocative and Opal's voice is immediately clear to the reader. This book is a perfect spooky season read that kept me on edge waiting to see how the story would shake out.

The narrator was excellent and kept me listening with my ears rather than reading the page.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the eALC.

This was a moment where the writing was good, the plot was fine, but I wasn’t invested. Maybe because this book was described as horror, but it felt more aligned with the noir genre, so it automatically wasn’t meeting expectations. There wasn’t anything wrong per se, but there’s also wasn’t anything keeping me committed. Additionally, the romance element felt awkward. That might be because how the characters were described, so their chemistry didn’t mesh in my head, but that wasn’t necessarily a deal breaker for the story. Overall, I do think this is the perfect book for a seasonal read, but not something that I would revisit.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy. The narrator did an excellent job. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, since it’s not my typical genre. Highly recommend it, very entertaining.

I loved Starling House so much! The writing was beautiful and Natalie did a tremendous job of bringing Opal and Arthur to life. I also loved that Starling House itself had a personality and functioned as a fully developed character in its own right. Starling House reads like a modern gothic fairytale and I enjoyed every second. I can absolutely see myself rereading this one! This is a great book to add to your spooky season TBR!

LOVED this book. This was my first Alix E Harrow but certainly won’t be the last. This story was creepy, atmospheric and breathtakingly real for a story about a haunted house.

I was so emotionally attached to Opal and Arthur, that every scene with them evoked a visceral reaction. It took a little time for me to understand these characters and immerse myself in the story but once I did - I was hooked.

The narrator was also fantastic. I recognize her voice from other audiobooks I’ve listened to and she has a wonderful ability to bring the story to life.

I cannot wait for this book to come out so I can buy myself a finished copy.

Dedicated TikTok review to come!

With Starling House, Alix Harrow is now officially-officially one of my automatic-read authors (she was already close, but this novel absolutely tipped the scale).

But as much as I loved the novel itself (read the book jacket or any of the excellent five-star reviews on Goodreads for a summary), this is one that I'd suggest listening to if at all possible because Natalie Naudus's delivery makes this already phenomenal story EVEN BETTER. Seriously: her narration is flawless—perfectly delivered, perfectly paced, perfectly atmospheric, perfectly emoted. (Wait a sec—is 'emoted' actually a word? And how many times should I say 'perfect' in a single sentence?)

If you enjoy contemporary gothic tales imbued with ancient evil, jaded characters who grow in believable ways, and just enough romance to keep things hopeful, then give Starling House a try. Whether you read it or listen to it, it will be time well spent.

{3.5 stars}

Opal is a bit of a down trodden nobody living in a mining town trying to give her brother a chance at a better life. She, like many others in town, is intrigued with the mythic Starling House. It is home to the mysterious... and missing... author of The Underland, a creepy children's story. Opal nabs a job with the new heir to get the place cleaned up and starts to realize that the place is calling to her in ways no one could imagine.

This one had great atmosphere and gothic spooky vibes. I enjoyed the creepy goings on within the house and the quest at the end. I didn't need the love story aspect, not sure why Opal couldn't have just been helping Arthur out of her obsession with the house and its legend. I get some readers need that, but it didn't do anything for me. Opal and Arthur were interesting enough in their own right. I also didn't love the information dump via one of the characters at the end. All along, Opal is figuring out small pieces of the house's story and then we get to the end and it's a long diatribe of the truth, I think that could have been done better. A little too much 'tell' when the rest of the story had good 'show.' But that feels par for the course with me and Harrow's books. I always love the concept but the execution is never my favorite, this one held me for a lot longer than her previous works.

Thanks to Macmillian Audio for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Alix Harrow is an author that I really enjoy but I think she has outdone herself with this novel. A town with a history of two prominent families, one living in a decrepit old house. A town with a higher than average percentage of unusual deaths. A girl who grew up in this town, spending her life reading a book written by the author of the old house. This book examines generational curses and what we give power to. I love the nuanced and multi layered plot and have already recommended it to multiple people.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

THIS is your spooky fall read!!! The perfect mix of Southern Gothic, horror, and romance, I loved every second of Starling House.

It is the story of a haunted house with a family of guardians that have guarded it and the land it's on for years. The small town where the house sits has all types of stories about the family that has lived there - none of them good. A chance encounter with the last heir of this mysterious family results in a job offer that our main character, Opal, cannot refuse and a series of events that leave her wondering if maybe she can forge a home for herself inside this eerie house.

This book is part Gallant, part The Inheritance Games, part Wolfwood, and a dash of Beauty and the Beast...maybe????? I mean, come on, Arthur is basically beast, right?!?!?!

Read this book if you like:
- spooky not scary
- family secrets
- sentient houses
- characters you want to root for

Starling House will be released October 3rd and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.