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.

Opal is stuck in Eden, trying to survive and give her little brother a better life. She’s also been enthralled by and dreaming of Starling house for as long as she can remember. What’s the line between a dream and a nightmare? What harm could come by getting a little closer to the house? What happens when the reality you’ve accepted for 19 years starts crumbling around you?

A dash of twisted family history, a splash of folklore, a hint of romance, a smattering of gore and so much more, expertly captured in this captivating audiobook. I absolutely devoured it and wanted more hours in the day to know more. I’ve seen a few reviews say the ending was lackluster but for me, it was the cherry on top of a story about internalized pain and being discarded & misunderstood in a place you call home.

"Dreams aren’t for people like me.

People like me have to make two lists: what they need and what they want. You keep the first list short, if you’re smart, and you burn the second one."

Starling House is a beautifully written gothic fantasy and a perfect October read.

Set in Eden, Kentucky, Starling House’s storyline is woven around a young woman named Opal. A life filled with challenges and loss fills Opal with cynicism and a belief that she doesn’t have the right to have aspirations of her own.

For her entire existence, Opal has had an innate fascination — an obsession — with Starling House. She doesn’t know who or what lives within its walls but she feels a strong desire to find out.

The enthralling and descriptive writing of Harrow combined Natalie Naudus’s gift for narration made the story and characters come alive. This is the perfect fall read!

Kind thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of this title.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 by Alix E Harrow releases October 3, 2023.

Welcome to Eden, Kentucky-a small, haunted town that is just bad luck. The town is only known for one thing: the legend of E. Starling. E. Starling was a reclusive author who disappeared in the 19th century and who was famous for writing as well as illustrating "The Underland." However, right before E. Sterling disappeared, the Starling House appeared which now lays in rot thanks to its last heir Arthur Sterling. But when it comes to our FMC, Opal, she finds an unexpected job offer that could get her brother out of Eden even though she knows she shouldn't mess and deal with haunted houses and brooding men.

Back in early 2021 I discovered Alix's books when I picked up The Once and Future Witches (I rated it 45 Stars) and ever since then I have picked up her books and have enjoyed them. So, you all can definitely imagine why I requested Starling House from NetGalley.

I have always found Alix's books to set a very atmospheric tone that draws you in. Alix does this with Starling House, which I really appreciate since she made me feel transported into an eerie and slowly dying town. You can just feel the bleak, eerie, and the something is not quite right vibes.

However, I did struggle with the pacing of the book and the plot. For me the hardest part was staying engaged with the story and that was because I really did not care that much about the characters since there was no connection between me and the characters.

With the plot, I definitely think it was interesting but due to the slower pacing it just made me overall become disengaged.

I do question myself over if I would have enjoyed starling House if I physically read it instead of listening to it on audio...

Many people will definitely enjoy this book more than me. I know that I gave this a 3-star rating, but it does not mean I loved it, nor does it mean I hated it. I just feel indifferent about it even though I had high hopes about loving this book.

But like I said many people will love this and this is definitely a perfect fall read. Pick up Starling House if you enjoy: creepy/eerie atmospheres/settings, gothic or horror books, beautiful prose, a mystery, and good world building.

Absolutely the best book I've read this year.

This is a story about a gothic haunted house, with a dark fairy tale twist. Add in a bleak, dirty coal town with limited prospects and lots of people struggling to get by, orphaned kids and a history of brutal and suspicious deaths in the town... And you have only just begun.

Starling House had a lot to live up to in my mind after "Ten Thousand Doors of January" which is an all time favorite book of mine now.... And it did not dissapoint.

I was on the edged of my seat. I was in the depth of potty and then despair with the characters. I was crying over wounds and hearts breaking. And I loved it all.

No hesitation. Five stars from me.

STARLING HOUSE by Alix E Harrow and read by Natalie Naudus is a fantastic choice for Autumn reading!

Opal is struggling in her small town of Eden, KY when circumstances lead her to Starling House, the original home of her favorite childhood author, E. Starling. Arthur Starling is the odd man who occupies the home, rarely seen, but relents to Opal when she insists that he hire her to clean. The oddities go beyond the occupant as Opal discovers, and she is confronted with deciding how sinister the power here is, and if the mythological Underland is more than a dark fairytale.

What began as a haunted house story became a bit more as the story progressed and I enjoyed the process! I already love the kind of magic that Harrow writes, and while my favorite is still 10K Doors of January, this is a magical delight. I appreciated the themes of home, and also how devastating keeping up a false front can be. The notable mentions of how the main characters did not have a traditional beauty to them also gave the story an oddness that I loved!

I enjoyed Naudus's narration and felt like she brought out the tension in Opal as revelations kept coming. I also thought her other characters were well done and were easily distinguishable.

Thank you to @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for @torbooks for sharing this ALC and letting me share my thoughts. It is a story perfect for the season! The original release was apparently the end of October, but lucky us, it was pushed up to the 3rd!

Opal has grown up on the fringes of society in a small, Kentucky, coal town. People look the other way when they see her, and those that don’t avoid eye contact give her judgmental looks. She’s done whatever she can to survive, though, and to give her brother a better chance than she ever had. It’s not a prosperous town by any means, and she just wants to get him out.

But Opal? Well, she feels a pull to the town and to the mysterious Starling House behind its forbidding gates. And she keeps having these dreams of the mist and the house and what may lay inside. She’s called to it as if it were a beacon, but in reality, it’s more of “a siren”. This house has metaphorical teeth.

Arthur Starilng lives alone in Starling House, surrounded by nightmares, memories, and duties. He has been alone so long, and he wanted it that way—to protect others, to serve his penance. But the house is its own being and it wants what it wants. That’s how he ends up with Opal as company.

Part fantasy, part magical realism, part mystery, part social commentary, part romance—Starling House pulled me in and dug in its claws.

I was impressed by how Alix E. Harrow so fully captures that area of the country and how there is a division between the people who have to focus on their needs, never their wants and those who have everything they need and then some. Harrow captures how history has shaped that area of the country and its socioeconomic structures and how people are driven by different kinds of hunger.

We see greed. We see sacrifice. We see unexpected found family. We see what price people are willing to pay for what they want, for the ones they love, for revenge.

The house, mist, and beasts remind me of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and are brought to life in fantastical detail. The house becomes almost a living, breathing thing; it’s its own character in the story.

And Opal and Arthur, they are so strong and so tough in their own ways. Both are fighting, fighting, fighting for their lives, for the town, and for those they love.

Natalie Naudus’s narration is excellent—atmospheric with the perfect blend of stubbornness, desperation, and foolhardiness—and she even manages to seamlessly incorporate the footnotes into the telling of the story.

I highly recommend it.

You may want to keep the light on while reading it, though.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Starling House:⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio for my gifted copy. ⁣
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“Dreams are just like stray cats. If you don't feed them they get lean and clever and sharp-clawed, and come for the jugular when you least expect it”⁣
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I DNF’d 3 books in a row. Nothing, absolutely nothing was holding my attention. Then Starling House came along and I sat. I couldn’t get enough of it. Welcome to another contender for my personal BOTY.⁣
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This is the horror for those that kinda want to be scared, but immediately regret it and need the light on all night. (It’s me) It gives the perfect atmospheric vibe of a haunted house in a run down town where there are things more sinister in the real world than in our nightmares.⁣
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The audio was phenomenal. I kept checking the narrator, Natalie Naudus, because her voice was like butter. It was haunting, it was gritty, it was perfection. I could physically hear the rough edges of Opal and the slimy fake saccharine of Elizabeth. I highly recommend the audio. ⁣
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I will be getting a physical copy, mainly because dots gorgeous. But also, I’d love to see how the footnotes played a role in the book. This book is so much more than just fantasy and horror and a haunted house. It’s grief, and dreams, and finding your strength in found family. Ugh I’ll never stop gushing. This one caught me by surprise. ⁣
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Out 10/3.

2.5 Stars rounded up.

I really was not enjoying myself for the first quarter of this book, and I considered DNFing. I thought that Opal's only personality trait was her struggle, and the miscommunication trope was used a lot to drive plot points.
The footnotes in this book were off-putting because they did not remain consistent and did not seem needed. As Harrow demonstrates that they can provide information to readers in other ways later on, the footnotes just seemed like information Harrow wanted us to know but didn't know how to properly weave it into that scene. That or they just were not necessary at all and could have been cut out. I began to feel that Harrow might just not be the author for me, as the writing style wasn't clicking.

Around the 40% mark, the story picked up and I was enjoying myself again. Opal became more fleshed out and I was enjoying the history of Starling House. The second half of the book increased my rating and I'm happy I read it. This gave all the fall spooky vibes (once I got into the swing of things) and the narrator was easy to follow along with. I think this book will be a hit or a miss depending on the person, but I'd recommend it if you're into sentient houses and a generational curse.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

OMG this book did not disappoint. I sucked it in, absorbing it like a sentient magical house might greedily absorb the blood of its wardens. This is now officially my favorite Alix E. Harrow to date

Thank you so much netgalley and macmillan audio for the early audio–it was absolutely worth ignoring my other weekend plans for! The audio is incredible, not surprisingly, since it’s narrated by one of my favorites, Natalie Naudus (if you don’t know her, she’s narrated She Who Became The Sun & sequel, The Bone Shard Daughter & series, The Art of Prophecy (which I’m also listening to now!) AND SO MUCH MORE.

I’m not going to rehash the plot here, because you can find that in a zillion places. Instead, (cue music) these are a few of my favorite things:

- the use of a story within the story as a central theme; I love books within books!
- imperfect, flawed and plausible characters you can’t help but fall in love with
- an opinionated sentient magical/haunted house
- a ferocious & ferociously lovable cat alternatively referred to as The Hellcat and Bast
- a poignant depiction of the rugged love that can exist between siblings
- queer character rep, including a bi male MC
- a look at smalltown southern history that confronts the racist & prejudice past (and present)
- white characters modeling how we can realize our own blindness, make mistakes with the best of intentions, and realize why intentions don’t always matter (and then listen & strive to do better)
- the perspective swaps between the first person view of Opal, a fairly unreliable narrator (and the inclusion of footnotes correcting her misstatements!), and a third person perspective of other characters
- a slow burn reluctant romance that had me (not a romance lover) rooting so hard for them to JUST FREAKING KISS
- Opal loves reading, especially racy retellings of fairy tales (Alix, if you want to write some racier fanfic versions of your retellings, I WILL READ THEM)
- the town librarian is basically a heroine (generally true)
- the examination of storytelling, and how the storyteller really matters
- small town grittiness with some victorian gothic vibes

“She’s not eating, she’s not sleeping… I don’t even think she’s READING. I’ve never seen her like this.”

5/5 will read again :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alix E Harrow for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC audiobook for Starling House coming out October 3, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a couple books by this author and really enjoy her writing. I thought the narrator was really good. I enjoyed the first half of this book. I didn’t enjoy the second half as much. Opal’s actions became a little annoying to me. I was a little confused with the dynamics of the fantasy. I didn’t really understand some of the plot points listening to it. The motives of Opal and Arthur were a little confusing at times.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dreamlike stories.

This book was everything I wanted and nothing I expected.

The narrator was perfect for this book and has a voice that pulls you in. I found myself immediately swept into the story and braced as if it was an old friend.

I felt my anxiety rising at certain parts right along with the characters and that can sometimes be difficult when listening to audio books.

The only part I had an issue with was Opal. She was so frustrating in places that I found myself just wanting to shake her.

Ingredients for Starling House: Start with a good chunk of modern gothic horror, stir in a bit of deep South flavour, add a dash of humour and throw in a pinch of literary mystery…then spice it all up with a good dose of strangely Regency-esque romance. Bake well, and voila: a pretty good read! I listened on audiobook and it was a great choice for this novel.

This book was really enjoyable. It has a great pace and a fun plot. I would classify it as gothic horror for sure, but it’s not one note. There’s a good bit of small town goings on, and it had some heart. I enjoyed the characters. At first, I wasn’t sure I’d like MC Opal but she really grew on me. I’m a sucker for a bit of romance, and this one had a strange tone of a Regency romance novel-type dynamic and I liked it. Arthur is a loner with a mission and doesn’t want to give into his feelings for Opal, and…well, you know how it goes.

The narration was pretty good. I’m sensitive to the narration in audiobooks, and a narrator that I don’t like can really sour my listening experience. But Natalie Naudis was alright; she neither detracted from nor enhanced the book, which is okay by me.

This is a mild book generally. It’s mild on the horror (more spooky and vibe-y than gruesome) and low-key on the romance (more sweet than spicy), but that was a nice middle-ground for me. A solid October novel to keep you company this Spooky Season.

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for a gifted copy!

Wow. This was amazing. I have nothing but good things to say about this book! I had no idea there would be some Alice in Wonderland elements/vibes to this book but it made me love it even more (as it's a childhood favorite)! I think it's best to go in blind but some tropes/themes from this book are: found family, haunted house, small town history/mystery, dislike to lovers, and more. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Have you ever wanted a retelling of Alice in Wonderland that felt new and original, dark and gritty, with the perfect amount of gothic horror and monsters? Well, you’re in luck, because you’ve just stumbled on the right book for you. Opal is not your typical protagonist, which I am pretty happy about in a lot of ways. However, she is also pretty hard to like as a person as well, though she seems motivated by some fairly strong convictions that constantly push her forward. She’s always been drawn to Starling House and when she walks by, sometimes it feels as though it’s calling to her. Even in her dreams it sometimes tries to reach out. However, something in the sleepy town of Eden is changing and Opal and Starling House’s soul occupant may have to work together to try to prevent something terrible from happening.

I really do not want to give too much away about this book; even the summary on Goodreads does a magnificent job of giving just enough to keep the mystery shrouded in fog for the reader to uncover. I had a hard time putting this book down and have already recommended my podcast girls read this so we can bookclub it for an upcoming episode. I hope this becomes a phenomenal fall hit as I thought it was perfect for the spooky season.

Starling House is a wonderful start to my spooky season reading! Set in my home state of Kentucky, the vibes of this book remind me a little of Elizabeth Kilcoyne's Wake the Bones and a little of T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead. Starling House, like these others, is atmospheric and haunting without being graphic or gory. The characters are strong and unique and (while not entirely likeable all the time) relatable. Opal and Arthur are very human characters, with flaws and strengths that make them all the more fascinating to read about. This audiobook version was a great way to experience this story as well. I thought the narrator was perfect and did a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere in a way that kept me involved. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story covered in mist and fog and intrigue.

This was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of the author and must read everything she writes. This time I listened to the audiobook, which had a great narrator. She truly brought the characters to life. The story starts with a young woman working hard to give her brother a better life. To that end, she starts working for the heir of Starling House. Is it haunted, alive, cursed? There are secrets, twists, vibrant characters, and an interesting story. It builds slowly and then wow, it really grabs you.

The writing is outstanding , and I realllly wanted to know what was going to happen. Completely hooked! Loved it. It comes out October 3. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the eARC of the audiobook.