Starling House was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint!
Starling house follows in the proud tradition of southern gothic novels. Set in the small town of Eden Virginia, a town where the only major business comes from the local power plant and coal mine which has been polluting the environment for generations, We follow Opal a young woman who has been lying and stealing to provide for her younger brother sense she was sixteen as she is drawn further into the towns mysteries and secret history by The Starling house, It’s first owners creepy children’s book, and it’s enigmatic current owner Arthur Starling.

I was so enthralled with this books setting, characters and core mystery I read it in one sitting. Opal’s journey to get answers about The Starling’s and their house where engrossing, along with her motivations to protect and care for her younger brother Jasper. I loved the sections from Arthur’s perspective and getting to see how much his burdens where wearing on him and how drawn he was to Opal throughout the book. The setting was well fleshed out and felt like a real town, the history of the town sprinkled through the book felt natural and really helped make the town feel like a real place.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Alix E. Harrow strikes again with an extremely enchanting fantasy world, one you can imagine at the edges of reality. Mystery, suspense, action, magic, this book has it truly has it all.

The characters are 3-dimensional and so easy to fall in love with. Especially the main character, who has been living only to care for and protect her younger brother. As more and more of her story is revealed, you come to understand her guilt and dedication surrounding her family.

Harrow has a way of weaving together a story in a way that is captivating every time. Leaving pieces of clues scattered throughout the book that come together in a sweeping climax, details that may have seemed unimportant are suddenly crucial to the understanding of the plot. I love books like this, where I'm left thinking about just how artfully the ending was crafted for weeks.

I loved Starling House. So atmospheric; and the style was rich and gothic. I was completely absorbed by this blend of haunted house and fairy tale. The characters are flawed yet memorable and well-developed; and the house itself is a character in its own right, full of secrets and mysteries. So of course, the best part of the book is the sentient house, and I couldn't help but be drawn to it.

Alix E. Harrow takes familiar tropes and twists them into something new and imaginative. This novel reminded me of the old fairytales (like Beauty & the Beast) and of the character dynamics in Howl’s Moving Castle... complete with an ugly, alluring homeowner and a fatal curse. Nothing is as it seems, and the suspense builds as the truth slowly unravels.

If you're looking for a fresh take on the haunted house genre (but not into anything too gory), or if you enjoy Southern gothic and fairy tales, then Starling House is a must-read. It's a beautifully written story with a STUNNINGLY illustrated cover that will stay with you.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing the audiobook ARC. I enjoyed it! All opinions are my own and written voluntarily.

Everything you want and expect from this author is delivered! The perfect gothic, fantastical, whimsical, horror novel with lyrical writing and depth of emotion. I just love her way of writing so much. It’s so captivating and really brings the story to life. Opal and Arthur are so endearing. The house is itself a character in the story, a trope I absolutely love in books. It has such a rich lore, legend, and history surrounding it. Harrow has a way of making the magical feel so real. I was completely engrossed in this story. I won’t be giving any further details on the plot because the synopsis says so little and I think that is the perfect way to go into a book. I had no idea what to expect other than a creepy house and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much more depth there was to the story. I listened to an early audio of this book and the narrator did a great job of portraying the style and tone of the story. The fact that this book is being released in October is perfection. This is the perfect spooky season read and I can see it being very popular. And, y’all, this cover is to die for! Props to the designer(s). Harrow is a master of gothic fantasy. If you loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January (as much as I did), then you have to read this one! I have no doubt you’ll love it too.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

I'm having a hard time rating this book. I was intrigued and wanted to see it through to the conclusion. At the same time, it was too wordy for me (just personal taste), and I had a hard time cutting through to the heart of the story.

Had the book been about 25-30% shorter, I think I would have been able to bring the elements together in my head in a more satisfying way. As it is, I went down too many small side paths to stay focused.

The writing is good, and the narrator was as well. Overall, it just wasn't a standout for me.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillianAudio for a free copy of #StarlingHouse by Alix E. Harrow. All opinions are my own.

I just love the way Alix Harrow tells stories! This was my first of her books in audio format, and I really enjoyed it. I was a little nervous that there would be too much going on and too many layers for me to follow them well in the audio form. She writes complicated and nuanced stories full of richly developed characters and a lot of overlapping elements, and I tend to prefer that level of intricacy in a book format as opposed to an audio format. But I really enjoyed listening to this one. The narrator was excellent and did a really great job differentiating the characters without ever feeling over dramatic. I found this to be a highly engaging tell, full of the perfect blend of supernatural, character-driven, and dramatic elements.

I am generally not the type of person to read scary/horror books but this one perfectly fit my low/medium spooky threshold. In this book we get to meet a haunted house and it's equally dismal homeowner. But perhaps both just need a little attention to turn this house into a home? Well, as long as you don't count the horrors that come out at night. This to me is a perfect book to read in October, which happily is when it comes out (pub date: Oct 3, 2023) so add this to your Halloween reading list!

I have had some hits and misses with this author before, but I am happy to report this one was a win. Opal is a fully fleshed out character, with realistic baggage and a prickly personality that matches her circumstances. Without even meaning to, she lands a job tending to the haunted Starling house, that no one other than the mysterious owner ever steps foot inside of. The house honestly was my second favorite character. Even though it's not a person it definitely has a personality.

Overall I had a couple of small quibbles with how the book got to it's ending, but overall I was satisfied with how things ultimately played out.

I received an ARC of the audiobook via Netgalley (this did not impact my review/rating), and I have to say I really enjoyed listening to this and recommend reading this book in that format.

Opal lives in a hotel room with her bother Jasper in the desolate town of Eden, Kentucky. At night she dreams of a place that feels like home but how could it be as it is a place she has never been. Eden is only known for the mystery house known as Starling House. It was formerly owed by author E. Starling who wrote a novel named Underland and was never seen again. Opal's only dream is to get her brother out of Eden. She works multiple jobs to try to fund her brother's tuition to a private school that might get him out and keep him out. One night walking home Opal stops at the gates of Starling House. Suddenly a mystery man appears at the gate, Arthur Starling. Arthur wants nothing more than for Opal to run far from Eden and Starling House but he knows she won't because the house wants her.

This book was so great. It was moody and atmospheric. I was beyond impressed with the world building. The mystery was so interesting. I have listened to the ALC twice already. I loved Opal and Arthur. One of my top reads of the year so far. Alex E Harrow is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

This already great book was narrated by the incredible Natalie Naudus. She brings so much to the characters with her compelling performance.

Another wonderful book by Alix E. Harrow. I love that there is an underlying fantasy theme but all of her books are completely different from one another. As a John Prine fan, I loved the story taking place in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

I enjoyed the writing style and it flowed well. Lovely voice! I was familiar with Naralie Naudus from "The Donut Trap." It's so easy to listen. She does a great job.

I am not as great with focus when listening to audiobooks, and for as much as I enjoyed listening, I found the plot and characters forgettable when I turned the book off. I couldn't remember what had happened each time I tuned in, even as I was listening, and I kind of had to mentally reset a couple times. There was nothing pulling me in and nothing that felt particularly gripping. I only made it 16%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

I don't think I ever expected to give an Alix E. Harrow book a three star rating...

I love Harrow's writing. Once and Future Witches is a favorite of mine.

Maybe I went into this with too high of expectations. Also, I felt like describing it as a gothic horror didn't feel quite right either. I don't think I would label it horror. It's more related to dark fairytales, I think. Also, I was really hoping to have more of the house to really build on the gothic part of that, but we only had glimpses.

I struggled with some of the narration, too. We got first person from Opal's perspective, but then there were jumps of other characters in third, and every so often I'd forget who I was with. Also, the use of footnotes through me off.

I enjoyed some of it. It never really drew me in though. It felt easy to set it down and walk away from it for the weekend. But it wasn't a bad book.

I read a short story by Alix E. Harrow this year, which convinced me to give her other works a try because not many authors manage to get me that absorbed in such a short amount of time. On top of that, the cover for Starling House grabbed me since the first time I saw it and didn’t let go. I stated at it so many times on the NetGalley website until I finally let myself request it. And I’m really glad I did.

One of my favorite things in this book were the relationships between the characters. Now, usually I mean the positive relationships when I say this but here I mean all the types of relationships that pop up with the main characters involved, whether they’re between siblings, estranged family, reluctant work situations, with the law, or even the (mostly) positive ones with varying support figures in the female MC’s life. Even the reluctant romance felt really well done.

While I thoroughly enjoyed both POVs in this book, the female character definitely was the one that stood out to me more. While she could technically fall under the morally gray character header, I’m reluctant to put her there simply because of the life situation she was forced into. It wasn’t an easy life to support herself and her brother in so she did what she felt needed to be done. I have a lot of respect for that and loved seeing their relationship in the ups and downs that life threw at them. She was a tough MF that made difficult choices to give her brother the life he deserved.

The book started out rather normal with just a touch of darkness to it in the form of nightmares the FMC was having. Throughout the story though, this darkness grew and the fantastical elements increased. It was very gradual and I loved the buildup to the finale. I also enjoyed the way the ending was achieved in a more creative way than the brute force we so often see. It felt very fitting for a character that had to be tough for so much of her life.

I knew the narrator sounded familiar as soon as I started the audiobook and I checked to confirm she was the same one that helped narrate The Drowning Empire by Andrea Stewart. She has a very distinct voice that I wouldn’t choose for just any story but I think she was an excellent choice for Starling House. She was such a good fit for the MCs that did both the male and the female POV really well. The reluctance, the fight, the apathy, the ups and downs in emotions, and everything else in the wide range of feelings portrayed in this book felt just right the way she narrated it.

If horror is a genre you’re a bit reluctant about but curious to try nonetheless, give Starling House by Alix E. Harrow a try. A great story with good pacing, compelling characters, interesting epigraphs, and a good level of darkness without jump scares, gore, or other things that might make you reluctant to try this genre has me gladly recommending this book to people that have enjoyed stories along the lines of The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean or Your Blood and Bones by J. Patricia Anderson.

DNF @50

I really wanted to like this book. It seems like it was going to be super interesting plot wise. But I dnf’d because I found the plot to interesting but boring.

The plot follows the fmc who is along trying to support her brother and make sure he way to do more with his life. She ends getting a job at the mc house cleaning it. The house is kinda magical but she doesn’t know that. *rough plot*

For me personally, I don’t really love slower paced books. I just need a medium/fast paced book to help keep me interested in the plot and this was a touch too slow.

I also found the book to be both boring but interesting. The idea of the house being magical and needing a warden is so cool but the beginning basis of the plot just her needing money for her brother is just boring to me.

Imagine my surprise, and even delight, to have the male lead in a book described as looking like a sick crow and a human gargoyle. This was a total 180 from what we're all used to; by now we expect tall and broad, strong and steady, Matthew Macfayden walking across that field with the chest hair and the coat billowing in the breeze and if you try to tell me that Colin Firth could ever top that I'll insist that you need to see a doctor about your head.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is my third Alix E. Harrow book and I am firmly an Alix E. Harrow fangirl at this point. (The other two I've read were The Ten Thousand Doors of January which was absolutely perfect in every way and The Once and Future Witches which was also absolutely lovely and wonderful). So when I found out that she'd written a gothic fairytale, nothing could have kept me from this book. Nothing.

Opal has lived a life of deceit, lying as easily as she breathes. Her mother raised her to be wild and carefree, down to choosing whatever last name may suit you at the time. But after her mother's death in a car accident, Opal is forced to grow up fast; she has her decade-younger brother, Jasper, to raise. They scrape by on Opal's job at Tractor Supply in their free Room 12 at the Garden of Eden motel--something that her mother "worked out" with the owner, Bev. Opal does what she can to survive while being haunted by dreams of the notorious Starling House, Eden, Kentucky's most gossiped about haunt.

Starling House is the former home of the now-beloved author, Eleanor Starling, who wrote the macabre Neo-Gothic and modernist children's book The Underland. The Underland is a tale about a young girl who discovers another world full of beasts beneath the ground. E. Starling, as she was professionally known, mysteriously disappeared one day, before being declared dead in 1886. Throughout the years since her disappearance, there have been a hodge podge of "Wardens" of Starling House; as soon as one dies or disappears, there is someone else there to take up the mantle and care for the house.

One day, Opal, having had enough of the dreams of Starling House that call to her so often, stomps up to the gates of the house, where she's told to run by the awkward and hunched resident, Arthur. She does, but she's not so easily turned off, quickly returning, where she is eventually offered a job as a housekeeper at Starling House--the only other person Arthur will let inside its doors. No sooner does Opal begin her employment than she is approached by a corporate looking woman asking questions and demanding secrets about Starling House, and threatens Jasper to force Opal to comply. Since Opal is a natural born liar, though, she does what she can to play everyone in order to keep the hefty income Arthur pays her (which she needs to try and fund a better future for Jasper).

Opal is brash and untrustworthy and absolutely wonderful. She's so different from main characters you're used to in all the best ways, and I freaking loved her. The devotion she had for her brother was so heart warming, and the lengths she'd go for her people, and for her notion of home, were so inspiring. I also loved Arthur, in his non-traditional-male-lead way. Even if he didn't exactly look the part of the romantic love interest we have come to expect, Arthur still has the heart of the brave and noble man we all know and love.

I love Alix E. Harrow's writing style, but I think that this may be my favorite of her books so far. It was dark and depressing while also ending on an inspiring, hopeful note. It felt like both a love letter and a middle finger to Kentucky, at the same time, which seems on brand since Alix is from Kentucky and probably shares many of the same feelings that Opal has about her hometown. I also really enjoyed the real-life problems that we see, making the book that much more relatable. A corporate, money-hungry mega plant poisoning the locals? That same company being able to pay a fine and continue doing what they were doing without making changes? Pollution in the air, making everyone sick? Cancer, asthma, and water that "just isn't quite bad enough for it to kill most folks"? We've seen and heard that all so often in real life. Teflon? Flint? This book will renew your rage.

The narrator did a perfect job differentiating between the voices of all the different characters. I do wish that there had been someone different to voice Arthur's chapters/sections from his point of view, but the current narrator even did those sections well. It just would have been nice to have two voices to separate those POVs even better.

I honestly can't say enough good things, this book was perfect.

Alix Harrow writes a hauntingly beautiful story about love, family, and what it means to be home disguised as a spooky fairytale. Her prose, as always, is captivating and the audiobook narration by Natalie Naudus truly adds to the language.

I’ve loved Alix Harrow’s other novels, and this one was no different. Opal, Arthur, and the sentient Starling House form a trio of characters at the center of this southern gothic. All three slightly off in appearance, and all three grappling with love and loss, the trio fascinates as a group you can’t help but root for and want to voraciously keep learning about.

This book is perfect for a cozy fall. Run, don’t walk to order it - you will not be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the arc of the audiobook!

After reading the synopsis, I was instantly intrigued by Starling House. This was such a unique and atmospheric read. The writing was immersive and vivid and I felt like I was right there in Eden, Kentucky. I don't want to spoil anything, but I loved the mystery surrounding the Starling House and all of its inhabitants over the years. The story was haunting and heartbreaking at times, but it was also tender and hopeful. I wouldn’t say that it’s a scary read, but it was sometimes unsettling and creepy. It's a mix of gothic fairytale, mystery, and romance. The characters were all so compelling and I loved how flawed and resilient they were. They make mistakes and stumble, but they keep fighting and loving. The relationship between Opal and her brother was especially touching and I loved the found family in this one. I thought everything wrapped up really well at the end and this is a book that I'll be thinking about long after I've finished.

Natalie Naudus was AMAZING! Her performance was so emotional and captivating. I felt completely immersed in the story and she voiced all the characters so well! Once I started, I didn’t want to stop listening. Truly a fantastic audiobook experience!

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars

*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this book*

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read the E-ARC on Netgalley. I want to address that this is my first time reading a novel from Alix Harrow, so I'm on the fence about reading any other stories by her because I quickly lost interest in this one. I think I was expecting my horror from the story. I also wanted to know more about Opal's mother's upbringing and how it was caring for two children on her own. A huge plus was the characters. All of the characters felt real and unique in their way. However, I could not stand Elizabeth Baine! I say if you love Alix Harrow novels, definitely give this one a try.

This book is a creepy little nightmare that sucked me in pretty quickly. Opal, our hero, is not likeable in the least, but part of that is what made me like her so much in the end. Her willingness to do just about anything for the people she loves pulls her around, entirely out of control of her life. She's an outcast, content with that as long as she can look after her brother. It's not a brand-new story, but it is a universal one. Enter Starling house, the stuff of both dreams and nightmares for Opal and the town she lives in. Sitting behind a locked gate and inhabited by a mysterious family, the house, nearly invisible to the townsfolk, prompts endless stories, though none of them are quite accurate. I love a magic house, a character in its own right, even one that may turn out to be evil and murderous in the end. Starling House sucks Opal in as the story sucks in the reader, twisting vines around your heart and trapping you before you realize what's happened. Things dart out of the shadows so quickly you wonder if you missed something. Like any good gothic horror, Starling House unfolds a mystery whose answer is not at all what you thought and exactly what it should be. This story is about a haunted house and monsters lurking in the dark, but it's also about a town haunted by secrets and lies. As Opal figures out the story of the house, she discovers her own story may not be quite accurate either.

"I believe if somebody's just a little bit different, people will make up all kinds of nonsense." Always trust the librarian.

Shifting points of view, first-person for Opal, 3rd for Arthur (the house's sword-wielding warden), and the delightful omniscience of a narrator in footnotes, weave together to craft a tale worthy of several rereads, many highlights, and late nights spent reading until the sun sneaks up on you. The romance is smooth and believable, the bad guys are terrifying, and the conclusion is perfectly satisfying. No-big-deal gay and bi representation is always a plus for me. Get a copy when it comes out on Halloween and you won't need to watch a single horror movie.

unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Horror/Fantasy
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Liked the cover
2. Liked the idea of the book

What I Didn't Like:
1. God this writing is so over the top
2. Does the book ever end

Overall Thoughts:
I did not enjoy this book at all. I honestly feel like I've read this book so many times before;
"Tough as nails girl left to take care of a sibling, mother wasn't good with men, mother dies, father out of picture, has to take random job, owner of house is loner, owner of house is out of touch with "poor" people, owner slowly starts to be nice..blah blah.. They fall in love...blah"
This book is edging between Beauty and the Beast too - even with the character reading a retelling of the book in this story.

I found very very odd that they would hire one person randomly to clean this huge house by herself. And of course Opal thinks nothing of this.

I felt weighed down by the overly descriptive writing of every little thing. Describing the smallest thing like a blade of grass felt endless and pointless. Some of the descriptions made me laugh at them.
"Sucks the sugar off of her teeth."
How prey tell does one suck sugar off of their teeth? You'd look ridiculous even trying.

Why in these stories is government assistance never a thing? They just have to suck it up and live in this motel. She would rather her and Jasper struggle for his schooling to pay for it rather than ask for help. But it's even better because her working at the Starling House and putting all her money into the school is pointless because Jasper doesn't want to go. He got a scholarship and Financial aid too. So I guess he didn't need to know any of Opal's info to apply for those things. These two hiding things from one another is ridiculous.

I found the parts of the book with the authors noted very out of place and disruptive. I got the ebook & audiobook and the sections with them were something I found out I didn't care about at all.

Final Thoughts:
I dipped out at page 250. For so many reasons but it just kept going on and on. Opal felt too whiny. The book felt too long. The story is too similar to other stories that told it in a better way.

Recommend For:
• Gothic novels
• Creepy houses
• Sibling stories

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio & Macmillan. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review!!

Starling House is Alix E. Harrow’s foray into Southern gothic mixed with contemporary fantasy. Eden, Kentucky is a former mining town famous only for E. Starling, nineteenth century author of The Underland who disappeared, leaving Starling House in her wake. Opal has been stuck in Eden for a long time and has been taking care of her teenage brother, scrounging together money so he can get out, even if she can’t. She takes an unexpected housekeeping job from Arthur, the mysterious heir of Starling House, but she certainly fails to mention she’s been dreaming of the house for years. Still, there is something deeply wrong with the house, and in Southern gothic tradition, there’s some dark small town secrets that Opal and Arthur need to uncover.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and it didn’t disappoint! It’s not really surprising that I loved this because I have loved all of Harrow’s previous works, and I think that this one is my favorite so far. I love creepy and sentient houses and I love the gothic, so this really ticked all of my boxes in terms of atmosphere and vibes. I really liked Opal, who maybe has a chip on her shoulder a little too big for her own good, and Arthur, who is to me a specific brand of Sad Boy that really just scratches some itches in my brain. I enjoyed the magic in this and Harrow’s prose was really excellent. I really liked the way the POV switches were handled, though of course Arthur is a certain kind of catnip to me and Opal is fun to be in the head of. I think that this is certainly a gothic story, but it’s definitely not horror, and I think going in expecting a scary or horror sort of gothic instead of a atmospheric/mysterious/haunted by dark secrets gothic will lead you to be quite disappointed. Harrow nails the atmosphere, and this is what I’d expect from a Southern gothic. Still, it’s much cozier than one would ever associate with the horror genre, so I do hope people don’t go in expecting something this is not. I suppose the more romance inclined among us will find that the romance between Opal and Arthur isn’t as robust as the rest of the story, but I’m not a romance reader and I loved the way it unfolded.

Natalie Naudus did an excellent job with the narration, which I’m so pleased about because she’s one of my favorite audiobook narrators. I love her cadence and the way she approached narrating, so if audiobooks are a format that works for you, I’d definitely recommend it.