Alix E. Harrow's "Starling House" is a breathtaking modern gothic fantasy that reimagines Beauty and the Beast in a way that is both haunting and utterly enchanting. This exceptional work deserves every bit of its 5 out of 5 stars.

The story begins with an ill-omened mansion, Starling House, and its last lonely heir, Arthur. The town of Eden has long shunned the place, passing down stories of its bad luck like treasured heirlooms. When Opal, a pragmatic young woman determined to secure her brother's future, seizes an opportunity to work there, she's drawn into a world that is uncanny, full of secrets, and strangely, dangerously, feels like home.

Alix E. Harrow's storytelling is a masterpiece of modern gothic fiction. She creates an atmosphere that wraps around the reader like a heavy, dark cloak, pulling you deeper into a narrative that is rich in mystery and wonder. The setting of Starling House is vividly evoked, its secrets and malevolence lurking around every corner.

The characters, especially Opal, are wonderfully fleshed out and imbued with complexities that make them relatable and endearing. Opal's journey from caution to courage, from fearing the house to embracing it, is both captivating and inspiring.

The plot unfolds with an exquisite blend of romance, mystery, and supernatural elements. As sinister forces converge on Eden, Opal's determination to find a home becomes a heroic quest, one that necessitates confronting her family's dark past. It's a gripping narrative that holds your attention from the first page to the last.

This was a perfect book for this spooky season! I loved the gothic themes, the living house and threat of monsters. The romance was well done and I loved how flawed all the characters were. It made each one seem more real and made the romance more believable too. I could of done with it being a little more scary but otherwise I really enjoyed my time reading. Would definitely recommand!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the audio book of Starling house by Alix E Harrow.

Stunning.
Beautiful.
An absolute joy to listen to.

Thank you.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

STARLING HOUSE - ALIX E HARROW

Thank you #netgalley and #macmillianaudio #macmillianukaudio for an #arc of this beautiful new novel!

UK publication date: 31/10/23

I loved this gothic fantasy which I would describe as wuthering heights meets Alice in Wonderland!

Opal is a great protagonist, with the perfect combination of jaded and heart. I would say that her character development drives the novel but the world building is original and has a lot of depth to it. Despite being a fantasy, the book covers many real world issues - racism, elitism, rich white men 😂 and poverty, to name a few. Harrow blends these into a plot filled with an anthropomorphic house, magic and monsters with ease.

I would definitely recommend it to readers of fantasy, romantasy and magic!

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This is such a great gothic read for autumn about a mysterious house that Opal is drawn to through her dreams. There is a grumpy mc and guardian of the house who reluctantly offers Opal a job within the house. There is monsters, a book about the Underworld, lies, romance subplot and a long, complicated past!

I learnt once I finished that this was a beauty and beast retelling which I think has been done well. The narrator was excellent, her pacing, tone and voices for each character allowed me to feel immersed in the story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review..

Huge thanks to the author and publisher for the chance to review Starling House in exchange for an honest review, I really appreciate it. This is a mixed bag for me, I love the premise, retellings are my favourite, but this took so long to get to the heart of the story. The slow burn between Opal and Arthur is too slow and lines are repetitive at times..The audiobook ARC unfortunately, skipped chunks of the book, so that also impacted my enjoyment as well. However, it’s beautifully narrated and deliciously gothic towards the end.

Opal had always dreamt of Starling house from a child and didn’t know why??

This mysterious house where no electric is connected but I single light can sometimes be seen from one of the rooms.

Who now lives there and why is Opal so fascinated with the house and the book that was authored by Starling, why does Opal always feel compelled to stand outside the house??

Opal and her brother have been treated differently all their lives and they don’t know why, Opal has had to beg borrow and steal just so the two of them can survive. With only whispered glances from the people in their local town.
But Opal is determined to get Jasper out by sending him to a school out of the district where nobody will know him and give him the opportunities that Opal was never given, so when Arthur the new owner of Starling house offers her a job she jumps at the chance, one for the money and also to find out more about Starling house.

This is an intricate story with many interwoven elements and characters, well written and intriguing concept.

Natalie Naudus is an absolute delight to listen to.
This book is instantly enhanced by her narration, she has the perfect tone and depth in her performance for this modern gothic fantasy.

The writing is beautiful with gothic accents woven throughout the story, twist and turns that keep you reading and Opal and Arthur make really interesting and complex charters with a slow burning romance that is almost haunting.

I think I would have liked a little more magic lore that surrounds the house itself but all in all this is a dark mysterious read perfect for spooky season

I recieved both an advanced reader copy of this book and the audio book. The narrator for the audio i is excellent and really brought the book and it's characters to life. My only criticism of it is that while listening to it I discovered that the audiobook is rather abridged.

The book is a thrilling dark gothic ride. And will be sure to keep readers and listeners up long past bed time perhaps to see where the story ends and if the sun will actually rise.

It is a book filled with stories of stories. Half truths and lies. It's grim and dark and bloody all the way to its bones and it's a hungry story.

I loved each and every moment of this book. It's absolutely perfect for this time of year when the days are getting shorter and the nights grow longer ...and the mists rise....

Thanks to Macmillan UK Audio, Tor and Netgalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Even though I'm a huge fan of Alix E. Harrow's books, this one wasn't for me.

Starling House follows the mistery around a house with the same name, a girl with strange dreams and a children's book with a peculiar place called Underland.

First of all: what bothered me the most is that I didn't connect with Opal, the main character. The decisions she made were the worst, specially lying to the people around her as if they wouldn't find out, and while Alix E. Harrow's books always have unique protagonists in an equally unique setting, this book just felt common to me. I felt like I was reading any other weird/haunted house book. The protagonist felt like any other fantasy MC, and even her struggles and hardships (being an orphan, being poor, having to raise a young brother) I've already seen in many other books of the genre as well.

The most interesting part in the book was the house itself, and even that hasn't been fully explored either. The Underland - the mysterious place that exists under the house, the place where imagination comes to life and where monsters exists - only popped up more in the last chapters, which is sad since the place is so interesting, so full of possibilities, specially in a fantasy book. In the end, t felt like the author wanted to write a character-driven book, where it'd be way more interesting to be a plot-driven one.

The other main character, Arthur, was also boring. Just like Opal, he felt to me like any other grumpy love interest in any other fantasy book, he didn't have any characteristic or detail that made him feel unique or interesting to be.

Overall, the book itself felt lukewarm and easily predictable, which is something I hadn't felt in any other of Alix E. Harrow's books - her stories always surprise me, always feel unique.

As for the audiobook narrator: she's excellent and I'd definitely listen to any other books she narrates. She gave emotion to the story, and I always like audiobook narrators who are able to do that.

Nonetheless, even though I didn't enjoy Starling House, I hope her next books will work better for me.

This was GORGEOUS, STUNNING!

We follow Opal (I liked her immediately), a young woman working hard to give her brother a better life away from their town. When the opportunity arises to work at Starling House, the creepy house full of mystery and tragedy, she takes it and finds more than just a job; she finds herself, love, and her own purpose in this world.

I loved this from the get-go. I got the ARC for the audiobook and the ebook, but I decided to go with the audiobook and I think that was a great choice. The narrator has the most soothing, beautiful voice, and she fully immersed me in this contemporary gothic tale.

The vibes are immaculate, the pacing is great, the characters are likable and nuanced, we get multiple POVs, which I always love, and the writing is beautiful and very atmospheric. There's also romance in this, a lovely slow burn (my favorite!!!) so I enjoyed it A LOT.

An instant favorite for me, and a perfect October read.

Title: Starling House
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Pub Date: 31 Oct 2023

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for providing me with an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator is fantastic; let me say that right away. Considering what is required of the plot, her tone and pacing are excellent. Unfortunately, I encountered problems with the audio file, like many other reviewers. Some of the chapters abruptly stop in the middle of a word or a sentence, leaving portions of the story unfinished. Because of this, I had to stop listening at around the halfway point; hence, I'm unable to give the book a fair rating. I am hoping that this will be fixed, as I was really interested in the book and eager to see where the story would lead. I might read the ebook version to see what I missed.

An incredible gripping story that kept grabbing you at every turn.
I was unsure at first on whether I’d enjoy this read so much as I was a little slow at falling inline with story but it wasn’t too long until I was gripped and ready to find out all the secrets behind those iron gates and figure out who Opal was. The twist and turns were hard to predict but nevertheless very enjoyable, I couldn’t put the audiobook down and had to stop my work multiple times as I was gripped to the story.
I just wished we got something a little more at the end.

I really wasn't expecting this. I was expecting a run of the mill haunted house type story, but this isn't so simple. Alix Harrow's writing is brilliant, imaginative and so evocative. It's like drifting into a strangely vivid dream and never wishing to leave.

The first half of the book was a bit slow, setting the background of life in a small town and the ways of it's inhabitants, teasing us with glimpses of the secrets of the Starling House. But the second half was wow. I loved the chemistry between Arthur, Opal and even the house itself. It's nothing overt, just teases of sparks sprinkled here and there. And the footnotes...oh the darling footnotes!! I also found the narrator's voice the perfect choice for this story...her voice brought so much life to every sentence and made even the most mundane activity vivid.

Special thanks to Macmillan UK Audio, Tor and Netgalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and i don't know how to feel about it.
I liked the atmosphere and the narration enhaces the haunted house aspects yet I was expecting to be scared or at least spooked by the story since it has the horror tag, but I didn't. It was haunting but more in the✨️✨️ gothic vibes way✨️✨️ rather than scary haunting.
I have to say I never really warmed up to Opal, although I understood her and cheer for her. Especially with her wanting to support her care for her little brother.
The romance was okay. To be honest, it felt like an afterthought.
I liked the final flash back when we knew what exactly happened to "our house/ghost." It was very interesting.
Overall, this was good, but maybe my expectations were too high, which ended up hurting my enjoyment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A dark southern gothic fantasy read well by the narrator adding to the creepiness of this book. It is a story about a big old spooky house that holds many secrets. Prickly Opal who is the main protagonist is drawn not only to Starling house but to its guilt ridden odd owner Arthur. To me this book had a Tim Burton gothic feel it is very cleverly written. The house becomes a character on its own within the story and as well as the interesting slow burn relationship between Opal and Arthur it kept me listening. It’s dark and strange but I enjoyed it although it’s not usually a genre I would like!

I listened to Starling House on audiobook and was very much looking forward to it. However I was to be disappointed. This book took a long while to get going and the story continued at quite a slow pace. I waited patiently to be transported into a gothic atmospheric storyline but it didn’t hit the mark for me I’m afraid. I felt it was more of a YA read. I also felt the narrator had such an upbeat tone that it didn’t quite fit with the narrative of the story. What I do love is the front cover of this book - absolutely beautiful! I’m sure this book will be and already is a huge hit for so many people but sadly not for me. Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Uk Audio for my gifted copy.

A fabulous gothic fantasy horror novel set in the bleak rundown industrial down of Eden. It has all the classic elements for a successful novel - small town vibes, spooky house with resident weirdo, strange happenings, disenchanted female and chuck in a bit of will they-won’t they. Mix it all together and you get the perfect companion book for a rainy weekend spent indoors by a roaring fire. Love it.

This book was amazing! I loved that it was a completely atmospheric true gothic story! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Alix E. Harrow es una autora que me gusta mucho, así que hago un esfuerzo consciente por leerme todas las novelas que va publicando. A priori, Starling House no tenía precisamente las características que más me podrían atraer, pero siendo de esta autora no dudé en darle una oportunidad.


Lo primero que creo que es importante decir es que la versión en audiolibro que he tenido la oportunidad de leer tenía varios fallos de producción en los primeros capítulos, que cortaba de forma abrupta. Cuando ya avanza la lectura estos fallos desaparecen pero lo cierto es que me costó entrar en el libro por esta causa técnica. La narración de Natalie Naudus es correcta, aunque también he de decir que la aparición de algunas notas a pie de página que se leen con el mismo tono de la narración confunden un poco. No sé si poner al mismo narrador para las notas es una buena decisión en un audiolibro. Afortunadamente, no eran muchas.

Starling House se podría definir como un cuento de hadas gótico, con una casa encantada y una maldición que “persigue” a los guardianes de la casa, pero en el fondo es una historia de amor. De amor a la familia, algo que exige sacrificios que quizá no se vean recompensados. Hablo de familia en el sentido extenso, no solo aquellas personas a las que nos unen lazos de sangre si no también a la familia encontrada, esa que eliges.

Por supuesto, también hay amor romántico, aunque quizá esa palabra no es la que mejor puede definir la relación que entabla la protagonista. Y aquí me quiero detener, por que Opal es un personaje estupendamente caracterizado, tan creíble que parece que se va a salir de las páginas. Uno de los puntos de fuertes de Harrow son sus personajes femeninos fuertes, como en The Once and Future Witches, pero aquí se ha superado. Una joven que queda huérfana en extrañas circunstancias a temprana edad y que es capaz de sacar adelante a su hermano pequeño en un remoto lugar de Kentucky. Una persona a la que los golpes de la vida han vuelto tan pragmática que tiene una coraza impenetrable alrededor. Un junco que se dobla en la tormenta pero permanece aferrado a la tierra.

La historia en sí quizás es más convencional, con la “típica” casa que se supone maldita ya que sus dueños mueren en extrañas circunstancias, la mala suerte que amenaza a la población desde hace siglos y la investigación sobre las causas de esta mala suerte. El libro no es terrorífico, está más centrado en el suspense que en dar sustos y creo que es manera de mantener la tensión en todo momento es bastante acertada por parte de la autora.

La forma de escribir de la autora, con una prosa atractiva y engañosamente simple, no hace si no mejorar una novela perfecta para leer al amor del fuego. Muy recomendable.