Unfortunately, Starling House didn't grab me the way I hoped it would. However, it may appeal to those who enjoy Gothic readings and mysterious houses.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan Audio, Tor for a free e-arc in exchange on an honest review.

STORY REVIEW:
Wow i loved this! I quite literally have zero negative comments.
I loved the dual POV
I loved the characters
I loved the house
I loved the backstory
I loved the atmosphere
I loved the writing
I loved the pacing
I loved EVERYTHING

AUDIO REVIEW:
At first, the audio in the first few chapters cut off before the end of the chapters- i think after around chapter 10 it stopped doing this and luckily i had the e-arc too to follow along with.
I highly doubt this will not be an issue in the released copy so wouldn't hold this against the book.

Narrator and pace were really good- would definitely recommend the audio experience!

5 STARS EASILY!

"Her hands are fisted in the collar of his shirt and she is so vital, so furiously alive that Arthur understand for the first time why Hades stole Persephone, why a man who has spent his whole life in winter might do anything at all for a taste of spring".

Now.....please excuse me while I go cry in a corner; if this is not the most painfully beautiful articulation of yeARNING that you've ever seen, I'm not sure what to say bc iT IS TO ME!!!
The shift between he did not regret it, he did not regret it, to GOD he regretted it?!!!! To he's GLAD she didn't listen to him?!!!! No one touch me no one look at me I'm actually never going to recover from this book, from this story, from the way this book made me feel.

From the very first chapter, there's a sense of comfort that sprouts between the gaps in the horror. The sentient house, the beasts (the fact that they were never the villains), the hellcat, her bond with her brother, the love and warmth that came from the house (the house literally being thE instigator lmaoo it heard “ambitions of sentience” and said WATCH THIS 😭😮‍💨) and the side characters, the letter!!!! The charter exploration that happens in this book- Opal is, I love that woman with my whole heart!! She’s sharp edged and defensive, she’s angry and scared and wildly protective of her family, tbh the scene in the bathroom where she says it’s mine- maybe my heart broke for her 🥲,, maybe I sobbed,, anyways, she’s joined Jude and Sylvia in my list of favourite fmcs (who are slightly feral but with hearts of gold) !!

OH- when we find out their history??? Soulmates fr I don't make the rules.

“How selfish, how fundamentally silly, that he should start wanting to live right when he ought to die”.

It commits so completely to the gothic, the dark; this might be a me problem but the same way this story revolves around tales and myths and mysteries, and the same way the house is never twice the same, and muddles in Opal's head when she tries to sketch out the layout, I can't fully explain what it is about this book that makes it so incredibly good. It just feels like smn I didn’t know I wanted or needed; this one is v v close to my heart 🥺🖤

"She was all hunger, all want, insatiable. I've always hated her for that appetite, just a little bit, but now I feel a strange sympathy. It turns out I'm hungry too”.

“I think: It's been eleven years and who-knows-how-many days since someone held me like this, but it's a lie. I've never been held like this, sure and steady, for as long as I need; Mom only ever held me as long as she wanted.
It occurs to me that I've been mourning two people all these years the mother I had, and the mother I wish I had -and that neither of them was the one who kept a roof over my head”.

Tbh this review was never gonna do this book justice- you just have to read it!! If you liked Crimson Peak- the horror, the tragedy, the monsters, the mystery, the history of the home, the YEARNING!! But this has a happy ending :')
Where they are each other's home, will protect each other with their lives, will literally blindly follow the other into hell??? Yeah, read it!! There’s this consistent sense of dark whimsy, kinda like Tim Burton’s Alice? And the references to Hades/Persephone; Eurydice/Orpheus; fae kings and fae fruit, nightmares, legends, fog and hell,, all kinda mushes into one big fairytale so when you finish the book it’s like oH (have you ever finished a book and had to check the back and flick through just incase there’s more??? That’s the feeling),, in the best possible way,, reality really smACKED me in the face when I came up from this one 😭😭😭

The romance is a subplot (which i love) but the main plot is just as good if not better!! Exploring the history of the house and the family, the wardens and myths and the Sword; and finding all of this out through a series of retellings, rumours, patchwork documents, assumptions, half forgotten memories, different peoples’ stories- was absolutely FANTASTIC!! I’ve never seen a book take this sort of approach to storytelling, it really blends reality with fiction which is twice as genius bc it reflects the children’s book being a pulled teeth version of her story, but also feels like a story in itself being told to the reader, which I LOVE bc it ends on a slightly eerie note that makes you feel like so much is happening after that [THE END] 😮‍💨😮‍💨
I also really loved the closure at the end, the realism of how things were tied up; it being a happy ending without everything being perfect!!

More broadly, the writing is up there with some of the best I’ve ever read, and I can’t wait to read more from this author!! 🤭

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This book surprised me in how much I liked it. I knew going in that gothic books can be very either or with me, so I was very happy when this just gripped me from the start. This book also has chronic illness representation, which is very good.

This book gives you a gothic tale with a haunted house, a story where different people knows different parts, and none of them has the whole truth.

The first half of the book has a lot of footnotes, which give you more information about what was going on, and that was a nice way to do it.

I am so used to fictional characters being described as pretty or handsome etc. So when it was constantly (maybe a little too much) pointed out that the mmc was "even uglier in daylight", I was surprised. That being said, the fmc was also described as ugly/not very pretty on multiple occasions.

I did feel like this book was very long considering the length. It felt like it was never over, and when we were about halfway it felt like we could be nearing the end. I think this might have dragged it down a little for me. But all in all it was a great book that I really liked, and I recommend it to everyone who likes a gothic tale, haunted houses or is just curious to see if this is something for them.

The narrator of this book, Natalie Naudus felt like the perfect person for the job. She did an excellent job at getting this book to life and she was so comfortable to listen to.

I really struggled to get into this one. The concept makes sense and the plot flows but I think it was too much focus on internal dialogue. It also felt very cliche with the typical feel blackmailed into something hurt somebody you now care for thing

Starling House is a Beauty and the Beast retelling where Opal, the main character, is drawn to Starling House and its Heir through some unexplainable dreams. Bad luck seems to surround this house, but when Opal is given a chance to work there, she can’t pass it up. Will she finally get answers about her strange dreams?

Listening to the audiobook for this really immersed me in the world. It felt so atmospheric and gripping I sped through it in two evenings! I loved the creepy setting of both the house and the town, and the house having its own sentience really made me like it as if it were a character. I was invested in the characters and was so intrigued waiting to get to the bottom of the mystery of Starling House!

I also liked that there were footnotes that gave a bit of extra information which we wouldn’t have found out from the main character. I think they really added to the story and , particularly at the beginning, made everything a bit more mysterious as we soon learnt that we couldn’t trust everything that Opal believed to be true.

This book and audiobook are perfect for this time of year! They have all of the gothic, spooky and mysterious vibes.

Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio, Tor and Netgalley for this early copy.

Starling House has a sinister past but Opal is drawn to it nonetheless. Arthur lives in the house and wants to keep people away but the house has a mind of its own and throws them together. They arent the only people invested in Starling House however and outside forces are working to expose the horrors that lie beneath it.

My love for a book is nearly always swayed by my connection to its people and this book had the best characters. Each and every one was perfectly portrayed but Opal and Arthur are the foundations of the story and they absolutely stole my heart. Opal is all spark and fury and Arthur all darkness and despair. They're both broken, lonely and fierce and their pull towards each other made me ache for them.

I loved the story - Opal's struggle to survive and raise her brother, Arthur's fight to end the curse of Starling House, the town and all its woes, the sinister fairy tale and disturbing history of Starling House which grew in traction as the story progressed.

And I couldn't talk about this book with telling you how much I loved the house with all its moods and quirks - if Starling House came to me in dreams I would race to its door!

Gothic, romantic and chilling this book is the best combination of creepy and cosy making it the perfect for the winter months. I listened the the audiobook and Natalie Naudus did an amazing job of the narration - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

It's out on 31st October and I'll be treating myself to a finished copy and immediately seeking out all of the encounters between Opal and Arthur which I've no doubt are as affecting on paper as they were on audio!

Many thanks to @netgalley and @torbooks for an advance copy of this gem.

This was nothing short of incredible. I don't have much to say other than that if I'm honest, but it was truly a book that grabbed parts of the Gothic that I love: an old house, sentient beings, ugliness of humanity. Ugh. This was the first book by Alix E. Harrow that I've read but I'm so interested in reading her earlier books off the strength of this one because it was just pure brilliance. I'll be thinking of Starling House for a long time.

The audio did have missing parts/cutoffs early on, but it overall didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story. I am going to buy a physical copy for myself so I don't think I was impacted much.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan for the audio arc!

Starling house is a gothic horror novel with light fantasy elements, there are creepy, but at the same time heart-warming vibes. A perfect read for a spooky season! An atmospheric little town with mysterious deaths, rising mists, flocks of birds and a secluded, old Starling house.

The house itself is a luring living creature, it’s eerie, but inviting. There is a distance, physical – the house is unfrequented, gates are closed, but also social – smalltown folks think badly of Starlings. The current Starling – Arthur (main male character) is a mysterious guy, a bit brooding, but honorable, he treats Opal (main female character) very well. The characters have personalities, they are real – not too polished, not sugarcoated, just individuals with dreams and a certain world view. Relationships between Opal and all other characters have interesting dynamic. I really liked the development of relationship between Opal and her brother, but all of them are well done, and take equal attention. I really liked this balance.

The beginning of a book was a little slower – A.E.Harrow introduces us to characters, house, setting. The descriptions are vivid and captivating, so I was invested. Then things pick up and the pace quickens.

I listened to an audiobook, which was solid and I liked narrator.
I would recommend this for gothic horror fans, spooky season readers who enjoy interesting setting and solid characters.

Unfortunately the audiobook cuts off the end of each chapter. Have tried re downloading it etc but it’s still happening. Disappointed as love this author!

Unfortunately like many other reviewers I have had issues with the audio file. Because of this I had to stop listening at around the 12% mark so cannot adequately rate the book.

The parts that I did listen to I enjoyed, and I will be purchasing the e-book so I can continue as this author is a new favourite of mine (hence the 3 stars given)

Thank you netgalley for the audio ARC. This one is 3.5 stars for me.
I think it was very well written and atmospheric- perfect for this time of year.
I love that the house is a character unto itself and that the story itself wasn’t predictable to me. I didn’t see the ending coming at all.
For me it was very slow to start and it was difficult to get into.
I know there are loads of people out there who would love a spooky story like this.

I have loved every book I have read by Alix E. Harrow, and this is true too of her latest gripping Southern Gothic, a reimagining of the darkest of fairytales, Beauty and the Beast, set in a rundown small town, the cursed and sinning Eden, certainly no paradise, in Kentucky. I read and listened to this on audio, almost 12 hours long, narrated thrillingly by Natalie Naudus, who sounds a lot like Canadian comedian, Katherine Ryan, who captivates as she brings alive the snarling, feisty, courageous, and resilient. character of Opal. Since the death of her mother, Opal, deprived of a childhood, has had to lie and deceive to be able to take care of her beloved, bright younger brother, Jasper, committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure he escapes and thrives away from Eden.

Life is far from easy, plagued by desperate poverty and freezing cold conditions, they are living rent free in Room 12 at the Garden of Eden motel, with an Opal experiencing recurring dreams of Starling House, but why? Her curiosity takes her to the disturbingly haunted place, about which rumours abound, known for 19th century writer and illustrator, E. Starling's Underland. Currently living there is reclusive scarred and tattooed Arthur Starling, battling to be the last warden with his sword, who hires Opal as a cleaner for a house that lives and breathes as a character in its own right. Entering Opal's life is the sleek, blonde, privileged predator, Elizabeth Baine, a monster, who threatens Opal and everything that matters to her. Opal may be no pushover as her complicated feelings for Arthur grow, he gives her a truck and his coat to keep her warm, she presents him with hellcat, but she is to be tested to her limits as she fights for what is important to her.

This is an enthralling, vibrant and atmospheric story of Starling House running through its wardens more quickly, its history, the horror, of family, home, its links with a sick, corrupt, dying and polluted town of mines and a power station, its variety of wild monsters, including those that are human, that roam free, sacrifice, and the repercussions of bitterness. A surprising love springs up, but how can it possibly survive with all that is stacked against it? Harrow is a marvellous story teller, and I could not help but be pulled in and entranced with her wonderful cast of larger than life characters, the mad, bad, dangerous to the good, if flawed, ones, not forgetting Starling House itself. A fabulous epic read for the coming Autumn and Winter nights, and I can definitely recommend both the audio and the book. Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC and ALC.

I've listened to about 15% of this audio book - the narration is great, and I cannot fault Natalie Naudus, who brings Opal to life. However, there are editing issues with the audiobook: so far, several of the chapters have stopped abruptly, mid-word or mid-sentence, with sections of the story missing. I feel that I wouldn't be doing Alix E. Harrow's story justice listening to a chopped/chunked version of it and hope that this will be fixed.

Leaving it as a 2 star review because of the issues with the audiobook - I'm very much looking forward to reading the novel, which I'll be receiving as part of my November Illumicrate subscription.

In a small town in Kentucky, Opal and her half brother Jasper live in a motel room constantly scraping together enough money to pay for food, clothes and medicine. The town is home to a rich family who own the coal mine and are in charge of the power (and pollution) and Starling House is an enigmatic building with an equally mysterious inhabitant. The story follows Opal as she gets closer to the house and the myths and legends surrounding it. I found the portagonist Opal a great character - she's very flawed but has been supporting herself and her little brother for the past 12 years by lying, cheating and stealing as much as she needed to in order to keep them both ticking along. The side characters in the book were believable and fleshed out, with exception of Arthur - the warden of Starling House who was a bit too mysterious by the end of the book I wanted to know more about him (but that may be personal preference!). It's the first book I've read by this author but won't be the last. The audiobook narration was excellently performed by Natalie Naudus, someone I could happily listen to for hours at a time (and did!)

Like many other reviewers I also have had the issue of the audiobook cutting the last chunk at the end of chapters (this is first noticed at the end of chapter 4) and sadly, because of this, it really wasn't listenable as key moments and plot would be missed. I did report this issue and was advised that the publisher may re-upload a corrected version - but as of writing this review, exactly 4 weeks before pub date, this has sadly not yet been done.

Such a shame as I was really quite invested and keen to see where the story would lead, as well as this, the narrator was very enjoyable to listen to. Hopefully the full released audio will not have this issue. As such, I look forward to reading the physical book on release as I do think it will be one I will enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This was very much a case of "it's not you, it's me". Starling House is good, it's just not my style.
I had a feeling going into this that I would feel the same way about this that I have felt about books like Mexican Gothic or House of Hollow, aka haunted house story that isn't actually scary.
I know these books have big fan bases, but to me, they just feel a bit pointless. When I read horror, I want to be scared and creeped out, I don't actually care about the house or what's wrong with it, I want a shiver running down my spine when I read this book at night.
So books like this just feel boring to me, I really enjoyed the first half when they spent more time in the house and when it felt a bit creepy, but I was downright bored during the second half and considered DNFing, which in hindsight I should have because the ending completely lost me.

I liked the main character and how she was an outsider searching for somewhere that feels like home and where she belongs, I liked the discussions of racism and prejudice and overall I think the book will really appeal to a lot of people. It just didn't appeal to me.

I was really excited about this book and very glad that I received the audiobook. I like the narrator and the atmosphere, but somehow some chapters end mid-sentence. At first I was wondering if this was supposed to be this way, but reading some other reviews I learnt that this doesn't happen in the ebook version. This is really shame. As I really enjoyed it so far I think I will pick up a physical copy.
Rating for the story so far: 4 stars.
Rating for the narrator: 4 stars.
Rating for the audiobook itself: 1 star (because of the editing).

Unfortunately the audiobook keeps cutting out so I’m just going to read the ebook version. A shame because otherwise the narration was good!

I could not finish this. I was really looking forward to it because I love the author's work. The narrator was likewise great and the plot seemed interesting. But the audio book editing is appalling. Chapters cut off halfway through and skip to the next chapter. You expect a few mistakes in an arc but this is literally not the whole story so how are we meant to review it? So I quit. Happy to rereview if a corrected arc becomes available.