📚Book Review 📚
Title: Starling House
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Fantasy/Gothic Fiction
October @bookofthemonth@reesesbookclub
Alright, @bookfriendsbookclub who’s ready to chat about this one tomorrow!? Who’s not and #coffeeandcurrentlycramming this one!? 📚☕️
Confession: Starling House was my first book by author Alix E. Harrow and overall I really liked it. Now maybe this year I will finally read The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I tried the past two January’s but didn’t get to it. (I don’t know why my brain sees the word January in the title and thinks that’s when I should read it. I know it’s just the characters name! 🤣)
Things I loved:
❤️ Genre bender! It’s a dark gothic fantasy tale, but also mysterious, romantic, YA-ish, and cozy horror.
❤️ Atmospheric! The House was like a character and the author really built the scene with pictures in the book and footnotes. Oddly, this is like the third book I’ve read recently with footnotes!
❤️ Small Town
❤️ Family Bonds! Siblings Opal and Jasper, despite the age gap, looked out for each other.
❤️ Character Driven! I think character driven just works for a spooky tale.
Things I didn’t love:
🐦 The pacing. This one moves quite slowly then the ending feels rushed. I almost felt like I should’ve reread the last third a second time. I can’t wait to discuss this with our book club so we can compare notes!
🐦 The author made me cringe a few times pointing out Opal’s unattractive looks. 🤷♀️
“I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen”
Opal, an orphan and high school drop out, is determined for a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One as far away from Eden, KY as possible. Another thing about Opal is she has been obsessed with ‘The Underland’ since her childhood. So, when she gets the opportunity to work inside the Starling House as a housekeeper for the current Warden Arthur, she can’t resist. Secrets. Dreams. Nightmares. Ghosts. It’s all becoming to real…
Solid 4 ⭐️
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