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Starling House

Alix E. Harrow

Start date: June 1, 2024

Finish date: June 30, 2024

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What Members Thought

Feb 11, 2024 Trisha rated it liked it

Shelves: goodreadschoice2023

"To every child who needs a way into Underland. Befriend the Beasts, children, and follow them down."

A fantasy that felt like a dark fairytale.
A cursed house, a small town, and one girl and her brother just trying to survive. A caretaker to a house - who wants to stop the curse, once and for all.

There were so many parts to this story to love. I loved hellcat and the house - superb characters that I loved every time they were on the page. I found our mc, Opal, really immature. The book keeps rem ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2024 Jenn rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, 2024-finished

THis book just wasn't my cup of tea. I found it slow, boring, and just very uninteresting. It was a struggle to get through.

None of the characters appealed to me. It felt clunky. I had 30 pages to go and I ended up just reading the epilogue because I couldn't keep going with the story. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2023 Heather rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, library, horror, suspense-thriller, mystery-thriller, family, magical-realism, fantasy, paranormal, raven-crow

4.5 stars

The precis calls this 'grim' and it is not. What it is, is dark, gothic, and ultimately a battle of good vs. evil. And Opal is such an interesting, dark, and quirky heroine!

I found it interesting that Harrow placed Starling House in Muhlenberg County. Every time I heard mention of it, I was taken to John Prine's Paradise. At first I felt like it was taking me out of the story, but then I realized that the story fit perfectly with Prine's narrative. And the song just became part of the ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2023 Jessica rated it it was amazing

"The only monsters here are the ones we make."

Alix E. Harrow has written a beautiful and atmospheric tale that defies characterization. Is it a fantasy? Well, there are fantastical elements. Is it horror? it does have a definite Eldritch vibe at times. Is it a Beauty and the Beast retelling? Well no, but it's definitely inspired by that tale.

Opal is our main character, and I loved her. She's tough, but when she needs to bend she knows how. She begins the story as a shoplifting twenty-something, ...more

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Dec 02, 2023 Ashley rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, reese-witherspoon-book-club-reads, bestie-2023

This one was overall good, just a bit slow for me. That creepy old house on the edge of town.... Of course you go to it and find yourself a job. You've been pulled to it, and don't know why. Much fantasy, and mystery woven together. ...more

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