Starling House: A Reese's Book Club Pick Hardcover – October 3, 2023

I loved this book a lot more than I expected I would. The characters were real and relatable, the story intriguing, the house strangely endearing, and the darkness dark without being too dark. The ending was great and I felt it closed everything up perfectly. One of my favorite parts was the Author’s Note that taught me a lot about the history that inspired this book and that was so beautifully written, I actually teared up. I strongly recommend this book!

A spooky gothic tale about a sinister, old house, and the secrets it holds that haunt a small, down-on-its-luck Kentucky town.After her mother dies in a horrific accident, Opal puts her own dreams on hold to try to make a better life for her younger brother, Jasper. Even if that means leaving her low-paying dead-end job to take a housekeeper position at Starling House, the secluded, ominous house that has been calling to her in her dreams. As she's "welcomed" into the run-down house by the strange, eccentric Arthur, the house starts to take on a life of its own, gradually revealing its secrets that have terrorized the town for ages. Can Opal and Arthur can get to the heart of the house and take down the sinister forces to save the town?The story was fast-paced and engaging, with just the right amount of creepy. The world was unique and unlike other "haunted house" stories. I loved that the house was sentient and the way it attempted to communicate. I would've enjoyed getting to know it better. ;) Overall, a really good read that kept me engaged throughout.

It was a good fantasy book and I enjoyed it! I like opal and Arthur and it kept me interested in the story! I usually don’t read fantasy novels but this one is definitely worth reading!

I love Alix E. Harrow’s books. From the gorgeous prose found in The Ten Thousand Doors of January to anger that seethes and roils in The Once and Future Witches, her writing is full of emotion that will suck you in and command your attention. Starling House is sometimes vicious and dripping with tension, other times heartbreakingly sad. Once you open the book and read the first page, there is no going back. You’ll be drawn into a world and story unlike any other.The book follows Opal, a youngish woman who lives in a hotel with her younger brother in the sort of town that everyone wants to leave but no one can get away from. Her brother, who is solely her responsibility, is massively smart and Opal has been squirreling away every penny she can to get him into a fancy school and out of town.When a weird encounter at the gates of Starling House- the sort of house that has ghost stories and rumors spread about it, with people who usually know better half-believing what they hear- leads to a job offer that pays extravagantly, Opal can’t refuse. Not that she really wants to. She’s been dreaming of that house and its secrets. Little does she expect, the house’s secrets mirror her own.The story was so much deeper and more complex than I expected going in. Starling House was one of my most-anticipated books of the year with good reason. The mystery of the house and its connection to the town was not what I thought it would be. It was darker and much more unsettling. If anything was going to build a haunted house or invite monsters, a secret like that would do the trick. The house was a character in its own right, and I was enthralled watching it go from monster, to guardian, to friend based on Opal’s viewpoint throughout the book.Opal was a fascinating character, although she veered into angst territory on occasion, which is something I don’t love. She was prickly and sometimes a bit of a butt. However, she was also hurting and lonely. It made perfect sense and led to interesting character growth.Arthur was just as interesting, although he really did enjoy brooding. At times, his “tragic hero” complex made me giggle a little. I do wish that Opal’s brother was in the story a little more. He was equally affected by Starling House and I would have loved to have seen that develop a little more.The climax was surprising and so much more intense than I expected. The ending was perfect, leaving just enough mystery to keep a small town talking and just enough surety to keep a reader satisfied. Alix E. Harrow remains an author that I’ll stand in line for. Each of her books is massively different from the one before, but the one constant is outstanding writing.If you have yet to discover this author, you need to remedy that right now.

Let’s start if by saying I really enjoy Alix’s work. I ordered this book so that it would arrive on the day of publication, even though I knew nothing about it. I just enjoy her work that much.She has a fantastic ability to construct a beautiful metaphor. I often stop and reread sentences just to take in the beautiful turn of phrase and unique idea. She does a phenomenal job with character development (the protagonist goes thorough a realistic maturation process that takes the reader with her). She has mastery of building dramatic tension.That said, like her previous two books, she leaves me wanting more. Reading this book, like her previous, is like going out to dinner at a fine restaurant. You appreciatethe individual courses, the artistry of presentation, the complex and unexpected palates. But you get to the end of the meal and you’re still hungry. You decide to go out and get a burger before heading home.Alix needs to embrace an epic scope in her writing. She builds up these phenomenal worlds — draws us in — but the stakes just fall a little short. The world won’t really change, if things don’t work out. In this book in particular, we really don’t care if the town off Eden gets wiped from the map — everyone seems pretty terrible. She dares to dream about a subterranean river that — she alludes — is the sister to the river Styx. But we never get the full scope of this implication. This should be harrowing! Exultant! Perception altering. Instead, we get a sleeping old lady in a shallow rivulet. It doesn’t lead the the reality-bending potential she alludes to. If there’s this river, then what of the others. What does this mean about the very fabric of reality itself? She never taps these questions and let them flow.I love her writing. She is a vast and immense talent. I just want to see her take the next step and truly embrace her greatness. She surely has it in her!

What a refreshing book with imperfect characters that I adored. Well-written and paranormal in the best way. Great for an October read.

“"Hi," I say, very awkwardly, because I don't know what you're supposed to say to a girl who is also a grown woman, a fictional character who is also a person, a villain who might also be a victim.”There are very few books where the ending was so perfect that I want to raise the star rating. This was one. I was going to rate it 4.5 stars but I just loved everything about the last part so I’m giving it 4.75 stars.“But Starling House was no longer just a house. What had begun as stone and mortar had become something more, with ribs for rafters and stone for skin. It has no heart, but it feels; it has no brain, but it dreams.”This book was atmospheric and spooky and so amazing. There are terrifying monsters that come up from the ground. I read this at night. I am a chicken. Opal’s struggle with poverty was so real and heartbreaking. I will never stop shouting about how much I love when I author makes us *feel* instead of just *telling* us how to feel.“It’s just that I’m tired.”Opal’s inner thoughts about everything, but especially about Arthur, were the perfect comedic relief for the sad and depressing parts.“Arthur retreats upstairs to do whatever he does during the day, which I assume involves a coffin filled with grave dirt.”And when she gives Arthur Hellcat 😂😂 I diedArthur’s pain and struggle were so sad, and the town was so awful to the Starlings. He had no one and it made my heart hurt.I loved that we got the history multiple times, and each time it was different. That was such a great way to tell the story! I also absolutely love when houses, or the main settling area, are sentient, or aware, and this one was no different!When we finally get the actual history, what really happened to Eleanor Starling and the three brothers, it was horrifying. But it was the perfect conclusion. Also, this book had art in it and I love that.

This book reminded me of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, which should be all the recommendation needed.Alix E. Harrow is a great writer, and I loved all the little footnotes dotted throughout the story. It added a sense of realism to the story. Alix E. Harrow is very talented at creating a great atmosphere, along with broken characters that are believable.

Alix E. Harrow has instantly become one of my favorite authors. I simply devoured Starling House, a captivating haunted mansion tale set in a small modern day mining town.Opal, a very poor and angry young woman will do next to anything to get her younger brother out of town, so he could have a better life. The old mansion everybody shuns has now become the very means by which she can achieve her goal, never mind the weird heir. Or her dreams, or the old childrens book, which tells about gruesome beasts and nightmares living in the house together with a small girl. A dense gothic atmosphere stealthily seeps up from the cracks beneath the old mansion, as Opal uncovers the layers of its dark secrets, while the sinister machinations of the mine's owners entangle her in a series of events which might well be her undoing.The book tells stories within stories, weaves dreams, imagination and reality into a suspenseful tapestry of urban fantasy.Alix draws her characters expertly. Flawed morals born of anger, grief and necessity hide compassion, strength and beauty and in case of the villians we find deep abysses of cruelty and callousness beneath a smooth venier of wealth and power.Starling House deserves all the awards and praise it was given and more

It’s perfect for Halloween season!

Tal como me pasó con 'Las Brujas del Ayer y del Mañana' esta novela me ha atrapado desde la primera página. Me parece muy original que suceda en el presente, en una zona más interior de esa América más 'cerrada de mente' y con una mansión gótica muy especial. Tanto los personajes principales como los secundarios se hacen querer y la autora narra de una manera que me tiene enamorada. No pude esperar a la versión en español, pero esa también la leeré cuando salga 😅 En resumen, libro recomendado totalmente ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐