Alix E. Harrow remains one of my favourite authors of all-time. I'm obsessed with how each of her novels is so different, while still often exploring similar themes of the stories we tell to make sense of the world around us, and Starling House is a Southern Gothic fantasy I so enjoyed savouring.

Eden, Kentucky is a town built on coal mines. It's also a town built on turning the other cheek, not when someone hurts you but when someone hurts those around you and you tell yourself there's nothing you can do. Racism? No, not in Eden. Poverty? Absolutely not, there's just those who work hard and those who don't work. Remember, the law in Eden is here to help you--especially if you're white and wealthy.

26-year-old Opal has lived in Eden her whole life - it's a town that's hard to escape, even for those who hate it - and she's working a dead-end job to save up enough money to send her younger brother, Jasper, to a good school far away from Eden. Jasper's exceptionally bright - he has to be, being mixed race in Eden means he has to work harder than everyone else - and he also has asthma, which means growing up in a town built on coal mining is ruining his lungs.

But Opal is also obsessed with Starling House, an old manor house in Eden that no one in town likes that was built by the author of a spooky children's book Opal adored as a child. On her way home from work, Opal encounters the secretive, taciturn owner of Starling House, Arthur Starling, and manages to finagle a housekeeping job that will allow her to finally pay the fees to get Jasper out of Eden--and maybe finally discover the secrets of Starling House.

Naturally, I loved this. Harrow is a master of stories within stories, and I loved the way she incorporated the various histories of Starling House - each with its own version of the truth - and combined them with the mythical, folkloric, fairy tale-ish stories she excels at writing. There's also some brilliantly spooky footnotes dotted throughout that bring Eden's history to life. Harrow's work is usually told from the point of view of an outcast, but Opal might be the most outcast of her heroines yet, growing up in a town that's watched her and her younger brother struggle in the wake of their mother's death. Yet for all the bad in the town, a big part of Starling House is Opal opening up to help and recognising who the people who've always cared are.

We'll get onto her relationship with Arthur in a moment, but first I have to acknowledge how much I loved the relationship between Opal and Jasper. It's so clear reading this book that Harrow herself is an older sibling with younger brothers; their dynamic felt so true, and it was so refreshing to see a younger sibling in a story like this get the chance to say they don't need to be looked after and they never should have been a responsibility in the first place. Their final conversation in the book, where Opal assures Jasper he doesn't owe her anything for essentially raising him, made my heart ache.

And then there's Arthur Starling who, in the hands of many other writers, would have been the brooding, raven-haired twit I've seen in so many fantasy novels, but not here. I loved his and Opal's relationship, the way they can both make each other laugh and want to tear their hair out in the same interaction, and his determination to do what he felt was right didn't feel forced. The more we learn about Arthur, the easier it is to understand why he is the way he is and why he's kept to the house and its grounds all these years.

And there's Starling House itself, which not only feels like its own character in the way books about houses often do, but is a genuine sentient house. There's something ever so slightly Beauty and the Beast about it, especially with how much the house adores Opal.

Starling House isn't quite a new favourite - considering The Once and Future Witches is one of my favourite novels of all-time I wasn't expecting it to be - but I still loved the process of reading it and Opal is a character I'm going to miss a lot, so I can definitely see a reread in my future.

Starling House is a hard book to review, mainly because I found it nearly impossible to follow and the characters were awful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the early access to this book.

I actually wasn't sure about this book to start with, as the synopsis didn't seem like my sort of thing. But I ended up loving it, and finished it in a day.

I would definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait for my beautiful Illumicrate copy!

The story starts with Opal taking a job offer at the mysterious Starling House - the legendary E.Starling, a reclusive 19th century author best known for writing illustrated book The Underland before disappearing, right where the house appeared. The town avoid the creepy house behind the iron gates, but Opal needs the money and so she comes to work for the lonely heir, Arthur Starling. But was The Underland just a story is Starling House hiding something deadly?

This is such a fun, charming read and Harrow has quickly become a favourite author (special shout out to the short story: The Six Deaths of the Saint). Opal is a great character, she’s taken on a motherly role over her brother, she’s fiercely protective and selfless, she lives for her brother but doesn’t allow herself much for herself. Arthur is so loveable under the brittle facade, like a lone soldier trying to save the world alone. The romance that emerges between the 2 is dealt with in such an endearing way, these 2 lost souls finding a home in each other. And talking of homes, one of my favourite characters in this story - Starling House itself. You see, the house is sentient and, I mean, Harrow made me care deeply for the hurt feelings of a building, that’s how good she is! The little quirks of the house as it reacts to Opal and accepts her, it’s just delightful.

This story has elements of darkness to it, and wonderful world building of the town of Eden and the threat of the Underland. However the characters themselves make this such a wonderful read and leaves this book feeling special. I read this book in one sitting and I don’t regret a minute of it. Harrow really is a talented writer, bringing life to worlds and words and I look forward to the next story she gifts us.

Alix E Harrow has been constantly on my radar since I read and adored Once and Future Witches. This dip into a more gothic focused story was very welcome as horror/thriller is my favourite genre and gothic fantasy often skirts that edge. I thoroughly enjoyed Starling House, and upon finishing immediately made my whole spooky book group chat read it too. By the end of the book I was completely in love with the main characters, and the relationship between them felt so full and authentic that even my romance-disliking self was giggling and kicking my feet.

I absolutely loved this book, it went above and beyond my expectations! Im looking forward to reading more by Alix in the near future. Would definitely recommend!

In a small town that reeks of bad luck, there’s an orphan doing her best to take care of her little brother after her mother was found dead tragically, and there’s a big mysterious house constantly calling for her. It’s been widely known that weird incidents happened in Eden since who knows when, though no one could ever put their finger to them besides mere rumors. It’s just sort of urban lore. But everyone agreed that it links to the Starling House somehow, thus they leave it alone. Not Opal, tho. Instead, she keeps drawn to that house.

An intense gothic fantasy involving land dispute, ruthless lawyer, a house that has a mind of its own, house warden who not only has to look after the house but also keep the monsters that lie under it away from everyone’s harm. I love Opal’s fiery determined character, while still having a hint of sass. The romance dynamics were good. I think the story resolution was too confusing–with all the concept and the backstory, but it’s fine. I enjoyed it.

This was an exceptional gothic paranormal fantasy with a tinge of romance. Harrow’s writing style really immerses you into the setting of the book. The characters were frustrating at times, but by the end you see a lot of character growth which I loved.

I don't know what I was expecting when I picked this book up, but it stole my entire heart! Set in Eden, a former Kentucky mining town now in decline, this is a gorgeous story of found family and blossoming love amidst horrors both real and fantastical.

On the outskirts of town, the imposing, sprawling Starling House inspires fear, rumours, and urban legends. Centuries ago, E. Starling wrote an unsettling children's book, The Underland, and then disappeared. Since then, Starling House has been managed by a revolving door of Wardens, each compelled to the house and destined to serve for life.

Since the death of their mother, Opal and Jasper have been living off the generosity of the local motel owner, a deal that their mother made. Jasper is an incredibly gifted student, and Opal is determined to get him out of Eden – away from a town which stereotypes Brown kids in poverty against a backdrop of Confederate flags and homophobia.

Opal has always been drawn to Sterling House in her dreams. To pay for Jasper's prestigious boarding school, Opal becomes the housekeeper for Sterling House's current Warden, the reclusive and misanthropic Arthur Sterling. She soon learns that the truth is far stranger than fiction – the otherworldly forces that Arthur is battling threatens to consume him, and it might all have started with E. Starling's disappearance.

Look, I'm a sucker for two tortured souls learning how to let each other in, and this was everything. Arthur's silent acts of kindness and Opal's resilience and refusal to give up on Sterling House made my heart ache. Motel owner Bev and local librarian Charlotte are such lovely supporting characters, a testament to the power of found family and genuine community. I also loved the ending, a sun-dappled reflection of the tortured fairytale that The Underland was. This is definitely a new favourite!

I'm a bit confused on what to rate this book only because I liked some parts and then other parts I didn't and it was a bit confusing for me at times....and the characters? I wasn't that interested in them

PERFECT FOR SPOOKY SEASON. I love this book. Her other book "The Once and Future Witches" has been on my TBR for ages, and I saw this book being hyped by many on Booktok (others with review copies) and knew I simply had to have it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6222992293

3.5 stars for this one. I've enjoyed all of Alix E. Harrow's books so far, and this was no exception. Easy to read, great premise, great spooky supernatural touches. The only thing that stopped it from being elevated to 4 stars for me was a slightly slow patch towards the end, and a slight lack of depth in the main characters. But I will definitely read more of this author's books.

Thanks to her, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Loved this haunting and unique novel! I enjoyed the characters they were well written. The book was full of mystery and twists and kept me on my toes! I can’t wait to read more books from Alix E. Harrow!

I think this is one of my new favourite books. I completely understand why everyone is obsessed with this book and rightfully so. A fun and refreshing glimpse into the fantasy world.

I loved everything about this book and I only wish I'd read it sooner! I read it over the Christmas period and it was surprisingly cosy, curled up by the tree absorbed in such a chilling tale. The characters were well drawn and I enjoyed the overall plot and the atmospheric writing style. Will be looking out for more books by this author.

I am OBSESSED with this cover, first of all! Let's take a moment to applaud it please!

I did struggle to get into this to begin with, I have to admit, but about a third of the way through I managed to immerse myself and I ended up really enjoying this! The atmosphere was intense and haunting and I LOVED the sentient house! Opal was an amazing character, flawed and genuine, and I really liked her and Arthur together - I wanted to protect the both of them, and I really loved watching them very slowly open up to each other.

The author has such a way with words and I would honestly read her shopping list at this point, She writes so beautifully and elegantly, and every word feels so carefully chosen. Despite the violence and horror that lies beneath this story, she also somehow manages to make it feel very cosy and hopeful at the same time.

Although I really enjoyed the second two-thirds/second half of the book, I feel like I do have to take away a star on account of really struggling to get into the story at the start.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc

This book started out really good but I couldn’t get a good connection with the characters and it felt really difficult to pick up and it wouldn’t keep my concentration.

I think overall it was somewhat good, the storyline was there but due to my lack of caring for the characters or the plot I couldn’t engross myself into the book unfortunately.

I would still recommend the book as I know it’s a good story but just not for me!

I loved this dark fairytale. Alix E Harrow spins known fantasy and myths into something whole and new in Starling House. With family drama, politics, sins of the rich and a sprinkling of romance there was lots to keep me interested alongside the magical.

26-year-old Opal is independent and puts a lot of pressure on herself. Life experiences have taught her to have low expectations – of other people and herself. She’s fiercely protective of her brother Jasper and wants a better life for him. Although this can be blinding in itself …

I liked Opal from the beginning. Flawed and raw, her don’t care attitude is a screen for a complexity of emotions. There were times when I just wanted to mother her, even though she wouldn’t have let me. And times when I wanted to throttle her!

I felt Arthur’s background and reason for hanging on to the house were a perfect match for Opal. She’d been fighting for survival all her life and I so hoped that she’d make a difference. Not just to Arthur but so that Eden could pull itself out of the mists and miasma of despair.

Starling House is the epicentre, a gatehouse I guess you’d say, with its own characteristics and desires to either protect or harm. It was so easy to visualise scenes here but I would liked to have seen more action in the house.

Underlying it all, is a message about home; your tribe of people and where you think you should belong. It’s not always what you think it is. Open yourself up, let down those barriers and feel the emotions.

A gothic fantasy story about a mysterious old house and the two people who are drawn together through the mystical goings on around it - I wouldn't call this book a horror book, but it does have good creepy gothic vibes.

Opal is a local woman who wants to escape her small town with her younger brother so starts working for the owner of Starling House, Arthur, to earn the money she needs. She then starts to unravel the mysteries around this haunted house and Arthur's supernatural heritage. I loved Opal and Arthur's relationship - their friendship steadily grows into something more in such an organic way.

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK. LOVE ALIX. LOVE OPAL AND ARTHUR. love love love love. it was so good i wish i could reread it for the first time