Starling House

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

This was such a wonderful read! It's been a minute since I sunk into a gothic novel, and this was just a lot of fun to spend time with. It was very gothic, a little gritty, and a little romantic.

Starling House is a somewhat sentient old manor that sits on the edge of a bad luck town. It's only occupant, Arthur, is a bit of a recluse. Rumors about the house have swirled around for years, and the truth might still be in them somewhere. Opal has always felt drawn to the house. And that's where our story begins.

The setting of Eden, Kentucky is so well done, you can almost taste the pollution from the local power plant, and feel the miasma of bad luck that has settled over the town. Opal is fierce, tough, has never felt quite at home, and is still learning how to trust the people who have cared for her. Arthur has been carrying too much for too long, he's resolute, and very broken. I loved them both as soon as they appeared on the page.

This book is imaginative, a little bit magical, a little mysterious, and a lot of the right kind of broken, human people trying to take care of each other and protect their home from the baddies. Harrow does a wonderful job with it, and I was so satisfied when I finished it that I almost wanted to start it right over. I can definitely see this being a reread for me in future years!

This book is perfect for readers who love a good gothic novel, rooting for an anti-hero, and learning to befriend their own nightmares.

I recieved an ARC from Netgalley, this is an unbiased review.