 |
Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Starling House
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 11-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Gothic fantasy
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Death, mentions of sex
Recommended for a school library: Depends on your patrons Reason(s) for choosing the book: The concept was intriguing - a dark fantasy book with a subplot of romance
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
A dark fantasy story about a troubled girl, a larger than life house, and the power dreams have to shape our lives.
|
Review:
A dark fantasy story about a troubled girl, a larger than life house, and the power dreams have to shape our lives.
This book took a hold of me, much like the Starling House with Opal and Arthur. I will continue to think about this book.
Opal has been called many things - a dropout, deadbeat, loser - but one thing she prides herself on is her ability to do anything to protect her brother Jasper and get him out of their hell of a small town, Eden. Eden is infamous for it's bad luck, and Eleanor Starling's house, a recluse author who wrote the horrifying children's book The Underland. But Opal keeps having dreams about this mysterious house, and finds herself accepting a job there from its pretentious resident Arthur. As Opal and Arthur begin to forge a relationship, and Opal gets deeper into the secrets of the house, they will both have to confront their dreams and what they mean for the future.
Opal and Arthur's enemies to lovers slow burn was INCREDIBLE - I was itching to see them get together. I love how complex both of their characters were in the story, and how they both felt like real people whose lives were impacted by the house and each other. The story was incredibly complex and interesting in a way that kept surprising me and kept me thinking about the story after I put it down. Its dark gothic fantasy vibes are perfect for this fall season, and you must read it.
Number of party hats:
