I really enjoy Alix E. Harrow's books and this one was great. To start with, the cover is gorgeous and the illustrations scattered throughout were excellent. I will admit that it took me a little bit to get into this book but once it got its hooks into me, I loved it. I have seen some reviews calling this a gothic horror book but I would call it a dark fairy tale set in Kentucky. The characters are interesting and the mixed media setup worked well here. I have had read a string of disappointing books lately and was really pleased to pick this one up and thoroughly enjoy it. ( )

What an interesting book. I’d recommended it to some but not everyone. I felt the writing was a tad dense. But overall I enjoyed the story of Opal and Arthur. My favorite thing about the writing was the way the author was capable of bringing this entire house and story world into some tangible through the senses. ( )

Starling House is an old mansion that seems to have a mind of its own, that even its wardens do not understand. The local people avoid it and believe it to be cursed as its origins are connected to some tragic histories of Eden's most powerful inhabitants. The protagonist is a young woman, Opal, haunted by her own tragic past and hopeless present. She feels connected to the house which is now inhabited by a mysterious man.

I was surprised how much I liked this novel set in rural Kentucky, with a decent Southern Gothic setting and an intriguing story. The atmosphere is pleasantly eerie, just the amount of horror I can take and that lets me sleep at night after reading it. There are no sharp edges here.

Alix E. Harrow is a master storyteller. The language is just beautiful and the atmosphere is perfectly moody. Even though the tropes she uses feel old and seen before, they are never boring. It is like reading a fairytale.

Compared to some other gothic-leaning books I've read this year ([b:Fayne|60510110|Fayne|Ann-Marie MacDonald|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651705946l/60510110._SX50_.jpg|96190936] or [b:The Square of Sevens|101146072|The Square of Sevens|Laura Shepherd-Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1687711902l/101146072._SY75_.jpg|100412861]) this one felt almost YA-leaning and very straightforward. ( )

DNF, I can see a lot of people loving this book but for me it was just frustrating. The main character is in some very sticky situations and instead of telling the people around her, who are directly effected by said situations and the choices she makes in response to them, she keeps everything to herself. The book could of been 75 pages if she just communicated.

Beautifully written. Loved the pluck, street smarts, and resilience of main character, Opal and how much she loved and cared for her younger brother, Jasper. (Great character names, by the way.) Loved the small group of community outcasts that came together as a family.

On the surface, this story is about a haunted house that calls a girl to it and the lonely orphaned boy who wants to escape the house, but can't. But, I think underneath the surface, it's really a book about people who are haunted, the power of dreams, the horrors of generational poverty, and the potential for family bonds to imprison or set free.

Dark, gothic, and moody in tone, but not graphic in content.

Recommended for fans of the author and/or those who like their reads good and spooky, but just shy of horror. ( )