Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

I don’t remember what exactly enticed me to pick up Starling House. However, once I did dive in, it didn’t take me long to become heavily engrossed in the story. I’ve had a soft spot for fantasy stories ever since I was a child. Being a child reading gripping stories really cemented for me just how enjoyable fantasy narratives can be!

Similarly, I found myself heavily engrossed in Alix E. Harrow’s Starling House. Most of the elements in this story come together so seamlessly that it is difficult to not get wrapped up in it. Before I go any further, though, let’s get a summary for the story. 

Summary

The story opens with a young woman named Opal raising her younger brother Jasper in Eden, Kentucky. Opal has always found herself drawn to this mysterious house in her town called Starling House. One day, when she is looking at the house from outside the property’s gates, she comes across the house’s warden, who warns her away. Rather than frightening her, however, Opal is more intrigued than ever. 

Meanwhile, the warden, Arthur, is coping with a secret war he has been fighting with the House and will do anything to not draw anyone else into the conflict. With Opal on his doorstep, however, he finds that the conflict has become significantly more complicated.

Will Opal be able to discover what is calling her to the property? And will Arthur be able to end his war with the House?

Thoughts

The setting of this story is fascinating! I love how Starling House is presented and how it plays into the plot of the story. With the way it’s set up, the House seems to act as a character in and of itself. Discovering its secrets and the stories of the people connected to it creates an incredibly captivating narrative. While the history of the House gets rather complicated due to the hearsay thrown around, I love that it is distorted, because it adds to the intriguing elements of the main narrative. 

I also love the supernatural angle of this story with its Gothic setup. These elements are seamlessly woven into the setting, making it come alive. Every element feels like it belongs, and it is easy to buy that the town of Eden would have supernatural connections because of this. The stories told, the rumors thrown around, and the creepy House all meld together to make this angle completely believable. Following the mysterious and creepy events as they unfold in the story is a fascinating experience that kept me hooked all the way through!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss the characters. 

Characters

Opal

I admit, normally a character like Opal would be difficult for me to get behind. While I think she has an incredibly sympathetic backstory and a lot on her plate, she can come across as argumentative at times and this often leads to conflict. However, I do understand why she is like this. Seeing her strive to cope with her situation, look after her younger brother, and grapple with her own feelings about Starling House and the situation she ends up in make her actions understandable in context, even if they are overdone and frustrating at times. 

Besides that, I love how she cares for her younger brother Jasper. Considering all she has been through, seeing her take on the tremendous responsibility of raising him and trying to make sure they can manage in life is incredibly moving. Seeing how often she worries about him and how they move forward is awesome and makes her look like an amazing older sister despite all the hardship she has had to face with her brother. The fact that she refuses to give up all so he can continue to grow up in as normal an environment as possible is awesome to see. 

Now that I’ve discussed Opal, let’s move on to Arthur.

Arthur Starling 

I confess, I did not like Arthur in the beginning at all. He came across as incredibly cold and even cruel. However, once the story switches to his perspective, I found that my opinion of him started to turn around. The idea behind him is fascinating and I think the reason he was so nasty to Opal in the beginning makes sense after we learn more about what he is dealing with living in the House and see the pressure he puts on himself to do the right thing. This ties seamlessly into his relationship with the House as well. 

Speaking of relationships, I need to discuss his dynamic with Opal for a bit. Honestly, I am somewhat frustrated by their relationship. While I do understand that Opal is tough due to what she went through as a child and Arthur is cold due to his relationship with the House and his fear that he’ll put Opal in danger, I would have liked to see their behavior toward each other change more over time. I just feel like more time was needed for their relationship to develop when it came to their interactions. 

That said, let’s move on to Elizabeth Baine next. 

Elizabeth Baine 

I don’t have enough words to describe how much I hate this character. She comes across as trying to be kind, but it is obvious that doing so is for her own benefit only and she does not care whom she steps on to get her way. Seeing the way she treats Opal in particular is infuriating. I felt angry whenever she showed up in the story because of the way her character is presented and how she acts. Seeing how she often worked from a distance, only coming face to face with Opal on a handful of occasions, made her presence feel even bigger in the story despite how small her physical role is. 

The lengths she goes to when she is working are awful to watch. She comes across as someone who has no concern for the people her actions affect and her sweet business-mode attitude comes across as insincere at best, because her actions don’t line up with that attitude and seeing her push Opal to do what she wants is troubling. 

Now that I’ve talked about the characters, let’s move on to the structure of the story. 

Structure

The way the narrative is structured may be one of its biggest strengths. Both Opal’s and Arthur’s perspectives being shown allows the reader both information on how Starling House looks to outsiders along with what it is actually like on the inside. I also really find it interesting how Harrow decides to structure the story like a historical journal article. There are footnotes in the prose with interjections of facts related to the story since the narrative is otherwise told from biased perspectives. I really like this idea because it makes the story feel even more engrossing and it makes the narrative stand out in a unique manner.

The way the information is presented is also fantastic. The stories and rumors Opal learns about are tied into the plot organically. Whenever a character says that they will tell a story about something, or explain what they heard about something, whatever they proceed to talk about is so believable within the context of the story that it is somewhat difficult to tell whose story is true and whose isn’t after the fact. This works to strengthen the mystery at the center of the plot and keep both Opal and the reader wanting to find out more!

Having said that, I think that’s all I have on the story’s structure. Let’s move on to the writing!

Writing

One of the best parts of this novel (besides the captivating story) is the breathtaking prose! Harrow’s writing is gorgeous! The lyrical way the story is told shows an incredibly creepy town tinged with an intriguing beauty to it. With both Opal’s and Arthur’s perspectives, the writing is lively and creative, allowing each character distinct writing styles that are intriguing. Harrow also drops hints in the prose to keep the reader hooked on whatever comes next!

I also love the way the stories about Eden and Starling House are told. Normally, something like this would annoy me because it takes the reader away from the main plot, but each person telling a story still retains their unique voice while imparting the information, making the prose of these sections come alive and be just as captivating as that main story! I think this is part of the reason that the history and rumors surrounding Eden and Starling House are so captivating to me – the way they are presented to the audience is written in such a way that the reader is pulled in easily. 

With that said, I think I’ve covered everything. Let’s wrap this up!

Conclusion

This ended up being a fascinating read! Seeing how everything is tied together is incredibly gripping and I found myself not wanting it to end! While there are some flaws in the story, they were not enough to derail my interest in the world and story Alix E. Harrow has set up. I will gladly pick up any other works Harrow has written after this. 

In the end, I had a blast with this and highly recommend it! For this reason, I will be giving the story five stars.