Immersive, atmospheric, imaginative and of course gothic, Alix E. Harrow is an amazing storyteller and it’s immediately clear to me why Starling House has its following. The estate’s vivid descriptions and Eden’s somber setting set a distinctive scene that envelopes the reader in its quiet and character-focused narrative. The book’s is also full of elements that feels specially catered towards millennial/gen z contemporary readers; excessive footnotes (this one peeved me though), heavy emphasis and themes on mental health, stigmatism and judgement against those who are different, cynicism of the American dream/working economy), and several LGBTQ+ characters (though one character’s bi/pansexuality feel randomly tossed it and has nothing to do with anything apart from checking genre/bookTok boxes). Despite the cover and synopsis heavily focusing on the title house, the story is mostly a character-driven one focused on the world and people seen through Opal’s eyes as she struggles to make ends meets for her brother Jasper’s sake. Unfortunately, this novel lives and dies by Opal’s character and both her character and the tone of the story were not for me (subjective opinions, objectively this book is well-written). The majority of the book heavily hinges on Opal’s feeling of being judged, neglected,…
