Starling House

A few years ago, I loved Alix E. Harrow’s debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and I’ve been eager to read more from her since. Now she has an incredible new novel out: Starling House. A gothic tale of creepy houses, its wardens, and the desperation of those in the area, this is a must-read, ideal for spooky season but no less gripping at any other time of year.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

Opal and her teenage brother live in Eden, Kentucky, an ironically named, depressed town where nothing good ever happens and where they feel stuck. With no one to rely on, Opal isn’t above dead-end jobs, theft, and lies to get by until she and Jasper can finally escape to somewhere better. One day Opal gets an unlikely job as a maid at the mysterious mansion in town, Starling House, working for the equally mysterious young owner, Arthur. It’s a strange working arrangement, and Opal tries to ignore how unsettling the house is. Worse is when a tenacious business woman asks Opal to surreptitiously send pictures and descriptions of the house’s interior, even though Arthur refuses to sell. But as the town starts to feel more dangerous and Opal’s nightmares begin to feel too real, she’ll have to decide who to save: herself or those around her.

Review

The first thing that strikes me about Alix E. Harrow’s writing is how immersive and enchanting it is. This was true of the only other novel of hers that I’ve read, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and it’s true of Starling House, too. Her prose is poetic and gritty, smart and magical. Most of this novel is told from Opal’s first-person perspective, but there are also parts and entire chapters that give readers a third-person glimpse into what others are doing and thinking. On top of that, my favorite writing feature of Starling House is the author’s use of footnotes. I rarely see this in fiction, and here, it suggests that Opal isn’t completely knowledgeable or honest. However, it remains unclear who exactly is providing this extra information in the footnotes…

Speaking of how dishonest Opal is, she is a top-notch morally gray character. She’s not necessarily likable, and certainly not “good” in all senses of the word. She lies and steals and looks out for herself above others, at least to a degree. Despite her flaws, though, she’s a character that readers can get completely invested in, and I personally was rooting for her. Opal hasn’t had an easy life, and it’s made her rough around the edges. But she is soft for her younger brother, Jasper, an academically gifted high school student. She also develops a certain affinity for her mysterious employer, Arthur. Oh, Arthur: a man who doesn’t talk much, who looks maybe a little like a vampire, and whom Opal tellingly lists as “Heathcliff” in her phone. He’s  a sad, lonely sweetheart. 

Arthur is the warden (yes, warden) to the local creepy mansion, Starling House. Rumors abound about the house’s history and that of its many inhabitants over the past 150 years or so. This house is certainly weird; what other house do you know of that sprouts its own electricity and appliances at will? And it’s got be a portal to a very bad place, right? The small town folks of Eden, Kentucky have decades of stories to tell about Starling House and its wardens, tales that feel like nightmares gone wrong. 

Starling House feels gothic and haunting, but it also highlights some great relationships. First there is the sibling bond between Opal and Jasper. She’s taken over as a parental figure since their mom died years ago, and as tough as things are (financially and otherwise), Opal puts Jasper’s needs and future ahead of her own. She’s selfless when it comes to him, even if he’s the only one. Then there’s Opal’s changing relationship with Arthur. He’s her unlikely employer first, then something more, as impossible as a romance between them may seem. They’re so different, but I loved seeing the tenderness and affection bloom between them. 

As the book progresses, the supernatural and horror factors become stronger. Creepy children’s books, invisible monsters, the evils of real-life people… there’s a lot going on, and it would make for a perfect Spooky Season read. 

Audio

Natalie Naudus does a fabulous job of narrating Starling House. Her voice is engaging and perfectly captures Opal’s personality. She also imbues her narration with all the right inflections and emotions, capturing sarcasm and terror and more with equal believability. It makes the audiobook play almost like a movie, making the story feel that much more real. 

Final Thoughts

Starling House is an evocative and smart novel with so many layers at play. Family, poverty, duty, trauma, real and imagined horrors, a haunted house— everything adds up to a stunning story that is sure to stand out this season. It’s only my second time reading Alix E. Harrow, but she’s officially an auto-buy author now. I’ll read everything she publishes. 

Get the Book

You can buy Starling House here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Audiobook Narrator	Natalie Naudus
Audience	Adult
Genre	Fantasy; Gothic; Horror
Setting	Kentucky
Book Length	320 pages; 12.5 hours
Format I Read	Audiobook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	October 3, 2023

Official Summary

Starling House is a gorgeously modern gothic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen….

Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she’s determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago.

All she left behind were dark rumors—and her home. Everyone agrees that it’s best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate.

Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House—and make some extra cash for her brother’s escape fund—she can’t resist.

But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur’s own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around.

In my dream, I’m home.

And now she’ll have to fight.

Welcome to Starling House: enter, if you dare.