Rosh's Reviews > Starling House
Starling House
by
by
In a Nutshell: A Gothic Fantasy with minor shades of horror. Contains beautiful prose and interesting characters, but not much plot depth. The pacing was somewhat off.
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Story Synopsis:
I had loved this author’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and while I do want to read her interim books, I expected a lot from my second Harrow pick. Unfortunately, while this book began well, it spiralled into chaos as it progressed and the ending was a mess. I usually have extensive notes in my review draft so that I can remember the key points while actually reviewing. But this time, I had almost nothing in my draft except for a couple of comments about the characters. Based on what I remember, my feelings are pretty mixed all the way.
✔ The book is supposed to be a Gothic fantasy with shades of romance. The Gothic angle works excellently.
⚠ This is not at all horror, despite the presence of “monsters”. The fantasy elements are explained to a certain extent at the end, but I didn’t like the format of the explanation – it was almost like an infodump coming out of nowhere.
❌ The romance, while not unexpected, was underdeveloped. I couldn’t see the attraction at all, especially from Opal’s side as her feelings seem to go from 0 to 100 within no time and with no reason.
✔ The fictional town of Eden, where the story is set, creates a great atmosphere for the story. The town’s struggles because of pollution and corporate apathy come out well through the atmospheric writing.
❌ The setting could have been utilised much better. The small town vibe has been used only for its negative traits.
✔ Opal as the main character is tough to like but tough to ignore as well. She is gutsy and doesn’t shy from speaking her mind. At the same time, she is loyal and ready to do anything for her brother. It would have been easy to hate Opal, but I admired her determination.
❌ Opal Is twenty-seven; she acts seventeen for more than half of the book.
✔ Arthur is the strong, silent type. He reminded me of ‘Beast’ from Beauty & the Beast. It was nice to see a reserved and introspective male character as the warden of a haunted house.
❌ Why was his physical unattractiveness vital for the plot? I was tired of the stress on his looks, or rather, lack thereof.
✔ Starling House makes for an impressive third character. I love this trend of houses with feelings, though I have seen this handled much better in other fantasy novels.
⚠ The hotel owner and the librarian had much potential. As did the hellcat. Wish they had been used better in the story.
❌ The motivation behind antagonist Elizabeth Baines didn’t make any sense. E. Starling’s character is sorely underutilised. Jasper (Opal’s brother) could have also been used better for his brains. But he hardly get anything to do.
✔ There is an excellent use of metaphors and imagery to enhance the plot. The author’s vocabulary had impressed me in her debut novel, and her prowess with words is visible in this one as well.
❌ The story seems overly elaborate at times. Despite this, many plot points are left dangling. Who was narrating the footnotes? What was with Arthur’s tattoos? What’s with the townspeople keeping so many secrets from Opal?
✔ The start is excellent in establishing the two main characters and the baffling backstory of Starling House.
❌ The pacing drags much in the middle. The end is a weird combo of dragged + rushed – go figure! The action is limited to the climax. The rest of the book is more like a slowburn exposition of fears and feelings.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 26 min, is narrated by Natalie Naudus. She does an excellent job with the female characters and a decent job with the male characters. She is most impressive with the footnotes. There are many footnotes in the book, explaining or countering a point made in the main story. However, Naudus narrates these footnotes in a distinct voice, making it very clear that the narration has segued into the footnote.
That said, this audiobook was a challenging exercise – listening to extensive footnotes in audiobooks isn’t easy. I wouldn’t recommend the audio version to newbies, though avid listeners might find it a good way of completing this slow-paced book.
All in all, I knew I could expect great prose from this novel, and I got it. But I was looking for a better experience with the fantasy/horror elements. Going for the midway rating as my feedback is pretty balanced between the pros and cons.
3 stars.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Starling House”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Story Synopsis:
Eden, Kentucky is a dying town that’s been ravaged by pollution, thanks to the Gravely Power company. The only positive thing springing from Eden has been the legacy of author E. Starling, a reclusive nineteenth century author who left behind a children’s book titled ‘The Underland’ and a sprawling mansion rumoured to be haunted. Today, the only resident of Starling House is the equally mysterious Arthur Starling, whom no one knows anything about but everyone agrees that it is best to stay away from him.
When Opal gets a job offer from Arthur to housekeep Starling House, the salary is good enough for her to fulfil her dreams of sending her intelligent younger brother Jasper away from Eden. But as she cleans up the mysterious mansion, she unearths dangerous secrets from the past and the present. Now it is up to Opal and Arthur to ensure that Starling House doesn’t result in the end of Eden.
The story comes to us in the perspectives of Opal (first person) and Arthur (third person).
I had loved this author’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and while I do want to read her interim books, I expected a lot from my second Harrow pick. Unfortunately, while this book began well, it spiralled into chaos as it progressed and the ending was a mess. I usually have extensive notes in my review draft so that I can remember the key points while actually reviewing. But this time, I had almost nothing in my draft except for a couple of comments about the characters. Based on what I remember, my feelings are pretty mixed all the way.
✔ The book is supposed to be a Gothic fantasy with shades of romance. The Gothic angle works excellently.
⚠ This is not at all horror, despite the presence of “monsters”. The fantasy elements are explained to a certain extent at the end, but I didn’t like the format of the explanation – it was almost like an infodump coming out of nowhere.
❌ The romance, while not unexpected, was underdeveloped. I couldn’t see the attraction at all, especially from Opal’s side as her feelings seem to go from 0 to 100 within no time and with no reason.
✔ The fictional town of Eden, where the story is set, creates a great atmosphere for the story. The town’s struggles because of pollution and corporate apathy come out well through the atmospheric writing.
❌ The setting could have been utilised much better. The small town vibe has been used only for its negative traits.
✔ Opal as the main character is tough to like but tough to ignore as well. She is gutsy and doesn’t shy from speaking her mind. At the same time, she is loyal and ready to do anything for her brother. It would have been easy to hate Opal, but I admired her determination.
❌ Opal Is twenty-seven; she acts seventeen for more than half of the book.
✔ Arthur is the strong, silent type. He reminded me of ‘Beast’ from Beauty & the Beast. It was nice to see a reserved and introspective male character as the warden of a haunted house.
❌ Why was his physical unattractiveness vital for the plot? I was tired of the stress on his looks, or rather, lack thereof.
✔ Starling House makes for an impressive third character. I love this trend of houses with feelings, though I have seen this handled much better in other fantasy novels.
⚠ The hotel owner and the librarian had much potential. As did the hellcat. Wish they had been used better in the story.
❌ The motivation behind antagonist Elizabeth Baines didn’t make any sense. E. Starling’s character is sorely underutilised. Jasper (Opal’s brother) could have also been used better for his brains. But he hardly get anything to do.
✔ There is an excellent use of metaphors and imagery to enhance the plot. The author’s vocabulary had impressed me in her debut novel, and her prowess with words is visible in this one as well.
❌ The story seems overly elaborate at times. Despite this, many plot points are left dangling. Who was narrating the footnotes? What was with Arthur’s tattoos? What’s with the townspeople keeping so many secrets from Opal?
✔ The start is excellent in establishing the two main characters and the baffling backstory of Starling House.
❌ The pacing drags much in the middle. The end is a weird combo of dragged + rushed – go figure! The action is limited to the climax. The rest of the book is more like a slowburn exposition of fears and feelings.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 26 min, is narrated by Natalie Naudus. She does an excellent job with the female characters and a decent job with the male characters. She is most impressive with the footnotes. There are many footnotes in the book, explaining or countering a point made in the main story. However, Naudus narrates these footnotes in a distinct voice, making it very clear that the narration has segued into the footnote.
That said, this audiobook was a challenging exercise – listening to extensive footnotes in audiobooks isn’t easy. I wouldn’t recommend the audio version to newbies, though avid listeners might find it a good way of completing this slow-paced book.
All in all, I knew I could expect great prose from this novel, and I got it. But I was looking for a better experience with the fantasy/horror elements. Going for the midway rating as my feedback is pretty balanced between the pros and cons.
3 stars.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Starling House”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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Reading Progress
September 28, 2023
– Shelved as:
arcs-not-started
September 28, 2023
– Shelved
October 22, 2023
–
Started Reading
November 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
audiobook
November 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
3-stars
November 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
netgalley
November 1, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 68 (68 new)
message 1:
by
ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔
(new)
Oct 26, 2023 12:07PM
On my radar. Await your review x
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I'm bummed this one didn't work for you! I'll have to check out Ten Thousand Doors of January. Great review!
Excellent review, Rosh! 💕 I was mildly interested in reading this, but after reading your thoughts about it, I feel it would be middle of the road for me, too. 😅
Great review, well articulated as ever Rosh!
I read this ARC as well and it felt the same for me. Definitely lacking in the gothic horror department. Shame as the premise was great!
I read this ARC as well and it felt the same for me. Definitely lacking in the gothic horror department. Shame as the premise was great!
Such a thorough and helpful review, Rosh. Love how clearly you have laid it out for other readers. 🥰
While very balanced in terms of pros and cons, it still feels like the pros should outweigh the cons to make this book an easy to recommend one. Also bit of a shame some questions remain unanswered. Good review, Rosh.
Oh, one minus for every plus! Doenst sound great, tbh. Man, I don't like so many footnotes. Makes reading so very messy. :/
Terrific review, Rosh.
Terrific review, Rosh.
I was really interested in this one (the cover is gorgeous!) but think I'll pass. Thank you for your helpful review, Rosh!💜
wonderful review, rosh! sorry this one was a mixed bag. seems like there were too many underdeveloped or simply messy things that really made a negative effect in your enjoyment. i’m glad to see there were still redeeming qualities. 🤍
And I have just read a book with a great plot but the characters weren't fully fleshed out . . . perhaps we should team these authors up Rosh. Great review.
Unscary horror, unconvincing romance, unreliable pacing, convoluted plot, immature fmc... thank god the prose was good lol. Honest and way too generous review Rosh xD!
Sarah wrote: "I'm bummed this one didn't work for you! I'll have to check out Ten Thousand Doors of January. Great review!"
Thanks, Sarah! I am bummed too - I expected much more from her. I hope you will enjoy Ten Thousand Doors of January. It is a much better fantasy work overall.
Thanks, Sarah! I am bummed too - I expected much more from her. I hope you will enjoy Ten Thousand Doors of January. It is a much better fantasy work overall.
Snjez wrote: "Excellent review, Rosh! 💕 I was mildly interested in reading this, but after reading your thoughts about it, I feel it would be middle of the road for me, too. 😅"
Thanks much, Snjez! ♥ I picked it up only for the author, so unless you are a huge fan, you aren't missing much. :)
Thanks much, Snjez! ♥ I picked it up only for the author, so unless you are a huge fan, you aren't missing much. :)
zsu wrote: "Great review, well articulated as ever Rosh!
I read this ARC as well and it felt the same for me. Definitely lacking in the gothic horror department. Shame as the premise was great!"
Thanks, Zsu! Oh, I missed your review, I think! Let me check it. It certainly wasn't a Gothic horror, and that killed much of the fun. :(
I read this ARC as well and it felt the same for me. Definitely lacking in the gothic horror department. Shame as the premise was great!"
Thanks, Zsu! Oh, I missed your review, I think! Let me check it. It certainly wasn't a Gothic horror, and that killed much of the fun. :(
Jen CAN wrote: "This doesn't sound like one for me but that cover is dazzling!"
Her books always have such stunning covers! Tough for me to resist. :D
Her books always have such stunning covers! Tough for me to resist. :D
Darla wrote: "Such a thorough and helpful review, Rosh. Love how clearly you have laid it out for other readers. 🥰"
Thanks much, Darla! ♥
Thanks much, Darla! ♥
Baba wrote: "Another book full of great ideas that could have been better executed, a fair review Rosh :)"
Thanks, Baba. Too many such books nowadays. :(
Thanks, Baba. Too many such books nowadays. :(
Thibault wrote: "While very balanced in terms of pros and cons, it still feels like the pros should outweigh the cons to make this book an easy to recommend one. Also bit of a shame some questions remain unanswered..."
Thanks, Thibault. The balance is what led me to the midpoint. The pros and cons were so equally strong that I couldn't take a side.
Thanks, Thibault. The balance is what led me to the midpoint. The pros and cons were so equally strong that I couldn't take a side.
Srivalli wrote: "Oh, one minus for every plus! Doenst sound great, tbh. Man, I don't like so many footnotes. Makes reading so very messy. :/
Terrific review, Rosh."
The footnotes are quite few compared to 'Babel'. And if I am not wrong, they disappear in the second half of the book. But the rest is also okay-okay. Maybe you might enjoy it better if you go in expecting YA, though this is strictly not YA. :/
Terrific review, Rosh."
The footnotes are quite few compared to 'Babel'. And if I am not wrong, they disappear in the second half of the book. But the rest is also okay-okay. Maybe you might enjoy it better if you go in expecting YA, though this is strictly not YA. :/
Kay wrote: "I was really interested in this one (the cover is gorgeous!) but think I'll pass. Thank you for your helpful review, Rosh!💜"
My pleasure! The cover attracted me as well, but the rest was just decent. ♥
My pleasure! The cover attracted me as well, but the rest was just decent. ♥
elena ❀ wrote: "wonderful review, rosh! sorry this one was a mixed bag. seems like there were too many underdeveloped or simply messy things that really made a negative effect in your enjoyment. i’m glad to see th..."
Thanks much, Elena! Oh yes, it wasn't all bad. Just that it could have been excellent under such a talented author. :(
Thanks much, Elena! Oh yes, it wasn't all bad. Just that it could have been excellent under such a talented author. :(
Sandysbookaday wrote: "And I have just read a book with a great plot but the characters weren't fully fleshed out . . . perhaps we should team these authors up Rosh. Great review."
Haha, that would give us both a guaranteed winner. :D Thanks Sandy! ♥
Haha, that would give us both a guaranteed winner. :D Thanks Sandy! ♥
Federico wrote: "Unscary horror, unconvincing romance, unreliable pacing, convoluted plot, immature fmc... thank god the prose was good lol. Honest and way too generous review Rosh xD!"
Haha, I see my pessimist friend has only seen the negative feedback and ignored the positives. :P
Haha, I see my pessimist friend has only seen the negative feedback and ignored the positives. :P
Hmmm, I've hemmed and hawed over this one...do I or don't I? The description sounds so promising, Based on your review, I'm going to pass. Thanks for reading this, Rosh, so I don't have to. 😘
This review is so spot on!! You put my thoughts into words. It had potential but didn’t fully do it for me. Completely agree about Opal going from 0-100 and how many times did they have to emphasize her crooked teeth and how “hideous” Arthur was? 😫
I agree with everything! Especially Elizabeth Baine. What even happened to her at the end? She was the main antagonist basically & just disappeared.
Excellent review Rosh with well balanced pros and cons. I've never listened to an audio book with footnotes. It sounds they they would be very distracting.
Teres wrote: "Hmmm, I've hemmed and hawed over this one...do I or don't I? The description sounds so promising, Based on your review, I'm going to pass. Thanks for reading this, Rosh, so I don't have to. 😘"
Haha, glad to be of service, Teres! This isn't her best, by far.
Haha, glad to be of service, Teres! This isn't her best, by far.
Jayme wrote: "Sorry the pacing was off! You are due a winner!!"
I certainly am! It's been a long streak of average reads and duds. :(
I certainly am! It's been a long streak of average reads and duds. :(
Kristy wrote: "This review is so spot on!! You put my thoughts into words. It had potential but didn’t fully do it for me. Completely agree about Opal going from 0-100 and how many times did they have to emphasiz..."
Thank you!!! I am so glad someone felt the same way, especially about the allusions to their "ugliness". It was so unnecessary!
Thank you!!! I am so glad someone felt the same way, especially about the allusions to their "ugliness". It was so unnecessary!
Shelley's Book Nook wrote: "Awesome review, Rosh. I bet your review is better than the book. 🤗💕"
Thanks much, Shelley! You are so sweet! :) ♥
Thanks much, Shelley! You are so sweet! :) ♥
Darian wrote: "I agree with everything! Especially Elizabeth Baine. What even happened to her at the end? She was the main antagonist basically & just disappeared."
Oh, thanks so much for confirming that! I was not in the mood to rewind the audio and listen to that whole spiel again, just to see if I missed out on any reference to Baines' fate. You are right - she just vanishes from the plot!
Oh, thanks so much for confirming that! I was not in the mood to rewind the audio and listen to that whole spiel again, just to see if I missed out on any reference to Baines' fate. You are right - she just vanishes from the plot!
Carolyn wrote: "Excellent review Rosh with well balanced pros and cons. I've never listened to an audio book with footnotes. It sounds they they would be very distracting."
Thanks much, Carolyn! This was my second audio with so many footnotes (the first being R.F. Kuang's Babel.) It is distracting, I agree. But both writers used the footnotes well, so I didn't mind them that much. :)
Thanks much, Carolyn! This was my second audio with so many footnotes (the first being R.F. Kuang's Babel.) It is distracting, I agree. But both writers used the footnotes well, so I didn't mind them that much. :)
Wonderful review, Rosh! I'd like to try this author, but I wouldn't do well with the immature female MC and the slow pace you've described in this one. I hope you're loving your current read!
Kat (has so much catching up to do!) wrote: "Wonderful review, Rosh! I'd like to try this author, but I wouldn't do well with the immature female MC and the slow pace you've described in this one. I hope you're loving your current read!"
Thanks Kat! I'd recommend 'The Ten Thousand Doors of January' to you, as you like magical realism as well. That was a much better structured book by this same author. :)
Thanks Kat! I'd recommend 'The Ten Thousand Doors of January' to you, as you like magical realism as well. That was a much better structured book by this same author. :)
Oh, I love books with footnotes. But a gothic book not gothicy enough is not very appealing. Great review, Rosh; glad it wasn't a total disappointment.
Rosh wrote: "And if I am not wrong, they disappear in the second half of the book. But the rest is also okay-okay. Maybe you might enjoy it better if you go in expecting YA, though this is strictly not YA. :/"
Ah okay. I may read it someday after a decade or so. ;) Will tackle her first book first.
Ah okay. I may read it someday after a decade or so. ;) Will tackle her first book first.
Lady Clementina wrote: "Oh, I love books with footnotes. But a gothic book not gothicy enough is not very appealing. Great review, Rosh; glad it wasn't a total disappointment."
Thanks, Clem! You'll love Babel then - it has footnotes almost all the way till the end. :D
Thanks, Clem! You'll love Babel then - it has footnotes almost all the way till the end. :D
Srivalli wrote: "Rosh wrote: "And if I am not wrong, they disappear in the second half of the book. But the rest is also okay-okay. Maybe you might enjoy it better if you go in expecting YA, though this is strictly..."
Haha... Better if you read January and forget this. You won't be missing much. :)
Haha... Better if you read January and forget this. You won't be missing much. :)
Rosh wrote: "Haha... Better if you read January and forget this. You won't be missing much. :)"
Aye. Noted. Removing it from the shelf. Thank you. :D
Aye. Noted. Removing it from the shelf. Thank you. :D