Starling House

This took me forever to read. The story was honestly beautiful but for some reason It just couldn’t fully capture me. I forced myself to finish it and I’m glad I did, but it was lacking something.

I think this might be the best book I've read all year... and I've read a lot of books lol.
This story is hauntingly sad and savagely beautiful. The writing is vivid, soulful, and stunning.
Emotion and conflict are clear on the pages and the conclusion and resolution are done wonderfully.
I won't spoil anything - please go read this if you haven't already.
I truly loved it and would definitely re-read it (which is saying a lot because I never want to re-read books).
P.S. there were images and illustrations scattered throughout the book which just adds to the storybook-like quality this book encapsulates.

I enjoyed reading Starling House. It’s well written, easy to get into, and has a strong sense of atmosphere. The story flows smoothly, and it’s the kind of book you can easily read in one or two sittings. In that sense, it’s solid craftsmanship. At the same time, I found myself wanting more from it. The novel builds around familiar gothic and fairy-tale elements, a reclusive, burdened man tied to a mysterious house, and an outsider woman drawn into that world. While this structure works, it also makes the story feel quite predictable. It rarely moves beyond what you expect it to do. The core idea is interesting: the house and its “monsters” are not something to defeat, but something to understand and live with. The Underland and the children’s book reinforce this nicely. However, the execution feels safe. Where the story opens the door to ambiguity and tension, it often resolves things through understanding and harmony rather than real conflict. This is most noticeable in the characters. Opal and Arthur are sympathetic and readable, but they sometimes feel more like narrative constructs than fully lived-in people. Opal, in particular, is written as if she is still becoming, even though her life experience suggests she should already be more formed and decisive. This reduces her sense of agency and makes her feel younger than she is. Similarly, Arthur’s burden is clearly stated, but rarely fully felt, the cost of his role is more told than shown. Because of this, many moments that could have added depth instead feel like revelations rather than layers. Characters are reframed rather than complicated. Even the antagonistic forces remain relatively straightforward, which limits the moral complexity. The ending brings everything together in a neat and hopeful way, but for me it felt a bit too easy. The resolution doesn’t seem to demand a real price, which makes it emotionally satisfying but not particularly challenging. It leans more toward a comforting, almost fairy-tale logic than a fully grounded or ambiguous one. In the end, Starling House is a well-executed and enjoyable novel with clear themes and strong readability. But it plays it safe, and where it could have become more layered or daring, it chooses harmony over tension. I liked it, but it didn’t quite leave a lasting impact.

4.5⭐️

“I know exactly why Icarus flew so high: when you’ve spent too long in the dark, you’ll melt your own wings just to feel the sun on your skin.”

Not my style of book. Supernatural and fantasy. Story about the Starling House with the Underland. The beasts come out to control and overtake the evil family in the town. The Starling House had many wardens over the years. As the book progresses, you find out the history of the house and those who have lived inthe house. The ending brought the whole story together. So it worth it to read to end.
But because it isn't my type of book I only gave this 3 stars.