Starlings
A dark YA fantasy debut perfect for fans of House of Hollow and Small Favors. In the wake of her father's death, a teen girl discovers a side of her family she didn't know existed, and is pulled into a dark—and ancient—bargain she is next in line to fulfill.
Kit’s father always told her he had no family, but his sudden death revealed the truth. Now Kit has a grandmother she never knew she had—Agatha Starling—and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont is picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom all year, downtown is straight out of the 1950s . . . there’s even a cute guy to show Kit around.
The longer Kit’s there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there’s something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town’s important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can’t shake the feeling that they're hiding something from her.
Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can’t help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?
Kit’s father always told her he had no family, but his sudden death revealed the truth. Now Kit has a grandmother she never knew she had—Agatha Starling—and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont is picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom all year, downtown is straight out of the 1950s . . . there’s even a cute guy to show Kit around.
The longer Kit’s there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there’s something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town’s important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can’t shake the feeling that they're hiding something from her.
Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can’t help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?
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Community Reviews
1.75/5
After the devastating death of her father seventeen year old Kit Starling is shocked to discover that her paternal grandmother is actually alive, unlike what she's been led to believe. Taking this as a chance to reconnect with her roots and deal with her grief Kit and her mother head off to Rosemont, a tiny perfect town where the roses bloom all year long. However, under that prosperity hides a sinister secret that binds the Starling women to the territory and its endless fortune.
I liked the idea of the plot, that's why my rating gets that extra 0.75. It gave me Midsommar with a little bit of The VVitch vibes, with the whole town being in on it and the mysterious dark presence in the woods. I would have gobbled up this narrative in a better author's hands, sadly it does not works in Amanda Linsmeier's writing. It read very flat, the prose was mid at best. So much tell not show in this, literally at 50% of the book we find out what's really going on by a character spitting it out for 6 or so pages.
Speaking of characters, Kit was so stupid. She's supposed to be 17 but she acts like she's a very uneducated 12 year old. I can understand her lack of agency but all the time? She never did anything to move the plot forward besides asking why, not having a single interesting thought and trusting everyone even after she'd been betrayed multiple times. Oh and making out with anybody who was remotely attractive to her. The adults in this book were all completely useless and stereotypical. Both love interests lacked personality and the author relayed on instalove.
And my God was the romantic subplot aggravating. Kit meets a boy on the first day and immediately is attracted to him. Yeah sure he was actually the villain all along and maybe you can argue that the attraction has something to do with their connection, maybe, but the way Kit was swooning over him and already sad that she would have to leave him when she went back home?? Girly STAND UP. Then at around 65% we're suddenly introduced to another love interest who we know even less about and has no real meaningful interactions with Kit. Could we call what she has with Sabelle trauma bonding? They spend maybe a total of hmm 5 non consecutive hours together? She's not even human! Or nice! Or even that useful tbh. I want to say more about Sabelle but honestly I cannot name a single trait of hers. This book did not need two love interests, like what was the reason.
Ok back to the plot. The town of Rosewood is prosperous due to some supernatural shenanigans that started with Kit's ancestor. Now the whole line of Starling women must continue with this ritual, that happens during a special festival, in order to secure the good life of the citizens. It was soooo boring. Nothing much happens, Kit mostly wanders around and important pieces of plot fall into her lap courtesy of other characters. At first she notices the weird vibes the townspeople send her way and the way she's treated. Then her mom goes missing and she just walks around town being sad and looking for her. The plot has to be spelled out by the grandmother and, after realizing she's been bamboozled all along, she continues trusting people in town, even those who have betrayed her before (like the grandma) or those who very much seem to have drunk the koolaid (like Charlotte). Not only was the plot boring, the big bad was such a caricature mustache twirling basic villain. Of course it was Bear
I don't look for frightening things anymore. Except somewhere, in the deepest recesses of my bones, I feel like they still look for me.
After the devastating death of her father seventeen year old Kit Starling is shocked to discover that her paternal grandmother is actually alive, unlike what she's been led to believe. Taking this as a chance to reconnect with her roots and deal with her grief Kit and her mother head off to Rosemont, a tiny perfect town where the roses bloom all year long. However, under that prosperity hides a sinister secret that binds the Starling women to the territory and its endless fortune.
I liked the idea of the plot, that's why my rating gets that extra 0.75. It gave me Midsommar with a little bit of The VVitch vibes, with the whole town being in on it and the mysterious dark presence in the woods. I would have gobbled up this narrative in a better author's hands, sadly it does not works in Amanda Linsmeier's writing. It read very flat, the prose was mid at best. So much tell not show in this, literally at 50% of the book we find out what's really going on by a character spitting it out for 6 or so pages.
Speaking of characters, Kit was so stupid. She's supposed to be 17 but she acts like she's a very uneducated 12 year old. I can understand her lack of agency but all the time? She never did anything to move the plot forward besides asking why, not having a single interesting thought and trusting everyone even after she'd been betrayed multiple times. Oh and making out with anybody who was remotely attractive to her. The adults in this book were all completely useless and stereotypical. Both love interests lacked personality and the author relayed on instalove.
And my God was the romantic subplot aggravating. Kit meets a boy on the first day and immediately is attracted to him. Yeah sure he was actually the villain all along and maybe you can argue that the attraction has something to do with their connection, maybe, but the way Kit was swooning over him and already sad that she would have to leave him when she went back home?? Girly STAND UP. Then at around 65% we're suddenly introduced to another love interest who we know even less about and has no real meaningful interactions with Kit. Could we call what she has with Sabelle trauma bonding? They spend maybe a total of hmm 5 non consecutive hours together? She's not even human! Or nice! Or even that useful tbh. I want to say more about Sabelle but honestly I cannot name a single trait of hers. This book did not need two love interests, like what was the reason.
Ok back to the plot. The town of Rosewood is prosperous due to some supernatural shenanigans that started with Kit's ancestor. Now the whole line of Starling women must continue with this ritual, that happens during a special festival, in order to secure the good life of the citizens. It was soooo boring. Nothing much happens, Kit mostly wanders around and important pieces of plot fall into her lap courtesy of other characters. At first she notices the weird vibes the townspeople send her way and the way she's treated. Then her mom goes missing and she just walks around town being sad and looking for her. The plot has to be spelled out by the grandmother and, after realizing she's been bamboozled all along, she continues trusting people in town, even those who have betrayed her before (like the grandma) or those who very much seem to have drunk the koolaid (like Charlotte). Not only was the plot boring, the big bad was such a caricature mustache twirling basic villain. Of course it was Bear
I really enjoyed this book although parts of it made me really sad. Kit's father has passed away and her mom takes her to Rosemont, a small town with a lot going on. She meets her grandmother Agatha, but wait her dad told her his family was dead. What is this? Secrets. Secrets. Secrets. It turns out that Kit's family is well loved in the town and so whenever she goes somewhere people talk about her, don't let her pay for things etc... there's a big festival coming up and the entire town is buzzing with excitement. I really like that the author kept that feeling that small towns have. I wish I knew how to explain it better. Kit makes friends along the way, but once again not everyone and everything is as it seems. As Kit learns more about her family and herself, she realizes that the legacy that her family is known for needs to change. She will be the one to change it. How did she come to this conclusion? Her mom goes missing. Her disappearance is what forces Kit to understand who she is and what that means. In case you are wondering, I never really thought about having a thriller set in a small idyllic small town, but it really worked for this book as did the pacing. It was fast paced enough for a thriller, but slow enough where I felt like I was walking around the town with the characters and was part of the story. I don't necessarily condone hiding the truth from Kit, but at the same time I understand why her father did it. He knew what was in store for her, and wanted more for her, but the fact is she was forced to make her choice in a hasty manner didn't sit right with me. What was expected of her and what she wanted could not coincide, however I think if she had the answers before a certain point a lot of stuff would have been prevented. Out of everything, I think that irritated me the most. I understand what the author was trying to do forcing her to see the consequences and therefore move the character development along, however I felt there was a better way to do it. This book put me through the emotional ringer and messed with my mind a bit, but I enjoy thriller books that make me second guess myself or mess with my mind. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers because although I struggled with parts of the book it really was an enjoyable read that made me want to read until the end and see what type of ending Kit and her mom as main the characters received.
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