Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

17 reviews

bookswithbethx's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, Body horror, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

dianaschmidty's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This story has the feeling of a retelling, but it’s also one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read. It feels like modern day folklore and I loved it! I think one of my favorite things about this book is the vibes, specifically the idea that the evil will get their justice, even in a supernatural matter.

I really liked both Opal and Arthur. I liked that neither of them were supposed to be seen as likable, which honestly made them more likable. I like how Opal was unapologetically a thief, doing whatever she needed to survive. Her story was really sad, but moving in how she dealt with her lot in life. I’m also a sucker for a grump, so that’s why I was going to love both of them, but especially Arthur. I think his use of being a grump to hide himself from the world and his pain made his journey throughout the book a lot sweeter.

I also really liked how the book was written in both first and third person, for Opal and Arthur respectively. I also liked how Arthur’s POVs, especially at the beginning, felt like he was representing the house in the narrative. I thought it was a creative way of capturing the story.

I think the only thing I didn’t totally love about the book was how the first half was really confusing, but I also think that that was on purpose, because Opal was just as confused as we were, so it made us closer to her as a character.

I also really liked the narrator! Her voice is one of the most soothing narrators I’ve listened to and I’d love to listen to another book narrated by her.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alix E. Harrow for providing me access to this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Classism, Car accident, Blood, Abandonment, Violence, and Gore

Minor: Sexual content

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death, Alcohol, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Body horror, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Minor: Vomit

thatgirlcrystal's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Blood, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Violence, Classism, Deportation, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

kaitplusbooks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

if you want a book about the difference between wants and needs, about what's right and what's wrong and all the things that fall somewhere in between (and all the things that definitely do NOT fall in between), about home and family and legacy; and you want it all framed in fairy tales, folklore, and mythology, crafted by a master storyteller- then I have some fantastic news.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Classism, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Grief, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Car accident, and Sexism

Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Incest, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

minniepauline's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is my third favorite of Harrow’s novels. Which is still pretty good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Grief, and Death of parent

sariereads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Colonisation, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

lauren_shilling's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was absolutely incredible! I didn't expect to love it this much when I first picked it up, but I was almost immediately sucked into it. Opal was literally the perfect character for a story like this, and I cannot imagine any other main character for this book. Jasper was amazing as well, and I found that I really really appreciate his storyline and the sibling relationship between him and Opal. It was definitely a highlight of the book for me! Another highlight was definitely Arthur! I loved him so much, though he definitely creeped me out at first. It didn't take much for me to warm up to him, though, and then I absolutely fell in love with him. One thing I will say was that it took me a little bit to get into the romance, and when I first realized that's where it was going, I was a bit disappointed. I think my main issue was that I struggled to picture how they would function as a couple in any other circumstances. However, by the end of the book, I was rooting for them so hard! I ended up loving the romance so much, and there were some scenes that I will not forget reading. The twists were perfect and they were revealed in amazing ways, and the last chapter was everything I could have ever wanted out of this story. I loved the atmosphere too! It was so creepy and chilling and it was exactly what I was looking for when I picked up this book! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy horror story!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Car accident, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Sexual content, and Slavery

pandashowers's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore

soniajoy98's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Death, Deportation, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Murder, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Incest, Lesbophobia, Self harm, and Physical abuse