Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

5 reviews

craftysnailtail's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This isn't a genre I'd usually be interested in because it's rather spooky and I scare easily. But this was more atmospheric and gothic rather than gory or scary. The main characters felt refreshing and flawed in believable ways. This was my first time reading anything by Harrow, but needless to say, I'm completely hooked on her style of writing. I wish I had this novel in time for Halloween, but I'm still glad I finally got my hands on it at the tail end of autumn! It was a fun, dark, and adventurous read with a splash of romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

After I finished this book, I came across some reviews by people who hated the novel because they thought it was nothing but a Beauty and the Beast trope. This really surprised me because even though I understand why the comparison was made (despite neither of them being attractive), it didn't feel like a focus of the story at all. And it doesn't end in a way that's very Beauty and the Beast either. The fact a trope exists does not automatically discredit the entire book, in my opinion. I'm glad I didn't see these reviews before I read it, because it might have scared me away from what ended up being a great read!

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Mental illness, Violence, Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

bi_n_large's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Grief, Incest, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual violence, Police brutality, Homophobia, Biphobia, and Lesbophobia

jht5791's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Incest, Slavery, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Grief

wildflower_magic's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved the House- it's my favorite character. The Alice in Wonderland elements were amazing. I've heard others say the ending was rushed and while it was fast I think it was thorough. This is a book where everything gets wrapped up in a perfect bow at the end so it won't leave you with much mystery. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Slavery, Sexism, Vomit, and Suicide

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pedophilia

devynreadsnovels's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion, Incest, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Classism, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Racism