I’m ready for cooler weather, as evidenced by my current reading choices. Bring me autumn, please!

In Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, we meet Opal, a young woman who’s stuck in the tiny town of Eden, scraping a living so she can get her bright younger brother into a better school. Eden is nowhere, notable only for its connection to the author E. Starling, who wrote a single cult-hit children’s book, then disappeared nearly a century before. The house she lived in, Starling House, still stands, but it and its keepers have long had a mysterious air about them. So when Opal starts dreaming about the house, she wonders what it means. Then, the mysterious resident of the house, Arthur, hires her to clean the place for far more money than her old job, Opal can’t resist. But the house holds secrets—and danger—that she couldn’t possibly have imagined. So if Opal wants to keep her family and her home, she’ll have to fight for it.

I’ve read a couple of books by Harrow before, but this one might be my favorite! A fantastic autumn read.

Opal is a wonderful protagonist, cynical and jaded about the world, but also loyal and bright and deep down very loving. Her bond with her brother Jasper is wonderful and caring and complex, and it serves as a perfect motivation throughout the book as she makes tough decisions. I also really liked Arthur. He vaguely reminds me of Henry from Addie LaRue, but with a slightly grittier side. And the connection between Opal and Arthur, and how it plays out, is delightful. I was really rooting for them to team up, and it was excellent to see the progression of their relationship.

The setting of Eden is great, too—a typical small town in America, but one that is determined to keep up the pretense that everything is fine, even if it isn’t. The looming specter of Gravely Power, the big industry in the area, serves as a fantastic antagonist (though it’s not the only danger). The whole place calls to mind locations like Hawkins, Indiana or Sunnydale, California—seemingly normal places sitting upon a hub of supernatural activity.

The titular house itself, however, is the most compelling aspect of this book other than Opal. It’s a perfect eerie old house, full of creaking doors and confusing hallways. But it’s even better than most haunted houses, as it’s sentient. It’s like a spookier version of the house in Encanto, and I loved every scene where we got to interact with it.

As for the action scenes, they are sinister and gripping and so so creepy. The things that Opal and Arthur have to face are described so well (though I myself am being vague, so that if you read this, you won’t be spoiled). I also love how the backstories of the Starling family, especially E. Starling, were worked into the plot. At times, it’s like a story within a story, as Opal unravels the mystery of that elusive author’s past. There are also footnotes throughout the book, which is my weakness in fantasy novels—I should have known I’d love this book from the first footnote (which is perhaps the nerdiest thing I’ve ever said. I’m okay with that.)

In the end, Starling House is a delightful book. Vivid settings and amazing characters, lots of stakes and peril, brilliant lore and monsters, and a satisfying ending. The audiobook narrator, Natalie Naudus, does a spectacular job. And as for Harrow herself, I don’t understand why she isn’t a more popular author! I need to go read the other two books of hers I haven’t gotten to yet—which I think is the mark of a good book. As for the rest of you, if you want a book to read as we approach Halloween, I highly recommend this one!

Starling House will be published on October 3rd, 2023!