When I first read the description of "Starling House," I thought that a book truly couldn't sound any more up my alley. So naturally I prepared for disappointment. AND NOW I'm happy to report that the reading experience actually did live up to my expectations!! Rare!!! Exciting!!!! 

Starling House just like... made me happy?? I looked forward to picking it up, and actually it's probably more accurate to say that I rarely wanted to put it down given that I blazed through most of it in a day and a half. It had such a strong ~*~*vibe*~*~ which I understand is not a scientific way to review a book... but that aura is absolutely a part of what made the book so enjoyable for me. It was atmospheric but not overindulgent, puzzling but not frustrating, and romantic but not eye-roll-inducing. 

And how could I go this long without mentioning the characters?! Even though Opal was a bit annoying at times, on the whole I really loved the entire cast. Well the non-evil ones at least. I won't even talk about Arthur because the tears will obscure my ability to type this review ok!???!? They were all smart and sweet and cozy and root-for-able (??) and I'm not saying that's necessary for me to enjoy a book but it certainly does help. 

Once the goings-on at Starling house and in the town of Eden were revealed, we learned that the stakes were appropriately high and the universe was effectively thought out. [sidebar: if you're new here, that's one of my major writing pet-peeves: a build-up too enormous and teasing to support its conclusion, so that said conclusion therefore ends up being a total let-down]. And naturally, I did not guess the surprises that were to come near the end. If I had one complaint though, it would probably be that

the world of the Underland and the mechanics of how it worked being a ward

could've been a bit more well-explained. As revelations came, some questions came along with them that I didn't totally feel were effectively answered, and that left me wanting a little bit in the resolution department.

For instance, what was the deal with Arthur's tattoos and their seeming significance to his ability to keep the beasts at bay? Arthur himself mentions this vaguely, but we don't get any further detail. What was the deal with the company researching the house, and how much did they truly know about what was underneath it?

Lingering questions like these absolutely did NOT hinder my enjoyment of the book and they didn't spoil the world-building either, but I just would've appreciated allll the loose ends being more neatly tied up. But it's coherent and also raised some really interesting questions for discussion/analysis! So hey questions aren't all bad. ;) 

So like I think it's pretty clear that I recommend it????