Starlings

By: Amanda Linsmeier

Narrated by: Phoebe Strole

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?

Critic reviews

“Like the town of Rosemont itself, outwardly lush and beautiful but steeped in sinister secrets, Linsmeier’s Starlings is a deliciously dark fantasy that I devoured in a single day.” —Amy Goldsmith, author of Those We Drown

“If you ever wished Stars Hollow had more things that went bump in the night, Starlings is for you! Linsmeier’s haunting mystery held me captive, eager to learn all of Rosemont’s dark secrets.” —Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

"Linsmeier uses a delicate emotional palette to depict her plot, beginning with the subdued gloom and grief surrounding Kit and her mother. The suspense gradually grows to the nail-biting climax, and character development is so nuanced that the reader, like Kit, can't trust anyone. Fans of folk horror will be entranced by this suspenseful novel." —Booklist

"A foreboding, flower-filled, feminist horror story." —Kirkus Reviews

The potential…

The first half of the book had just enough mystery it kept you vividly entranced into this new world you were attempting to unravel alongside the protagonist. However, as the narrative progressed, the plot failed to evolve as the mysteries remained unsolved, leaving a lingering sense of unfulfillment. Despite the initial intrigue, the storyline gradually devolved into predictable and overused themes, diminishing the tension and anticipation the beginning had so carefully crafted. Characters became flat, their motivations transparent, losing the depth and complexity that had initially engaged the reader. Ultimately, the book's promise faded as it succumbed to the familiar tropes and unoriginal plot twists, leaving a sense of disappointment in its wake.

Unexpected!

Enjoyed this novel quite a bit! This isn’t my typical genre, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised throughout.