My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Title: Starlings
Author: Amanda Linsmeier
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 6/27/23
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Categories: Contemporary Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult, Horror, Mystery
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Delacorte for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
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 had always told her he had no family, but four months ago his sudden death revealed the truth. Now she has a grandmother she never knew she had–Agatha Starling–and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont . . . it’s picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom year-round, 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 everyone seems to be 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 ever leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?
Content Warning: violence, death, abuse
Right away this gorgeous book cover caught my eye and as much as it is beautiful, there is something sinister to it, just like the story. Here is what I thought:
+ I was sucked into this story right away. Kit and her mother travels to Rosemont, to meet Kit’s grandmother and her father’s old hometown. – place he never told Kit about. She’s grieving her dad, she’s trying to piece who he is in Rosemont but everything feels off. Right away it’s established that things are not what they seem.
+ Rosemont is a mysterious setting, surrounded by woods and a river where people have died. I got the eerie vibes right away when Kit described the place as Stepford-y. When Kit starts learning more about her family and the Starling legacy she realizes she’s walked into a nightmare.
+ There are a few twists in this story and the monster being the biggest creep of all. He is a true monster, true villain, charming when he wants to be, but evil to his core. I was rooting for Kit to destroy him!
~ I felt like the romance wasn’t needed. Kit’s only there for a week I feel like it was unnecessary for her to fall for someone since there was barely time to know one another.
~ It wasn’t scary, more creepy because of the history of the town and yuck with the way the bargain is set up.
Tropes: small town, family curse, town secret
Why you should read it:
- you like young adult horror that isn’t super scary, mostly creepy
- it’s a quick read and engaged me – I read it in one sitting
Why you might not want to read it:
- not into YA horror
My Thoughts:
I thought this was pretty good in that I was engaged with the story and finished it in one setting. I like the creepy factor, the lore about the town, the family secret and the curse. The villain is written well – he’s a pretty evil monster. I don’t think the romance was necessary and I thought the situation was resolved pretty quickly but other than that I did find it entertaining. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 
You definitely liked this more than I did. I mean it was OK but not what I was hoping for. Completely agree on the romance. Great review!
Thanks! And I actually understand why you felt it was OK because it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting either!