Starling House by Alix E. Harrow – Is there such a thing as horror romantasy?

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is a bewitching ride with little twists and turns straightened out gradually throughout the book. Curiousity seeds are littered throughout the book and compel the reader to check out “just one more chapter.” Reminiscent of Stephen King’s IT, Eden, Kentucky is very much like Derry, Maine; accidents are higher than the national average, people go missing, suicide rates are up, and the epicenter seems to be the haunted Starling House that no one dares approach.

Opal, at the age of twenty-six is her little brother’s legal guardian. Jasper is a smart kid who deserves a life outside Eden. The coal mining town is horrible for Jasper’s asthma and Opal is doing everything she can to secure her brother a ticket out of this dying town.

In addition to nightmares about drowning, Opal’s dreams are plagued by a house of twisting mazes of hallways and doors that seem to move. She knows it’s Starling House without ever having stepped foot inside the haunted mansion. Perhaps it’s because she read Underland, the book written by the creator of Starling House that she experiences such odd dreams. One day, she strays too close and after cutting herself of the gate, she is shooed away by the current Warden of Starling House, Arthur Starling. When she returns the next day to try and explain away her presence, she is offered a job with the right type of money to get Jasper into that expensive boarding school. All she has to do is clean the haunted mansion.

Most horror is fantasy to a degree. Werewolves, zombies, vampires, etc. all exist within the fantasy genre, so what makes something a horror as opposed to a dark fantasy? I think it boils down to the protagonists and whether they are everyday people or the heroes we are used to in fantasy stories. A werewolf isn’t that threatening if you have magic and silver armor and sword. But a normal person (or even a child) could never hope to outrun or fight the mythic creatures.

That’s what makes fantasy/horror a hard genre. I think Stephen King was going for fantasy horror with Fairy Tale, but it fell a little flat for me. Starling House is an example of fantasy horror. Outside of the fantastical monsters, the protagonist’s weapons and protections boil down to good luck charms, symbols to ward off evil, and a battle-hardened silver sword.

A strong and solid read, I’d recommend Starling House to readers that enjoy both horror and fantasy. Like my earlier reference to IT, if you enjoyed the book but wanted a story less focused on children, Starling House feels akin to it. I could easily see this being made into a movie.