ARC Book Review: Starling by Isabel Strychacz

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Paranormal Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Isabel Strychacz
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Release Date: November 9th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Edward Scissorhands meets When the Moon Was Ours in this enchanting, lushly romantic novel about two teen sisters who fight to protect the mysterious stranger who literally fell from the stars and into their backyard.

Strange things have always happened in the small town of Darling…

​Yet Delta Wilding and her sister Bee are familiar with the peculiar. Raised by an eccentric father always on the hunt for the spectacular, they’re used to following weather patterns that twirl onto strange paths, a car that refuses to play any artist but one, and living in a sentient house with whims of its own. But when a mysterious boy falls from the stars into the woods behind the Wilding sisters’ farmhouse, nothing can prepare them for the extraordinary turn their lives are about to take.

Extraordinary, and dangerous.

Starling Rust is not from this world and his presence in the Wilding home brings attention. As the terrified locals, Delta’s ex-boyfriend, and the unscrupulous mayor descend onto the Wilding’s home, both Delta and her sister go to incredible lengths to protect their mystical visitor—especially as Delta’s growing feelings for Starling could prove the greatest risk of all.

Filled with atmospheric prose and lush and vivid descriptions, Starling has the spectacular waiting with every flip of the page.

Thank you to the author for an eARC from winning a giveaway.

THE ATMOSPHERE.

Let me tell you I was GIDDY when I found out I won this giveaway. I’ve been hyped to read this book after following this author on Instagram for years. And y’all, get ready to add another book to your TBR.

The lush atmosphere of the town of Darling will transport you. I’m not usually one for a lot of prose and detail, but the way this was written had me captivated. I truly felt like I was there and that all of the detail I was getting was inherently important. The rotating multi-POV narrators captured many angles of the plot and really showed off some intricate characters who felt incredibly real.

Who knew I would highly enjoy an alien romance? Somehow over the course of just a few days I was allllll in the feels for Delta and Starling. They had this sense of magic about them and I loved all of the tiny interactions. It was an immediate connection that play the more “instant attraction” trope well.

The ending blindsided me. I realized just how emotionally invested and connected I was to Starling. I was wrapped up in the fray of chaos occurring and how those final scenes played out. THANK HEAVENS for an epilogue that gives me the hope and light for new horizons.

Overall audience notes:

• YA Paranormal Romance
• Language: very little
• Romance: kisses to one implied closed door
• Trigger/Content Warnings: missing Father, slut-shaming, gun violence, house fire, breaking and entering

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