Review: Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier

 

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?

Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read/Listen Combo

Twisty and dark YA fantasy. I was hooked and ready for all the backstory to be revealed.

Kit Starling's father always told her that he had no family. But four months after his sudden death the truth was revealed. Her grandmother Agatha is alive and still living in her father's hometown, Rosemont.

She and her mother are invited to visit. Rosemont is picture-perfect, the famed eternal roses bloom year-round, and downtown is straight out of the 1950's. There's even a cute guy to show her around.

But the more time she spends in Rosemont, the creepier it gets. The Starlings are respected, and the women especially seem to be at the center of the town's history. While everyone is welcoming, Kit can't shake the feeling that everyone is hiding something from her.

She can't help but wonder what made her father leave and why it seemed he never wanted her to find it.

Thanks so much to Delacorte/Random and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

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