Looking for something a bit dark and deadly to read this summer? Starlings is a new release that you won’t want to miss! This is a book with lots of unexpected twists and turns, so many things happened that I did not see coming.
The book starts innocently enough…to some extent. Kit Starling and her mother have just arrived in the town of Rosemont, the hometown of Kit’s recently deceased father. Kit is a bit reluctant to be visiting; however, she plans to use this time as an opportunity to learn more about the place her dad grew up, and most important of all, make a connection with her grandmother, Agatha Starling, who Kit was told died long ago.
No one likes to have secrets kept from them, especially when it seems like there might be a motive behind it. Upon arrival at Rosemont, Kit begins to wonder if meeting her grandmother is even a good idea. There must be a reason behind why she was told she was dead. Is she dangerous? Mean? Kit’s mother is with her, which means some semblance of protection if things go awry, but Kit is still apprehensive about the whole thing.
Until she meets her grandmother and wonders what all of the fuss was about. Sure, she’s a bit old fashioned and eccentric, but what old lady isn’t? And as Kit gets acquainted with the people and town, she questions why her dad even decided to leave Rosemont in the first place. It seems like the perfect little town to settle down and raise a family in. There seems to be no logic behind his decision to leave and never come back. Of course, that’s when things start to get weird…
Not only does Kit feel as though everyone around her knows something about her or her family that she doesn’t, there also seems to be a vibe around the entire town. Has everyone always lived here? What’s with some upcoming event that Kit keeps hearing about? Why is the Starling name so powerful around town? And Rosemont’s namesake, roses that bloom year-round, stop blooming. All of this cannot be mere coincidence. Kit gets even more concerned (and rightfully so) when someone disappears, leaving only a short text to Kit that explains nothing and makes Kit realize something is really wrong with this place and the people in it.
Now, Kit is not only searching for reasons behind her father’s behavior, she is also desperate to find out where the missing person went, and why. She is beginning to suspect more and more that they didn’t leave of their own free will and that the mysterious Agatha Starling, her own grandmother, might know something.
If that isn’t creepy enough, Kit begins to hear mention of a man named Jack who could be involved somehow. Determined to get to the bottom of all of the strange things that have happened since she and her mom arrived in this town, Kit begins to venture out of the comfort and somewhat safe space of her grandmother’s home and into the dark forest that surrounds Rosemont.
Review of a Digital Advanced Reader’s Copy from Delacorte Press Penguin Random House
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 9 religious exclamations; 28 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory name; 18 scatological words; 2 anatomical terms; 7 F-Word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: A woman and her daughter almost hit an animal crossing the road, mentioned that they both hate seeing roadkill; a minor thinks about the ways people kill themselves; a minor is reported to be found drowned; a minor realizes she has a cut on her arm that is bleeding and hurts; a minor goes into woods and sees a girl partially buried in dirt bound at the wrists that seems like it could be a hallucination or vision, she is especially worried because it seemed like the girl wanted to drink the blood coming from her bleeding arm; a minor experiences pain that makes her double over in a brief scene; a minor talks about the girl she saw in the woods, thinks she may have been buried alive; a minor’s mother goes missing and she tries to think of where she might be or who might have taken her; a minor feels sick and is described to vomit up roses in a brief scene; a mention is made of how people years ago were starving to death and resorted to cannibalism to survive until a monster/man/creature offered to protect their town and the people in it if they agreed to give person each generation; a brief scene occurs where a girl has a nightmare about one of her ancestors who has had her eyes gouged out and her fingers bitten off, some blood is mentioned; a girl is terrified to go into the woods but believes someone might be trapped in them so she ventures in as she thinks the earth in this area is corrupt and swallows what it wants; a girl realizes the boy she likes isn’t who she thought he was and she begins to scratch at him until he holds her wrists so she can’t attack him, she threatens to rip off his face and sticks a small knife into his neck which he pulls out as though it is nothing, no blood is visible and he is uninjured; a girl thinks to herself that she may be angry enough to kill; a man threatens to kill his betrothed’s mother; a minor is mentioned to grieve her dads suicide; a man who has been around for centuries is said to play cruel games of hurting people, taking what he wants, and feeding off pain; a woman is mentioned to rob one of her ancestors graves; a brief scene occurs where a girl has a nosebleed and blood is mentioned a few times; a girl sees a man drowning her grandmother in a brief scene; a girl walks into water willingly and starts to drown, feels the water pulling at her and sees visions of women in her family before her have drowned, their flesh peeling back from their bones; a minor uses a dagger to cut her arm as a way to open up a door that is invisible, some blood is mentioned; a minor attempts to kill the ancient man she is supposed to marry, pushes a dagger into him to the hilt, it is implied that this kills him; a minor in an underground lair panics when she realizes it might collapse around her; a girl is mentioned to see a man trying to strangle a woman.
Sex/Nudity: A minor girl notices that a boy has a cute smile; a boy and girl embrace to comfort each other; a girl is prepared for a boy she likes to kiss her on the lips but he kisses her on the cheek instead; a minor couple cuddle and touch each other on the face, caress neck; it is mentioned that women in a certain family marry a man to keep him placated and their people and town safe; a faceless unknown man is seen nuzzling the neck of an adult woman, then biting her neck playfully; a boy and girl kiss in a brief scene; a woman kisses a girl on the forehead which leads to a kiss on the lips that they share, it is mentioned that the minor girl is confused by this but enjoys it; an older couple is mentioned to be seen making out; a minor is mentioned to wrap her arms around her future husband to comfort him, he kisses her hands and wrists, runs a hand down her body and kisses her forehead in a brief scene; a minor is described to kiss her future husband fiercely.
Mature Subject Matter:
Suicide; grief; missing persons; death; fantasy/supernatural occurrences; loss of a loved one.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
Adults drink red wine; an adult woman is mentioned to be drunk; adults drink champagne in multiple scenes.
