Starling

By: Isabel Strychacz

Narrated by: Mara Wilson

Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Edward Scissorhands meets When the Moon Was Ours in this engrossing 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 are 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 their 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.

©2021 by Isabel Strychacz (P)2023 by Blackstone Publishing

What a let down

I had high hopes for this book. It was entertaining although not for kids so I dont know why it's under children's publishing and marketing for kids. The Overall arch for each was established just enough to get by but by the end, we dont get to learn what happens to them🤣 it's so ridiculous it's funny. Just an extra chapter at the very least giving us an ending for the characters we have invested in for the past few hours. Lol. Instead, we get an epilogue with a whole lot of fluff on “magic” because that's the author's MO. It was a try-hard book that gave us no whom of creativity, heart, or even explanation. To compare it to Edward Scissorhands is understanding of the direction this author wanted to go in, but the execution failed miserably. Sorry not sorry this book let me down mega bad

Cozy narration

I’m not really sure how I feel about this book, but I know I liked the narration. It had a very cozy, soothing feel, and I may look for some other books she has read.

The book…had the elements that I love. A family living in a quirky environment, on the fringes of “normal” society. A little bit of otherworldly romance, and discovering the good in people previously viewed through a one-dimensional lens.

I think where I struggle to unequivocally love the book is the unrealized potential…the HOUSE…appears to be SENTIENT. But that possibility is mentioned in one scene and never again (which I guess is a blessing considering later events) and these wonderfully complex and magical sisters slowly evolve into…a lovesick main character and her jealous and paranoid sister. The spoiled rich boy ex evolves into a really good guy and then just kind of fades into the background. The connection Starling forms with the main character doesn’t feel natural, it feels like a teenager’s clumsy idea of romance….they dislike each other but feel inexplicably drawn to one another until before you know it they’re falling into one another’s arms. I’m not saying there’s no place for tropey romance, sometimes a predictable romance is a very comforting thing. But this story had the potential to be so much more, and I don’t think it achieved it. It was a pleasure to listen to, though.