This ticks so many boxes for me as a novel, such as small towns, mystery families, town gossiping. Add a gothic atmosphere with a touch of fantasy, and you are basically writing a book for me (Thank you Alix E. Harrow). 

The atmosphere in Starling House is wonderfully eerie and haunting, this is one of those books where the setting is a character in its own right. 

There wasn’t as much character development as I would have liked, but I enjoyed the amount we did have. 

I am always a fan of a sentient house.