Starlings
“A foreboding, flower-filled, feminist horror story.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS
Awarded “outstanding achievement in children’s literature” by the Wisconsin library association, starlings is 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 always told her he had no family, but his sudden death revealed the truth. Now Kit has a grandmother she never knew she had—Agatha Starling—and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont.
And Rosemont is picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom all year, 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 they’re 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 leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?
(COVER ART: Colin Verdi)
PRAISE FOR STARLINGS
“If you ever wished Stars Hollow had more things that went bump in the night, STARLINGS is for you! Linsmeier’s haunting mystery held me captive, eager to learn all of Rosemont’s dark secrets.”
—Erin Craig, New York Times Bestselling Author of HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS and SMALL FAVORS
“…the deliciously chilling plot advances swiftly toward a conclusion that will leave readers delightfully creeped out and thoroughly content.”
—Kirkus
“Like the town of Rosemont itself, outwardly lush and beautiful but steeped in sinister secrets beneath the surface, Linsmeier’s STARLINGS is a deliciously dark fantasy that I devoured in a single day.”
—Amy Goldsmith, author of THOSE WE DROWN
“Linsmeier uses a delicate emotional palette to depict her plot, beginning with the subdued gloom and grief surrounding Kit and her mother. The suspense gradually grows to the nail-biting climax, and character development is so nuanced that the reader, like Kit, can't trust anyone. Fans of folk horror will be entranced by this suspenseful novel..”
—BOOKLIST
“Linsmeier ably builds suspense and thoroughly commits to the concept as Kit discovers she’s expected to hew to tradition and sacrifice herself. Human grief blends with supernatural horror, and readers are asked to ponder exactly how much people are willing to exchange for prosperity and comfort—as long as someone else is paying the price.”
—The Bulletin
PresS
Wisconsin Library Association Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Literature
Amanda Linsmeier and Amy Goldsmith ‹ CrimeReads
The Best New YA Books of June 2023 (pastemagazine.com)
YA Book Recommendations Inspired by the Language of Flowers (getunderlined.com)
Eerie Reading! New Books for the Recent Rise in YA Horror - Goodreads News & Interviews
On horror, returning to the page, and heartfelt perspectives on storytelling, with Amanda Linsmeier
Behind the Cover Design of Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier (getunderlined.com)
Foreign Editions
STARLINGS will be published in these countries/languages
Italy (Newton Compton Editori)
Spanish World Rights: Argentina, Mexico, & Spain (V&R Editoras/VR Editoras/VR Europe)
content warnings: some scares, nightmare scenes, blood, language, depictions of physical abuse, child/teen death, parent death (off-page), mention of suicide & cannibalism