STARLING
Available now!
Published November 21, 2021
Edward Scissorhands meets When the Moon Was Ours in this enchanting, lushly romantic 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’re 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 the Wilding’s home, both Delta and her sister go to incredible lengths to protect their mystical visitor—especially as Delta’s growing feelings for the boy from the stars could prove the greatest risk of all.
Filled with atmospheric prose and lush and vivid descriptions, STARLING has the spectacular waiting with every flip of the page.
Praise for Starling
“Debut author Strychacz dusts her novel with the supernatural as she puts humanity's beauty and ugliness on equal display, keeping this heartfelt story from slipping into sentimentality and sparkling all the more for it.”
— Booklist
“Strychacz’s debut boasts evocative writing; a compelling love triangle between Delta, Starling, and Delta’s sometimes-boyfriend, 18-year-old Tag Rockford III; and a kaleidoscopic third-person narrative that adds complexity.”
— Publisher’s Weekly
“Evoking a darkly whimsical tone, this tale is an engrossing, languidly paced work of suspense exploring family and small-town dynamics and loyalties. . . An earnest, slowly unfolding drama.”
— Kirkus Review
“Starling will leave you wishing on stars and dropping coins in wells—a breathless dream of a novel about love, family, and the magic surrounding us.”
— Katrina Leno, author of You Must Not Miss and Horrid