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spunglass's review against another edition
5.0
Before I picked up this book one of the complaints I had heard was about the structure of the book: personally I loved the little stories within the story. The little breaks I felt were timed perfectly with the events to give context about characters, and previous events -- but also left you hanging to see what would happen next with our main character. What choice would they make? How were they going to write their story?
Every minute of this book I was in love. There were so many times I paused my reading to re-read a line or passage, and just enjoy the beauty of it.
Once I have gotten through my stacks of 'to read' books, this is definitely a book I will be picking up again.
Every minute of this book I was in love. There were so many times I paused my reading to re-read a line or passage, and just enjoy the beauty of it.
Once I have gotten through my stacks of 'to read' books, this is definitely a book I will be picking up again.
meta_grrrl's review against another edition
5.0
This woman needs to write more dang books. They’re all so good.
carlaj1082's review against another edition
5.0
This book!!! AHHH!! I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it is. I have never wanted to enfold myself into the arms of a book like I have this one. It is pure genius. I can't even begin to go on about how magnificent it was to read it. I never wanted it to end. There will never be another. READ IT!!
ferouzreadsbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
_shivangi_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
tbh for the majority of the book i had no idea what was going on. towards the end some things started to make sense but it was confusing still. i kept waiting for all of it to come together with a reasonable explanation but ig that's the beauty of this book- it's meant solely for the purpose of enjoying the immersive and other-worldly experience that comes with reading.
i wish there were more Zachary-Dorian moments though. their relationship, sweet yes but it did feel a little rushed. however, i loved the fact that there weren't elaborate declarations of love but sweet subtle moments enough to melt my cold stony heart, for example when Zachary says, "...and then i got so lost i started looking for something familiar and i found you." or "this person is a place Zachary could lose himself in and never wish to be found."
my favourite quote from the book has to be this: "that his religion is buried in the silence of freshly fallen snow, in a carefully crafted cocktail, in between the pages of a book somewhere after the beginning and before the ending."
i wish there were more Zachary-Dorian moments though. their relationship, sweet yes but it did feel a little rushed. however, i loved the fact that there weren't elaborate declarations of love but sweet subtle moments enough to melt my cold stony heart, for example when Zachary says, "...and then i got so lost i started looking for something familiar and i found you." or "this person is a place Zachary could lose himself in and never wish to be found."
my favourite quote from the book has to be this: "that his religion is buried in the silence of freshly fallen snow, in a carefully crafted cocktail, in between the pages of a book somewhere after the beginning and before the ending."
arlaster's review against another edition
3.0
MAN. this story was a vibe to me, not a story. it did not feel like reading a story.
basically, this just felt like a whole lot of atmospheric description without a lot of anything else (of course there is STORY, and of course it does connect in some way, but it just (purposely?) feels like such utter chaos, that it does not feel like there is actual meaning, story, or context sometimes). it is chaos, and it is beautifully written chaos, which i did admittedly enjoy a lot. however… chaos nonetheless.
the only way i can describe my feelings on this book is an excerpt from it:
“[…] worried by Simon’s behavior and even more concerned about the way everything keeps repeating and becoming more confusing when it should be getting clearer.”
other things this book reminds me of: having the most confusing fever dream that you still remember ten years later because it was so bizarre, reading an adult-audience targeted book as a child and thinking the writing was nice, but not understanding what was going on at all, joining a group of people in the middle of a conversation without knowing or getting any context but them expecting you to understand, etc.
all in all, i still really love morgenstern’s writing and i DO want to read her other books. i did enjoy the representation in the starless sea, and i did actually enjoy the process of reading it. did i also think it could have been a 350 page book instead, while still conveying the same clusterfuck of metaphors and story? absolutely.
tl;dr: this book is like a huge “what the fuck?”, but written in the most extravagant, beautiful written cursive handwriting
basically, this just felt like a whole lot of atmospheric description without a lot of anything else (of course there is STORY, and of course it does connect in some way, but it just (purposely?) feels like such utter chaos, that it does not feel like there is actual meaning, story, or context sometimes). it is chaos, and it is beautifully written chaos, which i did admittedly enjoy a lot. however… chaos nonetheless.
the only way i can describe my feelings on this book is an excerpt from it:
“[…] worried by Simon’s behavior and even more concerned about the way everything keeps repeating and becoming more confusing when it should be getting clearer.”
other things this book reminds me of: having the most confusing fever dream that you still remember ten years later because it was so bizarre, reading an adult-audience targeted book as a child and thinking the writing was nice, but not understanding what was going on at all, joining a group of people in the middle of a conversation without knowing or getting any context but them expecting you to understand, etc.
all in all, i still really love morgenstern’s writing and i DO want to read her other books. i did enjoy the representation in the starless sea, and i did actually enjoy the process of reading it. did i also think it could have been a 350 page book instead, while still conveying the same clusterfuck of metaphors and story? absolutely.
tl;dr: this book is like a huge “what the fuck?”, but written in the most extravagant, beautiful written cursive handwriting
sourpatchsims's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Honestly, I'm already wanting to reread. This book is a complex web of interweaving stories, all beautiful and atmospheric, at times overlapping and other times on their own journeys. The weaving of stories fits builds a beautiful atmosphere that fits the plot(s) perfectly and I wish I could inhabit this story even more than I do most (which is saying a lot). At this moment I'm feeling like I could reread this story a million times and never get bored.
emily__kay's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
jaimiedorea10's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
This book is well-written with very creative world-building. Reading it sort of felt like reading a dream. Its beautiful fairy-tale imagery that feels unrelated leaves you feeling a little lost, like you can't remember the journey there. My main critique is the plot and lead character leave you with the sensation of being dragged rather than pulled through the story. This is mostly because the lead doesn't know what's going on as much as the reader and hardly makes any choices. This is even pointed out to him around the 70% mark--that he doesn't make decisions. Because he's just along for the journey, it rips away a lot of the tension that could have been present here. He is not conflicted, just confused for the majority of the book. This makes him feel flat and not very relatable. He is an engine, not a person until maybe the last 15% of the novel. I was unmotivated to pick up the book and finish it, despite how amazing Erin's descriptions are. Even at the end, it felt like swimming through honey--sweet but slow, and made me realize how impatient of a reader I can be, lol.