Reviews

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

books_with_kaumudi's review against another edition

2.0

It didn't make sense. At all. There were points where the story completely lost me. And I still don't understand the whole point.

The only part I liked was at the end when the main character's friend starts looking for him which actually implied that all the weird adventures that the main character has gone through have some impact on his friends and family.

whatevercomesnaturally's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

_ibby_'s review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

lmsully's review

5.0

“As her gown cascades around the chair the ripples in the fabric become waves, and within the waves there are ships and sailors and sea monsters and then the sea within her gown is lost in the drifting snow.”

elliot_scribbles's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

xeve's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

natt_lux's review

5.0

"Insane" - That's the most suitable word for this book. Absolutely beautifully insane.

I can't put into words how much this book shocked me. It was one riddle after the other, so many symbols and hints and meanings. I'm not sure I completely understood everything. Actually, I KNOW I didn't. But I think I get the general idea hidden inside the words, the secret written between the lines.

The quantity of details and connections amazes me. The story is so thought out and tangled, I'll never understand how anyone could write a masterpiece line this. Erin Morgenstern is batshit crazy and brilliant at the same time and I absolutely LOVE IT.

(There's only one teeny tiny negative I'd say and that is that, in my opinion, the romance deserved more screentime. Other relationships were so vividly described I really really felt it, but the main one was a bit weak for me. But I think romance wasn't the author's primary focus so... just a little remark!)

Do I recommend this book?

ABSOLUTELY YES

If you're not sure whether to risk it or not and thus reading my humble review: do it.


You will find something inside.




Quickly.




Do it.




The Owl King is coming.




Come on.




Open the door.

heather_boo's review

1.0

I have a wildly different opinion than most reviewers. This is simply a starless book. It is as if someone just graduated from a Symbology college class and feels the need to write about every single symbol. Every single one. The symbols are not connected. The fragments of stories are not connected. I wonder if the book is meant to read like an acid trip that can have beautiful words that never have meaning. The author admits within the story that everything is a metaphor, but a metaphor of what?! She borrows from Alice in Wonderland down to the rabbit and a bottle with “Drink.” Please, I silently begged, do not try to recreate Carroll’s story!!! But on she goes, with weird mazes and nonsense, but she doesn’t do it any justice. I can not recommend this book at all, and I had such high hopes for it.

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

4.0

I wanted to love this, and for about the first 150 pages, it looked like this might nudge The Night Circus out of favorite child status. Erin Morgenstern writes so beautifully, and her world-building is fanciful and superb.
The next 150 pages, though, were a slog. Still beautifully written, but there were too many times I was checking where I was in the page count. Even with the number of characters and the plot twist and turns, I think the story would have benefitted from some tightening up.
Things resolved satisfactorily in the final third. Ultimately a lovely book, and certainly librarian- and book-lover bait with the marvelous subterranean world of books and stories. But just a touch too cloying, much like the make-up of the starless sea itself.

Thanks to Doubleday and Edelweiss for the advance reader’s copy.

violavalenza's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0