Reviews: The Starless Sea (33)

Once, a very long ago, time fell in love with fate....
This is how I start my review of this magical story ; it is simply ode to books, stories and people who read them. We don’t read just one story, there are stories within stories with multiple endings, they all feel like pieces of bigger ones you feel that there is more that happens beyond the pages.

She uses her trademark attention to detail to paint vivid pictures in our minds with her descriptions of objects and places. She forces us to engage our five senses and transports us to pages within the words and imagine it.

Erin Morgenstern has created a clever book with so many references to the books we all know and enjoy since our childhood, you almost have to guess, which is what..

I was totally and utterly enchanted with this book and it’s stories, I am definitely sure that you will be too. It is an experience and enjoy it...

Being a bookseller is a privilege, and nothing shows that more than being sent this wonderful book months early. Thank you so much Vintage for giving me the book I've been dreaming of. It is hard to describe this book without spoilers or too much fangirling, but I shall try.

Erin Morgenstern is my favourite author of all time. I have a number of copies of her first book, The Night Circus, which I have read repeatedly since I bought it the first time about 7/8 years ago. I've been patiently waiting for a new book by her for years, and that obviously left me nervous about whether it would live up to my expectation. The Starless Sea did not disappoint, in fact it surpassed anything I could dream of.

This book is like a dance; it is full of different stories that you weave through to the same tune. The way they interlock to create this magnificent tale is so elegant and masterful. The main plot follows Zachary Ezra Rawlins after he finds himself in a book hidden in his universities library. The adventure that ensues is unlike anything else you'll read. It is a love story for the bibliophiles of the world reminding you why we love to read so much. It's gorgeous, it's rich, it's like honey. I felt myself fall into the book like Alice fell into wonderland.

Erin Morgenstern is a sorcerer at creating characters that you feel in your bones. Zachary is a wonderful protagonist that many will relate to (not in the least as a Ravenclaw). Dorian and Mirabel are both wonderful and create a gang that leave you on the edge of your seats as you watch their adventures unfold. The worlds she creates are magical, reminiscent of fairy tales you loved as child, that will leave you entranced. Each individual story that Morgenstern has interwoven into the story is masterful, stunning, and would all work on their own. By putting it all into this dancing story, Morgenstern creates an absolutely beautiful story that wraps around you and keeps you warm. It is unlike anything I've read.

For anyone who loves a story, for anyone who wants to read, I recommend The Starless Sea. It will remind you why we love stories.

An absolutely gorgeously written tale entwining stories and fables together to produce an absolute marvel of a book.

I absolutely loved this novel and was transported into another world. Zac finds a book in the university library and within its pages is a story about him when he was younger, desperate to find out the origin of this book zac is taken on an adventure into a world Of love, fate, time and books.

This novel is so beautifully written you will believe you are living the story yourself. For anyone that likes a little bit of magic and loves books, read this and go on adventure of a lifetime to The Starless Sea.

Firstly can I just say, this sumptuous book cover is much to be treasured and admired.
As you meander through a labyrinth of hidden doorways, you will be transported to somewhere new. Almost like a puzzle. It is hard to map a place that changes. Combining reality and fantasy. Questions and answers that don’t always fit together. This is a literary rollercoaster!

Firstly I have to say how incredibly grateful I was to receive an advanced proof of what is easily one of the most anticipated book releases of this year. I fell in love with The Night Circus when I read it, and have been counting the days till I could get my hands on The Starless Sea since it was announced last year. So without any further adieu, my spoiler-free review.

Very complicated feelings towards this one. Having just finished it I feel as though I have been suddenly awoken from a very elaborate and convoluted dream, but I'm struggling to remember the details in the morning fog.

The Starless Sea is epic and wonderful in many ways. I loved so many of the threads that Morgenstern weaves into this beautifully written book. Those who loved The whimsical, lyrical writing style of The Night Circus will not be disappointed. Morgenstern is a tremendous world builder, and the queen of detail, it's easy to lose yourself within these pages.

However I have to say that with The Starless Sea, there were perhaps too many threads, and perhaps the world was just a little too big for these 500 pages. I genuinely really enjoyed reading this book, but I have to admit that I spent a lot of it rather confused, be it about character motivation, plotline, or background story. Occasionally I would become so lost with the plotline that I had to go back and reread the same passages over and over again. I feel that Morgenstern knows all the answers to the questions I was asking while reading this book but had somehow failed to communicate these answers within the story. Overall this book was a complicated and slightly bewildering journey, and I failed to connect with the characters and the sense of place in the same way that I did with The Night Circus

This being said, I did enjoy being on the bewildering journey that this book presents, this book gave me a real feeling of excitement and wonder, and kept me turning the pages. Whilst I'm still not entirely sure what happened, or even why it happened, I'm glad that I spent a few days exploring The Starless Sea, and I would be tempted to give it a second visit.

I genuinely don't know where to start writing a review for this book... honestly, even after reading to the end of the book I'm not really sure what happened... but at the same time this is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

The multiple stories and metaphorical characters within the pages of the books inside the Starless Sea keep you intrigued and guessing who they might be all the way through, and you can't help but be behind Zachary all the way. You find yourself lost in the Starless Sea and between the pages of the many books that Zachary comes across on his journey and wishing, just like we have done for years with Wonderland, that we could get lost amongst the corridors of the Harbour for a day or two and uncover some of the mysteries there ourselves.

A true book lover's book and a phenomenally written story that deserves to be read by everyone!

Well, where can I possibly begin?
The Starless Sea is, in my opinion a must read not just for 2019 but ever!
It has been a long time since a book enraptured me as much as this one did. The spell was cast from page one, and in all honesty I don't think it will ever loosen its grip on me. And I hope it never does.
The story begins with our unlikely hero, one Zachary Ezra Rawlins stumbling upon a door that appears painted onto a wall but somehow totally real and functioning.
However Zachary Ezra Rawlins decides against investigating this door/wall art further and when he comes back to it later on it appears to have been wiped away from the place where it once stood....
Years later our hero finds a book in his universities library that seems mysterious to say the least.... no ISBN, no identity, no author...... strange but enticing non-the-less!
The pages are opened, read, digested and then realised as Zachary quickly finds out that the story he has just read is his own from when he was much younger and when he had an opportunity to access a new world, but failed to do so.....
He must now find out why he is involved in this literary work by any means necessary and this when he stumbles upon the symbols that will carve his future self: A Bee, a Key, and a Sword.... All he knows is a party in Manhattan could be his answer, so he buys a ticket, books a train and dives into this unlikely tale.
And that is just the start! This story has it all.
Dorian( who by the way is my favourite name for a guy ever since playing Dragon Age: Inquisition which Erin herself has also played!) is the mysterious stranger who appears to Zachary in the guise of a story teller who soon becomes a fellow companion on this incredible story along with Mirabel, a woman who may have lived through similar circumstances many times before and is a total bad ass!
This is a multi layered story within a story within a story which I admit may sound intimidating but honestly, I picked it all up incredibly quick and I devoured this in TWO DAYS!
All the stories slowly feed into each other to craft this epic tale.
It has it all: A gay love interest (awesome), Gaming and Literary references throughout and characters you will fall in love with and never want to say goodbye to, magic realism in spades, cliff hangers, twists and a real living breathing world of The Starless Sea.....
But when I had said goodbye on the final page, I just said one word: Wow.
Erin Morgenstern genuinely has made me a lifetime fan.
No doubt I will read it again one day.
A special Thank you to Vintage for gifting me this gorgeous book in return for my honest thoughts.

Thanks to Vintage for sending me a free proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

Erin Morgenstern is one of my favourite authors and when I heard that she was releasing a new book I was wildly excited but just a little scared that it might not hold up to the strong debut that The Night Circus was. However, my doubts were put to shame, all fears rested and expectations thoroughly smashed. The Starless Sea has been my favourite read of the year and reading Erin Morgenstern’s writing honestly felt like coming home. There were so many lines that were absolute gems (I took many many notes) and so beautiful. I am always amazed at how Morgenstern can craft a sentence so it can be poignant, witty and elegant, sometimes all at once.

The Starless Sea is first and foremost a love letter to storytelling in all its forms. You can feel the love bleed through the many references that will capture any bibliophiles heart (it even has a fancy book-themed party feature and now I desperately need to go to one and dance with my own Max, King of the Wild Things and drink an Ophelia cocktail) and even in the very structure of the book. It revels in the nature of narrative, its sprawling nature and inevitable interconnection.

She strikes an exquisitely vivid image of her world with her trademark lyrical prose (I mean just look at this quote for proof, “He carries a light in two places long unfamiliar with illumination that accept it like a half remembered dream.” I’m blown away at how she made something so simple that beautiful!). You can’t help but find yourself captured by the magic of the world and the mysteries of the secret library.

Yet, it has to be the characters who truly stole my heart. Our main character Zachary is instantly lovable and not just because he shares my love of well-crafted cocktails, though it does make him a man of very fine taste. I loved his relationship with Dorian and their determination to find each other. I have a soft spot for Zachary friends Kat, who gives us some of the funniest lines, “you will pry this Adventure Time notebook from my cold dead hands, ya ding dong”.

Overall I would say this book is a must for all book lovers and is guaranteed to not disappoint.

Like so many other people, I have been by turns eagerly awaiting and terrified to read Erin Morgenstern's second novel, given that The Night Circus was so good. I am so genuinely grateful that she took the time to craft this novel and didn't rush to publish because this was definitely worth the seven year wait. The Starless Sea tells the story of Zachery Ezra Rawlins, a mixed media graduate student who also has a love of books. When exploring his university library, he discovers a book which appears to be detailing his life story. What follows is a roller coaster ride that encompasses secret societies, masquerade balls, forbidden libraries and true love, all wonderfully packaged in Morgenstern's eloquent and lyrical prose. I loved the way that each book was excerpted within the narrative, providing backstory in places but also adding layer upon layer to the mystery while also revealing information that becomes pertinent as the narrative progresses. I LOVED Zachery (always Zachery, never Zach). He is quirky and kind and intelligent and secure in his own skin while retaining a vulnerability that was so appealing. All of the characters are incredibly well drawn and the way in which all of their lives intersect is so intricate and fascinating and utterly compelling. Anyone who has a love of books will really appreciate all of the literary nods and references throughout the narrative and there is a real sensuality and decadence to the prose that is intoxicating. I would say that the intricacies of the plot do require real focus to make sure that you keep everything straight, particularly in the last 100 pages, but quite honestly, this is a pleasure as it would be a real tragedy to miss anything in the prose. Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I think anyone who liked The Night Circus will be thrilled by this sophomore novel, as will those who enjoyed Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer duology or Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. Loved it!!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Harvill Secker in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a book for book lovers. For all of us who have ever wished to truly escape into the world of books and stories, this book is for us, and you will never be the same again once you've finished it. In a stunning narrative that entwines past, present, future, fiction, and real-life, the stories of the characters you will encounter in this book are exquisite, and unforgettable.

All I can say is - enjoy. This book is for all you lovers of books.

Thank you to Vintage Books for the review copy!

With the Night Circus being one of my favourite books I was really expecting big things, and Morgenstern definitely didn't disappoint. Her writing has always been uniquely beautiful and The Starless Sea is no different. She takes you on a haunting journey that leaves you wanting more, a definite definite must read!

I’m really heartbroken to say I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped, I know I’m in a minority when I say that! For me the story jumped around too much, each chapter is a different story thread, I’d just get into one story line then the narrative would jump to something else. I think I’ll have to read it again to get more enjoyment out of it.

Although I didn’t overly enjoy it, it is beautifully written and Erin Morgenstern takes readers on a magical adventure that is full of imagination. Everything is very cleverly linked together and that’s why I think a second read will be worth it, it’s no wonder this book was so long in the making when you look at how intricate it is. The Starless Sea world is truly a wonder, a treat for the senses and a superb homage to fairy tales and books. Even though I’ve been left feeling unsure about it, there will be plenty of readers who will adore this book and I'm looking forward to re-visiting it in the future.