Reviews

Un Mar Sin Estrellas by Erin Morgenstern

Only show reviews with written explanations

ame_hadders's review against another edition

2.0

2 stars - really struggled with this one. Mostly because I was so confused throughout the entire book. I had no clue what I was reading and why. There was no central conflict or strong plot to really make me care about the story and characters. I also felt like it was too descriptive. The pacing was quite slow and not a lot happened, especially the first 200 pages. The romance also fell flat for me. To summarise it was just too literary for me, not my cup of tea.

pancakke's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I think you have to accept that the plot might be nonsensical at times in order to become lost in the beautiful world the work builds.

Things just happen in this book and you just have to accept them. Subplots intertwine, presented myths become realities, and timelines intersect. There was a lot of worldbuilding and honestly I think if the author primarily focused on the history of the Harbor and characters of the Harbor it might have been better.

smateer73's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Oh my god. I don’t even know if I can describe this book except for intoxicating. Morganstern’s words sweep you along like the honeyed tide of the Starless Sea. This book was magical with the intertwining of fate and magic and metaphor and back to reality but what is reality and who are we but words on a page and people in a story? Absolutely unbelievable but the most believable thing I’ve read in a long time, the story that feels real and you hunger for and becomes a part of you and changes you. It was amazing. This was like the inception of books, and that’s my favorite movie so it makes sense that this was one of my favorite books. All I can say is that I will never be the same after reading this book.

the_autlaw's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Complete and utter dreck. Endless pages of description with no plot or character development. Boring. A shell of a book. There is no there, there. It is like Lost, the tv show, nothing pays off in the end. Nothing is explained. If you loved The Night Circus, take a hard pass on this one. I gave it two stars for the lovely descriptions but don't expect the descriptions to really evoke anything approaching atmosphere. Just say no. If you enjoy wasting your time, have at it.

maddieasy's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Took me a while to get into The Starless Sea but when I did I couldn't put it down. A lovely ode to storytelling.

cecile87's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I just saw a GR quote: the world is incomprehensible and full of surprises. Missed the creator of the quote. It fits for this book.

Anyway, I CAN’T BELIEVE I READ THE WHOLE THING! Someone, give me a Sidecar or some other crafted cocktail without the honey or sugar, please. A combination of audible and print got me through it. I listened while doing chores, etc. That got me through a lot.

The mood of the book—sort of surreal and slightly menacing—hung over me like a cloud and interfered with my dreams during sleep. I had to stop reading it before bedtime, as I would awake the next day feeling a bit morose.

I get the celebration of books and stories herein, but I couldn’t follow the metaphors. There were so many of them. And lots of little fables. My favorite was about the moon and the innkeeper.

Then, I discover in reviews I read along the way from the NYT and the Guardian (or WP) that the metaphors don’t always have any meaning we are to discern from the author.

I saw a YT review where the reviewer demonstrated playing a drinking game every time the word door was mentioned! I laughed out loud as she read some passages I recognized and took lots of sips.

The book seems so random, especially towards the last third. Monsters came from nowhere to trick and subdue some of the protagonists. There were talking obsequious bees. Made me think of the movie eyes wide shut—which I only saw snippets of with no plan to watch. If my book club hadn’t chosen this book to read (we read Night Circus years ago), I don’t think I would have finished it.

The book was rich in complexity with well-written passages. I’ve learned from a reviewer that this is a setting-driven story. Amazing world-building. I did appreciate the multi-cultural inclusion. POC and non-binary folks were in the story like no big deal, as they should be, IMHO. And some of the readers where also POC. (Turns out I know one of the readers!) That’s why the three stars instead of less. But I didn’t enjoy the ride. A long journey where I didn’t know where I was headed after the first chapter or two.