You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
forthesanityof1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Quarantine read!
I was super excited to read this since it was from the dragon god himself, Christopher Paolini. I pre-ordered my copy so far in advanced I actually forgot about it and almost bought it twice by accident. The premise sounded so interesting I was beyond happy to finally have the motivation to tackle it.
However.
While the world building was amazing, that was largely the only positive point I had for the book. I found all the characters to be one-dimensional and had a difficult time sinking into the story. It feels like it lacked emotional depth the entire way through except maybe the last 100 pages. I only maintained interest because I got to the halfway point and the plot finally gave me something interesting to hold onto with the Jellies. The character interactions themselves were superficial and did not inspire feelings of closeness between them to me. This led to me not giving a shit about any of the characters. The only ones I cared about were the entropists and Gregorovich. Everything else felt disjointed. There was a single section where the author added in a half page of dialogue about some politics that had literally never been mentioned before that point (think it was about 500 or 600 pages in) and was never mentioned again. Even in the beginning before plot occurs, Kira and Alan don't feel close or connected. I dont know, it might just be me. My other huge problem revolved around Kira herself. I love selfish characters or ones that choose to do things for reasons other than "what is morally right" but I could not get a read on Kira's motives at all. I didn't understand why she did what she did. She didn't come off as much of a scientist, either. It's like she has no personality, and yes, I know that's an issue with female narrators, I'm very aware of it; but the fact remains that Kira didn't matter to me. I felt no connection, no empathy, for her experiences. In addition, there were moments with Kira that took me completely out of the narrative. One example is whenKira first looks at herself in the mirror after obtaining the Soft Blade and is so repulsed by her form that she wonders how someone will ever love her "in that way." That being the first thing a female character thinks after enduring an alien parasite attaching itself to her, murdering her fiance and crew, and being tortured by some government doctor seems a little male-gaze centered to me. In addition, the Soft Blade actually being a life-giver and being called the "Seed" literally made my skin crawl when it was revealed. . Additionally, there were some weird moments of bullying and body-shaming that occurred for seemingly no reason at all,, which bothered me immensely when they happened. Overall, not super happy with this but I will still give his next book in the series a shot and hope for something a little more complex regarding the characters.
I was super excited to read this since it was from the dragon god himself, Christopher Paolini. I pre-ordered my copy so far in advanced I actually forgot about it and almost bought it twice by accident. The premise sounded so interesting I was beyond happy to finally have the motivation to tackle it.
However.
While the world building was amazing, that was largely the only positive point I had for the book. I found all the characters to be one-dimensional and had a difficult time sinking into the story. It feels like it lacked emotional depth the entire way through except maybe the last 100 pages. I only maintained interest because I got to the halfway point and the plot finally gave me something interesting to hold onto with the Jellies. The character interactions themselves were superficial and did not inspire feelings of closeness between them to me. This led to me not giving a shit about any of the characters. The only ones I cared about were the entropists and Gregorovich. Everything else felt disjointed. There was a single section where the author added in a half page of dialogue about some politics that had literally never been mentioned before that point (think it was about 500 or 600 pages in) and was never mentioned again. Even in the beginning before plot occurs, Kira and Alan don't feel close or connected. I dont know, it might just be me. My other huge problem revolved around Kira herself. I love selfish characters or ones that choose to do things for reasons other than "what is morally right" but I could not get a read on Kira's motives at all. I didn't understand why she did what she did. She didn't come off as much of a scientist, either. It's like she has no personality, and yes, I know that's an issue with female narrators, I'm very aware of it; but the fact remains that Kira didn't matter to me. I felt no connection, no empathy, for her experiences. In addition, there were moments with Kira that took me completely out of the narrative. One example is when
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Blood
noelanig's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
2.0
I was so bored the whole time goodness gracious. Thanks space sapphics, you really got me through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Vomit
the_chaotic_witch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
878 pages; 2020; 5/5 stars; 9.57 CAWPILE; spoiler-free
This junker of a book was gifted to Me by a youtube-friend who was really excited about the release of this book and desperately wanted Me to read it, too. At first, I was a bit apprehensive, not really even knowing what the book was actually about. I had just put it on my wishlist because she praised it so much.
On another note, bear with Me here; it will all come together. A few weeks back, a friend from home and I talked about Sci-Fi books and how we never seemed to find what we were looking for in them. And that was: plotting, political intrigue, universe/multiverse-vast world-building, multiple characters, that may not all be that important and not only our knot of that perfect friend group, (for Me:) found family, (for her:) engaging battles, aliens (duh), with more than "they are different we'll fight them" and logic. Logic was a big part for both of us. We didn't want a poor reason to get the plot going, no holes in the world-building or illogical character choices.
And then my friend sent Me this book. "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars." The title alone is beautiful, isn't it? It's melodic and mysterious. The cover, too, is intriguing. A human floating in space, seemingly naked, meaning no suit, not ship, nothing to keep them alive. Nothing to sustain their body. How do they do it? Why are they there? What do they feel beholding the universe all around them? What does it physically feel like?
Needless to say, the book was everything I was looking for.
To start this off, let Me quickly summarize a snippet of the plot. It is the year 2157, and our Main character is a young woman working as a xenobiologist on a far off planet with her team and her boyfriend. On their last day, she is sent out to recover some of their machines, and in the process, she stumbles upon a strange rock formation with a curious cave inside. As is the fashion with Main characters, she falls in. Her being a xenobiologist, someone who does science on the life forms on different planets, she is fascinated by this cave and what it beholds. But when she touches something, that something starts to move and to absorb into her body. And she doesn't like that. And the rest of the universe won't either.
Now that we have the basic premise out of the way, let Me tell you what else it is about: loss, grief, being separated from family, travel, responsibility and having to deal with things that are outside of your control, bureaucracy (would you believe it), science (duh), what makes a person a person (but not in the way you think), love of all different kinds, mental health, determination, dealing with cultures you are not accustomed to, confidence, willpower, friend( )ship, safety on a global rate (also not how you think), the multitude of human life experiences, sacrifice, the greater good, trust, the frustrations of life, and an ending that is open and so different from what you usually find in stories in general.
You can really feel that Paolini worked on this book for nine years. It is coherent in its plot, world, and characters. There is a logic behind each action. Each character is adequately fleshed out and has their reasons to act the way they do, that are not just there to serve as a sob-story but contribute to the plot. The development of different civilizations and cultures is handled with much care and diversity. Being a white, german woman, I can't speak to their accuracy, but I like to think that Paolini dedicated himself to writing them as best he could. There were some parts where I was like, eh, but then again; I cannot be the judge of that.
From the very beginning, the world-building was intricate. Of course, it is a stark difference from our own reality, so it needs to be a bit blunt and extreme, but that only lasts for the first few pages. Once the action starts, it fades quickly into the naturalness of the storytelling. The world/universe expands are we (the Main character) learn ever the more, and it is done with precision and careful planning. I have rarely read a book that was so cohesive in its world, characters, and plot each. Usually, one of those is lacking. Not here.
Over almost 900 pages, there is plenty of room and time for the characters to develop, and they did not fail to do so. Some of their development happened on them plot-related, some came from within. Some of it was caused by the people around them, so was for the people around them.
The cast of characters is big, and while we have our group of main characters, not even the small side-characters that appear once or twice feel one-dimensional. There is an undercurrent of meaning and depth to all of them and their actions, and that is one of the things that makes this book so magical. Not the glitter of stars, not the epic battles, not the crew's feelings and emotions. But the inherent humanness of it all. Even of the parts that were not human and weren't portrayed to be human, there was a realness to them that made it easy to emerge yourself in the story.
Now, of course, 900 pages makes this a very long story. So, I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook (at the time of Me writing this review, it is up on Scribd).
The ending of this book was bitter-sweet in more than one way. Of course, and more prevalent for Me because it ended. I didn't want to lose these characters. To not know how they would continue onwards, what their next adventure would be (because this story is truly more than only one adventure). But also because of the nature of the ending. I hinted at this before, and, to be honest, it frustrated Me - goodness, it still frustrates Me! But at the same time, I do love it so much. Because this is what I've been looking for for so long, something that is so close to life and that does not depend on what toxic traits the characters tried to overcome initially (trying hard to keep it vague and spoiler-free).
So, needless to say, I highly recommend this to anyone, who wants a cast of characters to fall in love with, a world that almost feels more real than this one, and a journey through space to find not only humanity's only hope but also themselves.
This is Me signing off, be kind, especially to yourselves. Bye ♥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, and Grief
astronut's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
plantbasedbride's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When Kira discovers an ancient alien relic while on a scientific mission, the xenobiologist's life is forever altered.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars started off strong. In fact, the first few chapters were my favourite of the entire novel and immediately drew me in. Sadly, with a few exceptions, it was all downhill from there.
I'll start with the good.
The discovery of the xeno and the early development of its nature and abilities. I loved how we learned of the xeno and I was intrigued by its purpose and origins. I couldn't wait to untangle the mystery! Sadly, the more we learned the less I cared. Paolini took the xeno in a decidedly fantastical direction that was at odds with the setting and expectations set forth by his work.
Gregorivitch. He is the star of this novel. I pretty much only finished it because of him. He is 100% responsible for at least one extra star in my rating. I would let him call me his spiky meatbag anytime! The only way I'd consider reading a sequel is if it's all Gregorivitch all the time.
The narrator of the audiobook. They did a fantastic job.
And... oh. I guess that's it for the good.
And then there's the bad.
Kira. She's our protagonist, and yet we know very little about her. She's incredibly one dimensional and not particularly interesting outside of the circumstances she has found herself in. I would much rather read a book about Gregorivitch (as previously stated).
The oh-so predictable romance between our self-insert protagonist and the roguish captain of a ship with a ragtag yet lovable crew.
The awkward dialogue where everyone starts each sentence with "[my name], here..." and ends every other sentence with "..., also." This got seriously irritating after several hundred pages.
The many space battles that bled into each other after a while and added nothing to the plot or character development.
The "our MC is actually basically a God/chosen one and is the only one who can save the entire universe!" trope, which I hate with a burning passion.
And an added dose of victim blaming (of a character being bullied by fellow crewmates) and body shaming (in regard to scars).
Oh, and it was easily 500 pages too long.
Listen, despite all my issues with this one I did enjoy it, for the most part. There were some interesting ideas (though none were fully developed), there were some loveable side characters, and I love sci-fi enough that I just enjoyed being in space for a while. But this is certainly not one of the better sci-fi novels I've read, and I don't plan on continuing with the series (if it in fact becomes one).
VIDEO REVIEW: (coming soon)
You can find me on...
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/plantbasedbride">Youtube</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elizabethturn/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ElizabethTurn">Twitter</a>
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars started off strong. In fact, the first few chapters were my favourite of the entire novel and immediately drew me in. Sadly, with a few exceptions, it was all downhill from there.
I'll start with the good.
The discovery of the xeno and the early development of its nature and abilities. I loved how we learned of the xeno and I was intrigued by its purpose and origins. I couldn't wait to untangle the mystery! Sadly, the more we learned the less I cared. Paolini took the xeno in a decidedly fantastical direction that was at odds with the setting and expectations set forth by his work.
Gregorivitch. He is the star of this novel. I pretty much only finished it because of him. He is 100% responsible for at least one extra star in my rating. I would let him call me his spiky meatbag anytime! The only way I'd consider reading a sequel is if it's all Gregorivitch all the time.
The narrator of the audiobook. They did a fantastic job.
And... oh. I guess that's it for the good.
And then there's the bad.
Kira. She's our protagonist, and yet we know very little about her. She's incredibly one dimensional and not particularly interesting outside of the circumstances she has found herself in. I would much rather read a book about Gregorivitch (as previously stated).
The oh-so predictable romance between our self-insert protagonist and the roguish captain of a ship with a ragtag yet lovable crew.
The awkward dialogue where everyone starts each sentence with "[my name], here..." and ends every other sentence with "..., also." This got seriously irritating after several hundred pages.
The many space battles that bled into each other after a while and added nothing to the plot or character development.
The "our MC is actually basically a God/chosen one and is the only one who can save the entire universe!" trope, which I hate with a burning passion.
And an added dose of victim blaming (of a character being bullied by fellow crewmates) and body shaming (in regard to scars).
Oh, and it was easily 500 pages too long.
Listen, despite all my issues with this one I did enjoy it, for the most part. There were some interesting ideas (though none were fully developed), there were some loveable side characters, and I love sci-fi enough that I just enjoyed being in space for a while. But this is certainly not one of the better sci-fi novels I've read, and I don't plan on continuing with the series (if it in fact becomes one).
VIDEO REVIEW: (coming soon)
You can find me on...
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/plantbasedbride">Youtube</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elizabethturn/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ElizabethTurn">Twitter</a>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, and Violence
sylcooper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The plot was gripping, I got really invested in the life of the main character and I thoroughly enjoyed the world building. I cannot wait for another entry in the Fractal verse.
This book is a 4 instead of a 5 for me mainly because the ending doesn’t sit well with me right now for reasons I cannot go into due to spoilers. Although I will say the pacing bringing the story to a grinding halt has something to with it. Anyway I will probably re-read this sometime in the future to see how I feel then.
This book is a 4 instead of a 5 for me mainly because the ending doesn’t sit well with me right now for reasons I cannot go into due to spoilers. Although I will say the pacing bringing the story to a grinding halt has something to with it. Anyway I will probably re-read this sometime in the future to see how I feel then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Gore
rachelisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book gripped me start to finish. The first thing I would like to say is that it's excellently paced. There was no part where I found myself bored. The MC is flawed & realistic, which I really appriciated. She is not great at everything from the get. In addition, the cast of character is so wonderful, nuanced and diverse. I want to read more about them. I know this book wrapped itself up, if not entirely then mostly, but I wish I could stay in this world with them. You'll probably catch me doing a reread of this sometime this year, I know there is some stuff that went over my head and I just want to reexperience this story. Honestly, I might go read the entire Eragon series just to read his writting again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Medical trauma
lian's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I loved the Inheritance cycle so I had high expectations but this failed to deliver. The world-building is impressive, the first 100 pages were thrilling and exciting, but.. that's really all the positive things I can say about it.
The plot was uninteresting, it reads like a mediocre superhero movie, filled with clichés and plot points that either don't develop (what was up with that seeker?) or plot points that just don't make sense (Aliens ask you to kill their Evil Overlord, and it's just, oh ok, no questions asked? What??) or plot points that are forced and cringey (the staff of blue.. and the jellies not being able to harm their Evil Overlord because of a genetic thing???) .
Furthermore, he obviously did his best to have a diverse cast of characters, and to write a female MC that is believable, so that's commendable, but it felt awkward anyway.
Oh and Trig not being able to pronounce Hwa-Jung's name wasn't cute and funny. It was racist.
Sooo.. meh.
The plot was uninteresting, it reads like a mediocre superhero movie, filled with clichés and plot points that either don't develop
Furthermore, he obviously did his best to have a diverse cast of characters, and to write a female MC that is believable, so that's commendable, but it felt awkward anyway.
Oh and Trig not being able to pronounce Hwa-Jung's name wasn't cute and funny. It was racist.
Sooo.. meh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, and Grief
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
WOW WOW WOW. I still love Christopher Paolini's writing. Of course he would be the one to get me to jump into sci fi! It wasn't too heavy with a lot of science all the time, which I was dreading and terrified of. There were definitely concepts in relation to the spaceships and space travel that I didn't fully understand, but I had enough information that I followed along for how it moved the story.
I was OBSESSED with the characters. All of the beginning kind of sets things up, but then when things get rolling, it is a great balance of bonding moments with terrifying space battles that have you on the edge of your seat! The addition of Inare was AMAZING and I saw the connection immediately - it put such a big smile on my face! There were other little references to the Inheritance Cycle that you see in bits and pieces. And of course Runcible and Mr. Fuzzypants were awesome! I wish they were in it a little bit more.
Gregorovitch has got to be one of my new favourite characters ever - his sass and retorts are next level, and his story just thoroughly pulls you in to sympathize with him. And his fierceness to protect his crew? Amazing. There wasn't a single character that I didn't like. Falconi is awesome, Nielsen, Sparrow, and Hwa-jung are all BADASS, and I loved Trig and Vishal. Kira of course is the most epic character of all, and I absolutely loved having the story from her perspective. I thought that Paolini did a fantastic job writing her pov - it definitely did not feel like how some male authors write female characters. While the focus had to be on her body at so many points because of the Soft Blade, it never felt like he was oversexualizing or using a stereotypical male author perspective to write her. I felt she was written so well.
I will say that there is obviously a lot of space travelling, and a lot of space battles. I felt that he did really well with the balance of pacing, slowing things down at point to develop characters and the plot but then ramping things up for completely epic escapes and battles. The space travel sub-chapters could get a bit slow, since most characters are sleeping or in cryo, but they were soooo important to the development of Kira's character, and he did a really good job of breaking them up at the ends of the parts of the book. The battles were intense and had me stressed out more than once - screaming in my head "DON'T KILL THE BABIES" - but written well where they were easy to follow and picture in my head.
Plus, I just love the artwork and the cool sciencey space maps!? Such cool additions.
I also HIGHLY recommend reading Paolini's afterward and acknowledgements. Knowing what he went through to write this book and how long of a process it was gives me an even deeper appreciation for this book.
Note: I was buddy reading this with two friends who love sci-fi, and I am someone who has not read sci-fi. Somehow, I was constantly past them in reading, and ended up finishing before them. Apparently, Paolini has gotten me to like sci-fi...
I was OBSESSED with the characters. All of the beginning kind of sets things up, but then when things get rolling, it is a great balance of bonding moments with terrifying space battles that have you on the edge of your seat! The addition of Inare was AMAZING and I saw the connection immediately - it put such a big smile on my face! There were other little references to the Inheritance Cycle that you see in bits and pieces. And of course Runcible and Mr. Fuzzypants were awesome! I wish they were in it a little bit more.
Gregorovitch has got to be one of my new favourite characters ever - his sass and retorts are next level, and his story just thoroughly pulls you in to sympathize with him. And his fierceness to protect his crew? Amazing. There wasn't a single character that I didn't like. Falconi is awesome, Nielsen, Sparrow, and Hwa-jung are all BADASS, and I loved Trig and Vishal. Kira of course is the most epic character of all, and I absolutely loved having the story from her perspective. I thought that Paolini did a fantastic job writing her pov - it definitely did not feel like how some male authors write female characters. While the focus had to be on her body at so many points because of the Soft Blade, it never felt like he was oversexualizing or using a stereotypical male author perspective to write her. I felt she was written so well.
I will say that there is obviously a lot of space travelling, and a lot of space battles. I felt that he did really well with the balance of pacing, slowing things down at point to develop characters and the plot but then ramping things up for completely epic escapes and battles. The space travel sub-chapters could get a bit slow, since most characters are sleeping or in cryo, but they were soooo important to the development of Kira's character, and he did a really good job of breaking them up at the ends of the parts of the book. The battles were intense and had me stressed out more than once - screaming in my head "DON'T KILL THE BABIES" - but written well where they were easy to follow and picture in my head.
Plus, I just love the artwork and the cool sciencey space maps!? Such cool additions.
I also HIGHLY recommend reading Paolini's afterward and acknowledgements. Knowing what he went through to write this book and how long of a process it was gives me an even deeper appreciation for this book.
Note: I was buddy reading this with two friends who love sci-fi, and I am someone who has not read sci-fi. Somehow, I was constantly past them in reading, and ended up finishing before them. Apparently, Paolini has gotten me to like sci-fi...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Medical trauma
jaffacake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I would recommend this book but of all the books I've read, it seems to take a different path than the earlier story indicates. I was expecting it to go a completely different way, and find out more about the xeno and its creators but I didn't. I found the discussions with the aliens the most interesting part, I felt that Paolini did a great job in conveying their different culture.
Overall though I wish that this book was clearer to understand. The introduction of a glossary helps but having to constantly refer to it for multiple words within one page is irritating. That and the introduction of Alan seemed silly, he was mentioned for all of five minutes before they killed him to amp up the drama for kira. Surely such a crucial relationship for kira would be mentioned more often?
Overall though I wish that this book was clearer to understand. The introduction of a glossary helps but having to constantly refer to it for multiple words within one page is irritating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence