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adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking
Moderate: Blood
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"This is the rabbit hole. Do you want to know the secret to surviving once you've gone down the rabbit hole?"
Zachary nods and Mirabel leans forward. Her eyes are ringed with gold.
"Be a rabbit," she whispers.
GOD. god i loved this. i think i found my new favourite book.
I'm never going to be able to put all my feelings about this incredible story down, at least not in any meaningful way, all I can do is encourage you to read it.
The prose was breathtaking. I don't think I've ever written down that many quotes (yes I take notes when I'm reading! It's fun) The world that Morgenstern so artfully constructed was beautiful and it hurts my soul that I can't live in it. I have very, very few complaints about this book. As in two. And one of those complaints is just that I think some bits could have used a comma or two to make things clearer, but I;m very overzealous with commas in my own writing so that might just be me. And the other one is that the middle is endless but frankly I don't really care because I loved every minute of it.
Man, I'm always going on to my friends about how much I hate feedback thats just "I loved it" but. Oh my god. I truly cannot think of anything else to say. I've seen this book described as a love letter to stories and the art of storytelling and I wholeheartedly agree. On that note, I do feel I have to say that this is not a casual read. I don't mean that in a derisive way! If you would identify yourself as a casual reader, that is completely fine. All I mean is that this book, in addition to being a love letter to the art of storytelling, is a nonlinear narrative with a lot of moving parts. A lot of different stories are told at once, and not all of them seem especially related to one another until the end. You have to be patient. If nonlinear narratives are a no-go for you, or if you prefer to shut your brain off a little and read to relax, this might not be your cup of tea. Personally, if I was making a list of books you should at least try to read before you die, this would be number one. That's very specific. Anyway, what I'm saying is that while I do suggest giving this a shot, know that it's not a casual fantasy romp. Not that casual fantasy romps are bad, I love them, just that this isn't that. I saw some people saying that they were confused or thrown off by the nature of the narrative, which I found odd at first. I suspect that the people who were confused were unaware of the nonlinear narrative/overlapping stories and so got confused when the story jumped around so much in time, location, and character, which is understandable! Just a heads-up there: 'tis complicated.
I have no idea if any of that made any sense. I feel a little high right now.
A book is made of paper but a story is a tree.
rep; main character of colour (presumably afro-latino, as his mother is described as Haitan), gay main character, various other characters of colour ranging in narrative importance from "very" to "not at all", fairly important character who "hates labels" and is attracted (at least) to men and women, mlm major character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
That schizophrenia/psychosis is discussed, none of the characters have schizophrenia or experience psychosis, although Zachary does repeatedly question his reality.
adventurous
mysterious
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
I am in awe of this book. The way Morgenstern wove layer upon layer of story and world building was truly impressive. I felt fully immersed in the world she created. And I loved how everything came together in the end yet still left an air of mystery / open endedness.
I can't wait to reread this book in a few years. It is certainly a story I will return to over and over again.
I can't wait to reread this book in a few years. It is certainly a story I will return to over and over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Erin Morgenstern's "The Starless Sea" beautifully illustrates the wonders of stories and storytelling. One thing I loved most about the prose and the writing, how everything was perfectly descriptive, allowing you to truly imagine yourself in this world of fantasies and stories.
Personally, I would rate it a 3.5 stars at first read because the pacing was a bit off at times. The first and last third of the book (specifically Book I, II, and VI) had a lot more plot compared to the other books. I also didn't feel the urgency of the antagonist because it was hardly mentioned directly to the reader. I also wished there was more of a plot in Books III, IV, and V since many of Zachary's perspective in the plot was him wandering around.
Along with this, there was no strong character development for any of the characters. All of them more or less stayed the same, making the driving force behind the plot the story set in stone and not the characters making decisions for themselves.
All in all, I strongly believe that this book is better understood through more reads due to the intricate interconnectedness of all the stories and characters. I can see my rating changing once I do read it again, though!
Personally, I would rate it a 3.5 stars at first read because the pacing was a bit off at times. The first and last third of the book (specifically Book I, II, and VI) had a lot more plot compared to the other books. I also didn't feel the urgency of the antagonist because it was hardly mentioned directly to the reader. I also wished there was more of a plot in Books III, IV, and V since many of Zachary's perspective in the plot was him wandering around.
Along with this, there was no strong character development for any of the characters. All of them more or less stayed the same, making the driving force behind the plot the story set in stone and not the characters making decisions for themselves.
All in all, I strongly believe that this book is better understood through more reads due to the intricate interconnectedness of all the stories and characters. I can see my rating changing once I do read it again, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First thing first, after finishing this book, I immediately search on Google "the starless sea ending explained". Because yeah, this book is one of them which make you feel dumb after finishing them.
Don’t get me wrong, the writing is beautiful, the characters loveable, the whole thing incredibly well constructed and imagined. But the thing is, I was clueless during the whole story, I understood very little and because of that, I’m mad.
And because I was completely lost sometimes and found some passages a bit boring, I put aside this book for days a few times, and I ended up even more clueless. So yeah, it was a ride, I honestly don’t know how to feel about this book. Maybe it wasn’t the right moment for me to read this book 😅
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, Stalking
adventurous
emotional
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:
No
“Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Alcohol
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I knew this book deserved five stars before I even finished. The writing was so beautiful and whimsical and ethereal and poetic! The stories within the story were so interested and it was SO cool that they contributed something to the plot and were not just random stories (I would not mind if it was the latter tho). Zachary was really relatable and funny and it was nice to see him being more independent from Sweet Sorrows as the story goes, following his own path. I wish his relationship with Dorian was more developed but, again, I don't mind at all they were still cute and ofc they made me cry! I was so happy to see a specific side character(iykyk) have the spotlight towards the end I love them so much!! ALSO the aesthetic of this book!!! It's not exactly dark academia but kinda close I don't know really xD But what I kniw is that I want to go there SO BADLY!! An underground library, full of ballrooms mysteries and CATS?? SIGN ME UP RIGHT NOW!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Stalking
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Starless Sea is a beautiful book. At times, I found it confusing due to the multiple storylines. The storylines did all come together nicely. Another thing that was confusing at times was all the different characters and their stories. I did enjoy this book, and how much of a dark, mysterious adventure it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Stalking
Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
The plot of the book is not linear in the course of it, we have stories that involve folk tales, biographies, etc. In the end, all the stories come together to create the context and finish everything not in a perfect way in the way that it needs to end.
I read together with the Wilted Rose Book Clube (Instagram → @wiltedrosebookclub) for the January book pick.
The book had an interesting plot and execution, it beguine to be a fun reading when you start to get used to the strange way the author decided to structure it.
I’m used to reading fantasy with magic, this was in my ally and the author was capable to make me feel like I haven't read magic before.
I liked the writing, with the parts where the author described food and the use of doors being my favourite parts.
The writing was easy to read and consistent with the structure of the story.
The main protagonist's of the story were Zachary (or the fortune teller son) who is a grad student specialized in games that finds the book Sweet Sorrows that guides him into the fantastic, Mirabel a mysterious woman that Zachary meets at a party and helps him in his quest to understand the book and Dorian a former guardian that meets Zachary and has his journey entwined in the party and he is also Zachary soulmate.
The relationship between Zachary and Dorian is good and very raw to a point in that you just feel like it was always there.
The book is set in New England and a magical hotel in some parts with world-building being an important part of the construction of the book. I liked the way that the starless sea was described and was interesting to see when it was used.
I read together with the Wilted Rose Book Clube (Instagram → @wiltedrosebookclub) for the January book pick.
The book had an interesting plot and execution, it beguine to be a fun reading when you start to get used to the strange way the author decided to structure it.
I’m used to reading fantasy with magic, this was in my ally and the author was capable to make me feel like I haven't read magic before.
I liked the writing, with the parts where the author described food and the use of doors being my favourite parts.
The writing was easy to read and consistent with the structure of the story.
The main protagonist's of the story were Zachary (or the fortune teller son) who is a grad student specialized in games that finds the book Sweet Sorrows that guides him into the fantastic, Mirabel a mysterious woman that Zachary meets at a party and helps him in his quest to understand the book and Dorian a former guardian that meets Zachary and has his journey entwined in the party and he is also Zachary soulmate.
The relationship between Zachary and Dorian is good and very raw to a point in that you just feel like it was always there.
The book is set in New England and a magical hotel in some parts with world-building being an important part of the construction of the book. I liked the way that the starless sea was described and was interesting to see when it was used.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury