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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
i'm not sure if i really loved this book (likely) or if the last two duologys i read were just so bad that it made this one shine extra bright (also likely).
the writing is so beautiful. so detailed and expressive. even if nothing happened during the whole story i wouldn't have cared because i was so absorbed.
a few quotes from the book that i especially liked and want to be able to come back to: (going to mark them as spoilers even though i don't really know that they are...)
and a cream-colored sweater that looks as though it spent as little time as possible in the transition from sheep to clothing
Little pot lights in the ceiling cast uniform puddles of light from one end of the table to the other where there is an empty chair upholstered in navy blue velvet that probably looks like the one he is currently tied to because it feels like the type of room where the chairs would match.
Through his headache he can hear soft classical music playing. Vivaldi, maybe. He can’t tell where the speakers are. Or if there are no speakers and it is wafting in from outside the room. Or maybe the Vivaldi is in his imagination, a hallucinatory musical complication from a mild head injury. (good example of repetition v last book)
Tragedies intricately poured from bottles of wine and sipped thoughtfully with melancholy and fine cheeses.
Zachary places a single bee on each of the woman’s open palms and leaves her alone to think whatever thoughts statues think when they are alone underground and covered with bees.
“Meoowrrr,” the cat remarks, in approval or dissent or indifference. Zachary brings the key and the lamp farther down the hall and the cat and the darkness follow.
“Like I’m losing my mind, but in a slow, achingly beautiful sort of way.”
Dorian smiles at the statement, despite the truth of it or because of it.
A large open hall filled with firelight and books, dark wood beams and windows covered in frost. It smells of spiced wine and baking bread. It is comforting in a way that defies words. It feels like a hug, if a hug were a place.
I knew I felt like we were right at that place where you go from being regular friends to help-you-move-dead-bodies friends but we weren’t quite there yet, like we needed to do one more side quest together and earn a few more mutual approval points and then it would be something a little more comfortable, but we hadn’t figured out our friendship dynamic entirely.
Something hits his ankle, soft yet insistent, and he looks down to find the familiar, squished face of his Persian cat.
“Hey,” he says. “How’d you get down here?”
The cat does not reply.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
The cat neither confirms nor denies this statement.
The cat pushes its head against Zachary’s leg again, nudging him in the other direction.
“Are you coming?” Zachary asks the cat.
The cat does not reply, but it also does not move. It sits and calmly licks a paw.
Zachary takes a few steps forward, moving closer to the ridge. The cat does not follow.
“You’re not coming?”
The cat stares at him.
“Fine,” Zachary says, though it is not what he means. “You can talk, can’t you?” he asks.
“No,” says the cat. It bows its head and turns, walking off into the shadows, leaving Zachary staring dumbly after it.
the writing is so beautiful. so detailed and expressive. even if nothing happened during the whole story i wouldn't have cared because i was so absorbed.
a few quotes from the book that i especially liked and want to be able to come back to: (going to mark them as spoilers even though i don't really know that they are...)
Spoiler
Disoriented and woozy, his mind a second behind his body, like pulling himself through crystal-clear mud. As though he’s still drunk but doing it wrong.and a cream-colored sweater that looks as though it spent as little time as possible in the transition from sheep to clothing
Little pot lights in the ceiling cast uniform puddles of light from one end of the table to the other where there is an empty chair upholstered in navy blue velvet that probably looks like the one he is currently tied to because it feels like the type of room where the chairs would match.
Through his headache he can hear soft classical music playing. Vivaldi, maybe. He can’t tell where the speakers are. Or if there are no speakers and it is wafting in from outside the room. Or maybe the Vivaldi is in his imagination, a hallucinatory musical complication from a mild head injury. (good example of repetition v last book)
Tragedies intricately poured from bottles of wine and sipped thoughtfully with melancholy and fine cheeses.
Zachary places a single bee on each of the woman’s open palms and leaves her alone to think whatever thoughts statues think when they are alone underground and covered with bees.
“Meoowrrr,” the cat remarks, in approval or dissent or indifference. Zachary brings the key and the lamp farther down the hall and the cat and the darkness follow.
“Like I’m losing my mind, but in a slow, achingly beautiful sort of way.”
Dorian smiles at the statement, despite the truth of it or because of it.
A large open hall filled with firelight and books, dark wood beams and windows covered in frost. It smells of spiced wine and baking bread. It is comforting in a way that defies words. It feels like a hug, if a hug were a place.
I knew I felt like we were right at that place where you go from being regular friends to help-you-move-dead-bodies friends but we weren’t quite there yet, like we needed to do one more side quest together and earn a few more mutual approval points and then it would be something a little more comfortable, but we hadn’t figured out our friendship dynamic entirely.
Something hits his ankle, soft yet insistent, and he looks down to find the familiar, squished face of his Persian cat.
“Hey,” he says. “How’d you get down here?”
The cat does not reply.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
The cat neither confirms nor denies this statement.
The cat pushes its head against Zachary’s leg again, nudging him in the other direction.
“Are you coming?” Zachary asks the cat.
The cat does not reply, but it also does not move. It sits and calmly licks a paw.
Zachary takes a few steps forward, moving closer to the ridge. The cat does not follow.
“You’re not coming?”
The cat stares at him.
“Fine,” Zachary says, though it is not what he means. “You can talk, can’t you?” he asks.
“No,” says the cat. It bows its head and turns, walking off into the shadows, leaving Zachary staring dumbly after it.
I adored every inch of this book. It makes me feel nostalgic for a place I’ve never been, but that I want to visit over and over.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The beginning was very slow, but the ending more than made up for it! I really enjoyed the magical library vibes, this was an enchanting read. I’d love to reread to see if that changes my feelings on the beginning.
It took a long while to get far enough into this book to feel like it was going somewhere. It reminds me of MMORPGs in the sense you have to sink about a 100+ hours to start to get a pay off. I only really started to prick up my ears at about page 300-odd.
Was it woth the time and read? Yeah, it was well written and it was an adventure to read. Switching between multiple naratives and books, to some degree. Over all I think the lore books that were between the 'present' characters were of much more interest to me than Zachary's story.
This book is for someone who likes a story that is like slow burn, "the journey more importaint than the destination," kinda story. Not for those that rush for the ending and find conclusions fullfilling.
Was it woth the time and read? Yeah, it was well written and it was an adventure to read. Switching between multiple naratives and books, to some degree. Over all I think the lore books that were between the 'present' characters were of much more interest to me than Zachary's story.
This book is for someone who likes a story that is like slow burn, "the journey more importaint than the destination," kinda story. Not for those that rush for the ending and find conclusions fullfilling.
Some books you read because the plot intrigues you, drives you forward to learn why and how.
Some you read because the characters fascinate you, the who becomes the driving force and you yearn to learn what happens to these people, fictional though they may be.
And some books, very few, very rarely, are read because the words themsleves enchant and delight. No imagination is needed because worlds spring forth unbidden from between pages and strike at the very core of your being.
3 guesses as to which kind of book The Starless Sea is, and the first two don't count.
Some you read because the characters fascinate you, the who becomes the driving force and you yearn to learn what happens to these people, fictional though they may be.
And some books, very few, very rarely, are read because the words themsleves enchant and delight. No imagination is needed because worlds spring forth unbidden from between pages and strike at the very core of your being.
3 guesses as to which kind of book The Starless Sea is, and the first two don't count.
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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:
Complicated
I knew this book wouldn’t give away the answers to everything by the end, so I leaned into its surrealism. Reading this book ended up feeling more like an experience, a dream that I could sink into each time I opened its pages. The atmosphere and world-building were beautiful. There’s a scene that blew me away when I first read it, where Zachary and Dorian stumble into a glittering gold ballroom and share a dance. My mind just keeps going back to the magic of that sequence, and I remember like I was almost there. I wish I could stay in the Starless Sea for a little longer even though, as this book ultimately reasons, all stories must have an end. There were some issues I did have with the writing style, mostly wordiness (record-breaking number of times the word “book” is used) and an outdated “millennial” way of saying some things. While the overall experience beats these problems I had, they still took me out of the story at times. I also felt that the pacing could be a bit better—there was a bit of a lull in the middle that picked up towards the end. In addition, I didn’t fully buy into Zachary and Dorian’s relationship. I felt that it could’ve been developed much more so that it could have led to a more fulfilling ending. While I did have my qualms, I’m glad I could get lost in this book for a while. I feel that it will embed itself into my memory like a dream I can’t forget.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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