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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I'm torn between giving this 2 and 3 stars.
I read Morgenstern's The Night Circus years ago on the recommendation of one of my students. I was hesitant, but gave it a shot and really enjoyed it. Fantasy is not normally my go-to genre, but she was able to create such an exciting, detailed world of magic that made me think that maybe I *am* a fan of fantasy after all.
The Starless Sea left me questioning whether I actually do enjoy the genre or if The Night Circus was a fluke.
The Starless Sea started off a little rocky. From the first few pages it was very wordy, and heavily descriptive, to the point where I had to go back and re-read sentences, paragraphs and sometimes entire pages, because I ether felt like I'd missed something or I'd zoned out while reading and wasn't retaining any information. Eventually I did fall into a groove, despite the fact that there was a good amount of jumping around - the main story, a sub-story, two books with in this book, lots of metaphors and characters with multiple names. However, around page 300, I felt really disengaged. For about 100 pages I continued reading hoping it would get back on track or I could find something to hang onto. It felt like such a slog. I was falling asleep while reading it in the middle of the day. I will say it picked up again in the last quarter of the book, but at that point I was just reading to finish.
All that being said, I can definitely see how a person into fantasy literature might really enjoy this book. The characters are enjoyable and Morganstern paints a vivid world that is as unpredictable as it is beautiful. I think maybe it just wasn't for me.
I read Morgenstern's The Night Circus years ago on the recommendation of one of my students. I was hesitant, but gave it a shot and really enjoyed it. Fantasy is not normally my go-to genre, but she was able to create such an exciting, detailed world of magic that made me think that maybe I *am* a fan of fantasy after all.
The Starless Sea left me questioning whether I actually do enjoy the genre or if The Night Circus was a fluke.
The Starless Sea started off a little rocky. From the first few pages it was very wordy, and heavily descriptive, to the point where I had to go back and re-read sentences, paragraphs and sometimes entire pages, because I ether felt like I'd missed something or I'd zoned out while reading and wasn't retaining any information. Eventually I did fall into a groove, despite the fact that there was a good amount of jumping around - the main story, a sub-story, two books with in this book, lots of metaphors and characters with multiple names. However, around page 300, I felt really disengaged. For about 100 pages I continued reading hoping it would get back on track or I could find something to hang onto. It felt like such a slog. I was falling asleep while reading it in the middle of the day. I will say it picked up again in the last quarter of the book, but at that point I was just reading to finish.
All that being said, I can definitely see how a person into fantasy literature might really enjoy this book. The characters are enjoyable and Morganstern paints a vivid world that is as unpredictable as it is beautiful. I think maybe it just wasn't for me.
Beautiful storytelling but never quite wrapped everything up, lots of unanswered questions although maybe that was intentional. Good characters and compelling world. Plot does take quite a while to get going, but again I think that was intentional.
mysterious
slow-paced
I loved the writing in pieces of this book, but overall the story was just meh. The last 150 pages of the book were soooo boring.
This style of book definitely isn’t for everyone. But it was for me. I really enjoyed the vague images and the liminal feeling of being in a place outside of time. I also love books about books, especially when they are inspired by fairy tales and the stories we all tell ourselves and others. Zachary and Kat especially were quite interesting characters. I also thought the allusions to Narnia and the ending involving the sea were fun and interesting, and I’m sure there were odes to other stories I haven’t read throughout as well. It did get a bit slow at about the 80% mark— sometimes the sprawling descriptions can be to the book’s detriment and I think it could have done with a tighter plot, but overall, an enjoyable read!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Had potential. Too many storylines and timelines. Ultimately too confusing.
Literally an immaculate work of art that makes my heart ache for a place I’ve never been, the whole thing is a metaphor for the love of reading and I can’t help being irrevocably infatuated.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins came across a doorway to a magical world as a boy. He didn't open it. Fourteen years later, he checks out a mysterious book from his university's library of seemingly unrelated short stories akin to fairytales, only to find that one of those stories was about him. Before long he is sucked into a world unknown to us, one of secret societies and ancient libraries and underground oceans and indescribable longing.
I feel exactly the same way about this as I felt about The Night Circus. This book is more of a feeling than a strict progression of a narrative. This feeling, as with its predecessor, is longing, this time dressed in gold rather than in red and silver. Morgenstern knows how to pull a reader by their heartstrings while reading, but whether the story sticks with them is entirely dependent on the reader themselves.
The world that Morgenstern created here is gorgeous and ethereal. Although we are left with a lot of questions about the world Zachary finds, what we do know leaves an extremely distinct impression. Her writing style is beautiful, transporting you to a place that you wish you too could visit. It is clear that Morgenstern has a deep love for literature and more importantly storytelling as a whole, regardless of medium. My favorite parts of The Starless Sea were the short stories - particularly Simon & Eleanor and the one about the innkeeper - and I wish that they could have continued that whole way through. Morgenstern shines when writing tableaus, these short pieces that evoke strong emotions. Although there is a plot, that is not her strongest suit. Several times the plot was confusing or disorienting, and sometimes that worked in its favor, and other times it did not. I was very invested in Zachary's journies, the physical one of finding the Starless Sea and the more metaphorical one of seeing how everything he was reading fit together. However, I felt like some of the side characters were left too mysterious to truly care about them. Unlike The Night Circus, I feel like the romantic side of this wasn't developed quite enough, which again makes some sense given that this is supposed to be like a fairytale (the prince and the princess don't need a reason to fall in love, they just do, that sort of thing) and that it takes place over a short period of time, but it still wasn't nearly as satisfying or deserved as in TNC. I don't want to conflate these books too much, but they are so similar in tone it's difficult not to compare them. The references to pop culture were a little touch-and-go with me. Zelda and Where the Wild Things Are? Great and integrated well. Harry Potter? Tired and unnecessary. Overall, The Starless Sea was absolutely worth the read for the strong emotions it creates, although it isn't without its faults.
I feel exactly the same way about this as I felt about The Night Circus. This book is more of a feeling than a strict progression of a narrative. This feeling, as with its predecessor, is longing, this time dressed in gold rather than in red and silver. Morgenstern knows how to pull a reader by their heartstrings while reading, but whether the story sticks with them is entirely dependent on the reader themselves.
The world that Morgenstern created here is gorgeous and ethereal. Although we are left with a lot of questions about the world Zachary finds, what we do know leaves an extremely distinct impression. Her writing style is beautiful, transporting you to a place that you wish you too could visit. It is clear that Morgenstern has a deep love for literature and more importantly storytelling as a whole, regardless of medium. My favorite parts of The Starless Sea were the short stories - particularly Simon & Eleanor and the one about the innkeeper - and I wish that they could have continued that whole way through. Morgenstern shines when writing tableaus, these short pieces that evoke strong emotions. Although there is a plot, that is not her strongest suit. Several times the plot was confusing or disorienting, and sometimes that worked in its favor, and other times it did not. I was very invested in Zachary's journies, the physical one of finding the Starless Sea and the more metaphorical one of seeing how everything he was reading fit together. However, I felt like some of the side characters were left too mysterious to truly care about them. Unlike The Night Circus, I feel like the romantic side of this wasn't developed quite enough, which again makes some sense given that this is supposed to be like a fairytale (the prince and the princess don't need a reason to fall in love, they just do, that sort of thing) and that it takes place over a short period of time, but it still wasn't nearly as satisfying or deserved as in TNC. I don't want to conflate these books too much, but they are so similar in tone it's difficult not to compare them. The references to pop culture were a little touch-and-go with me. Zelda and Where the Wild Things Are? Great and integrated well. Harry Potter? Tired and unnecessary. Overall, The Starless Sea was absolutely worth the read for the strong emotions it creates, although it isn't without its faults.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated