A review by kierano
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

3.25

 ‘The Starless Sea’ by Erin Morgenstern is a Wandering Tale About Wandering Tales 

 

Everybody’s different when it comes to taste in stories. For some, this can get as hyper-specific as only enjoying certain tropes in very particular subgenres. Fantasy is by far my genre of choice, but if I were to narrow it down, I’d have to say I prefer fantasy with a bit of grit. Give me battles and strong outer conflicts and plot and books no shorter than six-hundred pages. Of course, I enjoy other stories too, but those tend to be my favourite.

With The Starless Sea, I tried to keep an open mind. It’s a fantasy story, so I knew I’d probably find something to enjoy in its pages, but I could tell from the title alone that this wasn’t the kind of book I usually enjoy. There’s something about stories described as ‘spellbinding’ or ‘enchanting’ that usually fall short for me.

I was determined to give it a go, though—this was the novel my fantasy book club chose for the month, and I wasn’t showing up without anything to say. So, I accepted that The Starless Sea would perhaps be a lighter story than what I was used to and dove in. 

Full Review:
https://www.kieran-obrien.com/post/the-starless-sea-by-erin-morgenstern-is-a-wandering-tale-about-wandering-tales-book-review