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A review by wortwahl
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Started into this book absolutely terrified because of its length but it reads very quickly and easy!
There are some things I take issue with: the lack of exploration of emotions (they get mentioned but never really more than two sentences) and the plotline with the nichtmares are my biggest quarrels with the story.
To Sleep is an emotionally charged story, yet we never dive too deep or see too much, which, as somebody who loves emotional deep dives, I found dissapointing.
The nightmares, as much as I love the idea of them, seemed out of place and like an afterthought. Somwthing out in to up the stakes but not more. Taking them out would not have changed the story, it might even have improved the book and given material for another story (maybe not a sequel, I very much like To Sleep as a standalone).
The end felt a little drawn out and didn't entirely meet my expectations. Again, the addition of shards of the Maw existing felt cheap to me. Kira is a xenobiologist, her dream was to go out there and explore and I'm sad that the reason she now is out there is because she's hunting those shards. I like her fusion with the Maw, the creation of Unity and Kira going off into space, but I wish it had been for exploration and discovery.
Overall,I still greatly enjoyed the book. The characters we meet are both, lovable and extremely annoying. Not everyone is introduced as a good person (especially not the goverment) which is very nice, it's always good to have somebody to hate.
The crew of Wallfish (which I still read as Walfish - german for wale, lol) has grown dear to me - especially Gregorovich, for whom I worried and who shocked me the most with his mental decay. Fortunately he made a comeback! Love his nicknames for the crew and Kira.
There are some things I take issue with: the lack of exploration of emotions (they get mentioned but never really more than two sentences) and the plotline with the nichtmares are my biggest quarrels with the story.
To Sleep is an emotionally charged story, yet we never dive too deep or see too much, which, as somebody who loves emotional deep dives, I found dissapointing.
The nightmares, as much as I love the idea of them, seemed out of place and like an afterthought. Somwthing out in to up the stakes but not more. Taking them out would not have changed the story, it might even have improved the book and given material for another story (maybe not a sequel, I very much like To Sleep as a standalone).
The end felt a little drawn out and didn't entirely meet my expectations. Again, the addition of shards of the Maw existing felt cheap to me. Kira is a xenobiologist, her dream was to go out there and explore and I'm sad that the reason she now is out there is because she's hunting those shards. I like her fusion with the Maw, the creation of Unity and Kira going off into space, but I wish it had been for exploration and discovery.
Overall,I still greatly enjoyed the book. The characters we meet are both, lovable and extremely annoying. Not everyone is introduced as a good person (especially not the goverment) which is very nice, it's always good to have somebody to hate.
The crew of Wallfish (which I still read as Walfish - german for wale, lol) has grown dear to me - especially Gregorovich, for whom I worried and who shocked me the most with his mental decay. Fortunately he made a comeback! Love his nicknames for the crew and Kira.
Content Warnings
Carr's treatment of Kira borders on sexual assault and might bee off putting of not triggering to read for some people. Carr's exemination starts on page 76 and ends around page 94. Personally the worst part spans page 87 to 91.