A review by ang_mendoza
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous challenging 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

4.25

I was torn between whether or not to give this book 5 stars cause it's truly beautifully written, with all the appeal of the Night Circus but with far more charm and light-heartedness to break up the heavy tone.
Admittedly it's a somewhat challenging book to follow at times but I think that's on purpose. You're not meant to fully understand each part until it's brought together, particularly with the inconsistent chronology (that you may be familiar with from the Night Circus). Technically it's broken into 6 parts but in terms of tone and direction of the plot it has kind of 3 distinct parts that feel like somewhat separate narratives
as Zachary moves from the surface, to the harbor, to the starless sea. </ spoiler>
I'll share a quote from the book that feels very self-aware,
"Part spy movie, part fairy tale, part choose your own adventure. Epic branching story that doesn’t stick to a single genre or one set path and turns into different stories but it’s all the same story."
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