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A review by beccisays
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You know those absolutely beautiful and moving classical music pieces, that are technically brilliant and transport you somewhere outside of yourself? Have you noticed how they are often really long and have all these false endings, where the music naturally invites you to recognise it's winding down and that the piece is about to conclude? Then out of nowhere, you're pulled back into another wave or crescendo? Towards the end, that is exactly how I felt about this book. It kept pulling me into these comforting moments of safety and relief, then throwing me back out into life-threatening danger.
I almost knocked star off just for that but it feels so unfair, as the rest of this book was incredible and as I read it felt like a 5 star read. I only felt the pacing of the plot was off at the end. Perhaps I was just ready for the book to conclude once and for all by that point, there's no denying it is extremely long. Perhaps it should have been split into two books, so that all the plot points and danger could have been allowed adequate time and attention by both the author and the reader. I'm not an expert, I'm just telling you how it felt for me.
As I said, this book is truly very emotional from the beginning and written wonderfully throughout. There's action and twists all the time that keep you on your toes and yet, we still experience plenty of quieter moments and the depth of connection and humanity between the characters.
This is quite an intimidating book for a reader like me. I'm not really a sci-fi guy and it's huge, however I would encourage absolutely anyone to pick it up and try it out. I think you'll be surprised how relatable it is, tapping into the universal experiences and truths of humanity and survival, even while in an altogether alien environment.
I almost knocked star off just for that but it feels so unfair, as the rest of this book was incredible and as I read it felt like a 5 star read. I only felt the pacing of the plot was off at the end. Perhaps I was just ready for the book to conclude once and for all by that point, there's no denying it is extremely long. Perhaps it should have been split into two books, so that all the plot points and danger could have been allowed adequate time and attention by both the author and the reader. I'm not an expert, I'm just telling you how it felt for me.
As I said, this book is truly very emotional from the beginning and written wonderfully throughout. There's action and twists all the time that keep you on your toes and yet, we still experience plenty of quieter moments and the depth of connection and humanity between the characters.
This is quite an intimidating book for a reader like me. I'm not really a sci-fi guy and it's huge, however I would encourage absolutely anyone to pick it up and try it out. I think you'll be surprised how relatable it is, tapping into the universal experiences and truths of humanity and survival, even while in an altogether alien environment.