A review by unfiltered_fiction
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This heavyweight novel is driven by its deeply immersive and endlessly expansive world-building and the vibrant crew of the Wallfish. Some genre-specific elements felt cumbersome, and I wouldn't think this book is one for readers without a pre-existing interest in sci-fi. I didn't find the main character particularly compelling, although she did get through to me in some moments, but the found family of supporting characters from the Wallfish were fantastic and highly enjoyable. In the second half, there was an over-reliance on a plot loop of undertaking a wild goose chase, characters going into cryo for months to allow for the travel and then being embroiled in an against-all-odds battle, ending with a revelation which then leads to the next wild goose chase. Love of exploration and curiosity for life really set up the key framework for this story, and those themes did manage to bind up the very long narrative - if not neatly, then earnestly.