A review by obfuscatress
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Simply stunning. The construction of the narrative is unbelievably intricate. I've never seen anyone build a story from multiple "books" & narrative viewpoints in the way this author has. The closest comparison I could make would be to Cloud Atlas, but its Russian Doll effect falls flat in comparison to Morgenstern's seamless, multidimensional weaving of a story that expands into every direction and loops in on itself time and time again. She's outdone herself with this one, taking her approach to asynchronous chronology seen in her debut novel to a whole new level. This time, her characters and the plot are virtually indistinguishable from one another, forming a rich tapestry that is somehow -- amid the magic and adventure and sensory wonder of it all -- also a meta-analysis of storytelling itself.
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