Book Review: "The Starless Sea"

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Title of the book: "The Starless Sea"
Authors: Erin Morgenstern
Series: n/a
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy
Short summary of the story: A young man is perplexed when he opens a book to find that the focal character's description astonishingly matches his own likeness, sending him further on down along a winding path of an adventure that he never could have thought would be real. Toward unusual new worlds filled with criss-crossing stories and unexpected relationships, and the memory of a door he once discovered but never opened.
Good points / bad points: High point would be such lovely writing and an atmosphere/tone that is beautifully whimsical and bitterwsweet. I love this author, and her "The Night Circus" is probably one of my all time favorites. Low point would be that, without necessarily being particularly "complicated" to follow, it does tend to bounce around a fair bit and you may run the risk of walking away going "...What did I just read?" and/or wish to reread, giving the story another go around in order to piece some things together or just see things from a higher perspective. This comes across like a specific and intentional choice though, and didn't really bother me, but while I still think it's worth a read if you're vibing in that direction I could see where it would give someone else pause and it wasn't on the same level of The Night Circus for me. The Starless Sea is really many stories woven in and out of a single predominant thread. Sometimes feels like taking a meandering walk with wonderful sights to enjoy without any particular time-frame or destination planned. Overall a satisfying journey!