TL;DR: I’m not sure what I expected going into this book but it was so different from what I thought it would be in both good and bad ways. This is a book that requires a great deal of patience but despite the slightly slow pacing and what ended up being a rather loosely joined plot, I did end up liking this a lot. I’m looking forward to eventually re-reading it one day and seeing if my feelings about it will have changed.

I don’t even know where to begin writing this review because I have so many thoughts and mixed feelings about it, but there’s also not much that I can say without giving the story away. As much as possible, I think readers should go into this with no expectations because it’ll probably not be what you expect anyway. I’m very much still processing this but I’m so glad that I read it with Chris who very patiently helped me sort out my confusion about the ending and made me appreciate the story more! 😂

Firstly, this book isn’t going to be for everyone. I don’t necessarily think you’ll either love or hate it but it does require a good amount of patience. As someone who liked it a lot but didn’t love it, I do think it’s a book that I could grow to love on re-read because there’s so much packed into these pages. From the lush descriptions of the Starless Sea to the stories within stories within stories, to the maze-like mystery, and the metaphors and allegories about love, loss, life, and choosing your fate. There’s an endless amount to take away and although I don’t re-read often, I would love to come back to this at a future date to see what else I can catch from the go.

If you’ve read Morgenstern before, you’ll know just how well she can bring settings to life. She does an incredible job of doing so in these pages and it’s one of my favourite aspects of this book. Her writing is lyrical and whimsical and I think she captures her character voices well. There are dozens of places we’re introduced to and each one is so vividly depicted that it’s easy to fall into each scene and story unfolding at the time. I admit that when I first started reading I was incredibly confused, but I quickly became curiouser and curiouser until I found myself unwilling to put the book down at the end of each night.

I’m sure many of you will be able to relate because as a book lover, I love reading books about books and stories that have stories in them and this was exactly that. I loved reading all the stories, myths and fables, mixed with the present character chapters to piece together what was happening. Morgenstern knows her audience well because at its heart I think this is a homage to the power of storytelling and how everyone’s journey and experience with the stories they interact with can differ. There were so many relatable passages and moments about belonging, seeking escape, and finding home within the pages of a story that made me feel so seen as a bibliophile! 😍

That said, I think this book does get a little lost in everything it’s trying to convey—the metaphors, allegories, stories—so the plot and, I think to an extent, the character arcs slightly suffer for it. I found myself getting so caught up in trying to connect the dots and truly understand what was happening that I lost the emotional connection to the characters. Perhaps this is why I initially found the ending in particular to be a little underwhelming because I expected something more concrete, but it does fit well with the overall whimsical, wonderful and weird nature of the story.

Have you read The Starless Sea or is it on your TBR?

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