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The Starless Sea

Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 3,881 ratings · 1,401 reviews

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world--a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelor ...more

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Paperback, 498 pages

Published November 5th 2019 by Harvill Secker

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The Starless Sea
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Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)

Release date: Nov 05, 2019

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Giveaway dates: Oct 22 - Nov 20, 2019

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Nov 08, 2018 Chaima ✨ شيماء rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, 2019-releases, fiction, read-in-2019, arc, boys-love-boys, fantasy, poc-rep, lgbtqia-rep

It’s a profoundly strange thing—to feel as though you are wading through mildly entertaining novels that pass through you like falling smoke, always searching for the one that reaches into the back alleys of your soul and settles to the bottom of you like fallen leaves.

And then there it is, like a faint spark bobbing on a dark sea, calling you, beckoning.

The dark-throated bliss of it is like what all the books you’ve ever read have been aspiring to be, the scales of what is good, great, an/>And ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: not-yet-released, favorites-2019

This book is a love letter to stories and storytelling, myths and fables, symbols and imagination. This was haunting and magical, foreboding and whimsical in a way only Erin Morgenstern can achieve. This is a story in which something new can be discovered every time you read it. Breathtaking.

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Oct 11, 2019 jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO THIS LITTLE COCKTAIL OF MAGIC AND WONDER!

i know for a fact that this book wont be everyones cup of tea (morgensterns writing style is an acquired taste), but it sure is mine.

this quenches my thirst for a story that was meant to be told, a love letter to the art of storytelling, as well as the stories we find ourselves in. it is an ode to those who write their own paths in life. and there is an aromatic intimacy to this that can only be created when such word ...more

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Jun 06, 2019 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

Just got my hands on an ARC!!

Can't wait to read it :D

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Nov 08, 2018 emma marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: non-ya, comments, auto-buy-authors, owned, magical-realist-urban-whatever, fantasy, tbr-owned

wait.........MULTIPLE beautiful covers????

someone take mercy on me

-------------

COVERCOVERCOVERCOVERCOVERCOVERCOVERCOVER!!!

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hello i would like to read this now please. 2019 is not going to work for me thank you

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Nov 10, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-m-intrigued

I waited the book for months and months, also named myself as Vladimir who is waiting for Godot forever! Of course my request stays at the NetGalley limbo space with other thousands of my requests doing boogie dance together. (I don’t want to visualize them dusted, positioned at the bookshelves kind of purgatory!) So as a patient reading, high five-d myself for releasing day (actually I slapped my nose, I couldn’t do a proper high five for years and always missing the other person’s hand or alwa I waited the book for months and months, also named myself as Vladimir who is waiting for Godot forever! Of course my request stays at the NetGalley limbo space with other thousands of my requests doing boogie dance together. (I don’t want to visualize them dusted, positioned at the bookshelves kind of purgatory!) So as a patient reading, high five-d myself for releasing day (actually I slapped my nose, I couldn’t do a proper high five for years and always missing the other person’s hand or always find them on my face!!!!)

Reading this book is seeing a dream into dream into dream. I felt like jumped into full throttle triple time intensive Inception universe. (So I visualized most of the book’s characters as Leo and Tom which made my day and give me an amazing selfie smile all day long!) So you’re reading amazing story about intertwined magical stories. It’s a mind-bending brain storming process because narrator jumps between stories and your grey cells get used to run marathons to catch where the main story goes and gather the crumbles left for you like Hansel and Gretel.

But I have to admit at the final you find better place than a house made of sweets (Yes, I actually found my fountain of Chardonnay when I caught the simple rhythm of the stories. Let’ drink to that!) But I still feel the smoke coming out of my ears because this kind of brain gymnastic has side effect like over exhaustion and dismantle the rest of remaining brain cells. Luckily I know the feeling because I read too many Blake Crouch books that make me prepare this kind of mind-blowing experience. I like challenges! Bring it on!

I also have to admit Morgenstern is a magician. She can bend words, add different meanings, put a lyrical touch to enchant you. Just like Night Circus, the same thing happened to me. I hear a wonderful symphony in my head and waltz in my room, remembering those intriguing, magical stories you want to keep reading. Even the book is too long, you don’t want to stop flipping pages and get lost in those creatively depicted universes and of course you never get bored and enjoy each second of your experience.
Did I like it? NOOOOOO!!! I LOVEEEEDDDD IT SOOOO MUCCCHHH( I’m screaming right now but thankfully you can only sense my excitement from the big caps and wrong grammar usage :) )

And don’t forget to enjoy every words about heartwarming, tempting love tale of Zachary and Dorian. It’s not about modern love it is about to find the person reminds you a place you could lose yourself in and never wish to be found. DEEP SIGH. Yes. I truly love it. Period! ...more

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Nov 08, 2018 ELLIAS (elliasreads) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, favorites, 2019-books

Finishes book.

"I'm getting this book tattooed all over my body, mind and soul."

2019 really saved the best for last. 8 years was fucking worth it.

Full review to come.

____

UPDATE APRIL 30TH

WE HAVE A COVER AND IT'S FUCKING BEAUTIFUL.
_____

a bee,
a key,
and a sword.

"I thought I was writing a book about books, but as it turns out I was writing a book about stories."

No words. Nothing. I just—
Twitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |

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Nov 10, 2018 Sean Barrs the Bookdragon marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: my-most-anticipated-reads-of-2019

THIS IS THE BIGGEST BOOK RELEASE OF 2019 FOR ME!

Seven years ago I read a fantastic book called The Night Circus and it helped me fall in love with books and fantasy. I can still recall most of the novel vividly. And I’d almost given up hope that the author would write another novel, then I found out about this!

I'm so damn EXCITED about it. Only one year to go and then I can read it! I really hope she delivers it with the same skill so I can rave about it on here.

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May 28, 2019 Nick marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I always imagine Erin Morgenstern's books like paintings. She is that good as describing things.

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Aug 04, 2019 Lisa Lynch rated it it was ok · review of another edition

"How are you feeling?" Zachary asks.

"Like I am losing my mind, but in a slow, achingly beautiful sort of way." (p.288)

Funny, I felt the exact same way while reading this book.

So, Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea is the highly anticipated follow up to The Night Circus (which, I admit, I haven't read). I won an ARC of this book from my library's summer reading program and, after reading the synopsis, I could not wait to jump in.

I think that most people who read The Starless Sea ...more

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Nov 09, 2018 Kai marked it as to-read · review of another edition

GUESS WHO IS BACK TO FUCK ME UP ONCE MORE

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Jun 03, 2019 Amy Imogene Reads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2019, fantasy

This is a masterpiece. This is flawless. This is the kind of book that comes along once in a decade. This cracks the foundations.

Imagery: ★★★★★
Concepts: ★★★★★
Writing: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★★

Erin Morgenstern is not for everyone. Her writing is for those who love the story for the sake of the story. The lyrical, meandering, and existential prose is not the standard format, and it takes no prisoners. If it's not for you, it's not for you.

Normally, I try to make some sort of sense in my review. I try to tell you about the charact ...more

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Apr 22, 2019 Emily May marked it as lost-interest · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, fantasy

ARC provided in exchange for honest review 🌊

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Nov 09, 2019 Fares rated it it was ok · review of another edition

DNFed @ 56%

THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR!
The writing is so abstract that I couldn't take it anymore! And the problem is I expected that, I wanted that, but it was just SO MUCH!
I'm so sad right now, I really wanted to love this 😭

I feel this was a cheap copy of The Shadow of the Wind, even The Ten Thousand Doors of January to me was similar and better than this.

I'm gonna crawl into a hole and cry myself to sleep now!

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Oct 27, 2019 Katie.dorny rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

I did not enjoy this at all. Pretentious, confusing and jumping through time to make no sense whatsoever..I feel like I wasted a reading week. All my anticipated releases have been flops this year.

Now what is this book about? Honestly your guess is as good as mine. There was a hint of some love stories but they were so muddled into everything else that was pointless and made no sense so who knows.

The plot got lost, the writing style was so saturated in metaphors and description I go ...more

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Sep 29, 2019 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: atmospheric, favorites

It’s difficult to sum up a novel that has made a home in your heart and mind and will reside there for a lifetime. I began The Starless Sea, thinking it would be another whimsical and atmospheric novel written by Erin Morgenstern but quickly fell head over heels for its likeness to The Shadow of the Wind, another favorite novel of mine. Both of these stories share a deep love for words and the stories created in our minds, and the love for books and how they can change us forever is at the foref It’s difficult to sum up a novel that has made a home in your heart and mind and will reside there for a lifetime. I began The Starless Sea, thinking it would be another whimsical and atmospheric novel written by Erin Morgenstern but quickly fell head over heels for its likeness to The Shadow of the Wind, another favorite novel of mine. Both of these stories share a deep love for words and the stories created in our minds, and the love for books and how they can change us forever is at the forefront of each novel, but the Starless Sea stands on its own in terms of the uniqueness of it all.

This story is a slow-moving tale that unfurls before your eyes in a way that you want to savor and take your time with. I let myself be whisked up by this book and really let every page and passage seep into me because I knew every moment was vital to the storyline, and I didn’t want to miss a word of Morgenstern’s atmospheric and vivid writing. While some may not be able to get into this story because it’s so slow-moving and packed with intricate fairytales and descriptions which took me a month to get through, I really enjoyed taking my time with this story and letting it move at its own relaxed pace because I knew this story would become a favorite of mine within the first 40 pages I read.

One of my favorite details of this book is the amount of fairytale-like stories woven into the narrative. Morgenstern plays with the idea of what is reality and what isn’t, how video-games are structured compared to novels, and gives fantastical reasonings and happenings to further her story in a way that is utterly her own, and I am such a big fan of her use of symbolism with the feathers, hearts, bees, swords, etc. Those elements were intertwined into the story seamlessly and always held importance which I just appreciate a lot.

What impressed me the most was the fact that I fell out of the story, at one point, and realized this was written in the 3rd person when I was about half way through the book. I usually have a very, very tough time reading and getting invested into a 3rd person narration because I feel so separated from the story and characters and I find it tedious to run along with, but starting and riding along with The Starless Sea was effortless. The writing is so easy to fall into, and I give Morgenstern kudos for managing to make me enjoy a 3rd person narrative which happens once in a blue moon.

Another minor detail I really enjoyed was the amount of cats in this novel and how adorable they were. They felt like characters of their own, and just the quirkiness of this novel, the people in it, the world Morgenstern created, and the fairytales she spun together were something all of its own and left me in awe of someone’s ability to create vast worlds within the pages of a book. This is most definitely a favorite read of 2019 and of all time. ...more

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Nov 05, 2019 Helena of Eretz ✰ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, adult

"An inn that once sat at one crossroads now rests at another, ... somewhere deeper and darker where few will ever find it, by the shores of the Starless Sea."

I just think that perhaps Erin Morgenstern isn't the author for me. Does she write well? Yes. But do her books interest me? I'm sad to say that the answer is no. Both books that I've picked up from her had AMAZING synopses. But the plots just fell flat. Admittedly, this book has a much faster plot than The Night Circus, but I just wasn't invested in this mystery ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey is currently reading it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: Doubleday Books

Shelves: bookstagram-made-me-do-it, audiobooks, from-publisher, recommended

Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about this book, so it's time I develop one as well. Going to alternate between the audiobook (thanks libro.fm and Doubleday for my free copy!) and the hardcover.

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Jun 03, 2019 Brittney ~ Reverie and Ink marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Can I go ahead and label this as my new favorite book?

No?

Too early?

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Nov 08, 2018 Rae marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!!! AHHHH!!!!

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Jul 09, 2019 Iris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Epic.
The best fairy tale I’ve ever read.
Everything worked together.
She fucking did it again.

(I got a little annoyed with the amount of literary references, like we get it you like Donna Tartt. But if that’s the only negative I can think of, we’ve got a damn fine book on our hands.)

I might extend this review?!? I know it doesn’t come out till November, but I’m just excited about how excited I am for a book! That hasn’t happened in awhile.

✨EDIT✨ ...more

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Aug 02, 2019 Jen/The Tolkien Gal/ジェニファー is currently reading it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, proof-copy

So guess who got a gorgeous proof copy of this from a rep from Penguin Random House?

~~It was I, Dio~~

Alright, disclaimer - so the copy is absolutely gorgeous but it will look very different in its final form, so they say.

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Nov 13, 2019 Bethany rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq

"Everyone wishes to grasp that which exists out of reach. To hold the extraordinary in their hands and keep the remarkable in their pockets."

A love letter to storytelling in all its forms, The Starless Sea is stunningly crafted with magic that will sweep you away into a fairytale. I'm completely in love with this masterpiece and already want to re-read it. If you love books that come together slowly, with lots of puzzle pieces, doors to other worlds, rich symbolism, deep mythology, and a fairy "Everyone wishes to grasp that which exists out of reach. To hold the extraordinary in their hands and keep the remarkable in their pockets."

A love letter to storytelling in all its forms, The Starless Sea is stunningly crafted with magic that will sweep you away into a fairytale. I'm completely in love with this masterpiece and already want to re-read it. If you love books that come together slowly, with lots of puzzle pieces, doors to other worlds, rich symbolism, deep mythology, and a fairytale quality, then this book might be for you. Truthfully, this is kind of my perfect book and it has been a long time since a book has transported me the way that this one did.

While there are a multitude of players and pieces, the main character is Zachary Ezra Rawlins: graduate student, gay young man of color, son of a fortune-teller, and recipient of a mysterious book with a story from his childhood within its covers. Something he never told a soul. As a pre-adolescent, he once happened upon a magical painted door in an alleyway, and decided not to open it. But now, there might be another opportunity to open a door to another world, where he will be drawn into a mysterious and dangerous conflict full of shadowy players.

I loved everything about this book, from the descriptive imagery to the quiet romance and the many nods to RPG video games in the vein of Dragon Age. Honestly, I would have loved this book anyway, but I am even more excited about the way it is a love letter to interactive storytelling in video game form. Scenes and plot elements throughout feel deeply inspired by these kinds of games, with quests and side quests, mini-mysteries that open hidden doors, and a larger idea woven throughout that all stories are the same story. In The Starless Sea, as in RPG video games, you can play a game as different characters, make different choices leading to different outcomes, but ultimately it is all part of the same story. Can I tell you how happy it makes me that more than one of my favorite books this year by female authors are inspired by video games?! My life is made.

Some people will undoubtedly find this to be slow, boring, confusing, and frustrating. It may not be the book for everyone, but I savored every moment of it and cannot wait to re-read it and gain new insight into how everything fits together, now that I know the ending. If this sounds like your kind of book, I cannot recommend it enough, but don't expect to fly through it. I would usually read a book this size in 3 days or so, and this one took me 12. Enjoy the journey! Even better if you can find a friend to discuss and theorize with. I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Jul 13, 2019 Alexa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019

An updated additional quote after discussing this with a friend - "It's a story about stories, written with a variety of storytelling tropes and styles."

I'm going to have to try and properly gather all of my thoughts before I can review this one in a better capacity, but there are two things that I can immediately tell you:

1) I found myself having the same experience I did with this author's other book, where I was mostly unsure of where things were headed at the start an ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Alyssa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-releases

It has been so long since I read a book. An entire book.

My father died unexpectedly six months ago, and I've struggled to read since then.

I went to ALA 2019 in hopes of rekindling my love of reading and blogging... I went with one big goal, and that was to obtain this book.

It's the first of my ALA haul that I read

I loved it.

Captivating, intricate, a maze of interwoven stories. Exactly my kind of book. Exactly what I needed to start getting back in ...more

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Nov 13, 2019 ailén rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-english, lgbtq, 2019, mlm, favorites

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN MY ENTIRE LIFE AAAAA

TOP THAT WHICHEVER BOOK I READ NEXT.

Ok, I'm done screaming, not really but I might be back later to properly yell at you to read this extraordinary magical story full of interwoven magical stories !!!
right now I'm off to cry and probably start this book all over again, goodnight.

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Nov 03, 2019 Hollis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-in-november-2019, not-all-the-feels-but-some, 2019-reads, arc, coverly-love, fantasy, lgbtqia, hello-diversity, a-smattering-of-lols, romance

Let's just get this out of the way, shall we? This won't be a book for everyone. Just like THE NIGHT CIRCUS worked for you.. or it didn't. But I can't get enough of the way this author writes. Which makes it a travesty this is only book two from her. And yet.. if it takes this long to come up with something like this? I'll happily wait. Again and again and again.

His religion is buried in the silence of freshly fallen snow, in a carefully crafted cocktail, in between the pages of a book so/>His ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Dan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Magnificent. Reminds me of Neil Gaiman, but it surpasses him in the atmosphere and beauty of the writing. An ode to stories and readers that examines what a story is and what it can be. Many sections of it are like if the #bookstagram hashtag became sentient and wrote a book. Definitely a story you'll want to get lost in.

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Oct 26, 2019 marie ☆彡 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: preordered, all-time-favorites, favorites-of-2019, read-in-2019

All you need to know is that this book has solidified my desire to read anything Erin Morgenstern ever writes

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Nov 10, 2019 Iulia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: super-favorites, read-2019

This has to be one of the most gorgeous and descriptive books I have ever read, not that I was expecting anything less from the author. After all, The Night Circus has set quite a high bar.

I cannot help but fall, time and time again, for books about readers and stories within stories, as they so beautifully illustrate the reason why I, and I suspect many fellow readers, have chosen to lend part of my life to this particular pastime. The Starless Sea is every reader's dream, and so much more; it ca ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
You Are Never Too...: The Starless Sea Nov 14th	25	10	Nov 18, 2019 11:31PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - Starting November 5th 2019	23	51	Nov 15, 2019 08:23AM
Play Book Tag: Erin Morgenstern Interview -The Starless Sea	17	52	Nov 09, 2019 04:29PM
SciFi and Fantasy...: Nov 20: "The Starless Sea" by Erin Morgenstern (BR)	3	35	Nov 09, 2019 12:34AM
Goodreads Librari...: Page number count incorrect	2	29	Nov 06, 2019 10:20AM

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About Erin Morgenstern

Erin Morgenstern

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Erin Morgenstern is the author of The Night Circus, a number-one national best seller that has been sold around the world and translated into thirty-seven languages. She has a degree in theater from Smith College and lives in Massachusetts.

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