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The Starless Sea
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Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
Zachary Ezra ...more
Zachary Ezra ...more
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Start your review of The Starless Sea
"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 will love it b ...more
✧
find this review & others on my blog
✧
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 bliss of it is like what all the books you’ve ever read have been aspiring to be, the scales of ...more
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 bliss of it is like what all the books you’ve ever read have been aspiring to be, the scales of ...more
Yes, I teared up upon finishing my reread of this book like a starlet in an old movie. No, I don't want to talk about it. I JUST WANT THIS TO NEVER END.
a lovely little reread with lily
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Someone PLEASE procure me a striking, modern, big-city apartment with lots of windows, where I can hold a glass of expensive wine and gaze unseeing over the skyline at night, because apparently I’m going to feel melancholy for the rest of my life over never again being able to read this for the first t ...more
a lovely little reread with lily
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Someone PLEASE procure me a striking, modern, big-city apartment with lots of windows, where I can hold a glass of expensive wine and gaze unseeing over the skyline at night, because apparently I’m going to feel melancholy for the rest of my life over never again being able to read this for the first t ...more
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.
loveddddd 4.5
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 got bored and ...more
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 got bored and ...more
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 words are so ten ...more
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 words are so ten ...more
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
...more
I am SO disappointed.
Bee. Sword. Story. Door. Doorknob.
Someone doing something somewhere but loses someone.
Owls. Honey. Sea. Bees.
Swords. Cats. Stories. Fragments.
Smart literary references haha.
Bees. Swords.
The moon.
Clueless boring gay character gets lost, does nothing, stumbles, regrets everything, has no spine. Insta-love - why? He took my hand then lost it.
Sea. Trinkets. Books, ribbons, lost, what, maim someone randomly.
Hate for no reason. Kitchen. What? Swords. The fortune teller’s ...more
Bee. Sword. Story. Door. Doorknob.
Someone doing something somewhere but loses someone.
Owls. Honey. Sea. Bees.
Swords. Cats. Stories. Fragments.
Smart literary references haha.
Bees. Swords.
The moon.
Clueless boring gay character gets lost, does nothing, stumbles, regrets everything, has no spine. Insta-love - why? He took my hand then lost it.
Sea. Trinkets. Books, ribbons, lost, what, maim someone randomly.
Hate for no reason. Kitchen. What? Swords. The fortune teller’s ...more
Oct 08, 2020
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks
Read this as part of my "Giving authors a second/last chance" challenge and...
This is a tough one for me.
I can acknowledge that Morgenstern’s writing is whimsical but after two books by her leaving me confused and unsatisfied, I have to admit her books are simply not for me.
The worlds she creates are fascinating but I don't find myself caring enough about the story in them nor the characters. Frankly, I felt bored.
If you've enjoyed The Night Circus, you'll most likely enjoy this one too. If you ...more
This is a tough one for me.
I can acknowledge that Morgenstern’s writing is whimsical but after two books by her leaving me confused and unsatisfied, I have to admit her books are simply not for me.
The worlds she creates are fascinating but I don't find myself caring enough about the story in them nor the characters. Frankly, I felt bored.
If you've enjoyed The Night Circus, you'll most likely enjoy this one too. If you ...more
This is a review I did not want to write because this is a book I so desperately wanted to love.
The Starless Sea is a book written for true readers. I’m talking about the kind of person who spent their childhood in and out of libraries and bookshops; the kind of person who sits and imagines adventure and an escape from the mundaneness of every single endless day without magic: the kind of person who lives for books and reading.
As such it is totally enchanting to begin with it. It hooks you ...more
The Starless Sea is a book written for true readers. I’m talking about the kind of person who spent their childhood in and out of libraries and bookshops; the kind of person who sits and imagines adventure and an escape from the mundaneness of every single endless day without magic: the kind of person who lives for books and reading.
As such it is totally enchanting to begin with it. It hooks you ...more
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.
____
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 | ...more
"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.
____
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 | ...more
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 ...more
Can't wait to read it :D ...more
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. Talk ...more
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. Talk ...more
Reading an Erin Morgenstern book is like dreaming with your eyes open. There's something so profoundly beautiful about The Starless Sea that I don't quite know how to put into words.
This book tells the story of Zachary Ezra Rawlins (I mean, that's already the best name ever), who is an ordinary book nerd like you and I. One day, he stumbles upon a ...more
“Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are.”
This book tells the story of Zachary Ezra Rawlins (I mean, that's already the best name ever), who is an ordinary book nerd like you and I. One day, he stumbles upon a ...more
incredible fanart by 
I always imagine Erin Morgenstern's books like paintings. She is that good at describing things.
...more
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! ...more
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! ...more
Am I confused as heck? Yes.
But was this book the most incredibly magical, moving, imaginative and absolutely immersive gem I’ve read in a long time? Also yes.
I enjoyed this so much more than The Night Circus!
"We are all stardust and stories."
Ok, where do I begin? I can honestly say I've never read anything like this book before.
Zachary Ezra Rawlings finds a book in the library that isn't catalogued and becomes curious. Once he begins reading 'Sweet Sorrows' he discovers a world beyond his w ...more
But was this book the most incredibly magical, moving, imaginative and absolutely immersive gem I’ve read in a long time? Also yes.
I enjoyed this so much more than The Night Circus!
"We are all stardust and stories."
Ok, where do I begin? I can honestly say I've never read anything like this book before.
Zachary Ezra Rawlings finds a book in the library that isn't catalogued and becomes curious. Once he begins reading 'Sweet Sorrows' he discovers a world beyond his w ...more
When I started reading The Starless Sea, I was blown away. I read through stories of pirates and girls in forests, of key holders and sword sellers, Fate, Time, the Moon, and some dude named Zach. The stories were intoxicating, like I was floating around in some hypnotic, dream-like daze, breathing in all of these beautiful short stories. They were beautifully written, imaginative little pieces of art, all smushed together and delicately held in place.
But somewhere in my drunken haze, the magic ...more
But somewhere in my drunken haze, the magic ...more
How I wish I could visit the Starless Sea.
I wish I had my own magical door; one that would allow entrance to the labyrinthine libraries of this magical underground world that Erin Morgenstern has created, where I could wander aimlessly for a time and be surrounded by books, secret rooms, riddles, and CATS. Lots and lots of cats.
It would be such a wonderful escape. And then once satiated, I could return to my beloved normal life and carry on . . . anxiously awaiting my next visit to the Starless ...more
I wish I had my own magical door; one that would allow entrance to the labyrinthine libraries of this magical underground world that Erin Morgenstern has created, where I could wander aimlessly for a time and be surrounded by books, secret rooms, riddles, and CATS. Lots and lots of cats.
It would be such a wonderful escape. And then once satiated, I could return to my beloved normal life and carry on . . . anxiously awaiting my next visit to the Starless ...more
”Far beneath the surface of the earth, hidden from the sun and the moon, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories.”
There are stories that leave you with thousands of questions,
that cause you to topple under the sheer weight of their words.
And then there are stories that leave you with a million questions more,
but each and every single one of them feels like a soft caress.
Like a tender kiss on your longing skin. Like a shive ...more
There are stories that leave you with thousands of questions,
that cause you to topple under the sheer weight of their words.
And then there are stories that leave you with a million questions more,
but each and every single one of them feels like a soft caress.
Like a tender kiss on your longing skin. Like a shive ...more
Here's my video review https://youtu.be/Vsqig2KrvgY
...more
"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 in ...more
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 in ...more
I’m so sad to have not liked this book. I’ve read so many amazing reviews of it and had such high hopes. But alas, this was not my cup of tea. Swords. Bees. Books. Keys. Painted doors. Sea of honey. Owl king. Fate. The moon. Fortune Tellers. Cats. Is it an alternate reality? Is it the inside of a book? Is it the inside of a crazed mind? Is it magic? Is it aliens? I. Don’t. Know. 🤦🏼♀️ I held out hope all the way through that something would finally click for me... that I’d have a mind blown mome
...more
Nov 24, 2019
darmera
added it
No rating yet, because I am still processing. I liked it, but I also didn't? Better review is coming. Those of you who have gotten around to it- what do you think?
...more
3 stars
Time for those who have read my reviews before to see a bit of deja vu. I have from time to time mentioned books that are artsy for the sake of moving along the story in a unique fashion and they are wonderful. But, on the other side, there are books that are artsy for the sake of being artsy. Books where the weird and fantastic plot points feel forced in order to make the book seem edgy and trendy. This is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, so you may not feel the same about this as ...more
Time for those who have read my reviews before to see a bit of deja vu. I have from time to time mentioned books that are artsy for the sake of moving along the story in a unique fashion and they are wonderful. But, on the other side, there are books that are artsy for the sake of being artsy. Books where the weird and fantastic plot points feel forced in order to make the book seem edgy and trendy. This is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, so you may not feel the same about this as ...more
GUESS WHO IS BACK TO FUCK ME UP ONCE MORE
ARC provided in exchange for honest review 🌊
''Far beneath the surface of the earth, hidden from the sun and the moon, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. Stories written in books and sealed in jars and painted on walls. Odes inscribed onto skin and pressed into rose petals. Tales laid in tiles upon the floors, bits of plot hung from chandeliers. Stories cataloged and cared for and revered. Old stories preserved while new stories spring up around them.''
I don ...more
I don ...more
I don’t freaking know how I feel. I need to listen to the audio!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookworm Bitches : Jan-Mar 2021: The Starless Sea | 5 | 63 | Jan 04, 2021 06:11PM | |
| 2021 Reading Chal...: The Starless Sea: Reviews by 2020 Reading Challengers | 10 | 92 | Dec 25, 2020 02:01PM | |
| Cannonball Readers: Which books must you own? | 1 | 8 | Dec 19, 2020 03:07PM | |
| EVERYONE Has Read...: The Starless Sea - Pre-Read | 16 | 286 | Dec 16, 2020 06:29PM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - Restarting 5th November 2020 | 38 | 120 | Nov 08, 2020 07:31AM |
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“Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are. It’s nice to finally have someone read stories I know so intimately.”
—
467 likes
“We are all stardust and stories.”
—
418 likes
More quotes…
Jan 13, 2021 11:42AM
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