Name: samantha lias's review of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Item: The Starless Sea
Rating: 5
Author: samantha lias

Erin Morgenstern

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 lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians--it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose--in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

A Novel

The Starless Sea

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 lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians--it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly-soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose--in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

Cassidy Nolan

The Keeper lifts a hand and tucks a stray lock of pink hair behind her ear.

He pulls her closer to keep her warm, catching her lips with his.

Inside the brick building a door opens into a new Harbor upon the Starless Sea.

Far above the stars are watching, delighted.

“Better now. He didn’t think I’d let him have a happy ending. I’m kind of offended.”

“Perhaps he did not believe that he deserved one.”

Zachary and Dorian stare at each other in bewildered disbelief.

Neither of them has the words for this moment in this story, not in any language.

Zachary starts to laugh and Dorian leans in and takes the laugh from his lips with his own and there is nothing left between them now: no distance, no words, not even fate or time to complicate matters.

This is where we leave them, in a long-awaited kiss upon the Starless Sea, tangled in salvation and desire and obsolete cartography.

between Fate’s heart and a heart belonging to Fate?

 good story to tell me over dinner at his mom’s place and I hope he’s there with his husband and I’m there with someone or by myself and fine with that and I hope we stay up so late that late turns into early and I hope the stories and the wine go on and on and on and on.

He is writing to Mirabel as he always has, as he continued to write through the years she has been with Zachary in the depths, writing as though he is speaking to her, as though she can hear each word as it materializes in paper like a whisper in her ear.

Rhyme wonders if he knows Mirabel hears him, has always heard him, will always hear him through distance and lifetimes and a thousand turning pages.

“Goodbye, Ezra,” Mirabel says. “Thank you.”

He’s calm again. Relieved to have his Max back and even though he knows they both have other people they belong with there is still this room and this dance and this moment and it matters, maybe more than any of the others.

Here now in a ballroom made of wax and gold, Zachary Ezra Rawlins begins his last dance with Fate.

I think the best stories feel like they’re still going, somewhere, out in story space.

She gave me an opaque plastic cup identical to the one I’d abandoned inside but with better bourbon in it, on the rocks.

I accepted because mysterious ladies offering bourbon under the stars is very much my aesthetic.

“This story can’t end yet,” Zachary says to the bees.

Why Mister Rawlins why not it is time for the end now the story is over the key is here it is time.

 he thinks but almost immediately the question leaves his mind. It doesn’t matter. Not right now. Not here in the depths where time is fragile.

For right now this is his entire world. Starless and sacred.

Then I baked cinnamon sour cream cookies and mixed myself a clover club since I had the eggs out already and started a comfort replay of 

 and now I feel a little better about life and myself and existence.

 and it wasn’t so bad, was it? Have a cookie.

And so the son of the fortune-teller finds his way to the Starless Sea.

Everything is too hot and too cold and Zachary’s entire world is an imagined kiss in brightest darkness that tastes like honey and snow and flame.

Through time and fate and past the moon and the sun and the stars.

Somewhere there is a door, marked with a crown and a heart and a feather, that has not been opened.

The son of the fortune-teller sits in a chair surrounded by keys in the middle of a starlit forest talking to a woman made of snow and ice.

“I’ll find Zachary there, won’t I?” Dorian asks.

“I don’t know,” Zachary says. “I must be getting close to the Starless Sea. You and I might not even be in the same time anymore. If . . . if anything happens—“

“Don’t you dare,” Dorian interrupts him. “Don’t you dare make this goodbye. I am going to find you. We are going to find each other and we are going to figure this out together. You may be by yourself but you are not alone.”

Dorian takes his arm again, pulling him closer, leaning his forehead against Zachary’s. He feels warm yet cold and real yet not real, all at once.

This person is a place Zachary could lose himself in, and never wish to be found.

“I am so very tired of the romance of the dead girl,” she says. “Aren’t you?”

“It’s important to you, isn’t it?” Eleanor asks.

samantha lias

Like a love letter to stories, what a beautiful book. 

Hannah Bateman

This book was a joyous read. It was like a puzzle that came together piece by piece to make an immensely satisfying picture by the end. There will always be a special place in my heart for this magical story and it’s central character, Zachary Ezra Rawlins.

Grace Stanger

I really loved the magic in this book. The characters were charming and the mystery was whimsical.

Nando

New York Times bestseller Named a best book of the year by The Guardian, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 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 lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians--it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose--in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

All the little anecdotes filled with magic and wonder coming together in this boy’s journey was beautiful and satisfying 

Jordan

isabelle

Beautiful and fantastical writing, but a lot slower than I am used to reading. It took me quite a while to finish this but I enjoyed the whimsical style.

Erin Goss

ive been trying to prossess for like an hour now and i still cant wrap my mind around everything that happened. This book is such an adventure and i loveed discovering it

Linara K.S

Princess Doe 

The Night Circus is in my top 5 favourite books of all time, so I went in really looking forward to this. Once again, Morgenstern exhibits her strength in beautiful prose that is incredibly descriptive and vivid, sucking you into her world. As a black person who has always been a fan of fantasy and magical realism, the main character being an intelligent black nerd, who has actual depth, who also happens to be gay, is incredibly worthwhile to note, and important, which I commend her for. The plot in itself tends to go all over the place, with odd pacing, especially in the middle of the story. Overall it is a great read, and worth picking up!

'Assuredly beautiful' Guardian The magical new novel from the bestselling author of The Night Circus. Are you lost or are you exploring? When Zachary Rawlins stumbles across a strange book hidden in his university library it leads him on a quest unlike any other. Its pages entrance him with their tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities and nameless acolytes, but they also contain something impossible- a recollection from his own childhood. Determined to solve the puzzle of the book, Zachary follows the clues he finds on the cover - a bee, a key and a sword. They guide him to a masquerade ball, to a dangerous secret club, and finally through a magical doorway created by the fierce and mysterious Mirabel. This door leads to a subterranean labyrinth filled with stories, hidden far beneath the surface of the earth. When the labyrinth is threatened, Zachary must race with Mirabel, and Dorian, a handsome barefoot man with shifting alliances, through its twisting tunnels and crowded ballrooms, searching for the end of his story. You are invited to join Zachary on the starless sea- the home of storytellers, story-lovers and those who will protect our stories at all costs. **Featured in the Guardian's Season's Reading**

Ryan Mateyk

POPSUGAR 2020: Main character in their 20s
CoronaQuaranRead #1

Wow! This is such a feat to read, I can't imagine even writing this beast. The world building was amazing. The story was very intriguing. I was hooked at the beginning, and was pretty much fully on board the whole story apart from Part V (Hunnyyy, let me tell you I had no idea what was happening). 

Mz Morgenstern, please write a sex scene between Dorian and Zachary because that would be... hot!

One of my favorites. Like eating chocolate cake with wine, so many beautiful passageways and stories. The ending got a little rocky, but still loved it. I wish there was more to read from this author.

BC Hark

it’s hard to figure this one out. i felt less attached to it than i do to the night circus, but it doesn’t feel fair to compare the two, even though “stories within stories” seems to be a favorite concept for miz morgenstern. i think that this is a book that’s meant to be reread, and i think that that’s not a bad thing.

abi a

cloud

erin morgenstern… save me… erin morgenstern save me erin morgenstern save me

Hanna Rybchynska

I don't know, it was an average read, maybe even disappointing as I was expecting more at the beginning. 
Unfortunately not for me.

Chloé

ERIN MORGENSTERN OWNS MY ASS. HELLO NEW FAVOURITE BOOK.
The vibes of this book first immaculate. Zachary is such a wonderful main character.

mala

mixed feelings for this, to be honest. as a fans of fantasy genre, i would like to give it five stars. the way erin morgenstern described the magical atmosphere through the third point of view is magnificent. however, my final rating is four stars. i feel like it took long enough to conclude and was too slow-paced ... ? the first half of the book, for me, was fun to follow, but when the story started to unfold, you need to pay more attention on the details, or else you would be lost—who is who, which timeline is it, and what is actually going on. overall, i enjoyed reading this book

Sarah Sammis

Overall Starless Sea is full of beautiful turns of phrase and interesting takes on story telling. But it suffers from pacing issues especially early on. It takes too long to settle on Zachary's story and then when it does, he's too much like Quentin, who might as well be made from cardboard.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

This has become my favorite book💜 I recommend it without any hesitation 

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

Isabella 

The writing and atmosphere was so beautiful, I couldn't stop reading. It was so intriguing and mysterious from the beginning. The story was so abstract that it frustrated me, but I guess that's the whole point of the book. It made me want to continue reading for the answers. However, I didn't understand most parts, and the characters truly felt flat. I enjoyed it, but it was so confusing. I don't know if it's because I genuinely don't understand it or it's because I read this during my hectic schedule so I wasn't really focused on the story. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it, and I might reread it soon when my schedule is free to understand it better.

akynn 

Riya

I can’t believe this has not above 4 ratings. The way Erin has woven this story can’t be put into mere words. Every page, every sentence, every word filled me with so many emotions, I felt I was transported to a safe, warm and, comfortable place while reading it. Everyone needs to experience the magical and lyrical world that this book takes you in.

Emma Lechner

Muito abaixo da superfície da Terra, na margem do Mar Sem Estrelas, existem inúmeros túneis e recintos cheios de histórias. As entradas que conduzem a este santuário costumam estar escondidas, às vezes no chão das florestas, outras vezes no interior de uma casa, ou mesmo à vista, sem se dar por elas. Mas aqueles que as procuram encontram-nas. As suas portas aguardam-nos. Zachary procura a sua porta, embora não saiba. Segue um canto de sereia silencioso, uma certeza inexplicável de que está destinado a encontrar outro sítio. Quando descobre um livro misterioso nas prateleiras da biblioteca da universidade, começa a ler e sente-se cativado pelas histórias de prisioneiros que procuram amor, cidades perdidas e acólitos sem nome. De repente, um virar de páginas leva Zachary a uma história da sua própria infância, incrivelmente escrita naquele livro antigo.Uma abelha, uma chave e uma espada impressas no livro conduzem Zachary a duas pessoas que mudarão o curso da sua vida: Mirabel e Dorian. Estes desconhecidos guiam-no através de bailes de máscaras e histórias sussurradas em salões clandestinos até à sede de uma sociedade secreta, onde as maçanetas estão penduram em fitas e, por fim, através de uma porta pintada que se abre magicamente para entrar num lugar que ele sempre desejara. Entre túneis sinuosos repletos de livros, salões de baile e margens escuras como vinho, Zachary cai num mundo inebriante, permeado de romance e mistério. Mas trava-se uma batalha pelo destino daquele lugar e, embora haja quem sacrifique tudo para protegê-lo, outros estão determinados a destruí-lo.«Erin Morgenstern traz-nos de volta a magia para adultos. E as comparações com Tolkien, Carroll e C.S. Lewis são inevitáveis.»Entertainment Weekly

Um Mar Sem Estrelas

Archiell

[updated 30/11/2022] penso neste livro 24/7 e não sou a mesma desde que acabei de o ler não quero saber se é no plot just vibes. As vibes que eu quero. É um 5 estrelas. 

4.5⭐

while i can see why a lot of people seem to take issue with this book, i’m really glad i am not one of them.  it felt restorative & magical - a love letter to love, loss, and all of the in-between parts that are sticky & unexpected. there’s no way to actually describe this book, but i’m glad it found me. 

samantha lias &
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

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samantha lias &The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

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samantha lias &
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern