Writing a story about the power of stories is a brave thing for an author to take on, and Erin Morgenstern shows she’s a master storyteller in The Starless Sea. 

I should have been prepared by reading The Night Circus, but I forgot how the author creates a world for the reader to fall in love with before breaking it apart… and resolving the story in the most beautiful and satisfying way. I enjoyed spending so much time at the beginning of the book getting to know the main character and the beginnings of the many threads that later weave into the narrative. Then the second half became an un-put-down-able roller-coater ride! 

Morgenstern’s talent for world-building I think comes from the sensory descriptions - the texture of a jumper, the taste of a drink, the richness of a voice, the sense of a space and the smell of a perfume are all given importance. But things are rarely over-described, making it feel like the storytelling is working with the reader’s own imagination. 

Overall I think the diversity of the cast of characters was well done, bar a few missed opportunities for trans/nonbinary and better disability representation. Something I particularly noticed was that the main character’s mother is given a significant voice in the narrative, which is unusual in stories like this, and I appreciated it. 

I’m really glad I listened to the audiobook; the cast is brilliant, and having different voices read different sections helps follow the flicks between times, people, places and books within books. 

The Night Circus is my favorite book, so sight unseen this was already an easy sell. I love Morgenstern’s writing style and the way she describes such vivid settings and crafts her world are things that really appeal to me.

That said, this book took a little longer to convince me than The Night Circus. I wasn’t absorbed quite as quickly and I’m still not entirely certain I loved Zachary as the main character. Maybe because the characters were a bit less central than the ones in The Night Circus. I went in expecting something more tied to characters but, understandably, this isn’t tied to the characters as much as the story and setting itself.

In the end, I still came away breathless and smiling. I was thoroughly absorbed once I came around to the halfway point and I definitely got properly emotional in multiple places. It was thrilling and wonderful to read. The world building was really gorgeous, and I think anywhere where I felt there might’ve been holes or incomplete thoughts, I was satisfied knowing that maybe there didn’t need to be answers to everything. The mystery of everything that was happing was really fun, too. I liked not even knowing if I was supposed to be searching for answers or clues and it certainly kept me turning the pages.

This was definitely more narrative-driven than The Night Circus (though I hesitate to call it plot-driven just because there’s not really an obvious plot to point to in the strictest of terms) and for me it really, really worked. I would’ve liked more depth in the characters, but I understand where it maybe isn’t entirely necessary since the point of the characters was only to play a role in the story if not have a story unto themselves.

I really loved the folding and combining of the different stories, how Morgenstern wove all the narratives together and broken them apart. I like how it was all entwined and linked, but also separate. I loved being able to discover who was who in the stories and put names to characters and characters to times and places. It was very satisfying to be able to link things myself and still have surprises along the way. And even still, I feel like I have to reread this a few more times to actually pick up on everything!

Understandably, not for everyone, but it hit all my buttons and I was utterly enamored by it.

Also it was trippy as fuck to see my name as one of these characters lmao.

The Starless Sea reads like a book for book-lovers. Erin Morgenstern presents a secondary fantasy world, accessed through magical doors, full of stories and the people who protect them. More than one character explicitly references going through the wardrobe to reach Narnia, and the early sections of The Starless Sea filled me with that same longing to escape into a magical idyll. Of course, these other worlds are rarely perfectly peaceful, otherwise there’d be no conflict and no story. Erin Morgenstern does a good job of balancing the appeal with the danger. The Starless Sea has more bite than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but doesn’t tip over into brutal cynicism like The Magicians. 

As befits a book about a magical world full of books, The Starless Sea also delves interestingly into metafictional discussions about what makes a story, and what makes a good story. The characters of The Starless Sea would make an interesting book club. Within Erin Morgenstern’s narrative, there are smaller stories-within-stories, none of which were recognisable as retellings, but most of which had an effective archetypal fairytale vibe. Unfortunately, the overarching plot doesn’t hang together quite as well. The story was hazy, never quite coming into focus, which made it difficult to build up (or understand) the stakes. Erin Morgenstern’s prose is so lovely that The Starless Sea was still enjoyable, but it didn’t have as much impact as it might have done if the narrative had set things up on a slightly firmer ground.

A reread of The Starless Sea would be interesting, to see whether the stories-within-stories knit together with the main narrative to make the whole thing feel more grounded and immediate. If you like reading about reading (presumably you do, since you’ve read this…) it’s definitely one to add to your TBR!