The Starless Sea

I loved, loved, loved The Night Circus. I loved it so much that I pre-ordered The Starless Sea, which I think was my first pre-order since Deathly Hallows. It had a lot going for it: her tremendous pedigree, an intriguing premise (someone finds a library book describing an obscure event in their childhood they never told anyone about), and a setting I loved (a massive, magical underground library). And it's true that her same pretty writing and imagery is still here, and that she has a great understanding of books and curiosity.

But overall, this was a frustrating experience. I thought about quitting a few times mid-read (which I haven't done since high school), and I really wish I had. It took forever to get through the 500 pages, which should have been my sign. I had no investment in the characters, even the “main” one. I think she was going for a mysterious approach for them, or even a “see yourself filling the role” protagonist. But instead I felt like I didn't know them at all, or have any real grasp of what they wanted. I hoped that without interesting characters, the plot would drive the action, but I was really disappointed to find out that wasn't true. There were lots of pretty interludes in the form of short stories / parables, but the main plot never really got moving. I think the “plot” was supposed to be poetic, but instead it all just felt arbitrary since I didn't have any real information or buy-in. And also, in a smaller annoyance, there are so many run-on sentences that it took me out of the writing a lot.

If you want to read beautiful, aesthetic, fantasy-tinged romantic literature, go read The Night Circus instead. If you want to read an enchanting story about stories, read Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, or maybe Stephen King's Wizard and Glass or The Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss instead. I still believe in Erin Morgenstern, and I'll read her next book. But I don't recommend this one.