i dnf-ed this at around 17%. i have so many thoughts on this. i don't think this review will be very concise going in i knew that there's not much plot in this book and it almost solely relies on vibes. i tried to read this book last year and gave it another chance now but i - again - couldn't get into it. it's extremely slow and even if the writing is gorgeous i can't keep reading. maybe in a few months or years I'll give this another shot but for now i dnf it

Never read a book this confusing, ambitious, thought-through and entirely different than your normal fantasy book. Sometimes the pacing could have been a little faster and I wish I could've seen more of certain characters. But this doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed diving into the stories of the starless sea.

This book was a ride. First of all, it was a drag and sore to read. The way with words are wonderful and it paints lovely pictures but it still simply didn’t read well for me. The story is of course very unique and I can’t lie, I got lost many times and had to piece it all together again. But probably my biggest critique is: the characters are so flat. The plot is so twisted and at times confusing, there is no room for in depth characters. And I find that sad. Every time I thought I understood the book something new randomly occurred, seemingly cryptic but at times just too much in my opinion. I was excited to see where the underlying general plot of fate and choice will carry on to. And I’m disappointed to say that yeah it feels like this was not properly explored. It is overall a wonderful idea and an ambitious piece of work. I just feel it was at points too aimless, lost its identity and it was tedious to finish.

Okay, so there is a lot to say about this book... It was very confusing at times and very intricate. But it is extremely well written. It was one of my firsts adult fantasies. It is a stand-alone which is nice. For me, however, they were some pacing issues. The beginning was very slow. It took about 200 pages before I was hooked and actually into the story. I feel like they should make a movie about this book because the visuals would be amazing since it is so intricate. Overall I would recommend it if you want a book that will kind of f*** with your brain. You have to read it carefully though, which is why it took me so long to read it. I enjoyed the book and might actually try the night circus by the same author since I have also heard a lot about this other book. Symbols are definitely one of the main themes of the book and I thought that this aspect was very interesting. Everything connects and this was very satisfying to read. 3.5 stars would recommend for a new adult audience.

“We are all stardust and stories.” I'm actually dissappointed in myself for not liking this book. But it leaves me confused and unsatisfied. Yes, Erin Morgenstern CAN write. She is a master with words, and I loved her style. I also loved the concept of this book. But the way it turned out was so confusing, there was no real plot - they didn't have a goal! Many things were left unsolved, and I still have no idea what the Starless Sea is, or what this book even is about. It's probably full of metaphors, but I just didn't get them. +++DEUTSCH+++ 2 Sterne Leider hat mir das Buch nicht gefallen. Das Ende hat mich mit einem verwirrten und unbefriedigten Gefühl gelassen... Ja, die Autorin kann wunderschön schreiben, und das Konzept des Buches ist einzigartig und toll. Aber die Umsetzung war nichts für mich. Es gab für mich keine richtige Handlung, keine Ziele und Motivationen seitens der Protagonisten. Viele Dinge wurden nicht aufgelöst, und ich habe immer noch keine Ahnung, was das Sternenlose Meer ist. Wahrscheinlich sind da viele Metaphern versteckt, aber ich habe keine einzige entschlüsseln können. Das heißt nicht, dass ich dieses Buch nicht empfehlen würde. Wie gesagt, der Stil ist ein Traum; Erin Morgenstern beweist hier, dass sie mit Worten umgehen kann und ich würde definitiv nochmal ein Buch von ihr lesen. Und ich kann auch nachvollziehen, warum das Buch so viele vier und fünf Sterne Bewertungen bekommen hat. Das sternenlose Meer ist ein Buch, dass man einfach selbst lesen und bewerten muss.

Magical! Von Anfang bis Ende verwirrend, viele verschiedene Geschichten, die teilweise wild durcheinander laufen, aber gleichzeitig absolut fesselnd und SCHÖN. Ich glaube, man muss sich auf die fantastische und konfuse Welt einlassen, die die Autorin konstruiert und absichtlich vieles der Fantasie des Lesers überlässt. Ich hab es genossen, auch wenn ich nicht kurz zusammenfassen könnte, was jetzt eigentlich genau in dem Buch passiert.

Das Setting in diesem Buch war wirklich so wundervoll und ein Traum für jeden Buchliebhaber. Underground Libraries, magische Türen und der mysteriöse Starless Sea.Die Handlung hat sich sehr sehr langsam entwickelt, aber das hat mich nicht so sonderlich gestört, da ich es auch nicht in einem Stück durchgelesen habe (sonst hätte es sich vielleicht manchmal doch ein wenig gezogen).Allerdings ist das gesamte Story-Konstrukt auch sehr komplex und einfach bewundernswert. Alles ist so interessant konstruiert worden und die ganze Welt ist voll mit neuen Wendungen und Überraschungen. Gerade gegen Ende wurde es dann auch deutlich spannender, wenn auch ein wenig strange, aber auf eine gute und vor allem interessante Art. Die Charaktere und besonders unseren Protagonisten Zachary fand ich sehr sympathisch und seine Gedankengänge konnte man wirklich gut nachvollziehen.

it's been a few weeks now and i still don't know what to say about this book. i liked it a lot, but not 100%. up until the halfway point, it was the perfect book. intriguing, story-within-story-within-story, mysterious, surprising. and for the most part, it stayed like this - but the last third (or like one story line in it) went a bit over my head. it was just a bit too much, a bit too confusing and illogical. i still think it was clever but i just didn't care es much anymore? it's hard to explain! the writing and the characters were very beautiful, though. it was quite a journey, or like, multiple journeys, and this is THE perfect book to get lost in. if you're a lover of stories of any kind, this book is for you. it's easy to love most of the time but requires some concentration and thinking. i also liked the very ending so so so much, i'm always thinking about it a little ever since i read it. this book is complex and pretty and imaginative and unlike everything you've ever read before. it was worth the wait. <3

What a masterpiece: This book offers so so much space to dream and make up your own assumptions. Erin Morgenstern has the one of the most beautiful ways to capture even the smallest of moments and turn them into something poetic. Be prepared to go on your own magnificent journey through time and fate.

dnf after 2/3 of the book. where is the plot?? i've never read a book that was so pointless. it's beautifully written, yes, but nothing ever happens. one-dimensional characters and multidimensional... dimensions...idk...i don't have A CLUE what's going on in this book... i give up.

It's been a while since i enjoyed a magical/fantasy/story-driven/idk-what-to-call-it book this much but boy, it made me feel things i didn't know i still could. It reminded me of when i first fell in love with books when i was a child, so thank you for that. And the writing is amazing too. I really tried to take my time with it and i think it deserved it, but i probably could have devoured it in a day or two.

Oh wow. This book somehow included all the thing I had been wishing to read (even those I never knew about)! Since I didn't read the Night Circus, I wasn't involved in the hype around this book and unsure what to expect. The only warnings I had were that it is a book about storys, about metaphors, and had little plot. In the end, none of these things bothered me at all. The main plot follows Zachary, a media student, who discovers an old book in the library that includes a story about himself. To understand how it is possible that this book tells of a moment from his childhood - that he can vividly remember -, he follows the three symbols: the bee, the key, and the sword, trying to find a new way into the Starless Sea. It was a fantastic journey. There is a hunt for hints, a literary masquerade and good-smelling strangers telling you stories in the dark, there are painted doors leading to a mysterious underground library-labyrinth. The first two thirds of the book are simply enchanting. There are many connections between the stories within this book and it blurred the line between fiction and reality. Yes, not a lot happened, but I was so happy looking for secret doorways and figuring out side quests along with Zachary, that I didn't mind at all. I still don't think I understand all the allegories, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The last third was almost unbearably tense. I could simply not stop reading (and simultaneously crying) the last hundred pages because the book just didn't let me go. It reminds me of Strange the Dreamer, a book I also immediately (perhaps beyond reason) loved. The hangover was, of course, hard to deal with. My soul still hurts when thinking about this book. It was such a lovely adventure! It helps that the message of the book is that stories don't really end, they simply change. And no story ever ends, as long as it is told.

Woah - this is difficult to rate. The writing is lovely, the characters are compelling but the story is wild.. Like a lot of things happen but it's not explained how they work. It's a very fantastic story in which things just are and that confused me a lot. But all the in all : lovely story with great representation of the lgbtq+ community

CN: alcohol, death, fire, suicidal ideation, forced drug use, removal of a tongue, branding, kidnapping, drowning, animal death If this book was a smell, it would be the smell of old books. If this book was a taste, it would be the taste of honey. If this book was a feeling, it would be the feeling of finally finding a place where you belong. I read and loved The Night Circus when I was younger, but this book... this book made me feel things I didn't know I was capable of feeling. It's magical, atmospheric and breathtakingly beautiful. It's a story about pirates, bees, lovers, swords, doors and keys. But most importantly, it's a story about stories. This book is definitely not for everyone. Some will find it too long, some will find it too confusing, some will just find it boring. But for me, The Starless Sea is the perfect book.

Nachdem mir The Night Circus von Erin Morgenstern letztes Jahr richtig gut gefallen hat, habe ich mich sehr auf das neue Buch der Autorin gefreut. Nach den ersten Kapitel von The Starless Sea war ich überzeugt, dass mir das zweite Buch der Autorin sogar noch besser gefallen würde. Die Geschichte dreht sich um eine riesige unterirdische Bibliothek, mit magischen Türen überall auf der Welt die dahin führen. Allein diese Idee hat mir unglaublich gut gefallen und Erin Morgenstern hat wirklich ein Talent magische Orte echt wirken zu lassen und bei mir den Wunsch zu wecken diese wirklich besuchen zu können. Auch diese Geschichte hat wieder eine wundervoll Atmosphäre. Auch der Protagonist Zachary war mir mit seiner ruhigen Art und seiner Liebe für Bücher sofort sympathisch und ich habe ihn sehr gerne auf seinem Abenteuer begleitet. Neben der Handlung rund um Zachary gibt es noch andere Geschichten in dem Buch, wobei diese auch alle miteinander verbunden sind. Wie schon gesagt hat mir das Buch anfangs wirklich gut gefallen. Ich mag auch den Schreibstil von Erin Morgenstern sehr, auch wenn er vermutlich durch die poetische aber auch etwas vage Art und die vielen Andeutungen und Metaphern nicht allen gefallen wird. Leider konnte mich die Geschichte aber gegen Ende nicht mehr vollkommen überzeugen, da doch alles etwas verworren und verwirrend wurde. Ich kann The Starless Sea besonders allen Buchliebhabern nur weiterempfehlen.

The Starless Sea is quite a difficult book for me to review, mainly because I still, after having thought about it for a few days, don’t know what to think about it. There’s a thin line between beautiful, lyrical writing and writing that is just too much. Unfortunately, #erinmorgenstern was so far past this line, the line seemed like a dot to me (hehe, who gets that reference?