REVIEW: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The starless sea follows Zachary Rawlins, as he is a graduate student in Vermont. He is a very typical introvert who loves video games and reading. One day, he discovers a mysterious book, which has him enthralled with its secrecy and what it is hidden within. When he recognises himself in the pages of this book, he begins to wonder about the past of this enigma and what it has to do with him and how they are connected.

Zachary must journey to find clues about his life and why they are recorded in this book. These clues lead him to a secret society that keeps a library full of lost books that are looked after by their guardians. These books are full of adventures and wonder and stories that are lost to the ages about cities that existed that are long forgotten. But when the society comes under attack from an outside force, Zachary and his friends who join him along the way must decide to defend and protect the secret behind the library. Well, the library has other plans and wants to take its own destiny in its hands by destroying itself. By destroying itself, it will allow the old stories to finish thus allowing new stories to flourish.

Though the premise of this book sounds so intriguing, I’m afraid it didn’t live up to the hype. Erin Morgernstern has a beautiful way of writing, but if you don’t get on with it, it’s pretty much a no go. I read this book in the lockdown and I was not in the best of places for it, so I wanted to DNF this book, as the writing style was not what I was in the mood for. I did push through this feeling but I still wasn’t exactly impressed. To be honest, I was never particularly keen on the night circus so it’s no wonder that I wasn’t getting on well with this book.

3 out of 5 stars.