Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern ~Review~

Name of the Book : Starless Sea
Author : Erin Morgenstern
Year of Publication :
Genre : Novel, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairytale.
Rating : 4.5/5🌟
Page count : 498

Goodreads Blurb:Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable knowledge that he is meant for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written in this book that is older than he is. A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark shores Zachary falls into an intoxicating world soaked in romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its destruction. As Zachary, Mirabel, and Dorian venture deeper into the space and its histories and myths, searching for answers and each other, a timeless love story unspools, casting a spell of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a Starless Sea.

My Review:

So, Frankly I don’t know how to proceed for reviewing This book. Reading this has been a really amazing experience, like you yourself are surfing through the Starless Sea. But I’ll definitely try, because i really wanna motivate you to read this Gem.

When Zachary Ezra Rawlins, son of a Fortune teller, finds a book ‘Sweet Sorrows’ in a library that describes a beautiful place called Starless Sea, a kind of place that every person would want to take refuge in, he is amazed. But when that same book also describes an event from his childhood life in so much detail that no one knows but himself, he resolves to find the reason behind it all. So when Zachary starts his investigation, he finds himself in a literary party where he meets Mirabel and Dorian; who lead him to his door. And there begins his unusual journey full of magic, mystery, stories and adventure. So when Zachary finds a door to the underworld, he is astonished at the sight of this secret place full of secret passageways, alcoves and arcades and full of ginger cats moving through the place.
But the place is quite different as described in the book. It looks kind of destructed, old with no guests in it, but the Keeper of the place. Soon Zachary finds himself stuck amidst two forces; one that is hell bent on destroying the place and one who is ready to die to keep it safe. Zachary with the help Mirabel and Dorian, he tries to find a solution to it. Zachary is not sure what he is supposed to do here in this place but still he has a sense of belonging to it. Now, he is ready for this journey , to know where his fate is leading him. What he doesnt know that he is already expected in this place. And when he finds a lifesize picture of himself in that ancient place, he determines to do what was expected of him. So taking the ancient sword, and his key with him, he embarks on this journey, where he encounters huge Rabbits and huge Owls hindering his way. He meets a Man lost in time , unfolds lost stories, encounters dreams turned into nightmares and still carries on with his journey. This story is not all about Zachary , it’s actually about Time and Fate. About how they were torn apart from each other and will they be ever getting back together. And also a little about Zachary and Dorians love story. And how they get involved in the story of Time and Fate. So get on this voyage with symbols of bees, keys, swords, feathers, crown and owls. And get yourself ready for some beautiful fairytales and awesome wordplay.

This book has so many other short stories in it too, which if looked closely are somehow linked with each other. Stories like When Time fell in love with fate, the innkeeper at the edge of the world, girl and the feather, all of them have a fairytale narrative to it.(You will also be reminded of Narnia in this novel)

This Story is a Story within a Story within a Story. Seriously ok, I’m not kidding at all. So, to trace it back to the first story, it all began when “Time fell in love with Fate”. This book is a paradise for readers, a utopia every reader dream of. A door that will lead them to a other world, where time & space works differently, where stories live & where stories are whispered from every nook & corner and alcove & arcade. Where you can swim through others stories.

There were some questions that were not answered and that would be who the owl king was and what was his role in this narrative, and who was story sculptor was,
What was the future that Allegra or the painter saw in her visions.But all in all reading this book was an amazing experience. It is a kind of book in which every time you read it, there will be a new revelation.

Yes the narrative is confusing, but I think that is Erin’s style of writing as I have found in Night Circus too. Though its confusing in the beginning but, if one reads intently and keeps a tab at the line of narrative, it all gets clear enough. The book is narrated soo beautifully, the words, the metaphors, the imagination that Erin provides us with, is amazing. Any one who adores beautiful writing, will love this a lot. It is a beautiful affair of story and words. N this is what makes one enchanted with this novel .

Fav quotes:

“No story ever truly ends as long as it’s told”

“We are all Stardust and Stories“

“Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime”

“Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are”