retrofuturism's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Was really enjoying it and was thinking a 4.5 rating until Part 5 when it suddenly started to fall apart, both in plot and in writing. Could have seen it coming as it bloomed from an earlier plot element I found ridiculous but I trusted the author to wrap things up nicely and was disappointed. Paolini's deep world-building and sincerity usually gets him through plot/dialogue corniness with me, but not here. Some stuff with the interaction between species was corny, and it just got worse and worse until it affected everything.
Still a good read, but for its length the ending feels so unsatisfying as to retroactively mess with my enjoyment of the rest of the book. I agree with other reviewers that it could have used heavy editing, but I would've been fine with the length if the ending was good.
For fans of creature features, transhumanism, and space fantasy.
Jennifer Hale was a great audiobook narrator.
Still a good read, but for its length the ending feels so unsatisfying as to retroactively mess with my enjoyment of the rest of the book. I agree with other reviewers that it could have used heavy editing, but I would've been fine with the length if the ending was good.
For fans of creature features, transhumanism, and space fantasy.
Jennifer Hale was a great audiobook narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Body horror, Violence, and War
Moderate: Ableism and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content and Fatphobia
yomireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A thrilling story that spans a universe, literal an metaphorical. In spite of a setting that's as alien as the literal aliens, the story is at once inviting in the familiarity of the characters. Encompassed in this behemoth of a read is so much, and is somehow not overcrowded for it: the delicate and yet ferocious nature of life, the complexities of finding common ground with those who hold fundamental philosophical differences from our own, and who we are in the face of tragedy and hope alike. This was a layered story on so many fronts, allowing for our protagonists growth to take center stage without sacrificing the nuances of foreshadowing and plot development. Absolutely worth every page of the read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, War, Grief, Violence, Xenophobia, Cursing, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, and Genocide
malmer's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Grief, Medical content, War, Gore, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
mar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book was a lot of fun!!! loved how it seemed like hard sci-fi and science fantasy simultaneously. but it did Not need to be 880 pages long. anyway gregorovich my beloved <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Medical trauma, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, and Vomit
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Body shaming, and Pregnancy
whatswithrandy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, War, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement
tiffanysmith's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Like many people, I grew up with Paolini’s debut series The Inheirtance Cycle, which I was quite fond of. As an adult, I was thrilled when I discovered he had written a space adventure novel and immediately got my hands on it.
I can say that I enjoyed the premise and the characters up until I was about halfway through this tome…that’s when I began to despair. The story was slow. The plot and characters began to grow stale by the middle because their was a lack of forward motion to the story. I didn’t really know what the true plot was for quite a while and the character’s devoted much of their time to mundane dialogue and many scenes aboard the Wallfish that really just didn’t seem relevant. I think if the story had been condensed down by 300-400 pages, it would have been totally awesome! Instead, it grew dry and I had to slog my way to the finish line.
I did enjoy the plot premise and the space world that Paolini built. It was brilliant. He writes beautifully, and the description drew me into each moment. I just didn’t enjoy how it was executed in terms of pacing. From the middle until the climax at the end, I was desperately challenged to read through it, but I’m glad I finished it, so I can relish the parts I loved about it.
I can say that I enjoyed the premise and the characters up until I was about halfway through this tome…that’s when I began to despair. The story was slow. The plot and characters began to grow stale by the middle because their was a lack of forward motion to the story. I didn’t really know what the true plot was for quite a while and the character’s devoted much of their time to mundane dialogue and many scenes aboard the Wallfish that really just didn’t seem relevant. I think if the story had been condensed down by 300-400 pages, it would have been totally awesome! Instead, it grew dry and I had to slog my way to the finish line.
I did enjoy the plot premise and the space world that Paolini built. It was brilliant. He writes beautifully, and the description drew me into each moment. I just didn’t enjoy how it was executed in terms of pacing. From the middle until the climax at the end, I was desperately challenged to read through it, but I’m glad I finished it, so I can relish the parts I loved about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Murder, and Medical trauma
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is kind of hard for me to rate. Because on the one hand, the plot is very good, I was interested for all of the 800+ pages that this book goes on (though I did have to do a hard pass on the ending addendum stuff), and I was invested in these characters. On the other hand, the plot kind of meanders (it is 800+ pages long and I personally feel like at least 100 pages could have been cut overall) and the dialogue is clunky. It's a fun space opera and it gets really good once Kira starts really merging with her alien biomass, but I wouldn't rank it as one of the best books of all time. Read for a good time not a smart time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Confinement, Torture, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and Police brutality
swazwald's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Medical content, Murder, Torture, and Violence
bluelaceagate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Torture
Moderate: Cursing, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Chronic illness, Excrement, and Genocide
hollyd19's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars follows Kira Navárez, a xenobiologist who works studying the flora and fauna of to-be-colonized planets around the galaxy. At the end of a mission, she makes a discovery that sends reverberating impacts throughout settled space and sets the trajectory for the rest of the 800+ page story.
Let me start by saying that Jennifer Hale was a downright phenomenal narrator (I listened via LibroFM). Her performance brought the characters to life and helped me keep track of the story. I was a particular fan of her portrayal of Grigorovich.
First, what I liked: Paolini clearly spent tons of time building out the world for this book. I don’t read a ton of sci-fi, but it reminded me a bit of Ender’s Game with the robust, thoroughly imagined setting. Secondly, (and this is a minor spoiler, so skip to the next paragraph if you like), I thought the alien encounter was incredibly unique. Kira’s fuel experience as a xenobiologist and host was an inspired choice by Paolini. Finally, the crew of the Wallfish was one of the best parts of the book for me. They were dynamic and human and funny.
Now, what didn’t work for me: As is a risk whenever someone writes a main character who is a different gender than their own, there were some cringe-y moments with Kira’s internal dialogue. Especially during romantic scenes. Secondly, I found the main source of conflict to be poorly explained. It wasn’t until nearly the end that I understood the Maw and the Nightmares, and even then, their backstory felt like the least developed part of the book. Finally, the end got trippy. I won’t get into it because I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but it had some horcruxes-meet-Captain-Marvel vibes I was not expecting.
Ultimately, I’m glad I listened to it. It was enjoyable and distinctive. I heard it is being made into a film, and I could see it adapting well to screen.
Let me start by saying that Jennifer Hale was a downright phenomenal narrator (I listened via LibroFM). Her performance brought the characters to life and helped me keep track of the story. I was a particular fan of her portrayal of Grigorovich.
First, what I liked: Paolini clearly spent tons of time building out the world for this book. I don’t read a ton of sci-fi, but it reminded me a bit of Ender’s Game with the robust, thoroughly imagined setting. Secondly, (and this is a minor spoiler, so skip to the next paragraph if you like), I thought the alien encounter was incredibly unique. Kira’s fuel experience as a xenobiologist and host was an inspired choice by Paolini. Finally, the crew of the Wallfish was one of the best parts of the book for me. They were dynamic and human and funny.
Now, what didn’t work for me: As is a risk whenever someone writes a main character who is a different gender than their own, there were some cringe-y moments with Kira’s internal dialogue. Especially during romantic scenes. Secondly, I found the main source of conflict to be poorly explained. It wasn’t until nearly the end that I understood the Maw and the Nightmares, and even then, their backstory felt like the least developed part of the book. Finally, the end got trippy. I won’t get into it because I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but it had some horcruxes-meet-Captain-Marvel vibes I was not expecting.
Ultimately, I’m glad I listened to it. It was enjoyable and distinctive. I heard it is being made into a film, and I could see it adapting well to screen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Confinement and Grief