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
erynpaige's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, and War
categalafassi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Torture, War, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Genocide, Death, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Body shaming
ssgcedits's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
And he did it again. Paolini never writes anything below epic.
This story is brilliantly researched, packed with action (even a bit too much for someone used to slower books) and well-rounded, diverse characters. It feels like a perfectly plausible future, but there are also nods to the Empire series that make it seem like a plausible future in that same universe.
It is definitely more adult and explicit than Empire. I am not saying that Empire isn't violent, bloody and nasty at points, because it is, but this book goes into more gore-ish detail, I think. So, be ready for that. I had to pause at various points not just because of the violence but also the sense of impending doom that builds up throughout the novel and to the very end.
Another great skill of Paolini's is in depicting relationships from the most formal to most intimate. Nothing is instantaneous or unexplained. It all makes sense to those characters in that moment and under those circumstances (almost always abnormal). Similarly, the saddest moments are often bittersweet and the happiest tend to be quite complex, which I also appreciate.
There is a lot o subtle and not-so-subtle commentary on racism and 'otherness,' on government, corporations and the exploitation of space and workers such as miners. I always admired the way Paolini handles the interaction of different species and it is no different here. In such a dark narrative, the inclusion of comical or lighthearted characters was very welcome.
And, again, as usual, at the end of a long book, there are still many mysteries to uncover and stories to tell beyond the protagonist's. So, is that an open door for (a) sequel(s)? I hope so.
This story is brilliantly researched, packed with action (even a bit too much for someone used to slower books) and well-rounded, diverse characters. It feels like a perfectly plausible future, but there are also nods to the Empire series that make it seem like a plausible future in that same universe.
It is definitely more adult and explicit than Empire. I am not saying that Empire isn't violent, bloody and nasty at points, because it is, but this book goes into more gore-ish detail, I think. So, be ready for that. I had to pause at various points not just because of the violence but also the sense of impending doom that builds up throughout the novel and to the very end.
Another great skill of Paolini's is in depicting relationships from the most formal to most intimate. Nothing is instantaneous or unexplained. It all makes sense to those characters in that moment and under those circumstances (almost always abnormal). Similarly, the saddest moments are often bittersweet and the happiest tend to be quite complex, which I also appreciate.
There is a lot o subtle and not-so-subtle commentary on racism and 'otherness,' on government, corporations and the exploitation of space and workers such as miners. I always admired the way Paolini handles the interaction of different species and it is no different here. In such a dark narrative, the inclusion of comical or lighthearted characters was very welcome.
And, again, as usual, at the end of a long book, there are still many mysteries to uncover and stories to tell beyond the protagonist's. So, is that an open door for (a) sequel(s)? I hope so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, War, Torture, and Grief
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
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