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.
Published: 5th November 2019
Publisher: Harvill Secker
Goodreads : Click here
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Source: Owned
MY REVIEW
After reading The Night Circus, and loving it, I was really excited to get stuck into this one and although I did purchase this when it first came out, I have only read this now because I knew that this was the type of novel that was to be indepth and a bit strange and that's the kind of novel that I really have to be in the mood to read so that I can appreciate it at its fullest.
To be honest, it is very difficult to try and summarise this book both because of how complicated the story is and also because even to summarise part of it I believe would spoil aspects of the story that is best not known about. For me, I didn't read the book description that much just maybe the first couple of sentences and then I just got stuck in. I would recommend going into this story with no expectations and not a great deal of knowledge of what is happening in the story. Just sit back, relax and see where the story takes you. I will say that this is not a story that should be picked up if you want to read something quick. This story needs time to unravel and it did take me a while to read, picking it up and reading probably about 60-70 pages at a time. This story is also split into different parts and what I found helpful is to read a 'part' on one sitting if you can.
