Normally I review a book right after I read it, but I had to sit on this a few days. I’m not sure I can do the book justice in a review. This read is magical, much like her last book. Its set in a world of stories with a labyrinth of underground libraries you can only access through magical doors and guarded by a secret society. The members of this society guard the stories and the Starless Sea.
“A boy at the beginning of a story has no way of knowing that the story has begun.”
I found myself going back to this line time and again.
The main character, Zachary, finds one of these magical doors when he’s a child but didn’t go through it. He doesn’t realize what it meant until many years later when he finds a book at university. This book contains the story about the day a young boy found a door painted on a wall and who didn’t try to enter it. He somehow knows it is his story and he begins a journey to find out more about the book and the Starless Sea.
The story is cleverly written although intentionally disjointed, both with respect to characters and time. The author effortlessly weaves these stories and timelines together. I found myself having to hold back from rushing ahead to see how these stories would come together. It does help to think of the story itself as a labyrinth. If you’re someone who needs a linear story – this book is not for you. I loved it though and plan on heading back down to the world of the Starless Sea.
