I was completely intrigued and wanted to know about the mysteries behind the book, particularly the symbols featuring a bee, a key and a sword.

It started off promising, as we learn about Zachary, a university student studying game theory discovering an intriguing book called Sweet Sorrows in his university library.

This is really the sort of book that would benefit from reading reviews prior to diving in, which would probably lead to a less frustrating reading experience overall. Sadly, the reading experience didn’t quite match up with my expectations, and I really had to force myself to get through it.

It sounded completely magical as an ode to storytelling and the tales that are told, with a labyrinth filled with secrets. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly-soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose-in both the mysterious book and in his own life.Īs someone who enjoyed The Night Circus, with its enchanting imagery and whimsical storytelling, I was excited about T he Starless Sea, particularly after reading the intriguing synopsis. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also those who are intent on its destruction. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians - it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues - a bee, a key, and a sword - that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, FantasyĪmazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopiaįrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world-a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea. Published by Harvill Secker, Penguin Australia on November 5, 2019

The starless sea book 2