The Starless Sea is about Zachary Ezra Rawlins who discovers a rare book hidden in a library. As he turns through the entrancing tales, he finds a strange story from his childhood. He then finds a bee, a key, and a sword which leads him to a doorway–a hidden place far below the surface, a place of lost cities, seas, and lovers. As Zachary travels through this strange yet magical world, he discovers the purpose of his own life and in his story.
When I first picked up this book, I thought it would be an interesting read and keep me hooked. It did turn out to be good, however, I was confused basically throughout the entire book and the plotline seemed a bit jumbled to me, so I couldn’t find it an engaging story. Zachary seemed to be a passive protagonist and when everything was “coming together,” the “resolution” felt like nothing was really happening. To me, it felt like Zachary was dazed for most of the time and didn’t know what was really going on. The reason why I said that the plotline seemed jumbled was that the main story kept on being interrupted and there wasn’t a central conflict for the protagonist to focus on. Otherwise, I had really wished I could’ve enjoyed this story.