To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Review | Christopher Paolini

You all know that I’ve been the biggest Christopher Paolini fan for at least the last ten years. The Inheritance Cycle is usually makes it into my hand every year. I am so excited to be sharing this one with you today! Check out my To Sleep in a Sea of Stars review here!

Publisher: Tor Books | Date: 2020 | Genre: Science fiction

Plot: It was supposed to be a routine research mission on an uncolonized planet. But when xenobiologist Kira Navárez finds an alien relic beneath the surface of the world, the outcome transforms her forever and will alter the course of human history.

Her journey to discover the truth about the alien civilization will thrust her into the wonders and nightmares of first contact, epic space battles for the fate of humankind, and the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

I received To Sleep in a Sea of Stars from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Review

Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle has been on the top of my favourites pile for the last thirteen years. There was no way I was passing up on the chance of snatching his new novel as fast as possible.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is both similar and different. It’s science-fiction compared to fantasy, for starters. But there are elements, odd characteristics, that remind me who the author is because of the familiarity.

This is a beast of a book. Over 800 pages long, in fact. It won’t be easy wrapping this up into a 500-word review, but I’ll try.

Kira is set to have everything she wants, until bonding with an alien parasite causes her life to turn upside down. She is a fantastic protagonist. At the start, she’s afraid, angry, desperate to get out of her situation, and you watch her grow into a confident woman understanding the stakes and the role she must play. Kira turns into a leader – strong and capable – and as a reader, you feel privileged to experience the ride with her.

There are no sudden changes to her personality though, no huge shift in her mind-set. It’s gradual; the small everyday things that alter her perception. Kira displays one of the most satisfying character developments I’ve read: you don’t notice the differences until you suddenly look back and realise how far she has come.

There are several characters and relationships that make this a enjoyable read. Falconi, a captain who gets entangled after picking up Kira, and his entire crew are full of unique personalities you root for. Gregorovich is a ship mind – an advanced being capable of a lot more than your standard human – sarcastic, insulting and a refreshing juxtaposition to other crew members. This isn’t even mentioning the aliens involved…

There were, she thought, many different types of nightmares in the galaxy. Some small, some large, but the worst of all were the ones you lived with.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

The Idealis – the Seed – is a an extraordinary character in its own right, considering it is a sentient suit for most of the book. It’s the enemy: it’s the saviour. It’s fear: it’s hope. The complex relationship between it and Kira adds a fantastic in-depth layer to Kira’s personality: she must understand herself if she is to accept the suit.

Although you’re thrown straight into the futuristic setting on different planets, you’re not left floundering. Paolini inserts descriptions throughout to explain the unique components to the world, but not in a typical expositional way. You learn the rules in a manner that feels natural and doesn’t break the momentum.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars draws you in. You don’t realise how long the book is as tension builds, war escalates and the characters face impossible odds. Instead, you can’t put it down, eager to find out if your favourites will make it or if they will defeat the enemy.

This is a novel that explores how far humanity is prepared to go to survive. It’s a tense, gripping read that makes it hard to stay grounded. My expectations were high, but this is a definite recommendation from me.

Are you a science fiction reader? Or does To Sleep in a Sea of Stars sound like your kind of book? Let me know!

You may also like:

• Book Review: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
• Book Review: Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram