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“First contact with another intelligent species – something she’d always dreamed of – and it seemed to be happening in the worst way possible, with violence.”

Release Date: September 15th, 2020

Genre(s): Science-fiction, Space opera

Publisher: Tor Books

Pages: 880

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

To Sleep in A Sea of Stars is a new space opera novel written by Christopher Paolini. The book follows Kira Navárez, a xenobiologist who finds a previously undiscovered alien relic on an uncolonized planet. First contact was something that Kira dreamed of, but things aren’t what they imagined once the dust begins to move around her. Kira has uncovered much more than just a relic, and she’s the only one that can put a stop to the chaos before it’s too late.

Review

This is my first book by Paolini, however, I did go into this aware that Paolini did pour a lot of time and effort into getting this story just right, and it shows. 

To Sleep in A Sea of Stars delivers on everything I’d expect of a space opera. From worldbuilding to political intrigue, a touch of romance, and even some action scenes, this book had it all. For further immersion, this book includes maps, as well as an appendix, and other resources that discuss some of the technologies used in this book from the characters’ perspectives. 

Judging by my other reads this month, you’ll know that I don’t mind bigger books at all. While it leads to the possibility for unnecessary information, larger books definitely make the world feel so much larger with the ability to include further details, have more scenes between certain characters, and flesh out things that would otherwise get a passing description. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars definitely takes advantage of these things, especially when it comes to the tools the characters use on their journey. This is definitely something that I prefer with sci-fi novels; while it is space opera, I do like to see some semblance of realism to a certain extent, so I appreciate these explanations. But if this isn’t your thing, just be mindful of that.

I also found the storyline and pacing to be very engaging throughout. With each part of this story there’s always new information to be discovered, different twists that alter the character’s plan of action, and other scenes that create balance with the above. I found balance to be the key here, because otherwise books with too many twists tend to be overwhelming – but I didn’t find that to be the case here. 

My one main issue with To Sleep in a Sea of Stars was the characterization. While there were several scenes that served well for character development, and while this was a plot-centric story, the characters didn’t always feel fully fleshed out. Something that stuck with me for the whole novel was how the main character handled grief. Upon hearing the bad news you don’t really get any sort of reaction from her – and while denial at first is normal, we don’t even see that. There are some scenes that better display the character’s emotions, but this book could have been even stronger if this were more consistent. 

All in all, I really enjoyed To Sleep in A Sea of Stars. I’d definitely recommend this one to fans of series like The Expanse, as well as those who enjoy plot-driven space operas. And if you’re new to the genre, I think this is a great pick as well; while there are some explanations of tools and technologies used, I’d definitely classify them as accessible descriptions for those new to the genre. This is definitely great for you as well if you enjoy some action and mystery in your science fiction books as well.