The Starless Sea

The first half of this book really drew me in, with a series of connected fairy tale-like stories interspersed with the main narrative about Zachary, a grad student who finds a mysterious book that draws him into a world of beauty and endless stories. The imagery and prose continued to be amazing throughout the book, but by the end I'd gotten a little tired of how much time was spent by characters wandering through various metaphorical/magical landscapes, and the final ending left me feeling a little abrupt and unsatisfied. Erin Morgenstern's other novel, The Night Circus, suffered from similar problems for me. However, this was still a really enjoyable read that made me feel like I was truly living through a mysterious fairy tale.