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The Starless Sea: A Novel

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the 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.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. 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.

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. 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. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction.

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.

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Published Aug 4, 2020

592 pages

Average rating: 7.15

382 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

ajhughes19
Apr 11, 2021
8/10 stars
A beautiful, whimsical and adventurous journey full of secrets, muster and love. The Starless Sea unlocks a realm of possibilities and wonder that conjure up fantastical images and characters and things we’ve only dreamt of. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and there is happiness and hope tinged with loss and regret.
Anonymous
May 12, 2025
6/10 stars
I wanted to read this book based on many amazing reviews from a Facebook group I follow. I was ready for a whimsical fantasy style book and this definitely delivered. However, I DON’T GET IT! The storyline was all over the place.. are we in the present, the past, the future?? Who knows... but thankfully that didn’t matter because the rest of the story was equally as confusing. The author has definitely mastered her descriptive writing but unfortunately forgot about the rest of the story.
Harrietaspy
May 04, 2025
6/10 stars
I so wanted to love this book. I LOVE The Night Circus but this book was overly complicated and overly philosophical. I was so excited to see all the loose ends get tired back together again but for me they just didn't. It made me feel like I want trying hard enough or wasn't smart enough to enjoy the book. I really liked some of the characters but the story lines got lost in the mist and the mystery. Beautifully written but not my fave.
Mxteez_
Mar 19, 2025
9/10 stars
If you aren’t paying attention you’ll miss things, this book too me longer to read than most books around the same length but I truly didn’t want the mystery to end I reread some of the stories in them cause they were beautiful each of them could’ve had their own book
C.I. Silva
Feb 25, 2025
10/10 stars
This has been a roller coaster of confusion. I was lost and entregued the entire time, along with Zachary. The writing is stunning and I was unsure of where i was going. I still don't fully grasp what i read and what it meant but i loved every minute of it.

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