There is a danger when you have written an incredible series like the Inheritance Cycle that fans will compare your next work to what you have done in the past. There are some similarities between Inheritance Cycle and To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. Such as the story being based on more than one race of being, the fight between good and evil, as well as a symbiotic relationship for the main character. However, this is a story of space, rather than of dragons, and it is from a female perspective, so there is a different feel to this book.

Kira Navarez stumbles on to an alien item that attaches itself to her while on a routine mission. That's when life begins to go terribly wrong, and she must learn to accept this symbiotic relationship, to bring life back to normal, not only for humans but for other races as well.

Paolini has done his research and immersed himself in the science of this Sci Fi endeavour. The book as a whole works and leaves you wondering if this is the beginning of a new series, or if this saga of almost 900 pages (32 hours on audio) is all there will be for Kira and her friends. Thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me to review #ToSleepinaSeaofStars.

3.5 rounded up.

This is an epic space opera and there is a lot happening.

Kira Navárez is a xenobiologist who stumbles upon an alien organism when she falls into what is essentially a cave, and a story about humanity, war, and space travel is off on its way.

The characterisation of Kira was strong, and the supporting characters were interesting, though honestly it was a bit difficult to differentiate between who did what when the book is 800+ pages long. It would definitely have benefited from a little bit of trimming. That's actually my primary criticism: the length. I listened to the audiobook and there are TWO HOURS OF APPENDICES (including a glossary) that go into extreme detail about faster-than-light travel and it really REALLY could have been supplementary material released separately; it was just...more...information about the mechanics of the story that were so unnecessary. I presume they weren't interesting enough to cram into the story itself so they were tacked onto the end?

The narrator is Jennifer Hale and I cannot imagine a better person to have told this story. Her voice is completely appropriate and she's incredibly skilled; it was an actual treat to listen to her, and it made the length of the novel a lot easier to deal with.

Overall, I enjoyed this; it's outside of what I usually read, but I saw the cover and just got all heart-eyes about whatever was behind it, and was thrust into a story that was full of action and excitement.

It really reminded me of A Mote in God's Eye.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

4 out of 5 stars

To Sleep in the Sea of Stars is Paolini's first adult novel - and he makes a BIG splash with it. You can tell that this book is a product of love, patience and years and years of labour. Paolini has thought of it all. The novel has a great storyline, a complex and believable MC, wonders of the universe, diverse cast and a good ending I highly recommend this book to any Sci - Fi fan out there. And if you are like me and listen to books all day long - Jennifer. Hale does a FANTASTIC job narrating this book.

My only qualm with the book is that it could be shorter - in a true Paolini fashion, he drags it out a bit.

As a child, I read the Eragon series so I decided to check out Christopher Paolini's new book. I like that he went from a dragon fantasy series to a space alien novel. It shows creativity to jump genres like that but I think I would’ve preferred a book about anything else instead. I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi to begin with, aliens and tentacles don't do it for me at all. Alien wars, body possessions, mutations and all that bore me to death. I’m definitely not the target audience for this book.

The writing is detailed and very action packed as far as the story line. Once it reached the 50% I started getting really bored. I would’ve liked more world building. I think the character Kira could’ve been.. better. To me she seemed flat and had no feelings. Almost robotic. Something traumatic happens in the beginning of the book and she kinda didn’t care and that was so off to me. Maybe it’s because a man wrote a woman MC but I don't think it's that since I didn't mind the other characters. Kira just wasn’t my favorite. and don’t know what it was but I just felt disconnected from her.

The audiobook is about 32 hours, and that is NOT short. I haven't read or listened to anything this long since Game of Thrones. The narrator did a great job and was able to convey different emotions, voices, and accents for all of the different characters. She was entertaining and I would definitely listen to another narration from her. Being read to made this book easier to get through because if I had to read 880 pages of aliens, I think I would’ve given up a long time ago.

So.. would I recommend this for someone who doesn’t like sci-fi much? Nope. Not at all. If aliens are your thing though, then go for it. I only like two types of sci-fi so I think I’m just going stick to what I know. I’m glad to see Paolini is writing again though so I would check out his next novel for sure (unless it takes place in space).

Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the audiobook!

I thank Macmillan Books Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review, but there is no way to download this to listen on my kindle or Overdrive, hence no review. Will have to wait for publication and hope to get it from my library or Amazon to review.

I received this and as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me access.

This book had me hooked, so when I was given the change to listen to the whole audiobook, I was so excited!

Paolini does and amazing job of world building and creating that suspenseful atmosphere that we crave when reading. I got huge 'Alien' vibes. The MC is similar to Ripley, yet this story is much less violent than the 'Alien' movies and books we are well familiar with.

The adventure Kira goes on is extraordinary. She battles aliens, skin suits, ship minds, and other people -- all while fighting her skin suit and learning to be one with it.

Definitely a sci-fi read that most will enjoy.

I was given an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I will start by saying that I have not read any of Christopher Paolini's previous books so I was going into this one with no expectations.

This story sounded AWESOME and I was really excited for it. The novel was quite interesting with the different species and worlds and just deep space and futuristic, all things I love! At the same time, this novel felt WAY too long and way too descriptive at times when I felt it was not necessary. I often got lost in this novel and did not retain pages worth of reading because I just got bored. I feel like this did NOT need to be as long as it was. If this was made into a television series or on Netflix I think that I would love it because visually this could really be amazing. This definitely touched on bits of sci fi and space that I love and felt akin to the Alien and Predator franchise and of course Star Trek and Firefly. I feel bad in saying that it was just so long and it made me quite bored. Maybe if I hadn't read it through it would have been more interesting? At the same time, I feel if it is that easy to put down a book maybe it's not for me? Again, so many positives about this....just too stinking long!

I didn't think I would love this as much as I did, but wow!

First things first, I didn't realize how big this book would be. The audiobook is just over 30 hours and I was definitely intimidated. I'm glad I was able to get it in audio format, because I can only imagine it physically. I've never been a fan of sci-fi, but when I saw that this was a space opera, I thought I would give it a try.

I'm so glad that I did. I loved everything about this book, from the world to the characters. Jennifer Hale did an amazing job narrating as well. I was alert and on the edge of my seat the entire time when it came to this book. I just wanted to learn more and never wanted it to end. I'm glad it was the size it was because it wasn't a world that I wanted to leave.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is Christopher Paolini's first novel for adults and first sci-fi novel and....it's a bit of a mixed bag. Clocking in at nearly 900 pages this book is a tome, and it really didn't need to be. Part 1 of the book is fantastic. It's tightly plotted with big twists that kept me riveted, clearly very well edited with the feeling of a sci-fi thriller. After that, things begin to meander a lot more with bloated writing and uneven pacing that detracts from the very interesting world.

The main character is a xenobiologist, often studying lifeforms on planets to determine if they are a good fit for terraforming. In the first chapter, she's headed to a party celebrating their last night on the current planet, but for her it's bittersweet because she's been working with her significant other and now might not see him for months. That night he proposes. Life is so good, the future seems so bright! She has one last investigative errand to run before they leave the planet and ride off into the sunset. You just know something is going to go very, very wrong. And wow does it. A routine patrol lands her stuck in an alien ruin where something very bad happens. This is all in the first couple of chapters. Then more bad things happen and everything changes. Part 1 of the book is a RIDE. But then...

This is a very plot and world-driven sci-fi novel, with character development that feels weak given the length of the book. To be clear, there is some character development and there is a large cast with some high points (Gregorovich is certainly a favorite) but that development feels too shallow for a book longer than 400 pages. The world-building is interesting, and it's clear a great deal of time and thought went into it, but the impact of it was a bit muted for me because of the bloated writing. I do think readers who love sci-fi with a strong emphasis on action and world-building minutiae will enjoy this. There are lots of scenes involving space battles with aliens, chase scenes etc. But then there's a lot of down time in between that I think is intended to develop the world and characters but often feels repetitive. (i.e. how many times do we need to experience the boredom of traveling for months as the only one awake? etc.)

As a sci-fi reader most interested in characters, politics, and world-building, I had a mixed experience with this. I was interested in the world involving alien cultures, new tech, and a different system of politics, and appreciated the detailed thought given to those. On the other hand, I wanted more from the character development, got bogged down in the too-frequent slow bits, and as a reader less interested in action scenes, felt that all the lengthy battle scenes got repetitive. This is the sort of book that I can see some people loving if it fits into the things they are most interested in. For me, it was good but not great. As a side note, it's noticeable that this is a female MC written by a male author. Not the worst example I've seen, but not particularly well done either.

I do think the audiobook is well done, although I might recommend reading along with a physical copy as well if you can due to the complex elements. I received an advance audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Be prepared to become engrossed in a vivid Sci-Fi world. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini was captivating from beginning to end.

While this book is incredibly long (over 30 hours) do not be intimidated. The story is never dull. Paolini does what he does so well with building a truly unique and immersive experience for the reader, helping them feel like they are a part of the story. While I enjoyed the characters, I think there could have been more development with them.

Jennifer Hale slayed her narration! With a book this long, it takes a truly gifted voice actor/actress to pull off such a feat. Hale kept the characters' voices distinct and clear throughout the entire story. I knew exactly who was talking without being told, which I love when listening to audiobooks.

I devoured this beast in a few days. If you love vivid and descriptive worlds and space operas, this is the perfect book for you. I think this is a book I would enjoy having a physical copy in front of me while listening to the audiobook. There is a lot to digest and I find that helps me absorb lots of information best.

I received an advanced audiobook copy from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the advance listen. All I can say is wow! If you like Sci-fi this is one not to miss and the audiobook is out of this world. One narrator and she is amazing! She gives each character their own voice and there are a lot of characters...The story was also amazing. Kept my attention and did not want to stop listening. The title, the cover artwork ❤️ Highly recommend. I even purchased a signed hardcover edition...

My thoughts

Rating: 5

Would I recommend it?yes

Would I read more of this author? Yes in fact he writes one of my all time favorite series The Inheritance Cycle Series

WOW just wow , I can't put into words how good this was I just couldn't stop reading it ,it just came out of nowhere and bam I was hooked. It had every thing i could want in a SCI fi book: a bit of romance , space trivial , aliens, space battlers and the fate and humankind in the hands of one person. This definitely a win for Christopher Paolini and it just might be right up there with his The Inheritance Cycle Series . Can't wait to get my hands on the book .

I am reluctantly DNFing this audio ARC because the netgalley listening app is super bugging and I'm not able to properly listen. Even though I downloaded the file, the audio file keeps resetting to the beginning every time I lose my wifi signals. Since the chapters are not numbers and the audiobook is over 3o hours long, I find it impossible to find my place. Also the app keeps crashing every few moments. I'm sorry to Tor.com but the app has made this title impossible to review.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Author: Christopher Paolini
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis (from book):

Kira Navárez Dreamed of finding life a new worlds. Now she has awakened a nightmare.

While exploring a distant planet, she discovers an alien relic that thrust her into an epic journey of transformation and discovery.

Her odyssey will carry her to the far reaches of the galaxy. Earth and her colonies are on the brink of annihilation.

One woman.

The will to survive.

The hope of humanity.

Review:

I almost feel in adequate to give my opinion on this book. The world building, or in this case… other-world building, is by far the most complex and beautifully developed world that I’ve ever had the pleasure of discovering. Paolini’s world comes alive so vividly that I felt drawn in completely throughout the entire read. This story is such a roller coaster of emotions leaving me laughing one moment and stopping the next. I want to reread several times to catch things I may have missed the first time, and to fully understand the events that took place. The beginning of the story in no way prepared you for what is ahead.

The characters were an instant connection for me. I felt their pain in the sorrowful moments and their elation in the joyful moments. Keira’s journey from start to finish left me breathless, my heart wrenching for what she had to go through. There were several characters I fell absolutely in love with, but I won’t spoil their identities for you.

I would recommend this book for anyone, not just sci-fi lovers. I myself am not a big sci-fi fantasy lover. I loved this book and feel that it opened up my horizon to other genres that I would not have explored before.

"To Sleep in a Sea of Stars" by Christopher Paolini follows the story of Kira the Xenobiologist who studies biology on alien planets in the deep reaches of space. Kira has been on multiple missions and is ready to settle down with her new fiancée Alan when things go terribly wrong. Kira and her team are finishing up a job on Adrasteia when she stumbles across an oddly shaped rock formation that she decides to explore. During the small side expedition, she makes first contact with an alien life form that now threatens everyone she knows and loves. Will she escape? Will she be able to save the others?

This new novel by Christopher Paolini has the same descriptive and elaborate diction that has become his signature. He does an excellent job setting the scene and world building so that the reader is transported into deep space. The beginning of the book was a little choppy though as there were a lot of names of people, places and ships provided up front. It was difficult to keep all of the names straight without something to reference before hand. It would have been helpful to have either a longer world building section to become more familiar with the names and terms or perhaps an infographic at the beginning of the book with cast of characters or map of the planets/locations etc.

Kira is in for the fight of her life, and I am HERE FOR IT! My heart broke for her in the beginning of the story with the events that unfolded. Kira is just the right mix of loving, dedicated and driven to make me want to cheer for her to succeed and really stand behind the character. She's tough as nails when she needs to be and worried or preoccupied at times when she can be softer.

In terms of the audiobook specifically, the narrator does a wonderful job of presenting the story. Jennifer Hale (the voice actor) does a great job switching between narrating and then voice acting with the dialogue. She speaks in a softer tone for Kira's inner thoughts which helps to create that character in the reader's mind. Hale also uses some accents for different characters throughout which adds interest. Although the narration is clear and crisp, I would recommend listening at the normal pacing and not speeding up the playback. The reason for this is not the actual narration, but rather the content of the book. There are so many details that could be overlooked. It would be better to listen at the intended pace and enjoy it accordingly.

One of the things to consider is that this audiobook is a huge time commitment. Clocking in at 32 hours, this is a long book chock full with plenty of details, action and world building. I found that I preferred the audiobook format due to convenience since readers can listen while on the go. However, it is important to note that the listener needs to be keyed in and paying attention or the book specifics will be lost and the reader will not get as much out of the book. I almost felt like laying down with my eyes closed and listening would be the best way to utilize this audiobook as this would truly allow for me to imagine the world being described!

As always, Paolini has delivered a marvelous book that is sure to be a hit with fans, both old and new!

Book 178 towards my goal of 280! 4/5 stars for this adult scifi! So I'm normally not a fan of space books, but had to read this one after seeing the author chat with @words.and.whimsy ! This book is packed full of action and adventure! And a ship pig ;) I don't want to give too much away, but the story is fantastic! The characters are well developed. The writing has funny bits, with plenty orlf serious, and a bit of sad. The narrator for this book was PERFECT! Great voice for the story! Highly recommend!
*I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley*

Kira Navarez has clearly never seen the movie Alien. On a survey of an unknown planet, Kira find an obviously ancient relic. It’s all fun and games until the dirt and dust around Kira starts to move, Humans have always dreamed of reaching beyond the stars, of finding life elsewhere in the vast, empty universe. Be careful what you wish for. Paolini became a household name with the publication of Eragon and its sequel, written when he was just a teenager. His newest will enchant a new generation of readers and a female heroine is just what the world needs right now. The narrator does an excellent job of capturing the urgency and danger in Kira's world