An 880 page, single POV standalone sci-fi. It's because it's by a white man, isn't it? That is the only explanation I can come up with as to why Tor allowed me to waste 32 hours of my life on this audiobook. Because I was bored out of my mind for at least three quarters of it.

I was thrilled when I was approved for the audiobook of this new release. I'd never read Christopher Paolini's Eragon series, but I knew it was beloved by many, and I was hopeful that maybe this would be a book to help pave the way for more science fiction to come onto the market. The basic premise is as follows. Kiera Navárez is a zenobiologist whose job is to help terraform planets across the galaxy for eventual human habitation. It is a few 100 years into the future and humanity has spread out across our solar system and beyond. Things go awry when she stumbles upon an alien structure and accidentally awakens a being that becomes part of Kiera as a type of body suit that protects her and attacks any threats to her. What follows is a galactic adventure of survival, while trying to save the human race from the dangers of alien life in space.

While I was not a fan of this book as a whole, I did like its star, Kiera Navárez. As mentioned, she is a zenobiologist who bites off more than she can chew, and is irrevocably changed by this alien specimen she encounters. Following her journey as she adapts to living with this suit that is essentially a second skin and learning how to control and work with it was super interesting. However, she didn't feel quite as accessible as I would have liked. Mainly because there are some things she says, things she thinks, that are just ... such guy things to say. As for the rest of the characters, well, it's a big cast. In the first quarter of the book it was difficult to keep people straight because there were so many. From this ship team to this military group on to this ship team and another—it was terribly confusing for a while. Once we settled in on the Wallfish and its crew, we got to know these people better and sink into the story more.

As beautiful as the title is, I did not think it would be quite so literal. Aside from a few well crafted scenes, this was a rather boring and repetitive story. It did not strike me as terribly unique, but rather somewhat cliche and unmemorable. This could easily have been at least 100 pages shorter. On at least four separate occasions, the entire ship crew except for Kiera goes into cryo to sleep from one to six months while they travel across the galaxy. Scene after scene of Kiera wallowing in loneliness and tiresome thoughts while she slips in and out of her own hibernation. It was unnecessary and frankly ground so much of the book to a halt. Even the ending was soured by a sense of repetitiveness, and I was not cheering on Kiera and the Wallfish crew.

I found the author to have used some weird style choices. Like, take the aliens, for instance. They are called the Jellies and the Nightmares, which feels so wholly unoriginal and bland. The Jellies, so named because of their tentacles, communicate with scents. That is a whole can of worms I don't even want to delve in to, so I'll just leave it at you do you. All that aside, I couldn't take them seriously. Kiera, with the suit, is able to understand/communicate, but it got old fast. Every single chunk of dialogue starts with [CHARACTER NAME] here, blah blah. Do you have any idea how hard I laughed when the big, scary villain spoke for the first time within that format? It was just so dumb to me. I will give Chris points for a few cool world-building things though, like the ship minds. People who gave up their bodies to enhance their brains to such size and processing power that they become the literal mind of a ship. Gregorovitch, the Wallfish's ship mind, was fabulous. The narrator truly knocked it out of the park with his two nuts shy of crazy personality.

The narrator was the saving grace for me. I mean, I'm not lying when I tell you that what sold the deal in requesting the audiobook was Jennifer Hale. Rosalind Lutece of Bioshock Infinite fame, aka one of the most fascinating characters I have encountered from my favourite game of all time? Yes, please! And she did not disappoint at all. Easy 10 out 10 stars for her and what kept me reading this book.

My hopes for this to be a resurgence of science fiction have been dashed. I have not read his fantasy novels, but I'm going to say that Mr. Paolini should stick with it instead of this.

I’m honestly a bit heartbroken to say this considering my unhealthy obsession with Eragon growing up, but this just did not work for me.

It opened up strong and had hints of originality. I was excited to see where the story took us, but then things kept happening that felt meaningless to the overall plot. Kira as a main character was devoid of personality, wooden, and maybe this is for a reason but I sadly was not able to finish.

I made it halfway through this 800 page monster and I just don’t think I’ve taken anything away from the plot at all. It’s plodding, dry, and nothing I haven’t read countless times before. Even if the aliens did somehow get more interesting in the latter half, the fact that the first half was so boring and difficult to focus on would’ve made this a 2 star for me which is why I’m rating it that way.

Disappointed. Narrator was great though.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, narrated by Jennifer Hale 

When I saw the To Sleep in a Sea of Stars title, I wasn't sure about tackling 880 pages. Then I saw that the book was narrated by Jennifer Hale and the fact that the narration is 32 hours and 30 minutes, mattered not one iota. Because I've played as Commander Shepard, in the Mass Effect games, more times than I will ever admit. I'm also familiar with Hale's voice acting as Krem, in the Dragon Age Inquisition game. I jumped on board and proceeded to spend those hours of the audio version, walking and listening. 

This is a long story with over 50 characters to be voiced. Jennifer did such a good job with the voices that I checked to see if there might have been additional narrators for some of them since I could not believe one person was doing all the voices. But it was all Jennifer and I'm going to miss her voice, now that the story is over. 

I rarely talk about science fiction because I'll get it wrong. I just enjoy good games and good books and the key to all the games and books that I enjoy is good characters. I need the characters to draw me in, I need to care about them, and I need them to not cause me to roll my eyes with their thoughts and actions. I was able to sink into this world and to care about Kira Navárez, a xenobiologist, who makes a mistake and changes herself and her life forever, changing the course of the world, introducing a nightmare that only she has the hope of stopping.  

In the course of her job, Kira discovers an alien relic, gets overzealous while observing it, and from that moment on, Kira will never be just Kira. In fact, from this time on, she will always have to fight losing herself to this thing that becomes part of her. Before she can understand what is happening, catastrophe is unleashed, and that catastrophe ripples out from her, wrecking more havoc. There is no undoing what has been done but Kira is now the only one who can save "life". 

Despite the extremely heavy subject matter, there is humor, companionship, and everyday-ness in this story. I hope we can see more of this world someday. As I dealt with my emotions and thoughts from the story's ending, I was so thankful that here was an appendix at the end of the book so that I could listen to definitions and terms from the story, many of them humorous and clever. And then we get to listen to Paolini and Hale discuss the book together and they give me hope that someday Hale will narrate another Paolini story. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

During a routine mission, Kira finds an alien relic on an uninhabited planet. What seems cool at first, quickly turns horrifying and Kira is thrust into an intergalactic war and a journey of transformation, and she may be Earth’s last hope.

That is a short summary for a thirty-two hour space opera. At first, I was a little worried. That may be the longest audiobook I’ve ever done (Can’t remember the exact lengths of The Shining and Doctor Sleep), and the task seemed daunting when I first hit play. But let me tell you, I was hooked from part 1, chapter 1, and this book didn’t let go until the very last word.

It’s hard sci-fi, so be prepared. The appendices even break down some of the more scientific details of Paolini’s master world building and construct for things like FTL travel and the aliens. For the most part, the details don’t bother me one way or another. Attention to them proves the author has done their due diligence, but ultimately, the characters are what sell me on sci-fi, and Kira was amazing.

I loved her so much. She loses everything and must rebuild not only her outlook on the world, but her entire world, even herself throughout the story. The secondary characters were great, too, and finally can we talk about Jennifer Hale’s narration? I didn’t know this was her first narration of an audiobook, and I wouldn’t have had I not done some digging after finishing the book and listening to the conversation between her and Paolini at the end of the book.

I’ve never read the Eragon books, but if you have, there are some Easter Eggs in these pages for you. I will say, though, that I’d never really had an interest in them, but Paolini’s writing in this one has made me want to revisit that impulse and maybe pick them up, too.

This one is out on Tuesday, so the wait is nearly over. Get comfy and prepared to dive headfirst into this space adventure that will stay with you after it’s finished.

Kira is finishing up an expedition on a planet humans are planning to terraform when she discovers an ancient life form. What follows is an epic journey with the extinction of the human race on the line.

I listened to this book and the narrator was magical. The characters she brought to life through different voices were engaging. The plot was irresistible and kept the listener wanting more. This was a long read, 40 hours, but I found myself so captivated by the book that I was always wondering what was happening next and wanting more.

This is a detailed science fiction epic, so if science fiction isn’t your thing, skip it. BUT, if you enjoy an adventure in space that includes ancient aliens, high tech ships and gadgets, and strong female leads, this book will be for you!

Thanks NetGalley, for the arc.

I will admit that I am not the biggest consumer of Sci-fi books, and so I was a little worried picking this one up. However, Paolini writes in such a way that you feel welcomed and encouraged to explore the world he created. His characters all have something you can relate to, even down to the space squids (squidlings? Any splatoon fans?). The end was so magical and interesting to read that I was surprised by it. I had my concerns about how this would end, but Paolini did not disappoint.

The reader for this audiobook does an incredible job. The various voices and simply the way she embodied Kira sucks you in. She did an amazing job, despite the way Netgalley's audiobook player butchers the audio quality.

The year is 2225. The protagonist is Kira Navarez a xenobiologist who discovers an alien relic on an uninhabited planet which drives this Adrenalin packed space opera. Paolini “ First Contact” novel excels at world building and his cast of characters is vast and memorable. My favorite character was Gregorovich, the ship mind: “ I am the spark in the center of the void. I am the widdershin scream that cleaves the night. I am your eschatological nightmare. I am the one and the word and the fullness of the light. Would you like to play a game? Y/N – Gregorovich
No – Kira
😟 – Gregorovich“

With Paolini’s jump from Fantasy to Sci-Fi, it is clear that he is no stranger to this genre. I believe this is a tale destined for screen transformation and I’m really looking forward to seeing the giant space squids. Loved this story which rescued me from my dull isolation.” Eat the Path or the Path will eat you”.

Highly recommended for all readers of Sci-Fi. The narrator of this audiobook, Jennifer Hale, is simply one of the best Readers that I’ve ever listened to.
#Netgalley #To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Wow, what an amazing trip! It was so good to get away from Earth for a while. Following strong-willed Kira through the universe and watching her evolve is worth the read alone. What adds to the story is finding this whole new world, with languages, customs and ideas that broaden the mind and scope of how we view ourselves as humans. This audiobook contains a detailed glossary of terms and explanations of space travel for reference. The discussion between the author and narrator is fun so be sure to listen to the very end.

Thanks Christopher for not giving up on this book.. At least for a time it was nice to forget about this pandemic. Thank you Jennifer for such a wonderful reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me the chance to listen to this novel in exchange for an honest review..

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Wow! What an epic story. I absolutely love first contact sci-fi and this was a very very good one. I will definitely need to buy a physical copy of this book because there were some things that I missed from the audio. It was hard to rewind to the correct spot and jump around. That being said, the narrator was great! She kept me engaged and portrayed so much emotion through her reading.

The world was so large and detailed that at times it was a bit hard to follow as I was listening. I loved hearing the description of the aliens as well as the "suit" Kira had. I would definitely say this is for readers who have read quite a few sci-fi books before. If you only pick this up because of the author, and have read his Eragon series, you may get overwhelmed because this is nothing like his last books. You can tell his talent has grown a lot.

This is a truly epic space opera that I can't wait to read physically. The audiobook was fantastic, yes, but I think for me, I would have liked it a bit more had I been reading instead of listening.

Rating: 4 stars
Recommend? Anyone who loves sci-fi should definitely read this.

[Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review]

I will start this review by saying that I am not a sci-fi reader. If descriptions of other worlds and the intricate details of space ships and alien relics got me off, this would probably be a five star book for me. I was intrigued by this book because I was a big YA fantasy reader as a child and really loved the Eragon series, so much so that at least once a month I think, "why hasn't anyone made better Eragon movies yet?" but, I digress.

For a non-sci fi reader, I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook and Jennifer Hale, who is a famous voice actress for video games did the voice acting and absolutely slayed it (if you recognize the name Jennifer Hale, I think you are the person this book was written for). My husband and I listened to it on a road trip and at one point he said, "I keep forgetting there's only one woman doing the voices." She was SO good. The only downside to the audio is that it is 32 hours long. If we hadn't been on a road trip, I definitely would have needed a physical copy.

The story itself hooked me right away. The main character Kira is a xenobiologist who works for a company that is exploring and colonizing planets in the 2200s. She is sent on a simple, errand-like mission and accidentally discovers an alien relic that changes the course of her life and the universe. The plot was intriguing and incredibly well-built. I loved that it was a future state of our current world rather than a different world altogether, and totally get why it took Paolini nine years to write. His attention to detail was impeccable and the plot is very twisty; I was never quite sure where it was going, but in a good way.

The two things that knocked this from five star to four star for me:

- The book was plot-driven, but for this long of a book, I think we should've gotten more from the characters. They often felt like plot devices, and Kira herself felt like a woman written by a man to me. I loved that she was smart and confident, but when it came to her why factor, the reason she does what she does in the book, the things she thinks about when she's sad, it always came back to a longing for a man and missing her family. (Overall, I wanted more from her (pleeeeease boys can you write more complex female characters, especially when they're the main character in a 900-page tome?)
Note: The "comic relief" character named Gregorovitch was great, and the way Jennifer Hale plays him in the audiobook is reason enough to choose the audiobook

- This book didn't have to be this long. I loved the sci-fi details, but there were chunks of dialogue with characters who aren't central to the story that dragged on and were tough to sit through, especially in the audiobook. This aspect of the book made me think this story would've been told better in a TV format than in a book (for the record: would watch that show).

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It having been much more than a decade since I've read anything else by Paolini -- his dragons were pretty okay -- I came to the idea of reading his adult space opera with mild anticipation.

I mean, sure, it's often true that many writers of fantasy who decide to jump the fence into SF do so brilliantly, so a part of my mind kept thinking of, say, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and I wondered. I wondered hard.

After getting my hands on this book and having started it, I began comparing it to Becky Chambers with a few hints of Iain M. Banks, but as I continued on this quite interesting journey with an already wonderful main character, Kira Navárez, I discovered something really gorgeous. This novel continues on with a single PoV in Kira. Loving her is easy. Falling into the complications of her life as they get rather more complicated -- and epic -- is something of a no-brainer for me.

I mean, the moment that the ex0-biology and exploration segments get to a certain spoilery point that I will keep mum about, it's all COMPLETELY downhill for me. I couldn't stop reading for the life of me. Really. I took the book with me EVERYWHERE and actually growled at everyone I met if they tried to draw my attention way from the book. And it's not like I have a PROBLEM with focusing my attention. I was hooked and it never let up and this is a DOORSTOPPER.

Let's just say that the novel became a huge confetti snowstorm of a classic alien invasion Anime, and combines a literal ton of great classic and modern SF easter eggs in the telling.

Oh, and as for you folks who were worried that a fantasy author might not have the chops for an enormous and very fulfilling SF romp of an adventure, let me just say this: Paolini knows his SF. Take it from someone who has read over 2.2k SF novels and knows his tv and movies. He weaves a great deal of SF tropes reminiscent of Neal Asher and Alaistair Reynolds with his quirky and delightful Becky Chambers crew.

We even get a full-on galactic war, people, with a full resolution in a single standalone novel.

Please, allow me a little squee here. *squees like a little girl* Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Out of several years worth of recent space operas, some of which I really enjoyed and some I even swear by, I think I had the most outright FUN with this one. Some of the others might be more intriguing in the plot, others might have blown me away with the sheer science-magic, but this one touched me deeply while giving me all my darkest wish-fulfillment SF desires in a single delicious Navárez package.

Please don't assume this is an old, tired space opera. Rather, think about the promise, if not the execution, of, say, Babylon 5 or the idea of a Guyver suit (Japanese only) on methamphetamines, and you might get a slight idea about what might be going on here. :)

*squeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars was a very long audio. I am very grateful for getting a chance to dive into this wonderful space adventure with aliens and such. But dang, a 32 hour audio? Have no fear.. I basically threw everything else out the window and just went with it. Slowly fell asleep during some stuff but that's just because it was rainy here and that makes me so very tired.

In it, you will meet Kira. She is a xenobiologist and she just happens to discover an alien relic while on a survey mission. Unbeknownst to her, the relic isn't actually dormant and it ends up binding to her. Now at this point, I'm thinking back to a Thor movie where Natalie Portman's character ends up getting that red liquid in her. Not exactly sure if that's the same thing but I was going with it and wanted to see what was going to happen next.

Spoiler alert: A lot happens after this whole merging thing. Not all of them were good though.

After first meeting Kira, I was hesitant. Mostly because this book did start off a bit slow for me and I had no idea where things were going to take me. Luckily for me, I kept listening to the audio and eventually fell in love with her character. It also doesn't hurt that the entire group that was traveling with her were just as lovable.

Towards the end of the book, we do get some key information that definitely ties everything together. It really helped me understand all the events that happened throughout the book. Especially when I was left confused or had questions.

In the end, definitely enjoyed this book and I'm pretty happy that I got a chance to read it before it got published. It also doesn't hurt that I absolute loved The Inheritance Cycle from him and was dying to dive into another book of his either.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I was really excited to read this, because I loved Eragon. I would say the craftsmanship/storytelling was equally good. This was obviously science fiction versus fantasy though, and got a little too far into that realm for my personal preference. The overall concept was unique and engaging and the characters had depth and interest. There was some cursing in the book, which I find frustrating especially in an Audiobook. I'm left scrambling trying to stop it when my daughter comes in the room, because I don't trust the content.

Wow. A good majority of the book was very slow. I found myself skipping sections of the book so I could find a part to grab my attention again. But once it did..... I was clutching my iPad too tight because I was so invested in what was going on.

I really enjoyed the story, characters, and extensive world-building.

The writing was fine. Like I said, it lost me in a couple of places and sometimes I was confused on what was happening. Although, it did have its moments when it had me absolutely sobbing. ESPECIALLY at the end!

Lastly, I loved the narrator. I thought she was perfect in every way.

Overall, this is perfect for fans of in-depth sci-fi.

I received a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is an adult sci-fi novel that is of the space opera variety. It is following the main character named Kira who is on a scouting missing when she falls through an alien structure. It is the first sign of other intelligent life that humans have found even though it is set in the very distant future. It kind of starts a war. I enjoyed many aspects of this book. It is very character-focused and has really subtle interesting character moments and world-building. But it is also really action-packed especially in the second half of this book. The last third of this book is just all action and I loved every second of it.

Here is my video for a more comprehensive review: https://youtu.be/AylLB6bdz2E

I will say this book felt a little long for the story that it gave. From about the 25% mark to the 50% mark the story dragged a bit. But now that I have finished the book and I’m so attached to these characters, I can totally see myself re-reading that section and completely loving it.

One thing I did forget to mention in the video is my feeling about the audio narration. I’m going to be honest I didn’t love it. There was nothing wrong with the audiobook narrator, but there was a slight echo that made her voice sound a bit mechanical. Perhaps if the main character were a robot this would not have annoyed me. But it did annoy me, especially in the beginning. I got used to it after a while. This was the first audiobook that I listened to in the net galley app though, so not sure if that was the actual audiobook or just the app being weird.

Jennifer Hale's narration of this book couldn't be any more incredible. I know Jennifer Hale for her voice-acting in the Mass Effect series, a video game set in a space where aliens invade for no particular reason and start to attack humanity. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is very similar to Mass Effect. This book is a whopping 32-33 hours, and I savored every minute of it. I feel that listening to this book really helped me immerse myself into the story and incredible world.

Wow! Christopher Paolini can write an epic!

TO SLEEP IN A SEA OF STARS is his first adult novel and just as with THE INHERITANCE CYCLE, Paolini brings you into the world he has created and you feel like you belong there and that you know and care about the many characters he introduces you to. Despite the length of the novel, in this case 880 pages or 32 hours, you are only too happy to go along for the journey as the human race fights for survival against a nightmarish alien enemy.

This audiobook was narrated beautifully by Jennifer Hale.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

DNFed at 50%. This is an extremely plot driven science fiction. Apparently I am more of a character driven reader.

While reading, I found myself thinking “oh gosh so much has happened!! But I also don’t know any of the characters all that in depth!” Also this is a very long book. I may have liked it better had it been told in novellas, with more character development. I mean people literally died and I couldn’t have cared less.

Finally, it is extremely obvious that this is a female main character written by a male author. I do not need to know that she clenched her teeth while touching her genitalia, to make sure the alien completely covered her.

I am sad that I didn’t like this book because I was really looking forward to it.

I read Eragon in high school, but I don’t remember much about it and I never finished the Inheritance Cycle, so I had no expectations about Paolini’s writing going into this. I adored this epic, emotional, and beautifully written tale.

I loved Kira’s journey throughout the book, and it is refreshing to read a sci-fi epic with a female lead who is both strong and vulnerable. She experiences horrifying trauma and events that alter the foundation of who she is as a person. With a motley cast of supporting characters, a major strength of this book is how otherworldly experiences are grounded in human emotions.

The amount of research that went into this book is apparent and impressive. The world building is imaginative, expansive, thoughtful, and rooted in science.

My only complaint is that the book is so long. While I loved the depth and breadth of this book, it dragged in a few places, and the long interstellar journeys felt a bit repetitive. I’m conflicted how I feel about the ending. While Jennifer Hale’s audiobook narration was fantastic, I think I would’ve had a better experience reading the words and taking my time to contemplate the deeper meaning of story rather than trying to power through the audio at 2x speed.

I highly recommend this for fans of science fiction that really makes you think about humanity and morality.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say that this was amazingly written, but I felt like it did not need to be as long as it was. I also think I may have enjoyed this more if I had read it physically.