Ugh. I hate to say it but I DNFed this about 25% through. The narrator’s voice is too monotone to make up for the lack of character development. The beginning was exciting but the loss of certain people so early ensured I didn’t really care. I feel no attachment to Kira. 25% through and the plot is stagnant. This should probably have been cut down a lot. Maybe it gets more exciting but slogging through the first 25% isn’t a great beginning for any reader.

I loved this book so much! My full review will be submitted with the digital copy of this book that I had. As far as the audiobook, I thought it was incredibly well done.

At first, I was thinking, why didn't they go full cast, as there are quite a few characters. After getting into it, however, I never thought of it again.

The narrator, Jennifer Hale, did an absolutely tremendous job bringing this story to life. She is such talented voice artist and I was shocked to learn that this is actually her first audiobook.

Talk about coming out swinging! She is EXCELLENT! I would love to listen to more stories narrated by her.

Very well done!

Kira Navarez is a typical spacer, just trying to live her life and do her job. She is in love and has plans for a future including settling down. The universe has other plans when she finds an alien relic which awakens and joins to her body. Now another alien species is trying to destroy all humanity across the entirety of space.
Paolini has created a universe that seems possible, characters that are believable and that you care about. Kira becomes much more than just another crew member on a space ship, she becomes a deadly weapon and a path to peace. Which side will win and is it the right path?
This is a long epic novel but is a place you want to live in, with friends that you want to fight along with

I loved Christopher’s first books and I was worried that I wouldn’t like this one as much because it was in space and not anything like his last books. But I loved it he really know how to draw a reader in and have you hooked from the first chapter. I loved listening to this book I have also bout it on kindle and bought a copy of the book for my dad because he was the one to get me hooked on sifi and gave me my first book by Christopher. I highly recommend this book weather you read it or listen to it it is an amazing book. I can’t wait to see what Christopher has in store for us next but wherever he takes us I know I will thoroughly enjoy it.

Narrated by Jennifer Hale.

First Contact with an alien/xeno organism with overtones of the Aliens film series (Kira seems like a ringer for Ripley to me) or maybe Venom; followed by contact with an alien civilization that was truly foreign to our own (and threatens our very existence).

This is a long a very long (30+ hours) story that starts out a little rough. The narration was pretty good; however, some voices would periodically have an unnatural feel to them for me (mostly with the 'softer' tone she used to represent Kira's inner voice, but I am actually quite picky in that regard). Most of it is rock solid though ... especially the action dialog. After awhile, I either got used to it or the narrator hit her stride, because it didn't bother me much at all toward the end and I remain absolutely impressed with the range of voices supporting her narration.

This is a plot driven story that takes builds slowly as Paolini introduces each piece before settling down to tell the real story. He does this with the skill of a master story teller; however, the tempo may lose some readers before you get to the best parts. Be patient ... it is totally worth it. Unfortunately, the final combat scene was painfully drawn out and once the main conflict is resolved, the story redshifts into fantasy and coasts for way too long (making the story something of a bell curve with respect to how much I enjoyed it). This is the primary reason it doesn't get 5* from me.

Character Building: Before the early supporting characters faded from the narrative, I found them to be extremely shallow and irritating and slightly over the top (obvious) in their fidelity to the stereotypes they are based on. For the most part, they did there job in moving the plot along and providing a foil for Kira's internal conflicts, but they didn't do much after that. The main character (MC) is xenobiologist Kira Navárez who begins the story as something of a victim of circumstance, driven forward by forces not under her control after an accidental exposure to a xeno artifact. Kira seems to be the only character with any growth as she struggles to reclaim her own agency. It took me awhile to connect with her and the internal drama and self recriminations, but I eventually got there with the help of two strong supporting characters in ship captain Falconi and ship mind Gregorovich ... both of which slowing developed into strong characters in their own right. A few other characters periodically cross the stage, but they felt more like the earlier characters that were more shallow and mostly there to move the plot along. Most of the characters in this story exist primarily to support the plot.

World Building: Flat out some of the best that I have ever encountered; but it was not so obvious at the beginning. Paolini inserts details into his story with such skill that it was not until the end, where I had a full view of his creation and how it all works, that I could see all the hard work that went into making it so believable (and on full display in the addendum). The tech was a well developed take on many of the traditional Sci-Fi tropes and left me wanting to see it all for real. Each of the three poles (Humans/UMC, 'Jellies'/Renowii[sp?] and Vanished), along with emerging the 'Nightmares/Corrupted,' have a unique perspective that was interesting to explore and reasonably drove the interactions between them. There are even a few surprising revelations that gives you an 'ah-ha' moment that makes you revisit some of what has already happened in a new light. All of that helped to create a nearly perfect immersive experience that pulls you through the story at break neck speed (IAW it was almost impossible to walk away from once it got moving).

#ToSleepInASeaOfStars #NetGalley #JenniferHale

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. I received both the ebook and the audiobook. I'm glad I was able to get ahold of the audiobook because seeing how many pages this book has was a little overwhelming. Even the audiobook said it was over 30 hours long. I was skeptical at first but I really enjoyed this book. It made me think a lot about the Illumanae files by Jay Kristoff but an adult version. I feel the narrator did a great job as well. Despite how long it was it kept my interest.

I really liked the idea for this story and I really enjoy Paolini's writing style! Unfortunately I was unable to finish this audiobook for two reasons. First, the app was awful and it kept starting the audiobook over and it was extremely difficult to find my place again. Second, there was a lot more profanity than I was expecting because the Inheritance cycle doesn't have a lot of strong language in it.

I wish I had been granted an eARC instead of an audiobook for review. I don't know what else to do to prove to Tor I will review and talk about their books. They keep denying me anyway. Don't get me wrong, I'm so appreciative for Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen/read this highly anticipated book. I love audiobooks. And after getting denied for the eARC, I requested the audio without much hope because I would take it any way I could at that point; I was miraculously approved. But... I have a terrible attention span. It's hard to concentrate on audiobooks I've never read before. Audio works best for me as rereads. It makes it even harder to review. And that's on me. I'm the one who chose to request the audio. At almost 40 hours and a little less than 1000 pages, the audio was just too much. By the midway point of the book everything just felt overwhelming and repetitive. I didn't care about the story anymore. I will honestly pick this book back up when I can get an ebook or a physical book and give it another chance and possibly a better review. For now, I'm not very impressed. This is the only book I've ever read from the author.

***Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.***

I received a review copy of the audiobook for To Sleep in a Sea of Stars through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to Christopher Paolini, Tor MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for this opportunity.

My rating: 5 stars!

Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist in the 23rd century who accidentally discovers alien technology that changes the universe as she knows it. Jellies, Nightmares, the Soft Blade, The Maw? War is coming to this previously human-dominated sector of space, and peace will not be possible until humanity learns to speak first, shoot later. It's a beautifully written first contact story that has a lot to say about us as a species, us as a society, and the dangers of taking xenophobia with us as we approach the possibilities of life beyond Earth. Trigger warnings: body horror, war.

Like most people who were reading modern science fiction and fantasy in the 2000s, I know Christopher Paolini from his Inheritance Cycle novels. That said, I never finished reading that series (2008 was the middle of college years for me) and it's been a while, so when To Sleep in a Sea of Stars popped up on my radar, I didn't immediately realize who this was. For that, I'm actually thankful. I heard fellow BookTubers raving about this epically long and beautiful science fiction adventure, got myself an ARC, and dove in completely unbiased. I now know from the afterward that there are intentional easter eggs to the Inheritance books, but since I went in without that in mind, I didn't catch them. I did, however, catch multiple references to other great works of science fiction and fantasy throughout the book and appendices, and I thoroughly enjoyed those! Particularly the references to Douglas Adam's work, Star Trek, and the various lyrics quoted in the text.

Paolini did an extraordinary job of crafting a not-to-distant future where humans have built an empire in the universe, and he's managed to craft believable faster-than-light technology and explain it to us without falling into the trap of boring info dumps. I love the idea of shipminds, where humans can choose to upload into ships and escape the confines of a tiny human brain. These reminded me of Robin Hobb's liveships, but without the kidnapping of those original minds. Gregorovich, the shipmind on The Wallfish, is a highlight in this book.

I would also like to praise Paolini for writing so many strong, believable women who never once give a single thought to their own upper anatomy outside of the bedroom.

My only critique of Paolini's world-building is that the galactic military structure seen in this universe is very America-centric. For example, the footsoldier special forces arm of the military is called the Marines. Realistically, it's unlikely that a space program funded by a single government will be the one to colonize space, so why are we assuming that 200-300 years from now in far-flung planetary systems we'll still be recruiting "the few, the proud," the Marines?

As mentioned, the ARC I received for review was specifically the audiobook version, so I would also like to praise the narrator, Jennifer Hale. This is her first audiobook, but likely not the first time anyone is hearing her voice, as she's known for voicing parts in countless video games. Hale has an amazing talent for voices and made each and every named character sound distinct. Never once in the 39 hours and change of this audiobook file was I confused about which character was speaking. Every character's voice has a different pitch, cadence, and accent, and Kira's way of speaking changes as she becomes more and more entangled with the aliens. I also rate Hale's performance 5 stars.

Before I go, I want to address the length of this book. At nearly 900 pages and over 39 hours in the audio recording, I'm impressed that the publisher was willing to trust an author whose bibliography is exclusively shorter YA novels and print this title as is rather than requiring him to split it into a duology or even a trilogy. The book feels episodic, and easily could have been split if that had been required, but I sincerely appreciate that we the readers get to experience it all at once. I think this would adapt well to TV, and I'll be very surprised (and disappointed) if it doesn't get picked up.

I look forward to possible sequels and related works, and I'm so excited for the future of Paolini's writing as an adult author. I'll definitely be grabbing a physical copy of this book to admire on my shelf, re-read, and force on my friends, but I'll always hear Hale's voices speaking for the cast.

4.5/5 I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi or fantasy, but I really enjoyed this. The protagonist was interesting and relatable and the banter between her and the ship mind was one of the best parts of the book. Although there is a fair amount of terminology created for this book (alien species, futuristic space travel ideas), all of the technical jargon was presented in a fun and easy to understand way and I never felt that it bogged the story down or became overwhelming (especially as a person who doesn't read a lot of sci-fi). Overall, an enjoyable read and I'd definitely read the sequel. As I side note, I liked the narrator for the audio book a lot too.

WOW! This book is EPIC! I don't typically like books on space but this one is amazing. Love all the characters and was so well written. I thought the scenery was vivid and wonderful. If I will say anything about it. I didn't love the wrap up. It felt kind of forced and I thought there would be more.

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.