To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini - HIGH

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, 880 pages. Tor Books, 2020. $30.

Language: R (558 swears, 61 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: R

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

The morning that Kira and her fellow scientists are preparing to leave the station they’ve been at, Kira discovers an alien artifact! She has dreamed of finding further proof of sentient life other than humans, and now that dream is a reality but not in the way Kira imagined it. Very quickly, finding the alien artifact becomes the worst thing that has ever happened to her -- and the human race.

This futuristic story includes all the good things about sci-fi: fascinating alien creatures, mind-blowing technology used casually in everyday life, and extraordinary space battles. While the weight of whether the human race will survive or be completely wiped out burdens the characters and readers throughout the book, Paolini finds balance between being reserved and humorous -- I found myself laughing out loud several times. My least favorite thing about this book is how whiney and repetitive Kira is, which started to really get on my nerves by the end, but even that annoyance was deemed worth it as the vision that Paolini had for the stellar ending unfolded before me. The battle of good versus evil felt relatable and enlightening as Paolini gave the readers as much internal resolve with Kira’s inner demons as he gave external resolve. I could read it again. Note: The audiobook is long, but Jennifer Hale does a phenomenal job of bringing each character to life and makes it worth it. The mature content rating is for alcohol, nudity, innuendo, and sex. The violence rating is for blood, gore, and death.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen