Though the story is very different from Morgenstern's previous novel, [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387124618l/9361589._SY75_.jpg|14245059], the style and elements I loved from that book are all present and wonderfully accounted for in The Starless Sea. From the layering of intertwined stories—different times in which it takes place and overlaps—with a huge, overall story arc made up of smaller, individual story arcs inside to the dreamy, whimsy, fairytale quality that doesn't take itself too seriously, I loved Morgenstern's storytelling ways. There is an old and established feel to the world—something akin to affirming a strange feeling you might have gotten one day when you realized how small you were and how timeless everything else truly is. It's the kind of world that feels really out of the hands and workings of the author—she clearly knew this place and her idea of it was firmly planted. Loved it.