I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise was so interesting and promising but it ultimately fell flat for me. I really like how whimsical and magic the whole concept was but I feel like it never panned out and it could have used a lot more world building. I think part of this was the third person narration, which gave the story a really fairytale feel, but also distanced the reader from it and never allowed me to feel really invested in the story or its characters.

The writing also suffered from some pacing issues. Some parts of the story moved very quickly and jumped perspectives so I often felt lost and like I was missing so much. It really could have used some time to immerse the reader in the world and the characters to give the story some stakes. I was never invested in the outcome of the plot or the characters and especially the relationship. I never understood why they even liked each other or how much they knew each other because we don’t see any of the buildup.

Ultimately the ending was unsatisfying and I was still left with a lot of questions that I felt were never really explained/explored. It wasn’t a terrible book, but it could have used a lot more development and just didn’t work for me. It has a lot of promise and someone else might enjoy it more.

2.5

"To be nothing is to be remade, after all"
I really wanted to love this book. The descriptions throughout were beautiful, but the story and characters fell flat for me. The author tends to jump from perspective to perspective and sometimes it just didn't flow well. Violet is sheltered her entire life and on her last year of the bargain for her life, she decides to travel the world to try to find her mother who left her behind to try and break the Everyly curse. Explain to me how a sheltered girl who never left her home is able to travel the world on her own? Also, it never explains her mother and what happened to her, there are times where Violet just "missed" her. I felt that the pacing was also so slow. I think this book had an interesting premise, but execution was off.





Thank you Netgalley for the arc from Orbitbooks

3.5/5 ⭐️

I thought this book had a great story and concept. It was challenging to gather what was happening in the beginning as the reader is figuring things out at the same time as the main character. This story was told through multiple POV’s which I usually enjoy although there were quite a few different characters who were narrating which took some time to get used to. Overall I enjoyed the book. I think if people love fantasy, they will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Redhook & Orbit and Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

Entering the enchanting world of 'The City of Stardust' by Georgia Summers, I found myself captivated by a tapestry of magic, stardust, and enigmatic creatures. The Everlys, burdened by an ancient curse, witnessed their best vanish without a trace. In the midst of this, Violet Everly, the last of her line, embarks on a quest to find her missing mother with a very tight deadline while facing the ominous presence of the mysterious Penelope. The narrative unfolds in a magical underworld, weaving together power-hungry scholars, capricious gods, and vengeful monsters, creating an intricate dance of mystery and allure.

The prose employed by Georgia Summers is undeniably masterful, effectively drawing readers into the intricate tapestry of her creation. However, the utilization of a third-person narrative, while offering a panoramic view of events, introduces a subtle detachment from the emotional depth of the characters. The deliberate shroud of mystery enveloping the storyline, while contributing to its allure, left me with unanswered questions, adding an element of perpetual curiosity.

The character arc of Violet Everly is a testament to the author's adeptness in crafting a compelling journey of growth. Simultaneously, Aleksander, the assistant to the ominous Penelope, grapples with the nuanced exploration of truth and deception. The pacing of the narrative, regrettably, exhibits moments of hastiness, making it challenging to seamlessly navigate between characters and perspectives. Nevertheless, the overarching sorrowful undertones resonate, elevating the narrative's depth. 'The City of Stardust' merits a commendable four-star rating for its literary prowess, character development, and the enduring enigma that leaves readers captivated and desiring more.

Thank you Redhook Books, Redhook for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and freely given.

The City of Stardust is about a magical, dark world with power-hungry scholars, desperate gods, and monsters bent on revenge. This is the story of a cursed family who generations ago made a deal with a strange and mysterious woman to give up a persons life from each generation which keeps the woman alive forever. It is a deeply alluring story that grasps your imagination from the first chapter. The magic system allows travel to worlds apart from the current world. It’s an incredibly interesting system. There are keys that give privileges to the few who earn them. Violet and Aleksander explore the magic, the dark underworld in gory detail as they try to remove this curse. Violet and Aleksander are so far removed from each other in every way as the story is developing, but are dependent upon each other throughout for survival. So we are challenged to understand the relationship and it’s hard to decide if they should be together romantically or not. They must depend on each other for survival.

I did feel the pacing was a bit slow and found myself around 200 pages wishing for something significant to happen, but it’s a compelling dilemma, the writing is good, so it kept me reading to the conclusion.

This book is Georgia Summers debut fantasy novel and she gave us a great story. I believe it’s worth your time to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and RedHook Books for the early ARC access for an honest review.

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers is Summers debut fantasy novel. Full of magic, monsters, vengeful gods and a family curse.

Violet Everlys mother disappeared when she was child; to try and break a curse. The Everlys are cursed. One of them from each generation walks into the dark compelled by a shadow. It’s been ten years and still the curse is calling. Violet sets out into a world she doesn’t understand. Full of “wolves” who backstab and sabotage each other, magic keys with doorways to magic land and vengeful gods. Her journey will lead her to answers she needs and ones she will hate.

This contemporary fantasy harkens to me similarly to The Starless Sea, The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. With true world building and beautiful prose I was immersed and struggled to put the book down. I rarely annotate my books but there are many quotes that called to me.

“She believes in curses like she believes in stories. For a curse is just another kind of story, dark and toothy and razor-edged. It’s the unspoken tale singing its way through her family history: once a generation, an Everly walks into the dark, compelled by the shadow beside them.”

“Life, persistent and predictably stubborn, goes on. Close your eyes and the stars might not sing in this hushed city of dust and dreams, but there’s still singing nonetheless. Even if there’s just one voice left.”

I felt called to with this story. Broken and pieced back together. It was a beautiful 5star read for me.

It was written very well with the variety of short bits of description and action to full scenes. The theme and motifs were weaved through this book making it enjoyable to read and make connections. The story explores the difference choices we make about how we live life. Is life about surviving or living.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc of this book! Below is my honest review:

I have pretty mixed feelings about this book. There was a lot I liked and about an equal amount of things I disliked, so let’s get into it.

To start with the positives, the premise of the book is fascinating and it pulled me in from the prologue. The idea of there being multiple worlds and some individuals having an innate capability to explore those worlds is very interesting. I also loved the author’s voice and writing style. Her descriptions really made the setting come to life for me and I was able to envision everything that happened, which I normally have a hard time doing.

Additionally, I found Penelope as a “villain” very interesting! I think she is one of the most compelling characters, if not the most compelling, in the whole book. I also loved Aleksander as a character and wish that we got even more of his POV.

Probably my biggest complaint for this story is how underbaked the romance was. I wish the author dedicated a little more time to establishing why we should want the two of them together. It felt like a lot happened off page with them, and I wish we got some moments that really show their chemistry to make me want to root for them more.

I found Violet as the main character a little underdeveloped as well. I wish more of her personality came through rather than just the focus on her desire to free her family from the curse.

There was so much story and world building here that I actually would’ve loved to see this book as a duology or even a trilogy. That might’ve given room for more character & relationship development, and I think it also would’ve helped me be a little less confused as I pieced together all the different characters and everything.

Overall, this was a fairly enjoyable read, but if a little more time had been dedicated to developing the characters and main relationship this book would’ve been exceptional. I would definitely be interested to read the author’s next book because I do think her writing style is quite enjoyable!

What a stunning book! My expectations were pretty high, and I wasn’t disappointed, except for one thing… There was no trigger warning list, and yet there are many triggers.

Please read the following list before you dive in; some of the topics could be triggering to many: swearing, blood and gore, human and child sacrifice, violence and murder, child abduction and abuse, parental abandonment, imprisonment, grief, torture, fire injury, blood drinking.

❤️ Stunning, whimsical prose
❤️ Creative world-building
❤️ Great plot-character-theme balance
❌ No trigger warnings
❌ Slightly predictable, underwhelming ending
❌ Confusing narrator switches

Plot:
The Everly family is cursed. For centuries, a mysterious woman named Penelope has been taking one child per generation, seeking only the most talented. Violet Everly was just a child when her mother Marianne vanished, determined to escape—and break—the curse. When Marianne remains missing, Penelope gives the Everlys 10 years to find her, otherwise she’ll take her daughter instead. Violet escapes her overprotective uncles to try and break the curse herself—falling in love, meeting untrustworthy gods, and travelling between worlds along the way.

I was intrigued from the start. The plot was compelling and the world-building felt unique and magical right from the start. Summers managed to write a rather short book that is plot-heavy, lyrical prose, and great character development that never felt overwhelming.

Characters:
I don’t have much to say about Violet; we don't know much about her outside of her quest, so I felt more invested about simply stopping Penelope than saving Violet or Marianne (seriously, she’s not going to receive any mother-of-the-year award). I liked Aleksander well enough, and I thought that his trauma was skillfully explored. I loved Ambrose and Gabriel, and I would have liked to know more about Prince Charming himself, Caspian.

Writing:
Fans of Erin Morgenstern will probably like this one. The prose was similar to The Starless Sea, whimsical and dreamlike, although it was more linear and focused on the plot. I saved so many highlights it was almost embarrassing. Some readers might find that the writing requires too much attention, but I savoured every word. I would definitely be interested in reading more from Summers.

Oh, and reading UK English made my day. I don’t think I’ll ever stop cringing at American English. #isaidwhatisaid

My only constructive criticism when it comes to the writing: I’m a firm believer that switching narrators mid-chapter should be done ONLY if it’s crystal clear for the reader. A line break is not enough. Three little stars would be perfect. Anything, really.

The City of Stardust primarily follows Violet and Aleksander, both children touched by magic and whose lives and fates orbit around the mysterious Penelope. Violet is raised by her uncles after her mother disappears for reasons her uncles work desperately to keep from her as they raise her separate from the rest of the world, for reasons they also hide from her. Once they learn Violet is no longer a secret, they choose to introduce her to the stark and foreboding Penelope, who arrives at their home with her young assistant Aleksander. Aleksander was an orphan, chosen by Penelope to be her perfectly devoted assistant whom she would mold into exactly who she wanted him to be from the day she plucked him from the orphanage. Violet knows her fate is tied to Penelope, but no one will tell her why. After years of wondering and waiting, Aleksander shows up at the coffee shop she works at and entices her back into the magical world he inhabits, giving her morsels of information and piquing her interest and providing enough information about the worlds beyond her own that she decides to set out on her own to find her mother and find some answers. Little does she know that Aleksander is just a tool for Penelope to play her like a puppet, forcing her towards their shared destiny.

This book has so much potential. The bones are good, the magic is interesting, the worlds are interesting, the prose is beautifully worded and descriptive, but it somehow the writing feels very distant from the story. There is a good story, but it has no heart. It's like you're being repeatedly told these characters care about each other or are interested in each other in very beautifully written sentences, but I don't feel like I was really ever shown that they do actually care about each other. It reads a bit like someone's journal entries that they're writing knowing someone's going to be reading it, so they hold back on the really nitty gritty stuff.

I also feel like it couldn't decide who it was about, which means everyone is sort of half-realized. Violet's goes on adventures without the reader really being invited along, so even though adventure happens I don't feel like it's a particularly adventurous story.

I did like how the different versions of the "fairy tale" were sprinkled throughout and that the truth of that was sort of left open-ended.

I felt like Marianne was such an empty plot device as well. I feel like her presence in the story almost stretched your attention more than it helped add to the story.

The ending was also really quick and kind of anticlimactic. It made sense, and I like when things aren't all perfectly tied up, which this also did.

Overall I did love the writing structure. I think the word-use and sentence construction were beautifully done, and I think the premise was really strong, but ultimately I was never convinced to care about anyone and that was a bit of a let-down for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review!

The City of Stardust has a wonderful world built into it that I loved to explore through Summer's writing. Ancient gods walk among humans (one of my favorite tropes!), and there is a unique magic system that uses the manipulation of a special star metal.

My largest complaint is that I wish we could have spent more time getting to know this world and the city of Fidelis, as well as the characters who fill it. We're given flashes of life in this world and are left wanting. Violet and Aleksander's stories are compelling, but again I was often left feeling like we didn't get to experience enough pining love and character building. Aleksander especially goes through a LOT throughout the book, but it never felt like we as the reader got to experience it with him. Thus, I often felt like I wasn't being told the whole story.

When it comes to the magic seen in the book, it felt like it didn't have much of a purpose to the story, or anything at all. What is the star metal used for and why is it so important? What do the scholars of Fidelis do other than study it?

Overall I think there's something wonderful here with a very unique setting and magical world, but I felt like I could have gotten to know it more. Summers is obviously a very talented writer and I enjoyed her prose, and some of the side characters I am still thinking about!

Honestly I was very intrigued by this book, I loved the vibes it gave and the characters were compelling. BUT, the pacing really made it difficult to continue reading. I kept feeling like things were moving at a snails pace for no reason. I felt like there were so many questions being asked and very few of them being answered in a timely manner. Overall I am still happy with it and will be purchasing special editions but I hope future books work on the pacing issues.

I adored this book!

I can see where the comparisons to VE Schwab and Erin Morganstern come to play but I think that The City of Stardust managed to give me much more than the comparisons did. In other words, the plot was there along with the vibes.

This cover, also a completely stunner and I look forward to having the physical on my shelves along with all of the SEs that I know will be upon us as soon as people get this in their hands.

I went in blind to this book, and came out breathless.

The worldbuilding in this book was unique and immersive. It's a dark world, full of intrigue and mystery. You feel as though you are with Violet as she goes on a dangerous journey to find her mother and break a devastating curse.

The writing is stunning, the characters complex, the plot interesting. There is angst, betrayal, magic and romance.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook for this ARC copy.

The City of Stardust is set in a parallel world with betrayal, magic, a touch of dark academia, and set in a gothic house. It was like all of the prose that I love were added into this book and I was not disappointed.

Even after growing up in a life of secrecy and intrigue completely sheltered from the outside world, Violet still managed to be a strong female character that more often than not would put herself in front of everyone when confronted with dangerous situation and though the character was young, she was mature enough to carry the story in a believable way. I enjoyed that this is not just another damsel in distress story.

The magic system was interesting and completely new to me.

This is a great read for fans of Alex E Harrow and VE Schwab.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately I got about a third of the way into this book, finishing part one and starting part two, and made the decision to not continue. The writing wasn't terribly quality and the premise was fascinating. However, I was bored and far from invested in the characters. For as far as I was into the story, it felt like nothing had happened and no real answers were even being hinted at.

I do intend to come back and try this one again sometime, but for now it's unfortunately a DNF.

Enthralling and beautifully written. Incredible world building. The cover is very pretty and draws you in, wanting to read the book. Covers are important to help sell the story. I really enjoyed reading this wonderful novel, full of magic and a girl who dares to challenge history, wanting to save her mother who disappeared and break a long-standing curse on her family. Definitely worth a read! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

A family cursed, a mother missing, a fatal deadline.

Every so often, a book comes along that reinforces my adoration of reading. The City of Stardust is one such book.

To break her family’s generation’s old curse, Violet Everly must descend into a seductive, magical underworld to free herself from the clutches of an ageless woman known as Penelope. Violet’s mother set out on the same course a decade prior with yet to return, but Violet’s determination will propel her forward as she faces Gods, scholars, and tricksters alike. Aided by Penelope’s enigmatic assistant Aleksander, Violet soon learns that the world she knew is more perilous than it appears and monsters demand to be satiated no matter the cost.

The City of Stardust is a spectacular feet of fantasy. Captivating from the first sentence, it is a sweeping contemporary fairytale with elegant prose and unforgettable characters. As the stakes of Violet’s story increased, I couldn’t rest until I knew the outcome. Even a day after finishing, I am still sitting with the awe this book invoked. I even preordered a physical copy before I was finished because I knew it was a novel I would read again and again.

Thank you Redhook Books, Orbit, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I read fantasy I look for:
- Characters that I can identify with, preferably people that I would enjoy being with
- Character development. I like books about people.
- World building that is fairly clear. It can be complex but it needs to make some sense in an internal fashion.
- Backstory that has some clarity and gives a rationale for characters to act as they do
- Good vs. evil, there will be some ambiguity too of course, but there should be a definite bad path
- Setting that feels real, usually something rather rich
- Plot that fits the world building and helps drive the character development
- I prefer happy or hopeful endings, they can be ambiguous or bittersweet but after rooting for the good guys I prefer to see them win.
- A sense of wonder is nice but not necessary.

City of Stardust lacks several of these. I felt disconnected from the characters, none were appealing nor was I hoping for much with any of them. Aleksander was the one that felt the most real but I didn't much like him nor the main character.

The world building and plot seemed overly contrived, as though the goal was to build a clever machine rather than a story about people struggling (and possibly failing) to solve a problem. There was a definite problem - the curse - but it seemed secondary. to the elaborate construction.

I did not much like this and would not look for any sequels or more books by this author.

I was looking forward to this book with the lure of the title and the beautiful cover. However, once I dove into the pages, I didn't find it to be as intriguing as I hoped. Violet Everly is cursed and has been promised by her uncles to fulfill a promise her mother was intended to keep. Violet and her uncles have 10 years to turn over Marianne or Violet will be forfeit in her place. Marianne vanished when Violet was only 10, leaving her daughter in the care of her uncles Ambrose and Gabriel.

There are so many overlapping and weaving threads in this story, but we never fully understand why Marianne abandoned Violet or if the abandonment was meant to sacrifice her daughter instead of herself. The reader is told she set out to break the curse, but we only get the smallest glimpse in the epilogue as to where she is or what she may be doing. We don't find out who Violet's father is, which may or may not be important but it would have been nice to have some sort of resolution regarding that facet of family.

There were some good points and some weak points but I do think it was an enjoyable read. I simply think there was a lot going on, quite a few unanswered questions, and a general need for the reader to "accept" what was happening on blind faith without explanation.