3.5/5 stars! The cover of this book is so pretty and the premise promised an epic romantic fantasy. It involves a cursed girl and some magical portals. The prose was strong and I was pulled in. The second half went a bit off the rails and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Finally getting around to leaving a review for this! I absolutely adored The City of Stardust! It is one of the most original fantasy books I've ever read and I was absolutely obsessed the entire time I was reading it. It's one of those books that I find myself thinking about time and time again and I am so excited to see what Georgia Summers does next! Definitely become one of my insta-buy authors.

This was such a great read with fantastic world building and well developed flawed characters! A new favourite!

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested this, I was really looking forward to picking it up. My reading vibes have changed though so whilst I will hopefully still pick this up one day, I'm just not sure when.
I have heard amazing things about this book though.

Such a beautiful, captivating, immersive story full of dark and interesting characters, worlds of magic, and monsters that will do the unimaginable to get what they want. I simply could not put this book down.

I had a really fun time with this one! Enchanting and imaginative, The City of Stardust is full of magic and darkness, keeping the reader engaged. I liked the writing and will read more from this author. Worked really well as a standalone. Highly recommend.

I struggled with this review.

The City of Stardust has a really good concept behind it - old Gods, family curse, race to the death - and it is beautifully written. But for me, the pacing was just too slow, with too many characters who don't get explored to their full potential. I wasn't a fan of the ending either.

I think this one just wasn't for me and I'm sure some people will love it. It was a nice read with beautiful prose.

Rating: 3.5/5

A strong premise but a flat delivery. I wanted to love The City of Stardust but many of the characters did not appeal to me and at times the story dragged. I liked it still and will read Georgia Summers again but I had hopes that weren't met with this debut novel.

The City of Stardust by Amélie Wen Zhao is a mesmerizing fantasy novel that takes readers on an unforgettable journey. Set in a world where magic and reality collide, the story follows Azura, a young woman with a hidden power, as she fights to reclaim her rightful place in a kingdom teetering on the edge of chaos.
Zhao’s writing is captivating, with lush descriptions and a richly imagined world that immerses readers from the first page. The characters are complex and well-developed, particularly Azura, whose courage and determination drive the narrative.
The City of Stardust explores themes of identity, power, and resilience, while maintaining a fast-paced and enthralling plot. The book masterfully balances moments of intense action with heartfelt emotions, making it a compelling read for fans of both fantasy and adventure.
Overall, Amélie Wen Zhao has crafted a spellbinding tale that resonates long after the final page. The City of Stardust is a must-read for anyone seeking a gripping and imaginative escape.

“A curse can be many things. A wish left out to spoil in the sun, putrid and soft, leaving behind only calcified desire and oxidised envy. Or a poisoned chalice, a mistake tattooed across an entire family tree, with every generation promising, vowing to never sip until they do. Sometimes, it’s a deal and bad luck conspiring like old grifters closing in on an easy mark.
For the Everlys, it begins with stardust.”

I was impressed by how well-written it was for being the author's debut work, and I was thoroughly engaged with the whimsical world and all the all-encompassing magic it contained. We have myths, other-worlds, and a cursed-family that might end or save it all. My only issue is that the pacing was erratic, and some details were quite convenient. But I will for sure read more books from this author in the future.

This book would be suited for those who love the writing style of The Night Circus and Starless Sea. I loved the premise of this book with a family owing a debt that they can't remember to an eternal being.

Following Violet as she struggles against the revelation that her future has been made forfeit by the disappearance of her mother I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded.

The fantastical elements of this story were really well executed and I was interested to see how the story concluded and the motivation behind the centuries old debt.

I would have liked to have seen more backstory for some of the characters on the periphery of the story, but enjoyed the book immensely.

I will definitely read more from this author.

2.5⭐ | Beautifully Written, But Misses the Mark

The City of Stardust had all the ingredients for an atmospheric fantasy with its lyrical writing, intriguing premise, and a mystical, magical world—but unfortunately, it fell short in its execution. While there were moments of brilliance, I ultimately didn’t finish the book (DNF) because it struggled to hold my interest.

The story follows Violet Everly, a young woman at the center of a family curse involving the mysterious and ageless Penelope. Violet’s journey to break the curse is filled with promise, as the premise of family secrets, dangerous bargains, and a looming antagonist had great potential. But for all its intriguing ideas, the narrative lacked cohesion and depth.

The writing itself is undeniably beautiful, with a poetic quality that gives the story an ethereal tone. However, this often came at the expense of clarity and pacing. The world-building, while creative, felt incomplete—filled with terms and concepts that were never fully explained, leaving me feeling adrift in a sea of half-formed ideas.

Violet’s character had potential, but she wasn’t compelling enough to carry the weight of the story. Her naïveté and impulsiveness might have been forgivable if there had been significant growth, but her development felt flat. Aleksander, the brooding and enigmatic assistant to Penelope, showed glimmers of promise but lacked the depth to make their interactions impactful. Their relationship, while not fully romantic, felt underdeveloped and didn’t inspire much investment.

Penelope, the antagonist, was one of the highlights of the book. Her presence carried an intensity and menace that the story desperately needed, but she alone couldn’t save the plot.

The pacing was inconsistent, with the first half moving quickly before dragging into repetition and disjointed scenes. The frequent perspective shifts between too many characters disrupted the flow and made it difficult to stay engaged.

Ultimately, The City of Stardust felt like it had all the right pieces but couldn’t put them together in a satisfying way. If you value beautiful prose over character and plot development, this might work better for you.

Highlights:
📚 Stunning cover art
📚 Poetic writing with a dreamlike quality
📚A strong, eerie antagonist in Penelope

Challenges:

✨Incomplete world-building
✨Flat character development
✨Pacing issues and disjointed narrative

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t live up to its potential. While I appreciate the effort and vision, this one wasn’t for me.

The City of Stardust is a magical, dreamy fantasy about family, curses, and self-discovery. It follows Violet Everly, the last of her family line, as she tries to break a curse that causes the most gifted family member to vanish each generation. Her journey takes her deep into a mysterious magical underworld full of gods, monsters, and hidden dangers. The writing is both poetic and vivid and created a dreamy, almost fairy tale like feel in my mind. The world building is creative and extremely immersive but I did feel that the story took time to develop and felt a little slow in places.

The City of Stardust" surprised me more than I expected. It has a dark, fairy-tale vibe that pulls you in, especially with the mystery surrounding the Everly family’s curse. Violet’s search to break the cycle had me hooked, and while the plot occasionally felt a bit scattered, I enjoyed the emotional depth. The writing is beautiful, and I loved how it explored themes of love and sacrifice. In the end, I really loved this book and I'll be reading other works by this author.

The City of Stardust is a beautifully written debut novel from an exciting new talent. A magical mystery that is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and V. E. Schwab.

The prose in this book was so pretty I’m sure Georgia Summers switched out ink for crushed flower petals and honey. Her writing was evocative and rich without being overly descriptive.

I enjoyed the mystery, but some connections were glossed over in favour of keeping the pacing at the right tempo. This is more of an observation than a complaint as I thought the pacing of the story was exactly where it should have been throughout.

The world building was enough to support the plot, but I would have given anything to explore the hidden city of Fidelis in more detail. I was fascinated by the setting and would love Summers to revisit it in her work at some point in the future.

I had some minor niggles about character motivations and the structure of the story at times, which kept this from being a five star read. On the whole though I had a really lovely time getting lost in this tale.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this,an interesting story and good characters

1.5 ⭐️

Let's start with what I liked. The author certainly knows how to write a bloodbath. the death scenes and their aftermath were definitely strong emotional points.

I liked the premise of keys to a hidden world with gods and magic. Unfortunately, I spent most of the book very confused. The magic usage is minimal, and I'm still not entirely sure how they did it other than the keys are a special metal.

It felt a little like nothing was happening, and we made essentially no progress in the where is marianne mystery. It made the story difficult to connect with because despite its high stakes, not much happens thanks to the time limit aspect on the curse. Which might I add is not really a curse on the everlys when you think about it.

Sadly, I just don't think this book was for me. It reminded me of the starless sea that I also struggled with. This genre of slow fantasies with scholars just doesn't seem to work for me.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Cover:
The design is STUNNING it literally feeds my book dragon soul! I have both the standard edition and the Fairyloot edition and they are both gorgeous.

Writing:
Multiple POV, almost elegant writing style. Almost reminds me of how Erin Morgenstern writes. I didn't really feel like the narrative flowed well for me and I felt like the story and characters were not at the forefront.

Plot:
I feel like I was chasing something that was more magical and less mystery-filled. The pacing wasn't exactly there for me and the story suffered because of it.

Characters:
Had Violet been more memorable and compelling she would be JUST what a reader is looking for, a dreamer, searching for an adventure away form the every day mundane normalcy. I didn't really feel like the characters were that developed and I love a side character arc and I didn't feel like I got that here.

Romance:
Although underdeveloped, I rooted for them! This was the aspect that I did enjoy. Friendship, hard times and betrayal - but they come full circle. This is the type of Friends-to-Lovers that I seek.

Audio & Narration:
The book is narrated and paced well, it was clear and suited the story, but the emotion wasn't there.

sad to say this didn't do anything for me, despite the lofty, erin morgenstern esq ambitions. i simply didn't care