I went back and forth over my opinion of this book. I liked the core parts such as the plot and world building but in some places the execution just fell flat and that's not saying that I didn't like the book - I did but just not in the way I wanted to. I wasn't excited to continue, I was interested in continuing the book but I was thinking about it all the time in the way that I normally do when a book excites me. There's a disconnect if that makes sense. I want to finish the story but I'm not invested in the characters - Violet in particular was just very stupid at times and there was no redemption for me.

Thank you Net Galley, Hodder & Stoughton and Hodderscape for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF
I wasn't able to get into the story or get attached to the characters.
I foud that everything moved quickly, so fast, and that a lot of elements were skimmed over.
Too bad for me but at least I would have tried.

I have to thank the publisher for the chance to read this book in advance, because it was one of the most beautiful surprise of January!

The City of Stardust gave me immediately The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, For the Wolf or One Dark Window's vibes, and I totally LOVED it. Summer's lyrical, captivating style enraptured me into a world where the setting is delineated without being too in-depth, but it's still enough to be consistent and have the strenght to sustain the entire story, made by said and unsaid, magistrally woven together.
Not to mention how Aleksander and Violet broke my heart multiple times in the interchange of their (but not only) point of views. It was impossible not to love them, and hope for a happy ending. Furthermore, there's the interesting addition of the antagonist's POV, as well as the idea of telling the same tale repeatedly, narrated each time in a different way, in a kaleidoscope of possibilities where the truth has been lost in time and it is difficult to discern between those many versions.
Plus, given the very open ending, I would hope for a sequel but I am afraid it's not in agenda. So, finger crossed the author would give us some bonus scenes/novellas to know what will happen in the future.
In the meantime, thanks again to Hodderscape for the arc <3

Ethereal, mysterious, and beautifully bittersweet, The City of Stardust takes both the darkness and the whimsy of old fairytales to create an utterly unique feverdream of a story.

Now, I knew virtually nothing about this story except that it had been compared to The Night Circus and The Starless Sea. And with that being two of my favourite stories, I simply could not resist trying this out for myself.

On the one hand, I get the comparisons. The prose is beautifully lyrical, the storytelling is unapologetically dreamy, and there's an entrancing air of mystery and intrigue that keeps you on your toes from start to finish. Yet on the other hand, it didn't manage to capture the same magic as Morgenstern's books did for me, because I think everything remained just too elusive for too long that I simply could not get invested.

The omniscient narration made it hard for me to latch onto any of the characters, even though I was highly intrigued by all of their personal stories. Especially with this being such a character-driven narrative, it really hurt my enjoyment that every single character felt like such an enigma to me.

That said, there's no denying that Summers crafted something quite special, and by the end I was very impressed with how all the elements of the story came together. This really is one of those stories that requires a lot of patience and trust in the author, because the pay-off might not come until late into the story, but it is oh so satisfying when it does.

I really liked how all the mysteries surrounding the curse unravelled, and ultimately I did get quite invested in Violet and Aleksander's unconventional but tragically beautiful love story. Moreover, I deeply appreciated that the antagonists in this story are deliciously vicious, yet also surprisingly complex. Love in all its devastating beauty lies at the heart of this story, and I think Summers captured that raw human emotion with exceptional skill.

While this was a bit of a mixed bag for me overall, I think The City of Stardust delivered exactly what it promised. And if nothing else, it is so unapologetically weird and unique, that it is not a tale that you will soon forget.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an okay read. I am not much into fantasy these days so the fault is probably on me, it seems all the fantasy books are very similar to each other. I didn't love this but I didn't hate it. Like I said, okay read.

It’s with a heavy heart I have to say I DNFd this at chapter 10. This was such a shame for me as it was one of my most anticipated reads for the year. The plot fell very flat for me and reading it felt like it was written for a play script rather than a novel.

The characters seemed like they were going to be amazing and if I had persevered through it would’ve been for Violet and Aleksander.

Georgia does have a very interesting and poetry like writing style and I will definitely try her further works but unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me

I loved the cover design, it adeptly encapsulates the story's essence and genre. The illustrations vividly portray key elements of the world-building and the mythical ambiance. The writing style, struggles to fully immerse in the third-person narrative, keeping events at a distance. Despite pacing issues, the intriguing prologue sets the stage for a captivating storyline filled with mystery. Though some characters lack depth, standout figures like Penelope and Aleksander drive tension and narrative momentum.

This story gave me strong Addie LaRue vibes which was also a 3 star read for me, which may explain my enjoyment of this book. Unfortunately I had trouble connecting to the characters and the story felt a little disjointed at times. The writing style was very majestic and perfectly articulated a unique world and was a quick easy read.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was fantastic; a generational curse, a missing mother, magical keys that unlock doors to other worlds, gods, a mysterious villain. All the elements for a great story were there, but the execution unfortunately fell very flat for me.

The world seemed so interesting, and I wish more time had been taken to explore and explain it. I wanted to know how the keys and the magic worked in more detail.

The plot failed to grip me and the pacing was inconsistent, with the story jumping all over the place. The characters were one dimensional, and I couldn’t connect to any of them or bring myself to care about their fates.

I found the conclusion underwhelming, and overall, this is not a book that I’d recommend. However, the writing was, at times, very beautiful. I will consider reading something in another genre by this author in the future.

this book has lots of potential however it fell flat for me. there is a lack if structure and incificant world building and to be honest half the time I didn't know who was seaking until they said there name.
The arc formatting wasnt done correctly and it was rather confusing. there were several time I had to re read a chapter of sentences, as there is no indicator that the POV had changed this was really off putting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC for an honest review!

I love stories about hidden cities and was immediately drawn in by The City of Stardust's beautiful cover art and alluring premise, where a family legacy follows Violet Everly into a world of magic and mystery, with her family name at the helm. Georgia Summers weaves magic into her words, bringing images to life with a scent, a taste, and a feeling alongside them. I also found myself enamoured by the more minor details in the book, such as the coffee shop, the Astrals and the world's version of tarot cards; they each added another layer to the deep worldbuilding and rustic atmosphere.

This book would be an excellent fit for most, but unfortunately, I couldn't find that within myself. There were points where it dragged on, most seen in the ending, with each page feeling like the last. I also found that the multiple POVs stretched beyond what it should have focussed on: Violet, Aleksander and Penelope (another positive to be found here as I found the inclusion of Penelope's perspective fascinating, especially as we slowly learn her story through the other characters).

Regardless. I recommend The City of Stardust to anyone who yearns for other worlds, ones that come alive with the night and read like a fairytale. If you love The Night Circus or the Starless Sea, this one is for you.

What a stunning debut novel!
I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.
I am a big fantasy reader, and both the premise and the cover drew me in. The world building was lighter than what I am used to, but I am guessing that fleshing everything out in detail would have taken way more pages and I took it as being limited by the same knowledge that the main character has in a way. The characters make mistakes and are far from perfect, I didn't love any of them, but at the same time I appreciated their nuances.
I will be keeping Georgia Summers in my radar as an author and I hope to read more from her in the future!

Late ARC review
4 stars
I actually loved this and the less positive reviews are baffling me.
The prose was beautiful, the Astral pantheon/system was cool, the way the whole world & scholar system worked, was wonderful.
Penelope is actually scary, Violet is endearing and Aleksander is equal parts adorable and infuriating.

Overall, a lovely standalone book for fans of Addie LaRue and other whimsical magical realism.

For centuries there has been a curse on the Everlys: Penelope takes one of them away each generation, never to been seen again. The story starts as Marianne Everly leaves her daughter and brothers, in search of a way to break the curse.
The story follows Violet, Marianne's daughter. Since Penelope could not take Marianne, she wants to take Violet. Now Violet has only a little time left to find her mother or find a way to break the curse herself.

The story is somewhat confusing as here are some time jumps and random flashbacks. The story started out very interesting but it lacks worldbuilding. Also the sidecharacters are a bit flat, the 3 main characters are the only ones with a decently worked out personality. The romance in the book is expected but not very interesting. The astrals were intriguing, I wish we could read more about them.

In the book we follow Violet on a wild goose chase to find Marianne. While the story has a wrapped up ending, I am very disappointed in Marianne's story line. That was it? Really?

Penelope was much more interesting. If they ever make this book into a movie, the only acceptable casting for Penelope is Eva Green. She is perfect for the role!

Unfortunately, the book copy that I received did not have proper formatting, which made it more confusing to read than it should have been.

So as a summary: while the story started out very mysterious and full of potential, it fell flat at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton (Hodderscape), for the copy that I received. This is my honest review.

I don’t know why but it takes me so long to finish this book. I find it very slow for me and the amount of description just sometimes makes me uninterested in what I’m reading. Though I have to say the premise of the book was very intriguing but I guess I had a very high expectation for this book and it did not meet it.

Violets mum disappears in the middle of the night leaving her to be cared for by her uncle who protects her from the world of magic scholars and Penelope. Throughout the story, Violet is running from Penelope who is part of her family curse in which means violets got to find her mum before the curse does and she’s taken instead

Intriguing, well plotted, original. An excellent story about portal to other worlds featuring great characters.
Fun to read, entertaining, compelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The City Of Stardust by Georgia Summers

Immersive portal fantasy with unique world building.

For centuries, the Everly family has been burdened by a mysterious debt that no one can understand or remember. When Violet Everly's mother disappears while searching for a way to break the family curse, Violet finds herself next in line to bear this burden, even though it's not hers to bear. Determined to find her mother and end the curse for good, Violet must journey into a magical underworld filled with powerful scholars, unpredictable gods, and vengeful monsters. Along the way, she must also navigate her feelings for Penelope's assistant, Aleksander, whom she knows she shouldn't trust but feels drawn to. With time running out, Violet embarks on a quest across the world to find her mother and unlock the secrets of the city of stardust, where the Everly family's story began.

The writing is simply to die for, beautifully lush and unique. The characters never stayed in one place for too long so there's a lot of adventure. If you love dreamy main characters, celestial angry gods, family curses and mystery, you will love this. It's written in 3rd POV through different perspectives and that just keeps you on edge for what's going to happen next. The chapters are perfectly short too.

Violet, our female main character was simply brillaint. She was true to herself, a curious bookworm with a fierce sense of survival. I loved her relationhip with her uncles who have taken care of her since her mother's departure. Aleksander, on his own, was a really interesting character I felt complicated feelings for; sympathy and annoyance. At the start of the book, I rooted for the romance blooming between them but towards the end it started to give nothing and found myself rooting of them as friends instead. His multifaceted dynamic with Penelope added an interesting element to the overall plot. That being said, the romance is a subplot that doesnt take away from this enchanting story. Casper, was a side character I always looked forward to seeing and would have perhaps been a better romantic option for Violet but I digress.

Penelope, our villain was the backbone of this enchanting little tale. She was simply evil but of course she has her reasons. I loved her role in the story and how her motivations and backstory were revealed and just how vengeance eats one up. However, given that Violet's mom was part of the driving force of the novel, I was disappointed with how the story is left off with no resolution. Overall, it was good but I found it to be forgettable read.

In summary , it is a beautiful whimsical story. You will feel the magic radiating from each page. I do recommend it to those looking for a unique dreamy story with whimsical settings as you travel with the characters and a captivating plot.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up

This is the first book I've come across that uses Erin Morgenstern as a comparable author and then actually delivers on it - which is to say there is a fascinating world of magic metal and celestial gods and sometimes you don't have a clue what is happening.

Things I loved: the prose was GORGEOUS; the speculative elements were original and interesting; a family curse!; the antagonist is *bad news*; dreamy, ethereal vibes.

Things I didn’t love: the pacing was a bit uneven, especially towards the end, and when I put it down I could easily not pick it up again for weeks at a time; the particular balances of elements didn’t give me as much character work as I prefer (which I suspect is why I wasn’t massively invested) eg. the main character Violet had a interesting dilemma to internally wrestle with but her personality wasn’t sufficiently deep and engage for me to really find engage with her; the romantic subplot was… fine; the ending and epilogue was… also fine.

THE CITY OF STARLIGHT was a whimsical, heartfelt, and beautifully written debut which I fell in love with from the first page. With its charming atmosphere reminding me of Stephanie Garber’s CARAVAL trilogy, and elegant writing reminiscent of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, there was no way I wouldn’t love this book. Summers excelled at crafting a story with striking characters, who I couldn’t stop thinking about. Violet and her desperation to find her mother was so vivid to read, and I loved how this book didn’t shy away from the complicated nature of Marianne’s abandonment. Character relationships are truly where this book shines—Violet and her uncles, Penelope and Aleksander—all of them really stood out to me as a reader.