This was a highly enjoyable read, one that I recommend curling up with in a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate beside you. I am such a fan of books with a parallel story woven throughout, so I was very compelled by the various backstories of Ever/Penelope sprinkled throughout the book. And I'm also a fan of an ambiguous ending, so that really worked for me. I could see it feeling incomplete for some folks, though, so reader beware. I will admit the romance did not particularly captivate me, but I don't need a perfect romance to feel at home in the novel. And Aleksander was all the more interesting for his flaws and his inability to recognize who Penelope was.

I will admit I read this book assuming it was YA -- and it wasn't until a little ways in that I realized the characters were now adults. I think it works better imagining it as a YA novel... a little grittier, a little darker. Maybe a New Adult middle ground would have captivated even more folks?

3.75 stars.

3.5/5
This was a beautifully written book, which, while it wasn’t my favourite, doesn’t mean it won’t be someone’s. It reminded me a lot of The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Starless Sea. Keys and doors and mysterious people- but in this case I just found it a little hard to follow (I found the other two tricky as well). I definitely wouldn’t describe this as magical realism, as the astral concept just added way too much straight up magic for it to fall into that category. It was a little too close to the other two books mentioned for me to truly love it, but I think if you haven’t read those then maybe this would be a hit for you.

I found the format of the ebook (and slightly the format of the book itself) hard to follow as there didn’t seem to be a clear separation between different POVs or timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook books for the ARC!

I have had to DNF this one. The constant changing of the POV mid chapter and no warning it is very confusing and I just cannot get through it.

Really loved the writing style - descriptive & poetic, and loved the world built. The romance was decent, but I wanted more from it. I was curious how someone who was shut away her whole life was so resourceful and confident setting out on her own. I did enjoy this book and would recommend it.

First thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This review is full of spoilers

This book was well written and was full of potential but in the end fell a bit flat for me. Firstly, I honestly did not understand why Violet could not attend a normal school after Penelope knew about her. Once the cat was out of the bag why not let her have a normal childhood experience, they claim that's what they were trying to do for her but the whole situation made no sense to me. Violet herself was just barely tolerable as a main character. I was much more interested in Aleksander and hell even Caspian who is a complete side character.

Penelope was an excellent villain I could not stand her throughout the entire book. She was a selfish entitled being that seemed to think she was owed by every generation of the family for a deal she made with their ancestor, not to mention these people are her own descendants as well that she is sacrificing for her own power and immortality. Not to mention the other countless innocent children.

I hated the fact that Violets mom really did just up and save herself without one word to her family so they could be prepared and make a plan.

The ending to me was super unsatisfying with Violet and Aleksander, I could live with them not ending up together but everything was just so left open. I wanted to see what happened with Aleksander the doors, if he was able to reforge them and what came of doing so. It was all too vague.

HIGHLIGHTS
~the keys are portals
~the portals are also portals
~deals with the Devil are safer than deals with angels
~(they’re not angels)
~best not get your fortune told

Stylistically, City of Stardust is strongly reminiscent of Erin Morgenstern – the prose and vibes made me think of Night Circus pretty much immediately, though I really want to emphasise that there are no other similarities between City of Stardust and either of Morgenstern’s novels. They are about completely different things! Do not come here looking for a magical circus or an underground world of books! But if you’re looking for something that has the vibes of Night Circus; if you enjoy Morgenstern’s writing style and would like to read something like that; then City of Stardust will probably tick your box.

It just…probably won’t tick many other boxes.

Credit where credit is due: City of Stardust is pleasantly twisty, not in a shock value way (well, not much) but more in an attempt to be true to life, where magical solutions don’t spring out of thin air, and quests sometimes fail, and being good doesn’t by default mean that the bad things will never happen to you. Which makes it sound very cynical…and I guess it is, kind of? But not bitter, or resigned, or pessimistic. More…merciless is the term that comes to mind. This isn’t a grimdark book, at all, but Summers does a good job of going against reader expectations – she knows that we’ve read enough fantasy books to know how stories like this ‘should’ go, but she’s not going to follow those well-trod paths. Be prepared to be surprised. Be prepared to be genuinely scared for the main character/s. Be prepared to see Summers weave her own pattern of story.

The problem with this is that it’s mostly very underwhelming. Yes, in real life we don’t always get answers to everything – but I kind of resent not getting them in my fiction. Yes, in real life people get scared and don’t do the heroic thing – but that’s not really what I’m here for. Yes, in real life we sometimes have to face the fact that the person we’re depending on is going to let us down – but seriously? I’m here for the escapism, ma’am! And most of this happens without a bang; quests or attempts or questions just fizzling out, rather than Summers turning the tables on us dramatically. So they don’t feel like twists or gasps or aha! moments; it’s more like wet tissue paper coming apart in your hands. Not badly written, but not impactful, either.

To be brutal, that kind of sums up the whole book: not very impactful. City of Stardust is pages and pages of style over substance, leaning into vibes and brief moments of beautiful description to carry a story that’s been shaved so thin it can no longer stand under its own weight. There’s the skeleton of a very decent story here (albeit not the one I wanted; more on that in a sec), but Summers skims over it, never giving us a chance to really sink our teeth in or become immersed, or invested, in the world she’s created. Take Violet’s so-called ‘hunt’: we barely see any of it, because Summers time-skips over most of it! We never see how Violet’s learned the skills she uses, or where she got her contacts, etc; they were gathered during the hand-wavey time-skip, and we just have to be satisfied with that.

<A year quickly trickles away to a year. To six months, then three.>

That doesn’t help with the problem that Violet feels very passive, despite the fact that she does, technically, do things. In the very last ‘act’ of the book she’s pretty great, but for most of the story she feels as though she’s drifting, Summers nudging her into place for each chapter because that’s where she needs Violet to be, not because Violet is any kind of driving force herself. The love of books and stories never really came through me; it’s something we told, not shown, and I was never convinced by her supposed passion to see other worlds – we’re told it, over and over, but I never felt it. Violet is very much a character moved around by the plot, rather than a character who makes plot happen.

And honestly, she doesn’t make sense as a character. How does this young woman, who’s never gone to school or been further from home than the cafe where she works, know how to navigate airports and masques and secret societies? When did she get lessons on how to steal invites to exclusive parties? View Spoiler » She’s somehow very capable and supposedly independent (even though, for most of the book, she depends on Aleksander and Caspian for pretty much everything) but her backstory doesn’t explain how she could have become this kind of person. She ought to be a shrinking – hah! – violet, overwhelmed by how big the world is, with little to no understanding of normal human interaction or social skills. But she’s not, and it’s both bad writing and lazy, because it would have been so easy to have the uncles who raise her to do so much more to prepare her. One of them’s some sort of international criminal; he could have taught her everything she needed! But no. She’s just magically a (washed-out shell of a) Strong, Confident-Competent Heroine, Because Reasons.

Aleksander, our sometimes-POV character and love interest, isn’t exactly more interesting, but is in a more interesting situation, with all kinds of constraints and pressures – and punishments – that make sense of his choices and actions. If he comes across as passive sometimes, it at least makes sense.

But forget the characters, let’s look at the fantastical elements: a city in another world, magic keys, fortune-telling cards. All glimpsed, sometimes dangled tauntingly in front of our faces, but never really explored. Fidelis, the magical city in another world that everything kind of revolves around, is run by the mystical Scholars – but what the fuck do the Scholars actually do? I have no idea. Aleksander wants nothing more than to become one of them, has spent his whole life training to do so, and by the end of the book I still had no clue what that meant. And once we started learning about the astrals – who are maybe living stars, maybe angels, maybe gods – I wanted a book about them. I wanted their story! My gods, you seriously wrote a book about this wishy-washy woman on a hand-wavey, time-skippy attempt to track down her mother, when you had living stars in your back pocket?! I want the backstories of the astrals we meet in City of Stardust; I want to see the realm they come from; I want to see their adventures and lives and loves and wars. And we got none of that. They’re the most beautiful, mysterious, powerful beings in the book, the best parts of the book, and they’re just a tease. I have no idea how or why Summers was more interested in writing Violet’s story than theirs!

At least in Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, though we don’t learn much about how the stars live when they’re not fallen to earth in human form, we do get, you know, the whole realm of Faerie. Summers gives us neither: nothing about the stars, and only the tiniest, faintest taste of Fidelis.

The prose is pretty, but the story is thin, worn thinner by the way it skims over so much time, the way it barely touches on its own magic. It’s the wrong story; if this book had only focused on different elements, changed its perspective, then it could have been seriously amazing. The efforts to be different and do the unexpected fall flat, left me disappointed and unsatisfied with the attempts. As-is, City of Stardust doesn’t live up to its promises. I’d be willing to read more from Summers – she knows how to put words together beautifully, and I loved the magic and strangeness that her imagination dreamed up. If she lets us dive in and embrace the magic next time, I’m pretty sure it’ll knock our socks off.

But right now? City of Stardust does not sparkle, and if you want more than vibes, I recommend looking elsewhere.

The City of Stardust is a tense, thrilling adventure perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern and Alix E. Harrow. When Violet Everly learns the truth about a family curse and a mysterious woman named Penelope, she's thrown into a lush, dark world of scholars, doorways to other worlds, and fickle gods. A world that has been kept secret from her all her life, and that her mother disappeared into ten years ago. Violet will search the world to break her family curse alongside allies she's never quite sure she can trust.

I was enthralled by this dark fantasy centered around bargains and sacrifice. Violet was a compelling character who did not let naivete make her stupid; rather she spends every moment learning more to reach her goals. The astrals were a horrifying concept of divinity that I could not get enough of - but beware content warnings for gore, child death and harm, and cannibalism/vampirism. The brutality of this novel was pitched just right for the stakes Violet is up against; it was a truly harrowing experience as she tries to free herself and her family.

Summers' writing soared in its ability to show the complex relationships Violet builds. Love, betrayal, and trust all are subject to questioning. Violet's feelings about her absent mother and the very present Aleksander were nuanced, the frequent conflicts they created propelling the story forward.

An incredible debut. I cannot wait to see more for Georgia Summers.

This book's general magical and adventurous theme reminds me of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials (so if you love that, pick this up!)

I loved the rich cast of characters in this book, and the detailed world-building!

TWs - child abandoned by a parent, kidnapping and murder of children (off page)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Hard to write about this one as I didn't finish it. I find that I don't enjoy gothic books and that was the vibe I got from this one.

This book is beautifully written and the prologue draws you in right from the beginning. When I started reading I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding Violet’s mother and the magic that was slowly displayed. I really just wanted to know more! Unfortunately, I didn’t really feel like the pay off was worth it by the end.

The book is told from different point-of-views in third person. This worked really well for this story since there was so much going on even though it all surrounded the Everly family. Violet who is really the main focus since her mother is missing was full of wonder and a bit of spunk. She’s a dreamer who wants to see what the world has to offer and as she gets older she doesn’t let her uncles dictate her choices. I liked seeing how she dealt with each situation.

Two other characters were intriguing as well, Penelope and Aleksander. They had a lot more development than the other besides Violet. Aleksander and Violet kind of have a thing going on, but it really felt more like a good friendship. I didn’t feel the romantic connection at all.

What I really wanted from this book was world-building. I felt like we kind of just got surface level information and it never went into the depth I much prefer. I am left with a lot more questions than answers. Because of this, I didn’t like the ending because it felt very anti-climatic and wrapped up too well.

Overall, this was fine. I loved the prosy writing. I just wish there would have been more with the world-building.

Unfortunately, this book did not hit the mark for me. It felt like reading the second book of a sequel without having read the first book. Poorly executed world-building and background information.

One major issue that I had with this book was Marianne's decision to abandon her daughter, aware that this would put Violet in extreme danger. The story could have benefited from a more plausible relationship between Marianne and Violet, perhaps as sisters, or by omitting this problematic element altogether. Violet's reaction to her mother's abandonment also lacked emotional depth that you would expect.

The amount of similar names and terms was so frustrating. It was a challenge to keep track of the characters and concepts. The decision to introduce numerous side characters with immense individual stories only added to the complexity, leaving crucial details out.

The first half of the book definitely had a much better flow than the second half. This book felt too long and too short at the same time.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't live up to expectations, poor world-building, a plot choice that left more questions than answers, and an overload of information, but also still lacking too much information.

This sadly fell a little flat for me. It reminded me a lot of another book I didn’t enjoy much so I think it was hard for me to get past that. Other than that I do think this book was well written and you can tell the author put a lot of work into it but it just isn’t the right fit for me.

I really, really wanted to love this- unfortunately, it fell flat almost from the very beginning. I didn't find the writing style engaging, and I also wasn't connecting with any of the characters. This didn't successfully evoke any emotion from me. With that being said, the concept is imaginative and I'm sure there is an audience out there that will really enjoy this.

With beautiful prose and wonderful reflections on life, The City of Stardust immerses its readers in a story which has a fantastical and whimsical feeling reminiscent of childhood stories and tough adult conversations of what readers want from their lives.
I liked Violet and from the beginning, I felt her restlessness and desire to connect with others and see the world. When the curse tries to come for her, she is left mostly alone to her own devices to fight for the life she wants. I liked the other side characters, the antagonist, and the love interest as well. I enjoyed the content Summer’s covers in this story and see real promise for her as she continues to grow as an author.
However, my main issue I have with this book is the plot pacing. I loved the prologue and the first interaction with the antagonist, but the rest of the book was just slow in some areas. The narrative jumping character perspectives within the same chapter also jarred me a little. Though, my overall experience of this book was still good and I loved how it was an ode to readers who grew up on fairytales and are now adults trying to decipher their own life adventures.

City of Stardust by Georgia Summers has a compelling premise that will lure in readers of academic fantasy. I myself was drawn in by the summary’s mentions of gods and scholars, in addition to the gorgeous cover. Summers’ writing style is lush and lyrical, and the description of Violet and her love of reading immediately hooked me in the beginning. Unfortunately the novel soon becomes disjointed in its plotline, feeling like Summers threw a few too many ideas into the mix without explaining them well enough. By the end I was not really sure what had happened, or why.

It was a little hard for me to reach the end of the book, though, because it’s so slow through the first two-thirds. For all we hear about magic and the “other worlds” we barely see any of this until the last third. The last third is where we actually see magic, see the other worlds, and get some action. But even then we didn’t hear about how the worlds are different from our own (and I think that is one of the most interesting parts of fantasy).

I agree with other reviewers that I would have felt more immersed in the story if it was in first person, and like most fantasies I didn’t believe the romance as much as I wanted to.

If I had to choose whether I recommend this- read it if you’re interested, but borrow it from a friend or from the library before spending money on it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of City of Stardust.
What I loved: THE ATMOSPHERE. Wow the author was great at mixing whimsy and fantastical elements with dark elements. The writing descriptive but not too fluffy in my opinion. The main character, Violet, was likable and easy to root for. I also liked the mystery element to the story. There was so much about the world and magic that readers learned about along with Violet.
What I didn’t love: The story dragged a little for me. I was interested at the very beginning but after that I did lose some interest. It did begin to pick up in the middle for me, so I continued with the story. I also wish that the romance piece was a little more central to the story. I would definitely say there is a romantic subplot here (which is fine) but I wanted to understand a little more why these characters cared for each other so deeply. The development of their relationship was described in somewhat of a montage style. I’m not saying this was necessarily bad, just maybe not my preference.
Overall this is a solid 4 star read for me. I really enjoyed it!

A well-written dark fantasy debut. The world-building was a slow, unfolding reveal, which I actually liked in this book -- we learn along with Violet, who is searching for her mother and a key to another world in a desperate race against her own blood-debt death at the hands of the mysterious, monstrous Penelope. It was not predictable, by any stretch. Aleksander was a complicated anti-hero, which I liked: so was Caspian. No simple good/evil characters in this one. (Except Penelope.) Marianne was ... disappointing, for all her genius, and her story left untold. Maybe a second book?

There were some issues -- the story Violet's Uncle Ambrose tells her as a child is actually the story of the beginning of the Everly curse which "no one can remember." For a family that is so learned, it makes no sense that they can't connect the dots. And where does Violet's traveling money come from, when their home is such a shambles? There were many abrupt transitions, which I expect will be fixed in the final version. I enjoyed it, and look forward to what Summers writes next.
#acityofstardust #netgalley

I loved the concept of this book, it was very unique and interesting, which is what caught my attention. I enjoyed the addition of the stories and fairytales into the plot as well. The one thing I struggled with in this story is that I didn't really find myself invested in the characters. I felt as though we could have used more time getting to know them and understand them as individuals. I didn't feel emotionally invested in them enough to feel strongly about rooting for them. That being said, I *do* have high hopes for this author's future work. I enjoyed her writing and I believe, as with everyone, experience will only help to continue to improve it. As for a debut novel, I think she did a great job, and I will be on the lookout for her future books.

I was underwhelmed by this novel: it had elements of things that were incredibly exciting: a tense relationship between brothers, a generational curse, an enemies-to-lovers dynamic between rival apprentices. However, none of these fully lived up to their potential. I should have known when I saw the Alix Harrow comparisons that I was going to be put off by the elaborate prose that failed to compensate for shallow characters: I didn't find Violet to be a unique protagonist and this detracted from some of the more original and imaginative aspects of the novel. This same issue extended to the romance: it was disappointing to see characters and dynamics that felt cooke-cutter in the context of such an interesting world. The only relationship that felt especially meaningful to me was that between the Everly brothers, which was fraught and complicated and realistic.

This book was the perfect winter read. The City of Stardust is so whimsical, with lush, lyrical writing. I was immediately sucked into the world, and I loved Violet as a main character. This book incorporates many of my favorite tropes, which I'm sure didn't hurt. It had a bit of a darker tone than I was expecting, but I actually really loved that, as darkly whimsical is a big selling point for me!

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who like whimsical, exquisitely-written fantasy stories that are strong on vibes. This book is perfect for readers who love The Starless Sea, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, or even Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!