Did I like this? Not like this? I'm not sure.

The City of Stardust read almost like a cross between Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy for its gods and fairy tales, which most characters aside from the protagonist no longer believe in. And Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea for its dreamy, somewhat plotless vibe and obsessive scholar searching for a lost city. And Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer, which also has lost gods, obsessive scholars searching for a lost city, and a dreaminess — but unlike Starless Sea, shares sharper edges with City of Stardust.

As with so many of my recent reads, our protagonist acted too much like a teenager for me, fiercely rebelling against she felt were unreasonable strictures and feeling she knew best, though she's 21/22 for much of the story and this is marketed as an adult book.

I wish more of the back story / mythology of the astrals, Fidelis, reveurite, Elandriel had been explained, too. This book is a standalone, which I appreciate — we need more non-series books to get published! — but that and the dreamy vibe meant that we don't get answers to many questions. The secondary characters aren't fully realized: Ambrose is the overprotective scholarly uncle, Gabriel the cool mystery uncle, etc. We keep reading that "Everlys stick together" but see little evidence of this historically or, in some cases, in the present day. Many question marks remain for me.

Well-written, sometimes
slow, still fun. Some people have
Imaginations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



(I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide more feedback, if desired.)

This book is enchanting, intricate, emotional and absolutely incredible. The main character, Violet, is amazing and fits perfectly into the role of a young adult narrator who is both naive and brilliant. She is relatable and keeps you on the edge of your seat while you root for her throughout the story. The magical worlds created in the book are truly mesmerizing with gods and of course, Penelope. Watching Violet and Alexander go through their own terrible situations adds another layer of complexity to the story that keeps you engaged. I could talk about this book all day and I am eagerly looking forward to reading more from Georgia Summers.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an early copy to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

First I’d like to say that this cover is stunning!

Although the writing was pretty and the plot had potential; I found it very hard to get into this book. It was super slow and difficult to follow at times. I typically don’t mind multiple POV’s but only when they are divided by chapters. This book has multiple random POV’s in the middle of the chapters and it was hard to follow thus having me not really connecting to any of the characters.

I also felt like there were plot holes and that the story just sort of went in circles for me. The romance was lacking. To be honestly; I don’t feel like the main characters had any chemistry. Nothing romantic like happened between them until the end and it was just out of nowhere. I really would have loved for there to have been more of romantic build up for them because the romance at the end just didn’t make sense, since there was none throughout the book.

The plot had potential and I loved the concept of the book but I feel like it should have been executed differently. I know I read a book but I just don’t feel like I’ve really read a story if that makes sense.

All in all, it was good and I don’t regret reading it; I just simply wanted more from it.

3 stars!

Wonderfull. Amazing. Speechless. Great fantasy . So different and uniquely . I enjoyed the different points of vies and how nicely was written , can wait for more .

I am so happy to end this year with a 5-star read.

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. It completely captivated my attention, and I didn't want the book to end. The writing was beautiful and almost had a poetic feel to it. It kept giving me similar vibes to when I read The Starless Sea. I loved the magic system and the mystery of how the Everly curse was created. Although there are some romantic elements to this story, it didn't take away from the fantasy aspect of this book and made you want Victoria to succeed in her adventure even more. This is the type of book that makes you still think about the ending days later.

The City of Stardust comes out January 30th, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read The City of Stardust. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is beautifully written and quite lyrical. Reminded me some of Addie LaRue. I felt it focused a little too much on character emotions and feelings which slowed the story down for me. With this being the author’s debut novel, I am curious about her future works as there is immense potential.

This is such a promising debut, and I'm excited to see where this author's journey takes her.

This feels so similar to Starless Sea, Addie LaRue, Strange the Dreamer. It's introspective, and more of a study of how our characters interact with the impact of forgotten magic on their lives.

That said, while Starless Sea, Addie LaRue, and Strange the Dreamer are some of my favorite books, there was something missing from this for me.

The writing itself is beautiful and lyrical, but after a while we're so focused on how the characters are feeling, and there's no great changes throughout the book that warrant revisiting the same inner thoughts SO much. It felt like these character's inner monologues took time and space away from dipping more into the magic of the world. There was so much lore hinted at, but never really explored.

I also wanted more from Violet's character. She is goal focused (and for good reason!) but I couldn't get a feel for who she is as a person. Maybe that's on purpose?

So yeah. Beautifully written. Interesting premise. Got lost in the weeds a bit. But looking forward to what this author does next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced ereader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

THE CITY OF STARDUST follows Violet as she sets off to find her mother, or risk being sacrificed to the family curse. I wasn't exactly sure what I expected from this book, but it was both more and less than my expectations, mostly in a good way! The writing is lyrical and tells an incredible story, but the pacing was a bit lackluster; it was a fast-moving book, but I felt like I was reading a lot of nothing at times. The timelines as well got to be confusing, especially because there's a year's gap where we have no intuition on what's going on with Violet. If you're looking for an adventure fantasy, spanning multiple worlds, a curse, a missing mother and a vengeful god, I recommend picking this one up. Be prepared for some loose ends, though!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
if i had to describe this book in one word, it would be flat.the book follows a young girl trying to escape the curse her family has been under for a thousand years. the following bullet points are my thoughts in a nutshell:
-this is trying way too hard to be the starless sea by erin morgenstern, but it has none of what makes that book so great.
-the world building is flimsy at best and none of it makes sense. i’m a seasoned fantasy reader and couldn’t understand this world.
-the characters are all 2D and i felt absolutely nothing for them.
-the plot line is simple yet convoluted at the same time??
-the ending is anticlimactic.
basically, don’t waste your time on this if you want something similar to the starless sea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hook for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book! The comparisons to Alix Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January and Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer are absolutely spot on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they served as inspiration to Summers when she was coming up with this story.

Like TTTDJ, this book features a lot of magical doorways and keys and traveling between worlds to find a loved one. And like StD, much of the present conflict is influenced and haunted by a huge event from the past.

I loved the characters in this book, and I loved the fairy tale-like quality the prose takes on, but there are two things that keep me from giving this 5 stars. The first is the ending. It felt very anti-climactic to me after an entire book spent building up this great confrontation between Violet and Penelope. I knew it was going to end the way it did, but it was over in like a page. I wish it had been expanded on a bit more.

The other thing is kind of how surface level everything was? Violetis the reader stand-in in terms of learning about the other world called Fidelis and learning there’s a curse on her family that’s lasted generations. And while we do get a fair bit of world-building, I felt like we weren’t told enough? There are two different passages where Aleksander and Violet are both researching various topics about Fidelis, but all we’re told is that they found a lot of information. Ok, cool, tell me some of it!! I feel like there was a lot of wasted potential to give us even more world-building.

But I still enjoyed it! And I’m excited to see how a book box I subscribe to customizes their edition of it.

So I liked the premise of this a lot. I liked both Ambrose, Violet and even Gabriel and Aleksander. Did any of them make great choices no but they did the best they could and I liked that Ambrose, Gabriel, Violet, and even Maryanne felt, like. Family they might not always get along but they are always there for each other and I liked how realistic and genuine the family dynamic felt. I also really liked the world and mythology and how relatable Violet was, was she sometimes annoying and naive yes, but she redeems herself quickly and I too probably would have been tricked by Aleksander too. Also, Penelope was a fun and unique villain. But Caspain might be my favorite he deserves his own book.,

This is definitely going to be a divisive book. The comparisons to The Starless Sea are valid, but it didn’t quite have that extraordinary, magical quality that TSS had. It also does have a bit wonky pacing at moments and some of the characters feel a little meh. These weren’t bad enough to really take away from the book, but I do think your enjoyment of the book will depend on how you vibe with the writing style.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Whimsical and beautifully written, The City of Stardust was honestly such a great read. My only complaint is that I do with the characters would have been a bit more fleshed out, especially Violet's. Overall so good though!

For centuries, members of the Everly family have been taken by a woman named Penelope and never seen or heard from again. Deemed as the Everly curse, Marianne Everly is next to be taken until she disappears determined to break the curse once and for all. But she never comes back and no one knows where she is. Now her daughter Violet must find her mother, or she will be taken in her place.

To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope's quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted - and yet to whom she finds herself undeniably drawn.

Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find her mom and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.

The story is beautifully written with gorgeous prose, vivid descriptions, and amazing world building. The point of view shifts quickly between characters and is always in third person so sometimes it’s a little hard to keep up but overall it comes together nicely. I think the MC could’ve been developed a little more to really push her to the forefront of the story and show off her talent and ingenuity. A little more backstory regarding the curse would’ve been a little more satisfactory to the ending I think as well. Overall it was a great read that kept me engaged throughout and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers was an imaginative and captivating read, filled with magical elements and intriguing characters. I found The City of Stardust to be an enjoyable escape from reality, with its vibrant world-building and enchanting storyline.

While The City of Stardust had a promising concept, the execution fell short for me with its slow pace and lackluster character development.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Everlys are cursed. The most talented of each generation is sacrificed to an unknown fate, disappeared for a crime no one remembers. Violet Everly is the last of the line - and unless she can track down her mother and break the curse - she's running out of time.

I'm not gonna lie, that's a hell of a hook. It's unfortunate that it's so much better than the actual book.

City of Stardust is lyrical and whimsical, but without any sort of substance underneath. It's like cotton candy - sweet but ultimately unsatisfying. Violet is underdeveloped as a character, and her interest in Aleksandr borders on stupidity. (What kind of person who was abandoned to a horrible and gruesome death by their mother, never, ever expresses anger or fear about said fate? It doesn't make any sense.) The entire first act is a giant miscommunication trope.

I'm so disappointed, because I was so looking forward to this.

2/5 stars, mostly for the lyricalness of the language.

This is one of the more interesting reads I have read lately. The plot was so interesting and kept me flipping page after page. I don’t typically enjoy 3rd person especially from multiple povs but this story was overall well done.

📖 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙖 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨

“𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺.”

When Violet Everly was 10 years old her mother disappeared leaving her with her two uncles. Violet has spent her whole life sequestered in her family home and taught by her uncles. When she was 12, she had a memorable encounter with a boy who preformed what could only be called as magic. Now 21, Violet’s only reprieve from her family home, is her job at a local coffee shop. One day, she meets that same magical boy and they build a friendship. Little does Violet know, so many odd and dark things are going on in the world and they are all connected to her. The is a curse upon the Everly’s and Violet is next in its path.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵.“

This story was very original and the world building was intriguing. The story telling was great. At first, it was very hard to keep all of the different POV’s straight. There is a lot going on in this book and once you get a feel for it, everything starts clicking into place. I really enjoyed this book! I do want to mention that at the heart of this story there is a lot of darkness I wasn’t really prepared for. There is a happy ending but the author really puts you through the wringer to get it.

I feel like somethings weren’t really well explained. I know if I was to read this book a second time I would understand everything way more. The character of Violet’s mom was almost mythical and there was so much build up about her but then you really are left with nothing in regards to her character at the end. I also felt that the climax was lackluster, I expected more but still enjoyed it overall. Overall rating: 4.5⭐️

🩶 The romance in this story is very minimal and not the main focus of the story.

Tropes:
🗺️ Adventure
⭐️ High Fantasy
📖 World building
💞 Multi POV
🩶 Dark Fairy Tales

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook publishing for my eARC of this book so that I could share this honest review! This story will be available on January 30, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and orbit books for this opportunity to read an arc in exchange for my review.

The premise of this novel was absolutely brilliant. My only main issue was the characters all fell flat to me and I was needing more from them. I don’t normally say a book should be longer; but this should have been longer to give us more character growth and insight.