I wanted to thank netgalley and Orbit publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of The city of Stardust.

I loved the uniqueness of this book. I loved the strong MC in finding her true identity. With that I felt that this book could have been a lot more in depth. I felt the ending and epilogue kept me wanting more but not in the sense of wanting the next book but unanswered questions that didn’t get answered throughout the book.

I could feel myself being in FIdelis the magic and power, the story of the gods that foretold what was happening in the current time frame. I just felt that there was something missing.

Georgia if you read this. This was a fantastic book. I absolutely loved the world building and space of this book I just felt there could have been more depth and if there had this would have ABSOLUTELY been a 5 star book. I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.


Stars that have basically made themselves into gods who could walk the earth, one in particular having cursed an entire bloodline due to the debt she believed she was owed from an ancestor who lived over 1,000 years ago is where this tale begins. Our FMC, Violet, is trying to stop herself from being taken and used for her blood by a bloodthirsty, old, aggressive star who takes children from their beds so they can be sacrificed to her later on. I really empathized with Violet's struggle against time, especially since she was basically on her own when it came to saving herself. The one person she thought she could confide in, snitched on her at every opportunity, and everyone else she came across hated her mother (who had left her behind as a small child and ran from the fate she's now left Violet to), so they wouldn't offer her much help either. While the story itself is exciting, the two MCs are both so broken, both physically and mentally by the end. If you enjoy a kind of twisty fantasy, with a snippet of romance, and a lot of betrayal, then definitely give The City of Stardust a read.

This book was good, and could have been so much better. The idea of this book made so much sense, and I could almost feel Fidelis (and magic) at my fingertips.

However, as much as I loved the story, and the characters, I wanted MORE. More world building, more character building, more development. I feel as if it could have all been fleshed out a little better, and it just didn’t give me what I was hoping for from it.

If this book had been twice as long with more developed characters and worlds, I would have 100% given it five stars.

3.5/5 stars
I was excited to read this book, and it delivered on the perceived concepts of "magic," power, mortality, and the wrath of gods. However, it left a lot to be desired for me as a reader. Summers' world and magic system are downright cool - doors to different worlds and "talent" that is a power or magic of its own. I especially loved the tales woven in about the gods and the "betrayal" that began the curse that our FMC finds herself entangled in. The concepts were there and they had such potential for world-building!

unfortunately, it just didn't feel like those concepts were flushed out. The book felt rushed, skipping ahead in time like it was mere seconds, leaving me as the reader wondering where I was in the storyline. There were too many points of view, which, in some parts, I really appreciated, but usually pulled me out of the story instead. It also ensured that I didn't have a real connection with any of the characters. The world-building also wasn't super clear throughout the book, until more than halfway through, when some of the history or backstory was brought to light.

Overall, this book had so much potential but just missed the mark for me. A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Georgia Summers for allowing me access to an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an unbiased review!

A riveting good book, full of intrigue and a bit of adventure. Prepare to go on a journey for answers.

The world building was utterly phenomenal. I was pulled right in on that dark and Stormy day, and stayed that way to the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Redhook books for this arc!
The story follows Violet Everly and the curse on her family. But theres an academia vibe to it, plus fantasy!

I loved the story and the world it was set in. The adventure that Violet goes to try to save herself and her family is so fun and tense at times. At the beginning there seems to be a lot of different POVs but they all served a purpose and that was fun to realize as you read it. The descriptions made everything so easy to visualize and it kept me wanting to read more. I'd 100% recommend this to people looking for an easy but fun read.

Some things id comment on would be the beginning of the book felt kind of rushed but once you understand what is happening it's super easy to follow. Aleksander's character felt a little undeveloped but I still liked him.

Overall great read, I would definitely read more from this author and this world if she were to continue it!

3.5/5 stars

This mysterious and dark debut book was told with imaginative prose and an easy to read writing style. The writing style was a good balance between whimsical and wistful while still moving the plot along.

The story is told in a unique way where the storyline blends the past and present and the perspective jumps from character to character. The blending of the past and present scenes through the book reminded me of the story telling style of The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue, however, I felt like the order we discovered things in made for weird moments where we know more than the characters did at certain points - it made some character discoveries feel a little anticlimactic. I also didn’t feel like the story wove all the pieces together to my satisfaction.

The story was a great idea but the execution could use a little polishing. The world was interesting to follow with portals to multiple worlds, astral gods and fairytale-esque magic. I just felt that the order of the scenes in the story weren’t optimal and that I still have a lot of open questions. It almost felt like this should have been a duology such that we could finish exploring the world.

I would recommend this to those who enjoyed the invisible life of Addie la rue but want a faster moving plot or those who enjoy prose filled with imagery and don’t mind loose ends.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me an eARC for my honest review.

I didn't finish book as the violence toward children had me putting it down. The overall story was about a girl breaking a debt owed my her bloodline.

I wish authors would give trigger warnings. While I still will read books that perhaps tackle tough or disturbing topics, I think it should be included up front by those who might want to avoid certain topics for whatever reason.

TW: violence towards children

The Everly family is cursed. In each generation, a family member is taken by a woman named Penelope as payment of a debt owed to her. When Violet's mother was taken, she was left to live with her uncles and Penelope has given them ten years find Violet's mother or else Violet will be taken in her place. Determined to break the curse, Violet sets off to a magical underworld where she encounters scholars, gods and monsters. Here is she has to figure out who she can trust and who can help her break the curse.

Right away I was interested in the mystery behind where her mother was and the debt that was owed. The book was easy to follow and I found the ending to be satisfying. I do think the pacing could use a bit of work, especially in the beginning as I did struggle to get past the 30% mark at times, but I am ultimately glad I powered through.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

The City of Stardust takes readers into a fantastical world of whimsy and darkness where a young girl must break the family curse while also figuring out the history of these worlds. Violet Everly is cursed to die in 10 years like generations of Everly's have been before her. While searching for her mother who escaped this same fate, she faces enemies and monsters that have powers she can't even fathom. The author stays disciplined throughout and leaves the reader with a very satisfying ending. There is endless potential for this world to grow, but if not, this book makes Fidelis shine like a star in the night.

This was an overall enjoyable read, but I don't see myself remembering the story and characters long-term. The descriptions are beautiful, but to the point where they take away from the plot and character development. Perhaps this just isn't the type of book for me at the moment.

'The City of Stardust' echoes the vibes of 'The night Circus'. With the twist of a key you can step into a world of magic. From the very beginning I was hooked on the mystery surrounding Marianne Everly, the main character Violet's mother.

What really stood out for me was the vibrant side characters. They may not have had a lot of page time, but they were all well developed and added depth to the world surrounding Violet in her quest to find her mother.

Thank you to NetGalley, Georgia Summers, and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read this book early.

This book is a DNF for me at 49%. This book needs trigger warnings. Do not read if you can’t handle graphic violence towards children.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 20%-The description of this story sounded like it had so much potential, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. Nothing was really grabbing my attention including the writing, the characters, or the story to keep me invested in continuing to read it. I keep seeing comparisons to The Starless Sea which I wasn't a fan of, so I'll just stick with that as the reason I wasn't feeling this one.

Violet Everly is just a child when her mother, Marianne, leaves her with her uncles. For generations, one Everly family member has disappeared. The woman responsible is Penelope. So when Marianne fails to return home and Penelope appears at the Everly family’s door, Violet’s uncles know their niece is in danger. They’re given ten years to find Marianne to be turned over to Penelope or else Violet will be taken in her place.

Violet has been sheltered from the family curse her whole life, but once she learns out about it she’ll stop at nothing to find a solution. What she doesn’t expect is the depth of what lies behind the curse – magic, gods, and worlds beyond her imagination. Violet will have to figure out who to trust, how to navigate a strange social order, and how to find the key to the city of stardust.

This book was creative, exciting, and brought to life a beautiful and terrifying new world. There were times throughout the book when I’d have to double check that I hadn’t skipped a page as the story seemed to jump around a bit, sometimes within the same chapter. While the underground world of the scholars on Earth was very intriguing, I would have loved to explore more of the relationships between the scholar families and learn more about the city of stardust. The antagonist of the story was very well written, beautiful and scary at the same time. Despite any criticism I have with this book, the good definitely outweighs any negative. Well worth the time for any fan of the fantasy genre.

I started this book and got to about 20%. There isn’t anything wrong with it per se, it just didn’t hold my attention. It was too slow for me. Eventually I may go back to it but it just doesn’t have enough grab for me to pick it back up at the moment.

<i>The City of Stardust</i> by Georgia Summers is a captivating contemporary fantasy that follows Violet Everly on her quest to find her missing mother and break a generational curse. With its mysterious doors and Neil Gaiman-esque tone, the book instantly grabs the reader's attention. The world-building is magnificent, blending steampunk and modern settings to create a captivating "elsewhere" world. The plot is filled with twists and turns, keeping readers hooked until the truth is revealed. Georgia Summers' writing style is immersive and difficult to put down. Overall, <i>The City of Stardust</i> is an exceptional release, delivering a mesmerizing blend of magic, mystery, and romance that will leave readers enthralled. Fans of Adrienne Young's <i>The Unmaking of June Farrow</i> and Neil Gaiman's <i>Stardust</i> will find elements to appreciate. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a unique and captivating fantasy read.

This book left me with many mixed feelings. There were so many things I enjoyed about it and quite a few things I didn’t. The prose made it difficult to understand what was happening at times. That coupled with the somewhat off kilter pacing just left me confused at certain points in the book where I felt like I should very much have known what was going on and why. None of the characters ever felt fully fleshed out or as if we really knew them at all. Which given that we’re supposed to care about the character’s fates made it hard to do so. The world building I think could have been more refined and felt a little contradictory at times, especially when they were discussing the magical elements of it all. The romance was severely lacking for me and felt really forced also. I would have much preferred if Caspian was Violet’s counterpart than Aleksander. Lastly, I very much disliked that Marianne, who’s spoken about throughout the entirety of the book and made to seem so important, turns out not to be, and was only glimpsed in a few sentences in the final chapter. I think this book might be better suited to fans of The Mortal Instruments, Night Circus, and Addie LaRue as it’s very similar, but of which I personally am not a fan. Overall, I think this book could have used a bit more polishing and a little less prose. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard for me to rate this book because I know there will be lovers of this - I'm just not one of them. The writing is absolutely beautiful but I need plot and character development. More than just beautiful descriptions. If you love the Night Circus or Addie LaRue, you're going to like this one, as it has the same prose style. Unfortunately, I didn't like either of those! This just left me confused and felt much too long even though it's a relatively shorter book. I could never get into it because I didn't care about the characters or story. Just not my kind of writing.