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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Everly family is cursed to have one of their members taken every generation by Penelope, an ageless woman who always takes payment for a debt owed her. Violet’s mother leaves Violet in the care of her two uncles in search of a way out of the curse. With her mother missing, Violet is the last Everly who will pay the price unless she can find a way to break the curse herself.
I was quickly drawn in by the beautiful writing and vivid imagery. Summers does a great job with worldbuilding and creating a world in which scholars use keys to open familiar doors to unfamiliar worlds. I feel as though some readers will struggle with the writing style - there are multiple perspectives written in the third person. Personally, I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters other than Violet. Aleksander was not my favorite - I get frustrated with characters who are blindly loyal to someone who doesn’t deserve their devotion. I would have liked to see Caspian have a more developed role and more interactions with Violet. The ending almost felt unfinished - there felt like there was so much more to be explored.
Despite the aspects I didn’t love, I would recommend reading.

I want to thank NetGalley and Redhook Books for this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is like a trying to complete a puzzle that is covered in words from a foreign language that you do not speak. I was consistently confused until the end and even by the end I was pondering what I just read. This book's writing style is similar to The Night Circus, and it is not a writing style I much prefer as I do not like to be confused the entire book.
I very much enjoyed the main character, Violet, who is trapped in a generational curse to a Goddess from the stars. Descended from the Gods herself she is set on an adventure to try to break her curse and save her family and friends. Tasked with an impending timeline of 22nd birthday, she goes to look for her mother who has been missing most of her life and comes upon mysteries and lost lands.
This book has so much potential, and I think would have been better as a duology. I wish Summers would have gone deeper into characters and the world building potential could have been amazing, but it was just a missed opportunity. I loved Violet and loved Caspian even more. I felt that the choice of Aleksander being her choice for lover over Caspian who so obviously challenges her and compliments her far more than Aleksander. Overall, I was enthralled with where the mystery was going but I felt that there were a lot of holes, and nothing went deeper than surface level. I could not point out any overarching themes within the novel as well. I do not think I am the target audience for this book, but I see its potential.

5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

This book is so fucking cool. I almost don't want to review it because I went into it blind and had such a wild ride and feel like that should be everyone's experience with this. That being said, I will review it and I am going to very vague because I don't want to give anything away.

Violet's mother disappears one stormy night, never to be seen again. Unbeknownst to the child, her mother is leaving to try and break their family curse. Violet is left in the care of her uncles who do their best to hide her from the world, because if Penelope ever finds her, she'll take her. When Violet can no longer be hidden from the world she must set out on adventure to break the curse herself and discover where her mother has vanished to.

BUT THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!

The way the author weaves together words is stunning. You can see the picturesque snowy city, feel the rain pouring down on you in a thunderstorm and smell the coffee in the Cafe. It all felt very V.E Schwab with dashes of Addie LaRue.

Oh and did I mention it's a standalone? We love not having to commit to a series.

Weirdly specific book rec: Addie larue meets Dark, the show on Netflix

This was such a dreamy, beautiful and brutal story- written in a similar vein of the Starless Sea, with stories in stories and doors between worlds. I found myself captivated from the start, I enjoyed the fact that I couldn’t always predict where the story was going, and it goes to some DARK places (like my jaw dropped and I had to pause to process). The ending left some things to be desired but overall, this was a lovely fantasy standalone. I love this style of whimsical descriptive writing, and I will always love doors between worlds, and if there were to one day be more books within these worlds I’d be happy to pick them up.

<i>Curses, after all, are made to be broken</i>

This was truly a magical novel. From scholars with otherworldly knowledge, to world hopping through magical doors, to vengeful gods, to an impossible curse — it held some wonderful tropes with a unique and wonderful story.

The most notable aspect of the book is undoubtedly its prose. This will definitely be going into my mental list of “books that were written with prose so beautiful I could cry” (it’s a small list, sadly). I think fans of Laini Taylor and V.E. Schwab, in particular, would appreciate the prose as well!

<i>For a curse is just another kind of story, dark and toothy and razor-edged</i>

Besides the prose, I really enjoyed the world-building, mythology, lore, and magical system that was presented! I would 100% travel to Fidelis in a heartbeat! The keys were a unique touch on the magic that I really fell in love with (and now I want a magical key tattoo, because that sounds awesome). The origin story of the Everly deal was very intriguing, as was the lore of Astriade and her brethren. I
would read a whole book on all of their stories, if I could.

There are only two reasons why this book didn’t make it to five stars for me: pacing and character development. I think that this book could’ve been condensed and still have made the same impact, if not more so. Due to my aforementioned opinion on the prose, the book never actually dragged for me, but not everyone is going to have that same opinion so it may drag a little for other readers. Aaaand the characters. To me, it felt like almost all of the characters were almost-finished illustrations: a lot of them felt like shades instead of a whole picture. I got a <i>sense</i> of who they were, but not the essence of them. I’m a huge character driven reader — I like to connect with them — and I really tried — but it feels like I didn’t really know enough about any of them to do so, even though I knew a decent bit about them.
Except, for Astriade. Astriade is actually my favorite character from the series. She felt more fleshed out than the others, and she made me feel very conflicted: she was capable of compassion, of love (in… her own way), but also capable of horrible atrocities. I would feel sympathy and disgust for her in loop throughout the book. Out of every character in the series, she felt the most alive.

<i>The end of the world looks a lot like the beginning of another </i>

All in all, definitely worth the read and looking forward to having a finished copy in my hands! Thanks to Netgalley for early ARC access!

A beautifully written story about a girl’s search for her missing mother and her quest to break the family curse. I loved the magical elements and the idea of keys that open doorways to other worlds. I loved Violet’s bravery and determination, and even if I didn’t always like Aleksander, I still felt for him.

This book was actually a lot darker than I expected, in a good way. There were a lot of great surprises and adventures and I loved the fairytales woven in. I personally would have preferred more of a conclusion to some parts of the story and more answers especially to one of the big questions throughout the book. But overall a very enjoyable & whimsical tale.

Thank you to Redhook Books for the ARC!

Lush imagery throughout this starry novel. I loved the unique worlds, the idea of the stars being God's, and the dark academic atmosphere. There were a few murky points in the book, and it may have been a tad repetitive in areas in the plot, but in all a solid first book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5/5 stars rounded to 4.

Penelope made a deal with Ever Everly but Ever was able to outsmart the deal. Since the deal is unfulfilled, Penelope takes one Everly per generation.

Marianne leaves her daughter, Violet, in the care of her brothers. She wants to keep Violet a secret from Penelope while she looks for a way to end the deal so no more Everlys are taken. Obviously Penelope learns Violet exists and makes a new deal with the uncles to buy Violet time. During that time Violet travels trying to find her mother while also learning about other worlds.

This is the super basic plot. There is so much more to The City of Stardust. Overall I liked that Violet was willing to completely submerge herself into her mother’s world she knew nothing about to both find her mother and end the Everly curse. There are two issues that bothered me. First being if Penelope needed Everly blood then why is Violet’s enough but not the Everlys before her? That bit left me a little confused. The other is how Ever lived as long as he did. The first issue is why this wasn’t a sold 4 star read. The second is minor and since Ever was in a different world I can let that slide a little more.

Overall really enjoyed following Violet while she traveled and learned more about her family and Aleksander was a complex character throughout that even though there were times I wanted to throttle him he is still a well written character.

I received a copy of The City of Stardust via NetGalley to read and review.

Really lovely and atmospheric and reading it gave me Golden Compass vibes. I really liked Violet as a character but I was mentally yelling at her to stop trusting Aleksander and she may have forgiven him but I won't!!

3.75 / 5 stars

The City of Stardust is a magical whirlwind of a story which follows Violet Everly across the globe in her search for her mother. She works her way into a society of magical scholars and ravenous gods in hopes to break the curse cast on her bloodline.

I want to begin by saying how much I adored Summers’ prose. She is a masterful magician with her words and created such a lovely atmosphere in enchanted worlds. I loved Aleksander; I thought he was a very deep character with questionable motives. I never knew whether or not I should trust him and that made me love him all the more.

The things that I did not like, however, was A) present tense (and in third person, ew) and B) it was not limited POV, and often jumped around between character with no break between chapters, sometimes in the POV of a character who’s only around for a few scenes. I think this style would have made sense more for a film, but it did not work for me as a book. It ended up leaving me confused for most of the book and took me out of the magical realm Summers created.

Overall, I’d say this book is great for those who love hidden worlds and curses from spiteful gods. At times, I even found myself rooting for the villain. Summers has a promising career ahead of her and I am eager to see what else she creates.

Wonderfully whimsical and magically immersive! I cannot express how much I enjoyed Georgia Summer's writing style. This is what all fantasy books should read like. The first chapter is one of the most captivating introductions I have read from a book in a long time. I entered this book knowing nothing about the plot, magic system, or world-building and I think that is the correct way to go about it.

That said, the pacing of this book is off at some points. It varies from really fast-paced action to slow-paced internal monologues that really dampens the reading experience.

The City of Stardust is a beautifully written and unique fantasy, featuring different worlds, feuding gods, secret societies, and stars walking among us.

The story follows Violet Everly, the last of the Everly family that has been affected by a centuries old curse. Each generation, one Everly must follow the mysterious and enigmatic Penelope to an unknown fate in a different world. Since her mother went missing years ago, Violet is granted 10 years to find her or surrender to their shared fate alone. Over the years, she searches for her mother, Marianne Everly, seeking help from the secretive and cryptic scholars who operate between worlds. Tentatively partnering with Penelope’s assistant, Aleksander, and her mother nowhere to be found, Violet’s time is running out. She must decide whether to accept the fate of all the Everlys before her, or try to break the curse once and for all.

I thought this was an intriguing and beautifully written story. And it was a stand alone fantasy, which is good when you aren’t in the mood to dive into a longer series. Being a stand alone story, the plot moves quickly, but like Violet, we are kept in the dark about a lot of things. There are many moving parts, and sometimes it was confusing to piece it all together. Though, upon reflection, I feel that this is intentional, as many secrets were kept from Violet and Aleksander. So we are given bits and pieces of a story that has warped and changed over time, and are left trying to figure out the truth, just as Violet must do in order to fight the curse that has haunted her family for centuries. This left the story somewhat disjointed, but I still enjoyed reading it and trying to figure it all out from the different perspectives. Penelope is an interesting villain – she is evil, and holds the curse over the Everlys, but she is also shown as sometimes kind despite her nature. This is not really a romance book, and while there are some sweet moments, the relationship between Aleksander and Violet is fraught and fragile. But they learn to lean on each other and support one another as the story progresses. The sense of adventure is paramount in this book – and it really felt like an ode to the lovers of books – those who use books to explore new worlds, or find themselves lost in their research.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to the release in January 2024! Thank you to NetGalley and to Redhook Books for an electronic ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an arc of this book.

I’m giving this book a 3.5 star rating. I think it’s a well written book, but it just wasn’t for me. I wish it had a little more world building because I didn’t feel invested in the world at all. The prologue had me hooked but when it got to the actually story, it didn’t feel like the same story. This book was written in third person and I think that took a little bit of the story away. I felt like the author was just telling things that happened instead of it feeling like showing and actually feeling like I am apart of the story. I think a first person pov would have fit this book better, or even a multiple pov book. That way you would feel more part of the story.

Thank you to Georgia Summers, Orbit, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Violet Everly was born into a family cursed to lose their most magically inclined member every generation. For Violet, this member was her mother; however, she ran when Violet was a child and since no one has been able to find her, Violet is now next in line. Follow Violet as she delves into a world of magic and mystery as she is determined to not only find her mother, but also why her family is cursed and how to put a stop to it.

Themes: High stakes, Paying the price, The love interest
Trigger warnings: Kidnapping, Murder, Child abandonment

This book gripped me from the literal first page, the prologue was set up in a way that was mysterious while still setting up the basis of the story and introducing multiple characters. I loved the plot of this story with the mystery of the Everly's curse, why Violets mother left, and if it is even possible to prevent the curse being the driving factors that held my attention throughout this story. Despite my investment in the plot and the outcomes of this story I did find it difficult to continue reading through multiple parts throughout the book as the story seemed to stall rather than move forward for chunks at a time. While enjoyed the overall story I found the characters very difficult to connect with. I did not feel like I knew or understood any of the characters and their choices even if I could rationalize why they did it, it just did not make any logical sense based on the emotions they experienced. Despite the clear mystery plot throughout the book I also feel that we did not get many answers and many we did receive were incomplete answers. A lot of these incomplete answers were also accompanied by large plot twists that I genuinely enjoyed and were completely unexpected.

Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy a slower paced mystery, can handle or like not having all questions answered, and enjoy a romance aspect in their books.

I’m just going to be frank and honest: I LOVED THIS STORY! This book was a bit different than what I usually read, and I can 100% say that I’ve never experienced a narrative like this before. It was truly such a unique story, and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything remotely like it. For me, it existed as a whimsical tale that just drew you in—it felt like this fantastical world that was also, in a way, a mystery, keeping you on the edge of your seat waiting to get that next unlock.

When I first caught on to the sort of world Georgia Summers was creating, I was a bit cautious because the world just felt so out there. However, Summers did such an intricate job in world-building—there were no sort of lore dumps, and instead, the history existed as an active mystery to move the story forward. And man, oh man, I could just RAVE for days about the writing tone. It was just so emotive, and Summers wrote the darkest emotions in a way that makes your heart drop with each move. This read more like a fairytale because dialogue was limited, but when it was used, it was endlessly effective. You don’t wait for drawn-out conversations for lore dumps; it just flows so smoothly and naturally. I'm a big fan of the writing style and the vibe it sets for the story.

I also don’t really want to get into the nature of the characters because I feel like that would be doing a disservice to the nature of the story. However, I can confidently say that each character feels unique, and you can feel every high and low—whether or not you want to like the character in the first place (s/o Penelope). I will also say that you do sort of need to push through the beginning because the pacing can feel a bit slow, but I do think it helps in building the anticipation and suspense for what happens to the characters. Overall, I really loved this book for its unique storyline, intricate writing, and plot structure. I definitely think this is going to be one of my top reads for 2024, and if anyone is looking to experience anything new or just good ol’ writing, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Slip into a lush world of magic, stardust, and monsters in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy from debut author Georgia Summers.

For centuries, the Everlys have seen their best and brightest disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick - and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was a child when her mother left on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. When Marianne never returns, Penelope issues an ultimatum: Violet has ten years to find her mother, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer. Unless she can break the curse first.

Her hunt leads her into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. And into the path of Penelope's quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted - and yet to whom she finds herself undeniably drawn.

With her time running out, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began."

Seriously, just look at that cover and dream of a world with power-hungry scholars.

I've seen this book compared to the writing of Erin Morgenstern and alike several times now and I believe this is a fair comparison. Unfortunately, this means this was absolutely not a story for me.

The writing is lyrical and fanciful. One might even call it overwritten. The author clearly took her time to craft the descriptions in the book, but to the detriment of everything else. The characters and plot suffer for it.

I found Violet to be the weakest of the cast and she's the main character. Never a good sign. Her uncles, Ambrose and Gabriel, felt more developed as people than her. Even then I doubt I think about them much longer than it takes to write this review.

The pacing of the story is horrendously slow and I found it difficult to focus on. I was simply bored while reading this.

There is a fantastical, fun, and romantic tale in here. It's just buried beneath the overdone writing

This is going to be one of the biggest books of 2024, I'm calling it now. Georgia Summer's authorial voice reminds me of a mix of J.K. Rowling and the quirkiness of a Wes Anderson film. Her writing is vivid, thoughtful and charming. Summer creates such a clear and engaging picture of the world she has built. I would not hesitate to pick this up if you are fan of V.E. Schwab and Alix Harrow. I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, romance, magic and gothic tales.

Thank you to Redhook Books via NetGalley for an ARC of this book.