This was a slow read for me, but a beautifully written story. The beginning was a bit slow, however the story picked up and I really e joyed it. It is perfect for fan of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

I was so excited to read this fantasy novel. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and the summary sounded like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, this was a big miss for me.

My biggest complaint was the sudden POV changes. This story is told by multiple characters, and sometimes, the POV changes right in the middle of a page or even a paragraph. We don’t get any notice of the change coming. We’re just suddenly thrust into another person’s head. It felt so disjointed, confusing, and jarring that it constantly took me out of the story, which became increasingly frustrating the further I got into the story.

The pacing was also poorly done. The first half of the book was very slow-paced, and I became rather bored with it, though I was still intrigued, hoping it would get better. (It took me almost a month to read it.) It did…and it didn’t. It does pick up in pacing in the second half of the book, specifically the last quarter. However, it still didn’t pull me into this world. I wanted a lot more fantasy elements. I wanted many more action sequences. I wanted the story to surprise me and take me on a wild ride, which it failed to do. Ultimately, it felt like nothing really happened.

The story had a unique premise but needed better execution. It was very atmospheric but the world-building felt a bit sloppy. The story was a bit complex and hard to follow at times. I wasn’t even sure what I was reading about for the majority of the story. Unfortunately, it’s not a story that will stick with me long-term. It’s not very memorable.

The writing is beautiful but it’s overshadowed by too much flowery description and not enough dialogue and substance. I found myself skimming the majority of the book. I felt like not enough details and information were given; therefore, it was difficult to visualize locations, settings, and the world being built.

As for the characters, I couldn’t connect to any of them; therefore, I didn’t really care about any of them. They all lacked character development and felt one-dimensional and flat. The romance felt forced, and I didn’t get any chemistry from the main couple. There is some language but no spice (clean, closed-door romance), just a few kissing scenes.

If I wasn’t reading this for NetGalley, I probably would’ve DNF’d it in the beginning. Overall, this had so much potential but ended up being a big disappointment for me. I didn’t really like any aspect of it, and can’t recommend it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

City of Stardust is full of curses, mysteries, and magic. The book follows Violet Everly as she searches for her missing mother and the curse that has plagued her family for centuries. Violet is sheltered by her uncles and yearns for capital A adventure (or just any kind of life outside her home). But more interesting than the mysteries and curses surrounding Violet are the magical worlds connected to her family. Because as Violet learns about her mother, she also learns about the magical world Marianne was a part of - a world of magic, knowledge, scholars, politics, and intrigue.
I wanted to know so much more about this world, Fidelis. About the scholars, their keys, even Aleksander. Despite the fact that this book is told from multiple POVs, much of it takes place in the real world rather than the magical. What does take place is confusing and disjointed. The story jumps around both in time and location, making it hard to follow at times. Important scenes take place off the page and we only find out what happened later which makes character motivations unclear rather than leading to a big reveal.
City of Stardust has great potential. I like the premise of keys that open doors to magical worlds. The writing is lyrical and the characters likeable. I just wanted a little more from the story itself.

Violet Everly's mother left when she was young and her uncles who are raising her are hiding a dark secret. The family line is cursed with one member of each generation taken to pay a blood debt that no one remembers. Her mother left to find a way to break the curse. Now it is Violet's turn and she must venture into an unknown magical underworld to find her mother and escape her fate. This dark fantasy is very unusual with it's tales of fallen star gods seeking to return to the heavens. Violet is a well drawn character with her individual quirky personality. As the story unfolded I could not foresee where the tale was headed and how this could possibly be wrapped up which kept me glued to the pages. Told in third person with lots of dialogue detailing the unique world of magical doorways and keys which we see through the eyes of the protagonist the tension builds slow and steady. I actually had a hard time visualizing the city of stardust and the concept of its controlling librarians. Many of the characters are morally grey and choose a diabolical path. If you enjoy a dark and gritty fantasy with a very unique world gives this narrative a try. It is reminiscent of "Starless Sea" and similar novels.

Starting off, I felt this book had so much potential. Violet Everly has grown up away from the world she was destined for, and then the book just lost me. There were storylines and ideas that seemed thrown in without further explanation, which just seemed to muddle the whole story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this title. I will admit, the cover drew me to this story more than anything else, but I was intrigued by the blurb. The story started off well, but the character development and execution of the overall storyline fell short for me. There were many questions that weren't answered when it was all said and done that made me wonder why I spent the past few days reading it.

I found this to be a dark, yet enchanting story of magic doors and keys, blood oaths, soul-eating goddesses, secret knowledge, and sacrifice. It swept me away and then delivered a conclusion I found to be very satisfying. I don't know if this will appeal to everyone, but I loved it.

Georgia Summers created something lovely in The City of Stardust, It was a solid debut.

DNF unfortunately. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good enough to continue to justify reading. I wasn’t engaged in the characters or the plot. It would have been a chore to continue.

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley for my honest review.

I would rate this a 3.5/5, but rounded up to 4 since I can’t give half ratings.

This book has an interesting premise and overall I did enjoy it. However, I wish the world had been fleshed out a bit more. Same with some of the relationships between characters. Especially between Violet & Aleksander. Violet instantly trusts him and even after he does something that should give her pause, it doesn’t.
If we had seen a bit more of the relationship between him and Penelope, I might have empathized with him more.
Then the ending felt just a bit rushed.
This was a debut and it definitely reads like it. That being said, I would read future works by this author because they have potential.

Reminiscent of the prose of The Night Circus, and The Starless Sea, The City of Stardust is a magically dark fantasy.

Though personally a bit heavy for me in style and content, I believe the story will be compelling to others.

I would advise looking at trigger warnings before reading. I do not enjoy plot lines with violence towards children. So this was not really for me.

Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this was a dnf for me at 25%. It was one of many recent debuts that felt like an excellent premise with flat execution. I found Violet whiny and unlikable and felt no real connection to any of the characters. The prose is beautiful, but that is not enough to distract from the lack of interest in the plot.

Friends, I wanted to like this book but for me it just fell flat. The pacing was off, none of the characters were super memorable, and for being a stand alone I was immensely unsatisfied with the end. The prose was stunning, and while Summers paints a beautiful picture there just wasn’t enough else for me to be enchanted with.

HOWEVER if you like:
dark academia
reluctant allies
an ancient curse
fallen “gods”
enemies to lovers

Perhaps this would be a good fit for you!

This isn't for me. Summers writes an interesting and complex world using beautiful prose. Unfortunately, that world ends up feeling like a sparsely populated open world video game - pretty at the surface level but no real depth or life. The real disappointment for me was the distanced writing style which offered no chance to connect with really understand the characters. There was also the repeated tendency to summarize large chunks of time in breezy paragraphs that give the reader no real sense of character development. I saw it compared to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Practical Magic, and I agree. If you like either those two books, give this one a chance.

Why do I try to read stuff "like" The Starless Sea? Nothing else comes close for me. I don't think this is a bad book, but it is unfortunately not for me. Writing is good but I'm not invested.

A curse can be many things. A wish left out to spoil in the sun, putrid and soft, leaving behind only calcified desire and oxidized envy. Or a poisoned chalice, a mistake tattooed across an entire family tree, with every generation promising never to sip until they do. Sometimes, it's a deal and bad luck conspiring like old grifters closing on an easy mark. For the Everlys, it begins with stardust."

One of the first quotes I noted in the City of Stardust applies and sets the stage for what will be an epic tale. It is a tale of a young lady whose mother leaves her to live with her two uncles, waiting for her to return.

"She believes in curses like she believes in stories. For a curse is just another kind of story, dark, toothy, and razor-edged. It's the unspoken tale singing its way through her family history; once a generation walks into the dark, compelled by the shadows, our poor Violet has shadows stalking her every move as she tries to unravel the family curse that plagues her. She was given time by the mysterious Penelope, ten years and a day. That seems like a long time, but when you're trying to solve a puzzle and have not been given the truth most of your life, it can fly by quickly.

"The cost to travel through the door is always sacrifice. And there is no one but herself to give it."

Doors and keys are featured throughout this tale of multiple worlds, lost mothers, family curses, and finally being free. The City of Stardust is a unique debut novel that kept me guessing until the very last page how Violet would save the Everlys and how it would all play out between her and Aleksander. I read this as part of the Fairyloot read-along, and it also counts towards a Netgalley arc I did not get to before publication.

Although I had a hard time understanding this book at times I really enjoyed the overall story. It was sometimes I struggle to keep up because the story is told in 3rd person omniscient so we heard what each character is doing and feeling. I will say I did enjoy the point of view and how I could see what each person was doing and how the pieces connect. I like the gods and the magic and how they easily fit within the story. The door ways and keys and how you can travel between worlds is something unique in fantasy that I haven't seen before. Violet is a great FMC and her brother Ambrose is a perfect example of what a big brother should be. I hope there will be a second book and I can get the love story between Violet and Aleksander.

US pub date: 1/30/24
Genre: fantasy
Quick summary: The Everlys are cursed, and unless Violet can find her mother Marianne, the curse will take her too.

I've been reading more fantasy lately, and the premise here sounded so good! I liked the mysteriousness of the curse and how Summers introduced the Everly family and our MC Violet. Aleksander was an interesting foil to Violet, and I liked that I never quite knew what he was up to. My main qualm with the book was its length - the ending felt too drawn out and didn't really keep my interest. I think tightening up the ending would have pushed this from a 3.5 to a strong 4. That being said, this is a debut, and I would be interested in trying Summers' next book!

Thank you to Redhook for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time with this one. I enjoyed the story but I found the multiple point of view to be confusing. I found the characters hard to connect with. I found the story had potential with its fantasy elements but it was not my cup of tea. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys young adult fantasy novels who enjoys scattered multiple point of views.

I received this ARC via NetGalley and Redhook books in exchange for an honest review.

This was truly a very well written book and the cover is absolutely stunning! The cover is truly one of the prettiest I've seen in a while and is what initially drew me to this title. I feel like it captures the story and is very indicative of the genre. I enjoyed the plot and found it overall interesting, although it took me a bit to warm up to it. This is a great read for a fantasy enthusiast and someone who enjoys books written in 3rd person (which isn't my personal preference). Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful work!

Unfortunately, I had to currently DNF this book at around the 18% mark. I think this book would be perfect for someone looking for a mildly dark fantasy with a naive FMC who is desperate to learn more about her heritage, to the point of trusting anyone who gives her any information at all. This book felt very much in vibe and tone to The Book Eaters, and the section of Ink Blood Sister Scribe which focuses on learning/discovering the world they live in - which unfortunately I also did not enjoy.

I would be willing to come back to this book to read further, as the concept and everything has intrigued me - I just personally could not at this point be invested in the feelings of the FMC. I understand she was sheltered, leading to her naivety, but I did not feel any connection (romantic or otherwise) between Violet and Aleksander - nor did I feel any tension with the internal conflicts building up around them.

Thank you Redhook Books for the opportunity to read this book.