I loved the writing and the way Georgia Summers writes sentences and approaches scene-setting. In the beginning, I felt it would be a 5* read but I soon changed my opinion. The main mystery is a good one even if the explanation feels somewhat lackluster (though it's possible I was expecting too much). The issue I have is with the romance part of the story which bogs things down. It's subjective and I'm positive dark romantasy fans will be thrilled.

Violet's family is subject to a curse and it's now Violet who needs to be wary.

She meets Penelope and Aleksander and her Uncle's seem to know them already - and Violet is about to find out about family secrets and a world she didn't know existed!

It was a slow start but absolutely loved the writing, it totally drew you in.

You can expect:

~ Enemies to lovers
~ Scholars
~ Other worlds
~ Otherly beings
~ Betrayals
~ A small romance

All in all it was a magical world which I throughly enjoyed!

'Who is he without Violet Everly?'

That ending - is that the end? Is this a standalone? If yes then this is genius! Although I'd love more Caspian!

In 'The City of Stardust,' each Everly generation grapples with a sacrificial destiny. Violet, amidst the search for her vanished mother, encounters a mysterious boy who leads her into an unexpected realm of magic and stardust. The narrative unfolds seamlessly, exposing the layers of a familial curse that Violet must decipher to break its hold. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, awarding it 4 stars for its impeccable writing and sustained intrigue. The intermittent presence of the enigmatic boy adds a captivating dimension to the story. The incorporation of diverse perspectives, including that of the antagonist, enriches the narrative. 'The City of Stardust' stands as a brilliantly crafted standalone, leaving readers both fulfilled and yearning for more from this enchanting world. 🌠

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this E-Arc.

This standalone story is a true fairytale and is told like one. As a reader you feel like you are being pushed forward in someone else's dream, relentlessly.
I have finished this book in two days because I could not stop listening. In the end though, I was still left with questions. They were the good kind of questions, not the ones where you think the author could have tied everything up better. No, the ones where you wonder what has happened and what might still be happening, and what the meaning is in all this.
This debut book has been compared to Addie LaRue and other stories, but to me it has way more Daughter of Smoke and Bone meets Neil Gaiman vibes.
I liked the characters, but they are not this book's strongest suit. It's more their place in this wondrous world that makes them intriguing.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks @hodderbooks for both the eARC and the ALC.

#CityOfStardust #netgalley #bookstagram

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written and a great fantasy read. The book did start off a little slow but it was to be expected with it being a new book and world building but it didn’t take long for me to be drew me In once the story was set and it got going.
The world building was fantastic and I felt the book had a good plot.
This book has so many tropes that I love such as enemies to lovers, hidden worlds, magic system and more!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

<b>City of Stardust</b> is one of the best written books I have read in a while. The prose is absolutely stunning, which worked really well to enhance the beauty of the setting. It’s a writing that demands attention and forces you to slow down to savour everything.

The plot was very interesting and fully captured my attention, to the point I was just going to read a chapter before sleeping and when I noticed the time, it was Monday 5.30 am and I haven’t slept a bit.

While I did love the book, it took me a bit to warm up to the way the story was being told. We see everything unfold through different characters perspectives, but the story is always told in the 3rd person. This made City of Stardust a bit less immersive that what I tend to prefer and made me feel I knew more about what the characters were seeing than feeling. This is more relevant for Violet’s POV than Aleksander, which despite being less lengthy, it is somewhat more fleshed out.

I have seen this book being compared a lot with <b>The Invisilble Life of Addie Larue</b>, and while I understand the comparison, I have found it much more reminiscent of <b>His Dark Materials</b>. If you enjoyed either one of them, do not hesitate to pick City of Stardust in January 2024.

<i>I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape and Netgalley for the for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review</i>.

I was very skeptical about the "Starless Sea meets Addie LaRue" blurb but IT DELIVERED!!
This book is the perfect magical standalone for the holiday season it has:
❤️‍🔥 A cursed family
🚪 Keys that open doors to other places
☕️ A cosy coffee shop
🌌 Celestial gods

"Once a generation, an Everly walks into the dark, compelled by the shadow beside them."

Our main character Violet's family is cursed. Every generation one person in their family is doomed to be stolen away to another world. Violet only knows her mothet abondoned her when she was little. Little does she know she was running and soon it is her time to take her place.
In a race against time Violet learns that the fairytales her mother left for her might be true, and that Fidelis: home of scholars and myths, and cradle to other worlds is within reach if only she finds a key.

While this book started as an eady cosy fantasy read full of scholarschip and curiousity, you soon discover the vengeful gods and the lengths they go for their immortality.

"But she grew up on a feast of fairytales and myths; there is always blood. And she is so very tired of curses."

This is a stunning debut from the writing to the world the author created. I highly recommend you pick it up!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up!

The City of Stardust is one of those beautiful stories that even though it's not entirely your thing, you can't help but feel immersed and appreciate its beauty.

It's written in that way storytellers narrate fairytales, in an achingly slow but determined pace. It's truly for fans of Laini Taylor and Stephanie Garber.

Violet Everly is a lovely heroine to follow. From young and naïve to grasping the reins of her own life and forging ahead into the unknown to break her family's curse. The feeling of abandonment and being an outsider of her own life and family's secrets are two themes that circle around Violet's character, and I feel like it was done very beautifully and artistically. I did think that we could have avoided the whole 'my family didn't tell me everything and I got mad so I left' thing; they could have talked and made a plan that allowed them to split instead.

Aleksander is a wonderfully flawed love interest and character. He wasn't unkind, yet he didn't make the right choices most of the time, and I loved how relatable and realistic his character development was. He's an orphan, of unknown origins, who has never experienced love and care. An abused child who grew up to please his Mistress. How can we not root for his happiness?

This isn't a lighthearted book. Content warnings for child abuse and murder as well as parent abandonment are as big as they can get. But the brutality reflects our world, as well, now more than ever perhaps.

I wouldn't say that the plot was unpredictable, but the ending was refreshing! I really loved the ending! The worldbuilding was lush and wondrous, beautiful and fantastical in all its glory. The prose was fairytale-like and carefully constructed--with meaning and magic.

A wonderful adult standalone fantasy with relatable characters in a wondrous and magical world.

Incredible world building I felt so immersed in this book. I could not put it down and was sad I do not live in this magical world. I love a cursed family trope. Would absolutely recommend this book if you are after a great dark adult fantasy book!

A family curse, a secretive group of scholars with magical keys, otherworldly places, a missing mother who seems to hold all the answers...these made for a highly intriguing read. The author does a splendid job of creating a world where real places and otherworldly ones seamlessly coexist. The story is elegantly and beautifully written, the author did a very good job. The pacing though is slow and I thought that there were still a few questions that were left unanswered by the end. The characters have there imperfections and different motivations which I definitely liked seeing. Overall, this was a beautifully written debut novel and I’m excited to see what the author writes next. I give this 3.5 stars.

*ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest opinion*

Omg! This book was so beautifuly written, the world(s) creation was so phenomenal, I could not stop reading, This is this kind of fantasy book that has every trope I love.

So if you love:

- enemies to lovers
- unique and complex magic system
- gods amoung humans
- mysteries
- breaking a curse
- hidden worlds

City of Stardust will be defenetly for you!

This book was a bit slow to get going I will admit, but once i did I adored it. It gave real 'His Dark Materials' and 'Inkheart' vibes and the world buidling, once i was able to wrap my head around it, was sumptuous and rich.

A really impressive debut novel. This book has a great mix of light and dark themes and balances the real-world storylines and fantasy elements well.

I do find that book seems to have themes and tropes that are popular inserted for the sake of it.

However, I had a great time reading this book and would 100% read a book by this author again!

Thanks: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting book, however it felt a little "same-y" - a magic door has been done a lot and as I read, it felt the same as I'd read before. Saying that, the vibe of the book is brilliant, and the world building was good. The characters felt a little too 2d to me, and didnt rise off the page.
It was a good read, just a little flat for my liking.

3.75/5

A promising debut with great potential.

In some respects, this book has risen to my initial expectations. It conveys that darkly magical feeling of The Night Circus combined with the sharp writing style of Olivie Blake and just a dash of V.E. Schwab wittiness.

Everything about it reminds me of this very niche, very specific class of books that I adore. The execution, however, falls flat. The best way I can explain it is that both worldbuilding and character development are sacrificed for the sake of the plot. Early on in the book we’re introduced to the world of Fidelis and its Scholars, yet up until the 50% mark we learn nothing concrete about it, just a bit of a reference here, another magical element there, without a concrete connection between them. For a ~350 page standalone, too many worldbuilding elements were introduced without a satisfying bigger picture in regards to them.

The characters were likeable and intriguing. They had a lot of V.E. Schwab-ness in terms of personality (always a good thing for me). I’ve enjoyed the different relationships between the characters, especially Aleksander and Violet. The only minus in regards to the cast are the sudden time jumps that lose a ton of character development. We go from Violet just discovering the existence of Fidelis and its Scholars to one-year-later Violet who’s now rubbing elbows with the Scholars and is versed in at least half their secrets in a matter of a couple paragraphs, whereas I feel at least a few chapters should have been dedicated to her introduction and evolution among the Scholars.


All in all, this is a great book with a great concept, just too short to be executed properly.

It was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment. The plot seems quite simple but it has a few intriguing layers to it. The universe is probably was kept my interest the longest. It was a bit reminiscent of The starless sea by Erin Morgenstern in a way, because of the impression of going through the story in a blur, a fog — if that makes sense. Ambrose and Gabriel are quite compelling and I wish they would have been more present throughout the story.
However, I did not like the main character, Violet. She was quite weak and forgiving, which I did not understand. And truly I hated Aleksander. He is a manipulator and a betrayer. So their romance was not of my liking either, it was way too quick and felt quite forced.
Despite the criticism I have, I really liked the writing and I can see myself reading more books from this author. I guess that one was just not for me. I would still recommend it if you like The starless sea or The invisible life of Addie Larue, in many ways these books have a similar feeling.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Do you like doors into other worlds?

Good, because I just found another, in the shape of The City of Stardust – a debut by Georgia Summers. It is the twisted tale of a cursed lineage, the Everleys, who live at the mercy of a woman named Penelope – who steals one Everly per generation and never brings them back.

Sadly, this time, the Everley is Violet – a curious girl abandoned by her mother and raised by her uncles – who soon becomes drawn to Penelope’s mysterious assistant: Aleksander. For some, this collision course of opposites shall be a joy, whilst others may roll their eyes and think: really, again? The character work is mostly well done, so even if Violet is sometimes bland and Aleksander can be a collage of aesthetically-pleasing male stereotypes, their dynamic is enough to keep the narrative afloat. Penelope, to me, is simply the one driving it.

This is mostly due to her link to the worldbuilding, which is connected to the stars, as the title infers. This adds a hard-won whimsy to the book, one that leads the reader through the door to Fidelis, whilst never fully giving away its secrets. This masterful merge of reality and fantasy allows the plot to dart between both, leading the reader on a merry chase of plot-twists and beautiful descriptions.

Sadly, even the merriest of chases get tiring. The book is compiled of short chapters and scenes, making it an addictive read, but also one that may deny the reader the pleasure of lingering and forming attachments to minor characters. Location is another aspect lost in the rush, for the characters may have technology to place them in time, but the starting point could have been London or New York – as it so often is, in contemporary fantasy. This inability to suspend belief also lent itself to little things like building access, money, and travel.

It proves that even fantasy must bow to logic.

The reader must read, the author must convince them it is something that they have not read before. And, while A City of Stardust is unique, it will not escape the avid eye of those who have devoured numerous tales about magic doors – something that shall be its selling point and its potential curse.

Overall, The City of Stardust is a promising debut and a well-done standalone romantasy that shall lure you in during frosty nights and not allow you to leave, not until your warm beverage of choice has long gone cold.

This is a book for the Addie La Rue and Ink Blood Sister Scribe fans

The City of Stardust follows two MCs. Our first MC is a girl named Violet who is a from a family where one person in each generation taken by magical woman named Penelope to another world and never seen again. Violet's mother was meant to be sacrificed in her generation, but she abandoned Violet and vanished. Violet's uncles make a deal with Penelope when Violet is twelve so that if they deliver Violet's mother to Penelope, then Violet will be safe. Except time is running out on this deal so Violet decides to search for her mother and unravel the mystery of her family's curse herself.

Our other MC is Aleksander, who is Penelope's assistant at the magical university that she runs in another world. Aleksander is desperate to become a scholar at the university, but as the stakes rise, he starts to question the mysteries of his world and the scholars he has dedicated his life to.

At the heart of all of these mysteries are the strange, god-like astrals and the city that every magical scholar has spent their life searching for, the City of Stardust.

I liked the vibes of this book and it had nice prose, but I feel like the characters lacked personality a bit and the main romance just fell flat. There are lots of twists and betrayals, but these did feel a bit overdone when the same betrayals kept happening and the backstory got retconned for thirtieth time. If you like standalone books with great vibes, mixed with fantasy and unique magical worlds then you will probably like this!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, I’d definitely recommend it if anyone ever asked my opinion on it, and I completely flew through it in one sitting

3 stars.

The City of Stardust follows Violet Everly, the last in a mysteriously cursed family, as she tries to find out where her mother Marianne went while trying to find a way to break the curse. Meanwhile she is pursued by Penelope, a powerful woman from a city in another world, and her assistant, Aleksander, who was stolen by Penelope as a child.

I enjoyed the first third of The City of Stardust the most. The setup of the mysteries was intriguing and Violet's longing for adventure while feeling stifled was compelling. But as the book went on it became clear that all the questions and mysteries of the setup would be resolved in one of two ways: a) by Violet coming to some vague conclusion based on one line of cryptic dialogue and a feeling, or b) by the book giving us a scene of some random character that just straight up tells us the answer (a scene which Violet does not see). And some of the central mysteries never get resolved at all.

I didn't understand many of the choices the characters made in this, and some of the things they said or thought also came of nowhere and seemed to be based on nothing. The rules of the magic were also quite undefined, although maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention. Violet took a frustratingly long time to ask her uncles about anything.

The writing is mostly good and sometimes quite pretty, but got a bit repetitive. I would also prefer if it weren't in present tense. The characters were interesting to begin with but stayed mostly by the end, especially Violet. Aleksander was the most interesting character but that's not saying much. The setting was mostly in the real world except for Fidelis, the city of the scholars. Fidelis was probably my favourite part of the book. It's described very evocatively and I wish we could have spent more time there and learnt more about it.

I found the comparisons to Erin Morgenstern and Addie LaRue quite apt, so if you like those books you should give this a try. I think if the author had spent a bit more time on the plot and less on the descriptions, this would have been a more enjoyable book for me, but I will be interested to see what Georgia Summers writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.