Georgia summer’ storytelling is lyrical yet engaging enough to have one hooked to the story since the very beginning. It was touching and entertaining!

The blurb got me really interested in this book, and my gut feeling wasn't wrong - I loved the premise, the story, the pace and the characters. The magic system was interesting, and that is hard to achieve, given the vast amount of fantasy books - a big plus for me.

I love how the characters are described, their flaws, fears, emotions. I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Hodders & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Yea, no .. unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I just could not for the life of me get into this book at all. It took me 10 days to finish this, and this is not me reading for one day and then putting it down; no. I have picked this up religiously every day for the last 10 days and I could not bring myself to read more than 10/20 pages each time before being so bored that I had to put it back down. The only way I managed to finally get through this was by forcing myself to sit down and complete the last 50% of this book today. And even then, I fell asleep after 15 minutes or so and had to get back to it once I woke up 1.5 hours later....

The writing felt choppy and the world building was soo lackluster. The characters were ill introduced and often story-telling POV swapped even between paragraphs. I found this so hard to follow and it compeltely added to my confusion with this plotline.
The characters themselves felt like lifeless cardboard cut-outs, their background and motivations were barely explained and I just couldn't bring myself to care for any of them. The romance was lackluster and obsolete and there was no chemistry between the main characters.
The magic system was confusing, the villain had no personality whatsoever and the whole point about finding Marianne Everly felt so inconsequential and pointless. At the end that whole plotline was just an afterthought or what?

I appreciate that I am in the minority with not liking this book, but I have to admit that it was a real struggle for me to finish this and it's definitely one that won't stick with me.

I was really pulled into this book and the story was written so beautifully I found it hard to put down! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

There is a mysterious curse that befalls the Everly family where one member from every generation must be taken to pay the debt that is owed. However, Violets mother has disappeared and now the debt has fallen to her.

Poor Violet is clueless to her mothers whereabouts and no-one can give her the answers she desperately craves. With time running out she must unravel the mystery and break the curse herself…but how?

With so many captivating twists and turns, this book had me hooked from the start. The whimsical world building was simply beautiful and I loved the mystery throughout the story. I love the element of intrigue and I enjoyed that the story wasn’t predictable.

The pace was slow in places but I enjoyed that as we worked up to the more action-packed parts. The character building and development was in-depth and I throughly enjoyed getting to know more about Violet, Gabriel, Ambrose, Aleksander & Penelope.

I highly recommend this book. It was a fabulous read & I would absolutely LOVE to see another story from this world, just magical. Please let there be a second instalment! ✨

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton & Georgia Summers for an Advanced Review Copy in return for an honest review!

Georgia Summers owns an artistic style and a fascinating world that captivates the reader in the life of Violet Everly, the last Everly trapped between her family's curse and her quest for her long gone mother.

Glad to have read an early copy. Thank to the publisher and the author.

The City of Stardust is not to be missed.

“Impossible is a much thinner slice of the world than she’d thought.”

The City of Stardust is a truly fantastic read and is one I implore everyone to get their hands on when it releases in early 2024. Magic and intrigue ooze from each and every page and the author gives little snippets of information that you have to piece together over the course of the book. You aren’t spoonfed the details of the inner workings of the world Georgia Summers has created and the journey of discovery is all the more satisfying for it!

Violet Everly’s mum disappears one night and Violet lives in hope that she will return from her “adventures” one day, however as the years slip by and Violet sees glimmers of a world not entirely ‘normal’, it becomes increasingly clear that if she wants answers she is going to have to get them for herself.

Marbles that contain galaxies, keys that open doors to untold destinations, and a secret society of scholars with the never aging Penelope at the head. The list of questions Violet has seems to be rapidly growing whilst her list of answers remains disappointingly dormant.

There are countless examples of the author constructing truly mesmerising passages of prose that make you sit back and take a deep breath. She also has a talent for depicting the more macabre and gruesome scenes in a way that leaves an impact on you. It is definitely more of a fantasy aimed at adults due to some of these occurrences! From what I can tell, this is her debut book and that genuinely surprises me. There is a clear talent for writing here and it feels like a talent honed over time rather than the raw ability of a debut author. She is definitely an author to add to my list to keep an eye on for future works!

The first 2/3rds of the book were absolutely 5 star material for me. I do feel the final third dropped off a little from the lofty standards of the rest of the book, however topping the standard set earlier in the book would have been a herculean task! It definitely still ends up closer to 5 stars than 4 though.

The Everly family are cursed. One member from each generation must be taken away to another world. That is the debt. But when Violet's mother disappears, the debt they owe falls to her. With time running out and no-one giving her the answers, Violet sets out to find the answers on her own. But is she prepared for what awaits her...

The mystery and magic, shrouded in darkness, I loved it!!! It was so beautifully written and I was thoroughly encapsulated the whole way through. Even afterwards, it still left me wondering. Now if someone wouldn't might getting me a key, I would rather like to go on an adventure myself.
4.5 stars

𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆: 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔.

𝐸𝑁/𝐹𝑅

| WARNING: This digital A.R.C was kindly sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own |

You have to trust me blindly, this book is perfect for the dampest days and the longest nights.

The City of Stardust is the impossible quest against time of a child, a girl, a woman, condemned by her mother and pursued by a curse.
Violet Everly is a fierce woman now but was a lonely child all the same when her mother, Marianne, left her in her own brothers' care to run we don't know where.
The clock is ticking and due must be paid, even on the verge of the beautiful Fidelis city's downfall.

The writing of this book was so good It made me forget the maybe-too-much present-for-myself element of romance BUT It is indeed an atmospherical read, both whimsical and fast-paced, dark and hopeful.

I did like Violet in her stubbornness but of course, with a name like that and a story like this, I could only prefer Aleksander, the tortured orphan about to become a scholar.

The worldbuilding was good if nothing new and for such a short fantasy stand-alone, well handled.

I just want to point out this quote :
"A dead world is never really dead. Even when the stars vanish in a great exodus, leaving an inky night that swallows the sky. Even when the sound of silence is a terrible thing to listen to in a city that once groaned with noise."

I loved this book.

It's beautifully written. The plot grabbed my attention and held it throughout and I really liked the world building. It worked well for me. The characters felt three-dimensional and overall. There was nothing I disliked about it.

It was actually the comparison to Addie LaRue that made me want to read this book and if I'm honest, I didn't really see the comparison despite the fact I really enjoyed both books. In any case, I definitely recommend this.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

While reading this book I really enjoyed the world building and writing style. Both drew me into the story and kept my attention. A solid 3,5 * because of this.

What I didn’t like were the characters, I don’t know if I just couldn’t feel a connection with them, if I was simply annoyed or just couldn’t care much what happened to them but there was something that lacked for me to feel a bond with them.

I saw that this is a debut and I didn’t expect that because of how the world building was made and the really good writing style that drew me into this story. Definitely recommend reading this book because of that!

City of Stardust is a beautifully written book about curses. The plot wasn't the best and felt a bit slow in places, but overall it felt like a rich and well developed story.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The City Of Stardust.

The Everly family is cursed.
Violet is determined to find her mother and break the seemingly endless curse.

A stunning and darkly wondrous story, full of intrigue and mystery.

Summers has given us a book rich with beautiful and luxuriant storytelling with outlandish skilled and truly beautiful world-building.

The plotline is full of intrigue, at times, quite slow-paced but unique and brilliantly done.

The character development is superb and delves deeply into the mind of Violet.

This book leaves you wanting more from these beautifully depicted characters and the lush and magical world.
I pray for a second instalment.

I just reviewed The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers. #TheCityofStardust #NetGalley

I wanted to love this book more than I actually did.

The writing style was lovely, and the concept of the story was really interesting, but something about the story felt lacking.

The mc, Violet, spent most of the time searching for her mother, but the plot was missing some more exciting events. It was just her travelling around, nothing happened, it was tiring.

There was a hint of romance between Violet and Aleksander, and while he was an interesting character, I didn't particularly like him. <spoiler>He kept betraying Violet, she kept falling for it.</spoiler>

Overall this was a solid read, especially for a debut, but the book could have been polished a little. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to future books by the author.

As soon as I began reading The City of Stardust, I knew it was something different and also rather special.
There is a fairy tale, lyrical quality to the writing, that plants you firmly in other-worldly territory where nothing is quite as it seems.
Everything is at once familiar; like the Everly's family home, the coffeeshop where Violet works, and references to Paris, Vienna and Prague, yet also downright strange - there are Gods, monsters and magic.
At the heart of the story, a brave, but vulnerable girl just wants to know what happened to her mother. But of course, this is epic fantasy at its best, so you can expect puzzles, riddles, maps and keys to other worlds, along with vengeful enemies and perilous quests,
The characters are well drawn, real and memorable, I loved Violet's brothers - Gabriel and Ambrose, and Penelope is the perfection of evil. The growing affection between Violet and Aleksander is sweet and complex, whilst never veering into predictability.
This is a book to read and savour, to soak up the atmospheric worldbuilding whilst being taken on an a rollicking, bloodthirsty adventure with a formidable heroine at its core.

4.5⭐️

Wow I loved this way more than I was expecting to! I truly felt immersed in this dark, mysterious world.
I really enjoyed the character development throughout this book, of both Violet and Aleksander.
If you’re a fan of dark academia vibes and enemies to lovers kind of vibes with a bit of mystery thrown in, I think you would really enjoy this!
It reminded me of the series Locke & Key, it had that same magical world feel. If you enjoyed that series I think you would adore this book!
I think the world building was fantastic and easy to comprehend.

The only downside in my opinion is I felt the ending was a little rushed. It does however leave it open for another book?? If more books were to follow in the same world, I will definitely be reading them!

Huge thank you to Net Galley for sending me the arc🖤

3.5⭐️ an enjoyable read, good worldbuilding and strong characters, a good mystery. I found the jumps between character arcs a little hard to follow, but maybe due to arc and character headings may be in the final version.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape for this ARC*

I don't know what to say about this story. I didn't dislike it but I can't say I loved it either. Some elements were wonderfull - the atmosphere, the writing, some characters, the plot too. But somehow, I didn't connect as much as I wanted. Violet is one of the reason. She has some really good traits, she is clever, obstinate... and hold on to gruges way too much. i didn't like how she reacted to some revelations, how her uncles were treated after that. For all her cleverness in following trails for her quest, and her distrust in the people she encounters, she is awfully blind to one character (a character I like quite a lot), which doesn't make sense to me, especially after the uncles' bit. Somehow Violet felt more like a teenager in some moment, and not a young, clever adult. Nevertheless, she made me feel something, which is already great !
I like Aleksander, his struggles and the way his changes.
Penelope did a great character too, sometimes sympathetic, mostly horrifying in her behaviour.
Piecing bits together is quite easy since there isn't much mystery in the story, given the different point of views and how informations are given all along. It didn't bother me, even though I think a touch more mystery could have done some good. In the same idea, more travels between worlds could have been wonderfull, even though I understand that it isn't the focus of this story and that it would have change the tone quite a bit.
I like the ending, even though I feel like the idea of the end of a story and the beginning of an other wasn't as good as it could.
Despite all those points that weren't on point for me, I enjoyed my read. The romance is on the background, which is nice (a few more showing scene rather telling scene could have been good though). The writing supports the story in a good way, point of views were well managed and I found something reminiscent of The starless sea like I hoped, even if it is not as enchanting for me.
If another story in the same universe is published one day, I will definitly read it !

3.5 stars
Unique story set in half-contemporary, half-magical world; there are star-gods, and a hidden city with lots of mystery. There is adventure, intrigue and a hint of romance.


I can't make up my mind about how much I enjoyed this book, because there were aspects I really liked, and there were aspects I really didn't enjoy too.

The world-building and the writing itself is quite magical. I was surprised this was a debut, and I hope we see Summers develop more in her subsequent books. She created a really otherworldly setting with Fidelis, a parallel universe or 'world' besides our own, where star-gods (called astrals) are revered and where scholars reside. Aleksander lives in Fidelis as an aspiring scholar, and is the loyal assistant to Penelope, the woman who we find out very early on is the one chasing down our main character, Violet, throughout the book.

As I said, the language used in the book and the descriptions are beautiful and atmospheric. But I found the mechanics of the world a bit 2D - by that I mean that when you look closely, there are lots of unexplained things that the reader is just supposed to skim over. E.g.: 'Why are all the scholars following Penelope?' It's never really explained what she offers them to continue working for her.
'What are the scholars actually working towards?' I might have missed it myself in the book, but I can't think of the city's actual shared purpose - it just exists. The bones of the world-building were all there, and though the author builds a wonderful picture, I found it lacked a little depth for me.

I liked Violet just about enough to tolerate her as a main character, but found her a bit forgettable. Aleksander was much more interesting, and the author seemed to think so too - just compare the amount of times his angular features and curly black hair is described as opposed to Violet's appearance (what colour hair did she have again? brown?). He gets a lovely character arc and he was definitely the highlight of the book for me. I found the rest of the characters less exciting by far.

The storytelling itself was really enjoyable and enticing. There is a 'twist' of sorts, although I am generous in calling it that, because the reader knows about it at about 50% of the book, which makes it less impactful when it's revealed to some of the characters later on. The pacing was okay and it dragged towards the end a bit, which meant I felt like I was reading because I had to not because I couldn't stop. Hence my rating. There is also a bit of romance with a slice of betrayal, which was executed fairly well (although I wish there was a bit more betrayal and a bit less insta-love) and kept things interesting.

I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. It did give me The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue vibes (even though I actually DNF'd that book at 20% so I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not...)

I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating 3.75

Seeing this book pitched as similar to ‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue’ and ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ (literally two of my favourite books in the world), I feel like this book was either going to go one of two ways: I was either going to adore it with my whole soul or it was not going to compare to my two all time favs.

Unfortunately whilst I really loved the plot and the twists I really struggled to get attached to the characters and kind of felt unbothered by the events at the end. I definitely feel like many people will love this book but personally I think it’s a ‘it’s not you it’s me’