Wow! A beautiful standalone that feels like Nevermoor meets Shadowhunters without the teenage cringe. Well written characters, a beautiful type of magic, and a thrilling story. I loved it!

The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers is a really magical almost whimsical fantasy debut, it's very lyrical with dark moments. I've seen this been compared to The Night Circus and I think those comparisons are spot on, so if you enjoy those kinda vibes you'll enjoy this book. I enjoyed our main characters but I do wish they had a bit more development.

I just love books like this with multiple worlds and epic quests. The description of the worlds and the society they lived in were just wonderful. I loved how dark it got towards the end as well, the lengths that Penelope was willing to go to just to get Violet.

This book felt like a modern day fairytale. The way it was written and the writing itself gave it a dreamlike quality that added to this. Even when they were using phones and working in a cafe, it felt like a book from another age, another world and everything tied into this.

The narration was very good. Again it had a lovely dreamlike quality to it that added to the text and made it all the more delicious to read. I would definitely pick up a book from this narrator again.

The Astrals were my favourite. They were so dark and all powerful. It gave them a real dangerous quality to them whether they were aiding or hindering Violet’s progress.

This is definitely one for fans of The Night Circus or His Dark Materials.

I thought this was lovely -- it made me feel the same way that The Starless Sea and The Ten Thousand Doors of January did. Full of magic and whimsy with a naive but loveable MC. The writing was beautiful, but I did feel like there were some technical issues in how the story was constructed that kept me from giving it 5 stars. Still, I highly recommend it.

This is by far one of the most enthralling books I've read in quite sometime. I felt very fortunate to have read it as an ARC and I hope that it goes on to attain the status it deserves in the book community.

In it we follow the the story of Violet Everly, as she learns and reckons with the families legacy, a binding curse that will take the best of each generation of her family. I was captivated from the first few pages; I felt like I was observing the story as it played out. The characters are beautifully done and indeed the story itself is incredibly dynamic. Penelope's presence runs quietly in the background all the time in stark contrast to Violet's mothers absence. It is a world where monsters are indeed things of cruel beauty and gods are brought to heel. It was a dark and deeply fascinating read. Solidly loved it and look forward to reading more of Summer's work in the future.

The enchanting quality of this book is truly delightful! Upon finishing the ebook, I was so captivated that I promptly bought a physical copy on its release day. I felt the need for a tangible trophy on my shelf, and the allure of the Waterstones edition was irresistible to my wallet. My love for this book exceeded my expectations!

Addie Laure meets the starless sea ☺️

I loved the setting and just the plot and the magic of this book

Such a great debut.
I absolutely loved to follow the adventure of. A little girl 😍☺️ and the writing captivated me so much

This book caught my attention because it was compared to Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This story however is more starry — star-centric. It has an interesting cast of characters and I slowly started to enjoy their company over time. At first, though, I was a bit hesistant and was almost ready to set this book aside. But I realized around one third of my way through that I was sort of invested and wanted to know what happened next. Some of these characters feel familiar like I’ve come across them in other stories. Gabriel for example seemed to me like one of the Dr Who actors from one of the seasons — with his sunglasses, ride and bad boy/man vibe. But my favourite bits were related to the premise and concept of the story — all of the doors that connect one world to another, the way different worlds work…

3.5 stars

There were some parts that I did not enjoy. I didn’t like a certain mother and how things ended with her and all of the loose ends related to her, the repetitive lamenting about the curse, the oh-my-god-this-is-the-end-oh-no-gotcha, the sudden shift in POVs without warning…but I think it was easy to look over these things, given that Summers does a good job of spinning a compelling tale full of twists and turns. I also like how the story ends — simply.

I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I ended up DNFing this around 65%.

The writing style is beautifully ambiguous but I don't think there were enough character moments and/or character/ relationship development to keep me fully invested.

I am truly sad that I didn't continue after reading quite a big chunk of it but there was no point in continuing the book if I was not enjoying it.

This one had me gripped from early on. The world-building was beautifully done and I was so invested in Violet and her story. I really loved this one and am pleased I got the Fairyloot edition.

Although I thoroughly admired the originality of the setting and the story, I found the writing style carries a lot of 'tell' rather than 'show'. This is mainly down to the third person narrative, which makes events very dialogue- and task- driven, and gives little insight into how the characters feel.
The pacing of the narrative felt somewhat inconsistent and lacking in structure, though the ethereal quality of the writing style complements the story, which I'm sure some readers will love.
Unfortunately for me, due the pacing and lack of depth of immersive writing style, I found it harder than I would have liked to empathise with the MCs, which is something that significantly defines how much I enjoy a story. Characters felt distant and their arcs sometimes underdeveloped. This also came across for what concerns the world building. I felt particularly short changed by this, as the premise held out the potential for a phenomenal read, but as I read on kept waiting for 'it', unfortunately 'it' never came. There is a vagueness to the world building which means that some elements are left to the reader's imagination, while others remain unexplained and have to be taken at face value.
One thing I did however love was the ethereal musical writing, which made The City of Stardust a joy to read, with choice words often beautiful and dialogue that was often very strong, though not strong enough, in my opinion, to convey the potential spectrum of emotions that the story begged to unleash.
Thank you very much to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The City of Stardust is the story of Violet Everly, a young woman trying to find her mother, who left a decade ago to find a way to break their family’s curse. The clock is ticking and unless Violet finds her mother in time, she’ll have to pay the blood debt to a powerful creature with her own life. In her quest, she discovers a world of magical portals, scholars, secrets and fallen gods. She also meets Aleksander, the second point of the view of this story and the assistant of the dangerous woman to whom the Everly’s debt is owed.

This book began with an intriguing prologue: children disappearing without a trace and a woman leaving her life—and her daughter—behind. Add the beautiful prose to the mix, and the story had all the ingredients for a promising story. Unfortunately, the whimsical setting gave way to a plot and characters that I lost interest in as the book progressed. I was more interested in Violet’s uncles than her and I personally think that Aleksander’s point of view didn’t add anything to the plot. I have to say that considering this is a standalone book, I liked the ending.

Overall, I just was underwhelmed by this story, but I loved the author’s writing so much that I’ll probably check out whatever she writes next.

If you’re looking for a magical story with flawed characters and a deeply poetic writing, this is the book for you.
The greatest strength of this book was the author’s writing, without a doubt. The ethereal quality of the prose, the tone suffused with both sadness and hope, the longing of the characters for something else, somewhere else, really gripped me.
I can only recommend the audiobook, I felt the narrator did a fantastic job of highlighting those qualities.

Although I was not very invested in the romance part, I enjoyed the fact that it was not the main story and the bittersweet aspect of it fits the story and its ending quite well. Both Violet and Aleksander are flawed and terribly naive, but their growth is all the more interesting for it.
The pacing was sometimes a little bit off, but the slowness retrospectively makes for a harmonious flow. I greatly enjoyed the way the author played with time and points of view.
I would have liked more details or answers on one aspect of the plot which left me a bit disappointed, but it remains an ending that I think will stay with me for a while.

After reading more than 38% of this book I found it hard to keep going, I had little connection to the characters and felt the story was moving too slowly.

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stars

The magical element to this book is wonderful! I purchased a physical copy basically the day it released because after reading the ebook I had to have a trophy for my shelf (and the Waterstones edition was calling for my wallet). I cannot believe how much I loved this!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this and even got the physical book.
The main character goes through a rollercoaster ride if self discovery and betrayal.
This is a perfect example of YA fantasy.

The last quarter of the book really made it what it is, did take me a little while to get into it but when i did was worth it.
I wasn’t so keen on the pov switch up mid chapter sometimes throws you completely off.

"The City of Stardust" by Georgia Summers is an immersive fantasy debut with fairytale vibes that follows the life of Violet Everly since the moment her mother left her in the arms of her uncle, never to be seen. Violet's life is haunted by the presence of another world that prickles her curiosity, a secret her uncles won't reveal, a dangerous curse that has haunted her family's lives for ages.

With magic shimmering through every page and the semblance of a fable, The City of Stardust will capture its reader thanks to Georgia Summers' writing style. Every word is capable of carrying you into the enchanting universe created by the author, conferring the novel a charming appeal that will surely draw you into the streets of Fidelis, wondering what secrets the scholars hide in their books and what the curse exactly represents.

Questions upon questions pile up little by little, doubts increase as the reader dives into the story and it may be engaging at first, but it gradually becomes unclear, especially at the end. The world-building and the magic system are quite confusing for the reader to learn its characteristics with Violet. It's easy to be left behind by all the different detailed descriptions written in the shape of short tales.
All the news acquired by Violet, all the secrets she unraveled didn't surprise her at all: she was unveiling a world that she considered fantasy until a few moments before and she's perfectly calm-- if not enraged with her uncles for the knowledge they kept from her.

I would have loved to read more deepened notions about the astrals, the scholars and their society, and the characters themselves but everything was only a beautiful backdrop.
The real issue of this book is its pacing, it feels like a marathon, the events flow by and the reader doesn't have the time to absorb all the knowledge. The story was too short to be as effective and intriguing as it promised to be.
We don't see much of Fidelis, the scholars, and what they actively do remains a story that still needs to be fully told. I craved to read more about them, about Alexander and his studies, but the academic part isn't a central point of the novel, leaving behind a lot of interesting pieces of information that I wished to explore more.

Violet Everly didn't conquer my heart. The fast narration didn't give her personality the right space and time to properly develop and I couldn't justify her behavior in most situations. Violet could have been a great character: torn between saving her family and living the life she deserved, between despising her mother and understanding her actions. But Violet stayed a side character in her own story.

Aleksander had even more potential. His traumas and the inner battle that tore him between the debt he owed toward Penelope, the blind awe he felt for her, and the blooming love he was developing for Violet needed more attention. If Aleksander and Violet's relationship started as a friendship, it was impossible to predict the all-consuming and all-encompassing passion burning between them. It came out of nowhere and the very beginning of their bond hasn't been shown to the reader, so I couldn't cheer them.
Penelope, like all the other secondary characters, could be better investigated. The fast-paced plot didn't allow them to be appreciated and their stories to be fully understood.

"The City of Stardust" remains a well-written book, an enviable debut. It's a standalone that aims to convey wonder and magic, the same sensation typical of fairytales, and the author's bewitching prose did just that, creating an easy-to-read novel perfect for fans of evocative and magical settings.

High stakes, costly dark magic and wanderlust for incredible, magical worlds.

Violet Everly has lived for years with the shadow of the Everly curse hanging over her. Bought up by her uncles after her mother vanishes on a mysterious quest, she is remains hidden away at the Everly's ancestral home, until Penelope discovers her existence. With time running out before Penelope enacts the curse once more, Violet must set out into the world her mother vanished into, unsure who she can trust, working with and against power-hungry scholars on a desperate search for answers - and the doorway to another world.

I really enjoyed this dark fantasy and I'm looking forward to reading whatever Summers writes next.

I struggled with THE CITY OF STARDUST.
It’s not that the story isn’t interesting, but I just didn’t get the sense of magic and wonder that I was hoping I would, based on the blurb.
In that sense, I think this was a ‘just-not-for-me’ issue. I’m sure other readers will be hooked, because I can’t actually point to anything I actively disliked, it just didn't grab me.
I do think an actual flaw might be that the book doesn’t seem to know what age category it’s in. The writing and characters at times felt rather simplistic, and very YA, and at other times the story and its themes felt more solidly Adult. A little jarring, but not something that would bother me, I think, if I'd been more immersed on the whole.