“The City of Stardust” is an absorbing and enchanting debut fantasy novel from Georgia Summers.

The story transports you into a world not dissimilar to ours but one connected to an another World through doors not everyone can use, where so called, Scholars manipulate a metal with magical properties and the Gods of myth and legend control the actions of some. Young Violet Everly knows nothing of this magic. She only knows of fairytales, stories and facts from her beloved books and embellishes the story of how her Mother abandoned her one night in the care of her Uncle in order to go on an adventure to try and break the family “curse”. At 12, she knows nothing of the truth. She doesn’t know where or why her Mother, Marianne Everly, left. The “curse” is her own understanding of family chat, overheard & embellished by an imaginative child.

That is until one night a strange lady arrives dragging her young assistant, Aleksander, with her. That night Aleksander shows her a glimmer of magic and Violet’s path will change forever. Because of that lady, Penelope, Violet, will spend the next 10 years trying to break the family “curse” searching for her Mother, finding out about magic, brushing shoulders with dignitaries, scholars, making friends and enemies visiting beautiful cities, libraries and attending parties. Enjoying the history, magic, thrills, fear, comforts and pain of her quest. Meanwhile, Aleksander is tasked with finding out where Marianne Everly is too. To do so he needs to befriend Violet.

The settings were beautifully described and added to the storyline without any gratuitous detail. The characters of Violet and Aleksander had so much depth. All their hopes, dreams and flaws were laid bare in the narrative. I found myself entirely captivated by their love, hate relationship. I was willing them both to succeed in their “quests”, despite knowing that their aim was not the same but that their relationship and personalities might mean their end game would result in bloodshed, fireworks and a fantastic story.

This is a five star read. I couldn’t put it down and look forward to reading more books by Georgia Summers in the future.

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it fell a little bit flat. Whilst I loved the storyline, I did find it hard to follow in areas. Some parts felt a little unanswered and I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. Enjoyed the last 40% the most, I loved Violet’s growth throughout the book and the world-walking was fabulous, really made me want to step through a door to somewhere magical.

I am actually a bit sad to leave this review, the reason being this book ended up being a big flop.

The story line made you want so much more and not a lot of world building and background wasn't fleshed out.

This book an amazing stand alone if the author fleshed out more.

A well written disappointment.
This book has an interesting idea, and it is certainly well written. Overall, however, it just felt boring: nothing happened, and the characters were one dimensional and annoying: Violet in particular has no personality, expect that she grew up alone but with plenty of books, and that she is naive - the worst possible combination to me, as I very much dislike when people who read a lot of fiction are depicted as naive when it comes to people: it is a stupid trope that does not align with the reality that reading fiction actually teacher you a lot about other people perspectives. The love story was boring and annoying: I didn't want Violet and Aleksander to get together, they did just because they were the only 2 actual characters in the book, and they made no sense. I hated how Violet was exceptionally naive about him. Penelope is a bad bad guy, who is just bad.
All of this would have merited 3 stars, but there were 2 aspects that irked me - this is a me thing, so the rating might be a bit skewed on the low end. First this book wanted so much to be The Starless Sea, and failed so spectacularly, that it made me question whether I actually liked The Starless Sea. And I adored The Starless Sea, I don't appreciate a bad copy making me doubt it. Secondly, but most importantly, there is a lot of young children cruelty in the book - not just that, but also abduction. This triggers me a lot, and I am a very hard sell on it. At the 4th detailed description, I was done - it didn't really serve the plot, so it was just there for shock value. If it had recounted Aleksander story in more detail, including the cruelty, I would have accepted, but random children cruelty, just to hammer the point that the big bad is bad, is really not for me.
I wanted to like this book, I did, but at the end of the day it was just boring.

This is a brilliant debut from Georgia Summers and I’m very excited for what she does next!
I was intrigued by The City of Stardust from the moment I heard about the premise from a fellow reader, since I love an urban fantasy. But I wasn’t expecting the way that I fell in love with Georgia Summers’ writing from the first page. Her narration, laden with description and diving deep into the main characters’ stories and reasons for being who they are, reminded me of some of my favourite fantasy standalones — most notably The Starless Sea and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. There’s something about a narrative voice that feels like it is telling a legendary story that really does it for me as a reader, and Georgia Summers pulls it off really well. When this story gets dark, it doesn’t pull any punches or draw back too quickly, which I also really appreciated.
This was almost a five-star read for me — I just felt like the ending came a bit too quickly compared to the rest of the book, and I would’ve loved to see a bit more of Violet’s uncles. But these aren’t big quibbles, and I’ll be recommending this to all fantasy fans!

It was okay. The concept was interesting but I wanted more of her fantasy otherworld. She created a whole system of schooling, occupations, and hierarchy, but then barely used it. I wanted to know more of the lore of her magic system but it seems to have been cut.

The overarching plot moved rapidly, but somehow each scene still moved at a slower pace. I could tell it was her debut and I wish she had more space to tell her story.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for this arc!

3 stars

sooooo...
this book had a very good premise, but overall i think the execution fell a little flat for me. the characters were mostly likeable, but at times i also felt like they could've been better. the fmc was naive, which is fitting for a YA book i guess, but to me it was a little annoying sometimes. perhaps this work is better suited for people younger than me. it's also very much dialogue driven. if it wasn't for my not being able to dnf books, i probably wouldn't have finished this.

overall, though, this was okay, just not for me. however, great plot idea!

This is a beautifully written debut fantasy novel about a family curse, travelling between worlds, blood sacrifices and a strange material called reveurite which holds the key to unlocking all these secrets.

Told across multiple PoV, and in the various worlds the characters travelled to. I got a little lost in places, but I'm not a big reader of fantasy novels so that might just be me!

Overall this was very enjoyable, cinematic and well crafted.

Every Generation, an Everly has been lost to an ancient curse. But when the last of the Everly line, Violet, is left by her mother in her uncles care, they make a deal to try and save her

But as much as their intentions are good to try and save Violet, keeping the curse from her is maybe not the best thing. Penelope will call in her debt, regardless of Violets knowledge of it, and her assistant Aleksander may have to help her with this despite his connection to Violet

This book was magical, and dark, and hopeful and melancholy all at the same time

Throughly enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley and Hodderscape for the review copy... it was out last week so run don't walk to pick this up!

The story had an interesting premise but terrible execution. I liked the fairy tale atmosphere but not much else. The story was dragging and slow. The multiple POV were distracting. The book is tagged as gothic and dark but I didn't really get that from reading. The romance between Violet and Aleksander was minimal and it didn't feel satisfactory, was forced.

I wished we would know what happened with Marianne but we never do. It was dissapointing to conclude that she really did not care enough about her family to see them even after Penelope was gone. I also still don't really understand why Penelope wanted only the Everlys and particularly Marianne/Violet.

I wish I enjoyed more this book, especially since I was looking forward to a Hodderscape release but it missed the mark for me. I would give even less than 3 start but I fee bad giving such a low rating.

There was also some problems with formating on kindle that made reading more difficult. On the Netgalley app the text was fine.

The City of Stardust is a beautifully-written spellbinding debut novel about a young woman’s search for the truth between magical worlds and curses.

Violet Everly’s mother has been missing for ten years and her uncles have kept her hidden from the world, keeping secrets to protect her. But Violet yearns for adventure and when she discovers the truth about the family curse that dooms one Everly of every generation to be taken into another world, she also discovers a world of scholars, magical keys, and astrals. As time is running out, Violet embarks on a search for her mother, hoping to break the curse once and for all, but who can she trust?

I really enjoyed this novel, completely immersed in the beautiful descriptions and the enthralling and dark plot full of curses, magic worlds, gods and immortal creatures, and stories of monsters and survival. The story is told in third person from different perspectives, Violet’s point of view prevailing over the others as she navigates a world unknown to her, often accompanied by a young man who’s spent all his life trying to prove his worth, but knowing only loss, loneliness, and no love. Violet can seem a bit naive at times, but I liked her determination and inquisitiveness.

The City of Stardust is a compelling and fascinating debut and I am already looking forward to reading the author’s next work!

I’ve been incredibly excited to read this standalone fantasy since many of the Hodder & Stoughton titles I read have been utter delights. Sadly, this streak is now broken by The City of Stardust .

Although it has a very intriguing premise and a fascinating magic system where special keys can open doors to anywhere in any world, the execution is lacking. For a standalone, too many aspects of the world-building are left unexplained. Sure, I got the gist of how the world works but it could’ve been more lush, more alive. There were moments when the imagery did this, only to retreat and let the too-detailed actions or conversations of the characters take centre stage instead.

Moreover, it really doesn’t help that there’s a strong lack of urgency despite the literal deadline. The first part of the book is set during the time Violet was kept in the dark regarding the Everly curse — which is practically her entire childhood and a part of her young adulthood. Truthfully, I don’t see the necessity of this first part because much of the information could’ve been interwoven elsewhere.

The second part is where the pace picks up, but it isn’t ideal either because there are only three months left before the deadline and that’s a big difference from the first part’s meandering 10 years. Even worse? As the story progresses, the pacing gets clumsier and the plot convenience gets more and more obvious. Violet wastes a lot of precious time doing unnecessary things like being with a boy she clearly shouldn’t be falling for. Like, hello? For someone who wants to break the curse, the legit deadline for when you get disappeared like the other Everly’s doesn’t seem much of a priority for you??

Staying interested in the story whenever the focus was on Violet was a struggle, largely because she’s no more than a plot device. I love that she’s a bibliophile and I found her inner and outer struggles well expanded. However, she’s just so dull, so painfully naive and fragile despite receiving the all-powerful Main Character Buff that I irrevocably felt that Penelope and Aleksander hard carried the book. Both of them created much-needed tension and moved the plot forward whereas Violet’s simply being led by the plot.

Furthermore, the romance between Violet and Aleksander felt too tryhard at convincing that it isn’t underdeveloped, particularly when shown through Violet’s perspective. It was also difficult to root for them because their characterisations weren’t strong… In fact, all of the characters suffer from weak characterisation at varying extents. The many side characters weren’t even memorable and it was hard to keep track of them.

Other than that, while I normally appreciate things coming to a full circle, the last two parts of the book make everything that came before it feel convoluted. I liked all the different iterations of the fable between the astral and the mortal. I liked the thin line between gods and monsters as well. But, all that isn’t enough to make up for everything else.

All in all, The City of Stardust has so much promise that it’s such a shame that it fell short.

If you're looking for a story written just like a fairytale, this is it.
There are few books capable of surprising me with their writing, and The City of Stardust is one of them, a real gem. I've been enraptured by the words as well of the lore Georgia Summers created, from the pantheon of gods to the magical system, from the story itself to the characters and all their secrets.
So simple, yet a wild ride, exquisitely constructed, with so little you can theorize about as the information scattered all over is a mere morsel, and you're left wanting.
There's a good balance between being invested in the characters and the story itself, the secrets and twists, something not so easily achievable, yet Georgia did it.
And along with this magical fairytale, she brought us the two main characters: Violet, stubborn and fierce, a girl as lost as Aleksander, devoted to the only one who ever showed him a crumb of affection.
They're both understandable in their own hardships, their reasoning perfectly in line with their characters and their pasts, the emotional scars they bear on their hearts. I adore them both, they're the kind of characters you want to wrap in a blanket and protect from the world, especially when such creatures walk the earth and the space between worlds.
Sublime, that's it, that's the right adjective for this book, a true fairytale that will suck you in right from the start.

— 3 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 | 383 pages
👤 | author Georgia Summers
🏢 | publisher Hodderscape
📅 | release date 25 January 2024

What you can expect:
— Standalone Adult Fantasy
— Third-Person POV
— Multi-POV
— Family Secrets
— Gods And Monsters
— Atmospheric World Building
— Keys And Doorways To Other Worlds
— Intriguing Lore And World History
— Romance Sub-Plot

The City of Stardust is an Adult Fantasy by debut author Georgia Summers. For centuries, generations of the Everly family have been paying to price to a debt for reasons nobody can understand nor remember. After the disappearance of her mother who left in search of a way to break their family curse, Violet Everly is next in-line to take her place and pay the price that was never hers to pay. Violet must find her mother, in the hope of seeing the end to their generational curse once and for all... and to do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. Violet must also contend with Penelope's quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted— and yet to whom she finds herself undeniably drawn. Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began...

The City of Stardust is a truly enchanting and immersive read with such a beautiful and whimsical writing style. I always look forward to a Fantasy that dabbles in mystery and intrigue, and the Everly curse offered a fun yet dangerous adventure filled with high-stakes and an addictive introduction into the magical world. At times, however, I found that this descriptive writing overshadowed a lot of the character development that was trying to take place. The pacing issues was a let down and made it really difficult to stay engaged with the story as opposed to skimming through the pages.

After being locked away from the world for the entirety of her childhood, Violet possesses a constant state of naivety and awe of the world she finds herself thrust into. A world that should have been her birth-right had the constant shadow of danger not found her sheltered. I enjoyed watching Violet's growth as she sets out on her own in search of her mother, her resourcefulness and her stubborn spirit that would not allow her to give up against all odds. Violet was a wonderful main character that made the best of what little knowledge she had and a thirst for survival she never knew she possessed. My favourite aspect of the story had to be the devout love and loyalty that Violet and her uncles share. A true testament to the strengths and bonds of family, and I found myself constantly anticipating the trio's next page. Also, a side-character I never anticipated yet absolute adored was the ever-elusive Caspian. I never expected him to be a true ally to Violet and found myself awaiting his impending betrayal, which I was pleasantly surprised to see never come. I actually found Violet and Caspian to possess an effortless chemistry and companionship which left me hoping for a romantic connection, which I unfortunately didn't find to be the case with Aleksander.

I wanted to like Aleksander but honestly, I couldn't connect with him. I think the romance element with Violet ruined it for me as the romance itself was mere breadcrumbs in the face of hurt and betrayal. As a character himself, Aleksander was really interesting. His single-minded goal of becoming a scholar despite not knowing what that would entail, his interesting yet toxic dynamic with Penelope and his overall presence in the story was an interesting element to the overall plot. Despite his acts as betrayer and the betrayed, author Georgia Summers managed to create a complicated sympathy for Aleksander and the hardships we see him face. I genuinely think I would have better enjoyed the complexities of his character had he not been intertwined in an underdeveloped romantic situation with Violet.

Penelope as a villain was carrying the storyline on her back. She was such an interesting character the further we divulged into the story and better got to learn about her intentions and history. I enjoyed the element of multiple versions of the story between the star and the mortal, and how you never really know which version is true. There was definitely room for more with her character, but ultimately I found her character to have the best storyline progression and resolution which was vastly needed.

Overall, The City of Stardust serves as a delightful and captivating tale filled with many Fantasy elements. Whilst it did not deliver on aspects that I had been hoping for, it was still an enjoyable read that I recommend to those looking for a story which places focus on its descriptive writing and whimsical setting.

Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe this is a debut novel! the writing is so beautifully enchanting! and the story is captivating !

Fantastic world building and I loved the writing. This is an author I’ll be following closely and very much look forward to what’s next for Georgia.

The City of Stardust is an impressive fantasy debut from Georgia Summers that stands up well to comparisons to books like The Night Circus or The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
"What else is a curse but this? Love, stretched and warped beyond all meaning."
A curse lies at the heart of this book, one that began as a love story but ends up haunting a family for generations, culminating in the story of Violet Everly the young woman who now bears the debt of her ancestor. As the strongest magician in her generation her life is forfeit to a mysterious woman named Penelope , who turns up once in a generation to spirt away her latest victim. When Violet was just a little girl her mother vanished, determined to find a way to save her daughter from her fate, and swore her brothers to secrecy so that Violet grew up not knowing of the curse or the dangers that awaited her. Once she learns the truth Violet decides to find her mother and embarks on an adventure that will involve romance, heartbreak, magical keys and desperate scholars and dangerous Gods. If she is to find her mother and break the curse that has haunted her family for generations she may have to go back to the very beginning.
I love a good portal fantasy and there was so much to enjoy about this book. The writing is striking and vivid and the worldbuilding is intriguing and original . The pacing starts slowly but builds to a dramatic conclusion that I found satisfying. However I did think that the plot got a little looser in the final third of the book which did make it a little more difficult to follow at times. I loved Violet as a character, as well as her brothers. I did not warm to Aleksander , an aspiring scholar and Violet's love interest , and really struggled with the romance subplot between them, it just didn't feel believable to me , especially given Aleksander's actions over the course of the book .
Overall a solid fantasy and I look forward to reading more from Georgia Summers.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I was drawn in with the first chapter and had high hopes for the rest of the story. Sadly, this was short lived. I found it a hard slog and grew bored with the characters and the story line. It felt like it had potential but it just didn't work for me.

There were some sentences in this book that just floored me with how beautifully crafted they were. And they existed in a story that was just as beautifully crafted.

It was quiet in the reveal, it was a slow walk in a quiet city. It unspooled gently and swept you up in a tale of magic, mystery, love. It built the puzzle from the edges and as it progressed the whole image filled into something truly stunning.

I enjoyed this book so much.

Although slow to start and progress, with pacing a bit off; I really enjoyed the storyline of this debut novel. The characters were likeable and I enjoyed the different points of view of each. Also the cover of this book is absolutely stunning! A well presented and thought out debut. Congratulations Georgia Summers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.