Yes, I know. One should take the comparison of a brand new book with existing successful books with a pinch of salt. But if a book is marketed as "for the fans of *insert three of my favorite books in the whole wide world*" I don't doubt that this book is gonna be my favorite read of the year. So, when I requested this book from Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton granted me a copy I was insanely excited and really looking forward to reading it.

I understand where the comparisons come from. This book starts with a mysterious but engaging fairytale and throughout the story we discover what is going on, how the fairytale and the story we're reading are connected and who plays which role. The book takes its sweet time to reveal all its secrets, which is nice, especially since the book doesn't get boring while waiting for all the elements to come together nicely.

And yet it does feel like there is something missing. It feels like I'm always at a distance. Which I understand when it comes to the world, because that's exactly how Violet feels when she discovers what her uncles have been hiding for her her entire life. I just don't understand it when it comes to the characters. It feels like I read about them, but I'm not there with them, I'm not feeling for them, I'm not crying with them, not laughing with them.

However, if you're not the kind of reader wanting to connect with the characters on some deeper level, this story has a lot of things making it totally worth it. The writing style of the story is beautiful. It's flowery when it has to be, but to the point when it needs to be. The finale is also really satisfying, despite the one loose end and one unanswered question. The author also blurs the lines between our world and her fantasy world beautifully, making us all into dreamers.

If you saw my post of my January recommendations, you might have seen that this book was one of my most anticipated reads for January, and I was very lucky to get an ARC of it.

"The City of Stardust" by Georgia Summers is a dazzling journey into a world of magic, mystery, and enchantment. This young adult fantasy novel unfolds with a grace that captivates from the first page, weaving a spellbinding narrative that is both whimsical and deeply resonant.

In the heart of a mystical city, hidden from the mortal realm, lies a place where dreams are woven into reality and magic thrives. As Violet discovers the secrets of the City of Stardust, she is swept into an extraordinary adventure, encountering mythical creatures, unraveling mysteries, and confronting the shadows that threaten to engulf this fantastical realm. The novel weaves a tapestry of imagination and wonder, blending elements of magic, friendship, and self-discovery.

"The City of Stardust" is a celebration of creativity, courage, and the boundless possibilities of the human spirit. Summers masterfully explores the theme of dreams, both as manifestations of desires and as sources of inspiration, as well as themes of self-discovery, courage, and the transformative power of belief. The world-building is rich and immersive, with the City of Stardust serving as a vibrant and enchanting backdrop for the characters' growth and adventures.

As a reader, I was swept away by Summers' enchanting prose and her ability to create a world that feels both magical and tangible. The characters are endearing, and their personal journeys are intricately woven into the broader tapestry of the narrative. The pacing is superb, with each chapter revealing new layers of the city's mysteries and the characters' complexities. It’s often hit-and-miss, reading such highly anticipated books, as they can sometimes be disappointing, but this book certainly lived up to my expectations, and might even have surpassed them.

Summers excels at crafting atmospheric settings that evoke a sense of wonder. The City of Stardust is not merely a backdrop but a living, breathing entity that shapes the characters and the plot. The author's narrative finesse shines through in her ability to balance vivid descriptions with a fast-paced and engaging storyline.

In the realm of young adult fantasy, "The City of Stardust" stands tall among the likes of Sarah J Maas and Sara El-Arifi. Summers' unique blend of whimsy, emotion, and adventure distinguishes her work, creating a narrative that stands out in a crowded genre.

This book comes highly recommended for lovers of young adult fantasy and those who revel in immersive, otherworldly tales. "The City of Stardust" is a perfect escape for readers who seek a respite in a magical realm filled with captivating characters and enchanting landscapes.

Georgia Summers has conjured pure magic with "The City of Stardust." It is a literary gem that sparkles with imagination and heart. A rare five-star rating is a testament to the author's ability to transport readers to a world where dreams take flight, stardust holds secrets, and every page is an invitation to believe in the extraordinary.

The most whimsical, lyrical, magical dream of a book.
I really enjoyed learning about the two main characters and seeing the wonder of magic through their eyes.
The story was very reminiscent of the likes of Alix E. Harrow, V. E. Schwab and Erin Morgenstern (but make it YA).
I did get a bit lost in the middle but overall, a very enjoyable read.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. I'm a bit torn on how to rate this book. I'll start with what I loved, which was the writing. Almost all of my favourite books have rich, descriptive, atmospheric writing, and this book very much delivered that. It's expertly done and my Kindle is full of highlighted passages with gorgeous prose. That said, despite being swept away by the writing, I found it easy to put the book down and walk away. There was just a disconnect for me with the characters-who, while likeable, didn't do a lot for me-and I never quite settled into the story. I kept waiting and waiting for it to happen, but that urge to page-turn just never came. The plot also fell apart for me toward the end, which was disappointing, because the beginning was so promising. 

To echo other reviews, I've seen this compared to Alix E. Harrow, The Night Circus and Addie LaRue. I think if you like to read this kind of writing for the sake of the writing, you'll love The City of Stardust. However, if you're looking for something with a driving plot, lots of intrigue and unforgettable characters, you might find this a bit pedantic. 

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

Official Rating - 3.5/5

Violet has been brought up by her uncle in her dilapidated family home after her mum mysteriously leaves in the middle of the night. Violet is loved and cared for, but is told she cannot leave the house, for there is a curse on the Everly family…and aren’t curses meant to be broken?

I really enjoyed this read - the premise for the story was really original and I love books with different worlds. It was also beautifully written, one of those books that truly can transport you to a different time and place.

The pace was a little slow at times, and I do think that the world could have been built out even more, but I still flew through this in two sittings wanting to know what happened next.

The characters were likeable (or unlikeable where they should be) but I do think we could have had a little more depth from some of them to understand why they made the decisions they did despite every instinct telling them not to.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this one. I found it a quick and cosy read, perfect for the stormy weather we’ve been having!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC!

This book has wonderful prose, and the entire atmosphere reminded me of The Starless Sea and The Thousand Doors of January (I'm thinking pretty prose, a lot of descriptions, hidden worlds). Just at the start of the book, I was heavily reminded of Narnia, but as the story grows and we go through some time skips, I actually didn't have that feeling anymore.

However, I felt that the story and character developments got a little lost in all of these lush descriptions and over-explaining things. I did love reading a book with imperfect characters, who make mistakes and are all-around imperfect. The villain in the story really gave me the chills tho! As ruthless as they come! I think a lot of readers will find themselves in the character of Violet. A person who loves to read about all of these magical and fantastical stories and dreams of worlds bigger than ours where one might get lost.

If you're looking for an atmospheric read, pick this up. The vibes are immaculate.

Which book genre is your favourite? ✨🌙📖

I’ve been on such a fantasy kick since reading Fourth Wing and ACOTAR last summer - it’s all I want to read! I was lucky enough to get an e-arc of The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers and I’ve absolutely loved it 🙌

Violet Everly has spent her life hidden away from the world because of a curse that has plagued her family for generations. When she discovers that her mother left her behind to find a way to break the curse, Violet decides to track her down and find out the truth about a magical snow-covered city, hidden doors and hungry gods 📚

This is a must-read for fans of The Night Circus, the lyrical writing style is very similar! The plot is admittedly quite slow in places but I felt like that really lent itself to the feeling of other-worldliness this book has! The romance was also both brilliantly written and beliveable 🫶

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @hodderstoughton @hodderscape for this e-arc in exchange for my unbiased review!

#thecityofstardust #netgalley #whatimreading #bookreview #review #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #beautifulbooks #bookish #bookishpost #bookishlove #bookishpic #bookishlife #books #reading #kindle #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #fantasy #fantasybooks

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Violet Everly has been raised by her uncles, away from people. They were trying to protect Violet from Penelope, a woman who wishes to possess Everly's blood, and Violet is the chosen victim after the disappearance of her mother. Violet is introduced to a new world where magic and gods exist, but behind the power that magic gives, there is a lot of spilled blood.

I enjoyed how the characters of Violet and Aleksander were portrayed. Violet is naive and she keeps her naivety throughout the book, even when she decides to find the truth about her mother and Penelope. What I didn't like as much was that she was self-sacrificing every chance she got. It's almost like she gave up every single time she was in trouble until someone showed up and introduced her to a different option. Aleksander is Penelope's lackey. He showed himself to Violet as someone who was willing to help her only to stab and get stabbed in the back multiple times. His character is defined by years of abuse, and the author doesn't make it all go away. It takes time for him to find himself and find his voice.

While the characters were ok, I didn't enjoy the story as a whole. I don't think that the world-building was well done, and sometimes I was confused at what was going on and why, and the multiple POVs per chapter didn't help. I felt lost at time at what was happening. Lastly, I would have appreciated more the romance aspect, which in this story is not the focus, but that's just a personal preference.

This dark fantasy debut is truly fantastic.

When picking up The City of Stardust, you can expect:

✨ stunning prose
✨ atmospheric world building
✨ gods and monsters
✨ family secrets
✨ slow burn
✨ doors to other worlds

This has been likened to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Starless Sea. The former is one of my favourite books of all time and can confirm it definitely gave me those vibes.

My only small drawback is that I would’ve loved more of the romance between Violet and Aleksander. I know it wasn’t the main focus, and it didn’t really need to be, but a liiiiittle bit more sprinkled in would’ve added that something extra for me.

Overall, I can’t recommend this enough. It is absolutely worth the read and a very exciting debut from a very talented author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

This is a great read which draws you in from the very first page. It has all the things I like such as good, well drawn, easily differentiated characters; a quest; missing persons; well crafted and interesting other worlds; hidden motives; betrayals; danger; tension; gods and monsters. You just dive in and sink into the great story.

Violet, Aleksander and her uncles are engaging characters and the darker pasts of Aleksander, Penelope and Tamriel are fascinating. I think this a book which is worth reading again.

I see the book has been likened to Addie la Rue and The Starless Sea. I loved both those books but to me, this book has a similar atmosphere to the first two Dark Materials books (not the film, or TV series of course).

It's just a pity for the older reader that the brothers are called Everly and so we are irresistibly reminded of Don and Phil, especially when a character says "the Everly brothers fighting in my shop".

Violet Everly’s family has had a curse on them for generations. Her mother should have been the next to fall victim but disappeared in an attempt to break the curse. So we follow Violet on an adventure to find her mother and escape her fate and break the curse. Told in several POVs, the story weaves a fantastical tale of magic, mystery, gods and monsters and worlds beyond our own.

This was a fun, well written and highly descriptive debut novel (that you almost felt you were walking around the locations that the characters inhabit). However the many POV’s within the same chapter can make it slightly confusing as to who you are following.

If you loved His Dark Materials, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and magical realism then this is sure fire read for you.

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

The City Of Stardust has some of the most beautiful writing I’ve read in some time.
It was whimsical, descriptive and simply stunning.
With an almost fairytale-like quality to the way the story was described, it made the magical side seem even more otherworldly and strange.
But even though the writing was so beautiful, the characters ended up suffering for it a little.
Even after finishing the book, I still felt like I didn’t really know the characters as much as I wanted to, even Violet, who is the protagonist.
Yes, that’s exactly why it felt so fairytale-like, but I prefer knowing the characters better.
I can’t really care about them if I don’t know their motives, and I just wanted a little more depth and more development.
There’s nothing wrong with this method of storytelling, it’s just not my favourite.
But one thing that I thought was well expressed was the family side.
The love and protectiveness that Violet’s uncles felt for her was so vividly portrayed and obviously reciprocated—even when they were apart, there was still this overarching theme of sacrifice for your family.
The world building was also good, and as someone who reads a lot of fantasy (both set in other worlds and ones close to ours) it’s quite impressive how the author managed to weave together such an enchantingly other world with a few well placed sentences.
Like I said before—this read like a fairytale, and even with the few parts I didn’t like, it was overall a good book and amazing debut.
I can’t wait to see what else Georgia Summers writes, and hopefully I’m lucky enough to get an opportunity like this with her next book

A dark and sorrowful story that might not appeal to everyone, but one I greatly enjoyed. It partially read like a grown-up fairy tale. One review I saw suggested a similarity with His Dark Materials series and I do think they have a similar vibe, although I wasn't a big fan of that series.

Violet Everly has been kept in ignorance her whole life, closed off from both the real world and the magical one. She is left with books and their stories, dreaming of one day embarking on some grand adventure. Then she meets Aleksandr, who shows her there is a whole different world out there to explore. Before she can even think of discovering it, she is told the truth and that she only has one year left to find her mother, or else she will pay the price of the family curse in her stead. Unbeknownst to her, Aleksandr is an assistant to Penelope. The very woman who is owed an Everly sacrifice. He has his own goal of one day becoming a scholar, a goal for which he might do anything.

I think the strongest point of this book for me was its atmosphere. There is quite a bit of tension as time is slowly ticking out. There is also a dread of what kind of fate awaits Violet if she fails. The setting is dark and sorrowful. Especially when it comes to the magical society. There is this feeling of potential for greatness that has been lost and corrupted in the chase for power. This atmosphere is in big part created by the beautiful prose and the narration's commentary.

The character work is also excellent. Violet is a strong heroine, fighting for her life and facing her fate rather than running away. Aleksandr is a lost soul, groomed by Penelope his whole life and only knowing one desire. Now his loyalties become divided as he starts feeling there might be something more to desire. The romance storyline is not really as pronounced as one might expect, yet it is also an integral part of the story. Penelope, as the villain, has a properly terrifying presence, which just grows as we learn more about her. Her backstory makes her more than just an evil villain.

There were primarily two things I didn't enjoy as much. First, I think keeping Violet in ignorance for so long, especially since we readers already knew the truth, just made the beginning too slow and tedious. Second, when Violet finally embarks on her one-year search, the narrative tells us what she did, but not really why or how she accomplished it. Throughout the entire search, we are only privy to a few key moments.

Lastly, I should mention the audiobook version. It had some volume issues in the beginning and sometimes the narrator failed to make proper pauses, but ultimately there was nothing that would have prevented me from enjoying the book. These issues might also actually be fixed before release. Otherwise, I enjoyed the narration. Kitty Parker's voice was a great fit for helping to build the right kind of atmosphere.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this book. I felt that it was something different and original. I will look for something with this kind of vibe in the future and I hope the author will write more great stories like this one.

I received an ARC and ALC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is another example why publishers should't use comparison to other books as a way to promote a new one.. And honesty, we readers do that too and it's becoming a problem.

"The city of stardust" is a book that had the potential to be truly whimsical but in the end it was just good...

The writing, the core of the story and the magic were good enough to make it interesting, but what I didn't like was that the characters had no depth and no interest whatsoever. Penelope was the most interesting character by far and maybe Marianne...
My other problem was the world- building... Good but not that detailed.. I would prefer to see more or meet more magical characters...

To sum up, I had a good time reading "The city of Stardust" but in my opinion, it missed a few marks...

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the book in exchange for my honest review.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

This is definitely for those who are fans of The Starless Sea. The writing is beautiful and the story sucks you in.
I struggled to connect to the characters fully however due to being written in third person- but this can be forgiven for the quick paced story.

The romance (not a huge part of the story) was a little lack lustre and could have been skipped all together for a friendship- again probably because of the lack of feeling and emotion i got from the characters due to the writing style.

All together i did enjoy it and would recommend.

3.5 stars

✨B O O K R E V I E W✨

In every generation of Everlys one of the family’s most talented members disappears. This curse, a punishment for an ancestral crime no one remembers outside of the varying family stories that have been passed down, is coming for its next victim, the brilliant Marianne Everly.

Leaving her daughter Violet with her two brothers, Marianne disappears on her own terms, searching worlds for a way to break the curse for good. However, when 10 years pass without Marianne’s return the Everlys’ tormentor, Penelope, grows tired of waiting and demands that Violet take her mother’s place. In turn, a bargain is struck - one that will lead Violet to edge of the world, to power-hungry scholars and fickle gods, to monsters hell bent on revenge, Penelope’s enigmatic assistant, Aleksander, and to the city of stardust, where the Everly story first began…

✨My thoughts:

I really loved this book. Its magic system of god metal, astral powers and hidden doorways/keys to hidden worlds was rich and immersive, and I resented having to put it down to sleep/eat/be a responsible adult. At about 80% in I did wonder how she was going to pull this off as a standalone as there was still so much ground to cover, but the ending was masterfully done and everything was brought together in a satisfying conclusion. Violet and Aleksander’s relationship, along with the charming Caspian and sweet Ambrose, were personal highlights for me, and fans of novels such as The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will no doubt love it too.

The City of Stardust is out on Jan 25th. Thank you to @netgalley and @hodderscape for the e-ARC!

If you're an author and you're thinking to yourself, "My debut is going to be the next Addie Larue or The Starless Sea", maybe just ... don't. The only redeeming qualities this book had were the flimsy, sorry I mean whimsical, worldbuilding and if I'm being generous, the descriptions. If you combine the worst aspects of The Invisible Life of Addie Larue with the barest bones of Laini Taylor's worldbuilding and glue it together by adding fanciful prose, you get The City of Stardust. Magical portal fantasy and whimsical prose are fine and all, but you need the characters and plot to back it up. This book had neither.

The plot moved at a glacial pace and I found myself bored and frustrated 20 % in. Throughout the entire book, the worldbuilding remained abstract and somewhat flimsy. We understand magic is used by manipulating reveurite, a magical metal and that there are scholars (which is a blanket term for literally every profession) who are searching for people who can also manipulate reveurite throughout different worlds. But beyond those basic facts, we never really learned how it works. We never learn how the home realm of the scholars works, what their society is like, nothing. Moreover, the reader consistently knew more than the characters so some moments and revelations just fell flat. The author also did this really annoying thing that Schwab did in Addie Larue, where the author tells us that the MC went to city X, Y, Z and did some really important things but we never see it. What does the mention of this accomplish besides maybe showing the character is oh-so-worldly? This might seem minor, but to me it was the cherry on top of an already really shitty cake.

As for the characters, there are only three with anything resembling depth - Violet, our first MC, Aleksander (who's name I kept forgetting), our second MC and Penelope, the villain. However, I would use the word depth carefully since its extent was more like a shallow pond. Or a puddle. The very beginning led me to believe the fraud family relationships were going to be at the center of this and I was sorely disappointed. Even with just one chapter, Violet's uncles had more conflict and personality than Violet had in the entire book.

So instead of juicy family drama, we got a romance that was so stale I kept wishing the bisexual love interest was gay, so my suffering would be over. Like, thank you, that's enough representation for us bisexies! Moreover, the bisexual representation in question was a one-off mention that felt like the author included it for diversity cookies. On top of that, Aleksander was a spineless, whiny coward who used his tragic past to excuse said whining and cowardice and spinelessness. One the other hand, we have Violet, who has the blandest possible Fantasy Heroine traits. She's brave, curious and stubborn ... and so is every fantasy protagonist ever. Beyond that, there was really nothing there.

The villain, Penelope, was perhaps the most interesting character, though that's not saying much. I think when your villain is just that much more fascinating to follow than your protagonist, something went wrong. As for the characters' perspectives, there was a lot of headhopping, which added to the overall sense of abstractness and confusion.

All in all, this book did nothing that Erin Morgenstern and Laini Taylor haven't done better. Originally, I was going to give this two stars, but upon reflection, it's getting one. Consider this me de-influencing you, save your money on this one. I don't really recommend this, but if you love Addie Larue, my other literary nemesis, you might like this.

This book felt underbaked and underdeveloped. None of the characters had personalities and their motivations felt very flat. The main character was described as clever and having learned so much and being good at sneaking into places, but she just tells anyone who will listen her plans. All of the interesting things happen off the page and what we do see is just the same thing over and over. The writing thought it was so deep and clever but it was cheesy and cringey. The romance did not have any spark because the characters had no personalities and the book talked all the time about sacrifices but in the end there is no need and the book has no stakes.

3.5 of 5 stars rounded up to 4
https://lynns-books.com/2024/01/22/the-city-of-stardust-by-georgia-summers/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : This book is a conundrum

This book is so difficult to write a review for. On the one hand this is a really impressive debut with fantastic writing that I practically raced through, it has a fascinating story of otherworlds reached via magic keys that is captivating and then there’s a secret starlit city and a family curse. Seriously, this book could be written just for me. And yet. I did have a few issues. Let’s not jump the gun.

In a nutshell, this is a story of the Everly family – cursed for years for reasons that are unknown, one member from each generation will be taken from the family. A sacrifice – although, again, the nature of this is also cast in shadow. Now, as the story begins we meet Violet and her brothers Ambrose and Gabriel. Violet has led a very sheltered life, her mother disappeared many years ago, her brother Ambrose is her main pillar, staying at the slowly crumbling family home to look after her whilst Gabriel seems to whisk in and out on fleeting visits, the nature of what he’s up to being incredibly vague. Basically, Violet’s brothers have endeavoured to keep her existence a secret but apparently the truth will out and the very person they were hiding her from comes for a not so friendly visit. From this point onwards Violet’s life becomes something of a ticking bomb and in the absence of answers she eventually takes matters into her own hands in her own search for a cure to the curse.

My feelings for this book.

The writing is beautiful. I loved reading this and will definitely be picking up more by this author. Her descriptions are quite magical and reminiscent of adventures through wardrobes and rabbit holes. Really my cup of tea.

The idea of multiple worlds, accessed by magical keys, each one unique. A city of stars, set on a remote mountain topped by a tower with scholars bustling back and forth in search of answers. What’s not to love.

And, we have two characters, you could call them star crossed, and a slow burning romance.

There are so many wonderful things about this book – but, at the same time, and this is why I mentioned this being a conundrum, I have slightly mixed feelings.

I had issues with the pacing. Strangely enough I enjoyed the first half of the story much more than the second half – and this is unusual because the second half has plenty going on – in fact maybe too much going on and a kind of frantic feeling ending. One part of me says, well, Violet was definitely on a timeline here so you would expect the tension to increase, however, she was flitting about all over, from place to place (or party to party) but it all felt a little bit pointless, like she wasn’t achieving anything, or she was always arriving just five minutes too late. I simply didn’t understand what she was actually doing or how she came up with whatever trail she was following. Similarly to what I mentioned about Gabriel above. He’s constantly rushing about, disappearing into secret worlds, reappearing bloody and dishevelled – again, what is he actually doing. I don’t know.

On top of this I’m not totally sure I bought into the relationship with Violet and Aleksander. Other than that Violet has led such a sheltered life so the attention she received from Aleks perhaps overwhelmed her – I mean, I understand his motives, but I won’t mention them here.

The settings are primarily contemporary, with brief visits to other worlds and also the starlit city.

The other main character is Penelope, she’s the baddie of the piece. What I would mention is I didn’t really understand why she skipped a generation, Violet’s mother was the sacrifice – she’s gone missing, so wouldn’t one of the two brothers now be chosen rather than Violet – who is the next generation. Why did she give the family a stay of execution, why the extra ten years – why not just take what she believes she’s entitled to now. It felt a bit like the baddie in a Bond movie, taking the time to tell 007 exactly how he plans world domination whilst at the same time giving him time to escape. She had no reason to negotiate and given how she behaved for the rest of the story I think she would have just taken what she believed was her right. But, then it would have been a much shorter book!

So, in a nutshell, I really enjoyed this book on so many levels. I know it probably seems that I have a few criticisms but this was still very easy to read and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and it’s certainly an impressive debut. On the other hand, it without doubt has some plot holes, it feels like certain issues are whitewashed over so you just need to go with the flow and not question things too much. For me, I do like answers so there is just a nagging feeling with this that something isn’t quite right. I feel like I’ve missed something – which is of course entirely possible.

I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading this – like I said, it’s a conundrum, I might have a feeling of not really being able to fully explain things but at the same time I liked it – what more can I say.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars

What grabbed me from the start of this book was how beautiful the writing was, wonderfully whimsical with a crackle of seductive darkness underpinning it. The author does a solid job of creating great characters each with a unique voice and the blending of locations provided that cross over between fantasy and magical realism that I find works.

The world building is deliciously complicated and does require some concentration, keys, other worlds, scholars, magic, travel between dimensions, and dispersed among this are wonderful chapters retelling the origin stories, how everything was created. In fact these were some of my favourite moments, how these stories can change and be moulded over centuries.

The romance element initially didn’t work for me, but I think I was perhaps comparing it to some of the other big fantasy romance books where the lovers find their “mates” and it’s all very intense, and so on reflection I decided I quite liked the authors take here. It was certainly a very selfish, toxic kind of love but one I think will be familiar to anyone who found themselves in love with the wrong person once upon a time.

So overall, I had a really good time, a great debut that I’d recommend for readers who like their fantasy to be perhaps more lyrical than mainstream.