Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Undoubtedly beautiful prose and an interesting fantasy premise that blends a modern setting with an old world dark fairytale vibe (via portal doors). Overall, however, the story, pacing, and character development just didn't click for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Cannibalism
Moderate: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Alcohol
adventurous
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
“Do you really believe the curse isn’t real? That the divine never touches you? That the wheeling cosmos is but an abstract of chemicals? Do you not hear the stars sing, little dreamer?”
The proooooose 😍
"She is glory. She is devastation. And she is hungry."
If you loved the imagery of The Starless Sea or wished The Starless Sea had a plot? This is the book for you.
"What joy it will bring us to see you undone."
This was a cover buy, & I have zero regrets, but ½ a point off because I once again fell into the quicksand trap of a gothic book & took nearly a week to read it 🫠
"From nothing, to nothing.”
The proooooose 😍
"She is glory. She is devastation. And she is hungry."
If you loved the imagery of The Starless Sea or wished The Starless Sea had a plot? This is the book for you.
"What joy it will bring us to see you undone."
This was a cover buy, & I have zero regrets, but ½ a point off because I once again fell into the quicksand trap of a gothic book & took nearly a week to read it 🫠
"From nothing, to nothing.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book has a very strong atmosphere, it is very lush and beautiful. The prose is lovely, overall the writing is really good and never falters throughout the story. The style in which the book is told is also very well done, with the occasional chapter being told as though it’s a fairytale pulling you further into this world. The concept is fascinating and the worldbuilding is extremely interesting. The characters are all done well, they are interesting whole people who have many and oftentimes conflicting motivations. I loved the Everly brothers, they were so fun to read about and my heart ached for them. The romance is fine, the characters have good chemistry, it just needed a little bit more. At least for me, this book did nothing extraordinary, I’m sure it will be something extraordinary for others, but not me. I was left wanting more, more details on the worldbuilding, a longer epilogue, some more concrete endings. For me this book felt like it had missing pieces, nothing massive or glaring, but a few small ones. Overall this is a good fantasy book that is worth a read. I really like Georgia Summers writing style and will be reading more of her books in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Violence, Abandonment
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was . . . disappointing. Which is frustrating because it had SO much potential. The concept is mysterious and magical, but the world building could have used more depth. The characters were flat and lacked a tangible connection. And, in the end, I felt like we were left with more questions (plot holes) than answers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Kidnapping
Minor: Vomit
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
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.
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.
Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers is available at all good bookstores.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The City of Stardust is a tense, thrilling adventure perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern and Alix E. Harrow. When Violet Everly learns the truth about a family curse and a mysterious woman named Penelope, she's thrown into a lush, dark world of scholars, doorways to other worlds, and fickle gods. A world that has been kept secret from her all her life, and that her mother disappeared into ten years ago. Violet will search the world to break her family curse alongside allies she's never quite sure she can trust.
I was enthralled by this dark fantasy centered around bargains and sacrifice. Violet was a compelling character who did not let naivete make her stupid; rather she spends every moment learning more to reach her goals. The astrals were a horrifying concept of divinity that I could not get enough of - but beware content warnings for gore, child death and harm, and cannibalism/vampirism. The brutality of this novel was pitched just right for the stakes Violet is up against; it was a truly harrowing experience as she tries to free herself and her family.
Summers' writing soared in its ability to show the complex relationships Violet builds. Love, betrayal, and trust all are subject to questioning. Violet's feelings about her absent mother and the very present Aleksander were nuanced, the frequent conflicts they created propelling the story forward.
An incredible debut. I cannot wait to see more for Georgia Summers.
Thanks to Redhook for providing an eARC via NetGalley.
I was enthralled by this dark fantasy centered around bargains and sacrifice. Violet was a compelling character who did not let naivete make her stupid; rather she spends every moment learning more to reach her goals. The astrals were a horrifying concept of divinity that I could not get enough of - but beware content warnings for gore, child death and harm, and cannibalism/vampirism. The brutality of this novel was pitched just right for the stakes Violet is up against; it was a truly harrowing experience as she tries to free herself and her family.
Summers' writing soared in its ability to show the complex relationships Violet builds. Love, betrayal, and trust all are subject to questioning. Violet's feelings about her absent mother and the very present Aleksander were nuanced, the frequent conflicts they created propelling the story forward.
An incredible debut. I cannot wait to see more for Georgia Summers.
Thanks to Redhook for providing an eARC via NetGalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Slow to start, but I'm elated I pushed through. A beautiful book, expertly told, with elements similar to Lock & Key and The Golden Compass.
Just enough mystery and intrigue and interesting framing to keep me engaged and turning the next page.
What a book to begin the year. The rest on my list will have trouble following in its wake.
I hope you take a chance on this book, little dreamer.
#IndigoEmployee
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Just enough mystery and intrigue and interesting framing to keep me engaged and turning the next page.
What a book to begin the year. The rest on my list will have trouble following in its wake.
I hope you take a chance on this book, little dreamer.
#IndigoEmployee
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child death
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
so fun and magical!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Abandonment