You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I went into The City of Stardust hoping for an ethereal fantasy filled with old gods and sweeping, otherworldly lore. What I got instead was a story that felt strangely small and disconnected. While the premise held promise, the execution left much to be desired.
The narrative skips through time in ways that feel abrupt and underdeveloped. One moment we're with a young girl in the care of her uncle, and the next she is a young woman navigating a magical world. That crucial transitional period, rich with emotional and narrative potential, was skipped over, leaving me feeling detached from her growth and motivations.
There were glimmers of magic that pulled me along to about 43 percent of the book, but ultimately I could not justify finishing it. The story lost me in its missed opportunities and uneven pacing. Life is too short to slog through books that do not truly spark joy, so I chose to move on.
The narrative skips through time in ways that feel abrupt and underdeveloped. One moment we're with a young girl in the care of her uncle, and the next she is a young woman navigating a magical world. That crucial transitional period, rich with emotional and narrative potential, was skipped over, leaving me feeling detached from her growth and motivations.
There were glimmers of magic that pulled me along to about 43 percent of the book, but ultimately I could not justify finishing it. The story lost me in its missed opportunities and uneven pacing. Life is too short to slog through books that do not truly spark joy, so I chose to move on.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
This story is a fever dream. The writing and world building is beautiful. It has continued to stuck with me months later.
kept leaving this in my desk at work and honestly that i kept forgetting about it was indicative of how uninterested i was in actually finishing this. the lore and world building somehow felt surface level and too complicated all at once and i genuinely struggled to care about any of the characters. just not my thing unfortunately.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ok so yes I did finish this book and yes I was interested in the world but I was SO FRUSTRATED by the conceit of this book—so much of the plot hinges on nobody telling Violet anything and it drove me crazy. And then even when she does learn everything the ending is still unsatisfying.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
January (2024) FairyLoot Adult pick - I totally judged this book by its cover…. And it was a such a pretty FairyLoot cover that gave cozy, magical, fairytale vibes