Title: The City of Stardust
Author: Georgia Summers
Genre: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy 
Publisher: Redhook Books 
Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Format: Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by Net Galley and Redhook Books in exchange for an honest review
Length: 352 pages

Read if you like: magical curses, sinister gods, fluidly rotating perspectives, fairy tale/lore-style storytelling interspersed, dark overtones

Rating: 

*A quick note: when I receive a complimentary ARC of a book via Net Galley, a publisher, an author, or otherwise, this does not impact my review of the book. All my reviews are my honest and genuine thoughts and feelings.

When I posted that I’d received a complimentary ARC for The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers on my bookstagram, I had several people message me and tell me that the synopsis sounded super intriguing. Well, I’m here to tell you guys: this book was EXCELLENT. It was a gorgeous contemporary fantasy with a dark and twisted curse, sinister gods, and an intricate magic system that unfolded through a perfectly paced, high-stakes plot. The characters were wonderfully full of depth, and I loved that you got to see so many of them in different lights through the fluidly rotating perspectives. 

I felt like the premise of The City of Stardust had a lot of potential from the very start and wow, did Summers ever deliver on it. I will definitely be recommending this book when it is released at the end of January.

The Book: The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

For centuries, the Everlys have seen their best and brightest disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was a child when her mother left on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. When Marianne never returns, Penelope issues an ultimatum: Violet has ten years to find her mother, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer. Unless she can break the curse first.

Her hunt leads her into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. And into the path of Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted – and yet to whom she finds herself undeniably drawn.

With her time running out, 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 Review

What a truly magnificent book. From start to finish I loved this; it was such a wild, exhilarating ride that I couldn’t stop reading.

First of all, the magic and world-building was seamless. The familiar, earthly aspects blended well with this sort of bookish, scholarly atmosphere that wasn’t quite academia but gave the same sorts of vibes. The magic system also felt truly unique, especially in the links to the astrals which felt like terrible myths brought to life. 

In terms of the plot, I loved how it unfolded slowly with bits of foreshadowing bringing things together as the book progressed, but still felt well-paced. There were times I was eagerly turning the pages because the action was so intense, and also some reflective sections that allowed me to slow down and take in all the implications. I felt like it was a rich story with so many fairytales and folklore-feeling aspects that beautifully meshed with real-world settings. The result was this stunningly intricate story set in a truly gorgeous world that I just didn’t want to leave. 

I loved Violet too, and how much we see her grow and change throughout the book. She’s understandably naive after a lifetime of sheltered existence and seeing her experience the extent of the world and all the heartache it can bring is poignant, even with one foot firmly in a world of fantasy. 

Without giving away too many spoilers, I also felt like it was such a suitable end for so many reasons. I loved that no one compromised in what they wanted, that they all had the strength to do what they had to do to recover and figure out who they were without the weight of their burdens bringing them down. There’s this pervasive notion throughout the story that most of the core characters don’t fit into the moulds that they’re supposed to in one way or another, but in the end, that’s the very thing that saves them and their humanity. The cost of fitting in and of towing the line is so great that it’s perfect that most of them continue to reject what they perhaps should do in favour of what is important to them. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was the perfect winter fantasy read. If you’re looking for a great new fantasy come January, definitely keep your eyes open for this one.

Thank you to both Net Galley and Redhook Books for the complimentary ARC!