Both the unfolding mystery and the enemies to lovers romance in this book were so so good. I really enjoyed all the themes and how complex the characters' motivations were.

Summers opens The City of Stardust with a prologue that intrigues when children go missing around the world: a baby from his pram, a child of two from Vienna, a boy with grey eyes from Prague. All vanishing away with a woman carrying a strong vanilla scent. At the same time, Marianne is walking into a thunderstorm, leaving behind her little daughter, hoping to find answers for a curse clouding over her family, the Everlys, for years. She takes a worn key from around her neck, turns it in the air—and vanishes. This is also where Summers first impresses with the beautiful writing. Describing a curse like a star falling across the sky, something poetically tragic.

A curse can be many things. A wish left out to spoil in the sun, putrid and soft, leaving behind only calcified desire and oxidised envy. Or a poisoned chalice, a mistake tattooed across an entire family tree, with every generation promising, vowing to never sip until they do. Sometimes, it’s a deal and bad luck conspiring like old grifters closing in on an easy mark.

Everything about this single paragraph lured me into the story, purely through the writing. The way Summers takes an aspect that drives this fantasy and asks you to imagine it in ways that grounds its impact is remarkable. Here, curse isn’t just a prophecy playing out or magic gone wrong. A curse is described through its opposite, as a wish that has degraded over time. Or a wish that one realises too late is an invitation to tragedy, forced to watch it rot itself and everything around.

A curse is then imagined as a “poisoned chalice”—a mistake—whose consequences the family is well aware of, yet a mistake they ultimately make, sooner or later. Here, the inevitability of a generational curse carries the horror of inescapable mistakes that are bound to be repeated. Finally, Summers personifies two sides of the same coin that hold the potential to destruct. After all, a deal gone wrong is basically bad luck playing out with your consent. And bad luck itself is a deal you’ve made with fortune—a deal that doesn’t serve you well. This combination is bound to birth a curse.

Violet, left behind by her mother and under the care of her uncles, has grown up isolated and ignorant about the curse hanging over her family like a sword by a thread. Ten years ago, a mysterious woman named Penelope had visited, warning her uncles to find their sister Marianne in the next ten years or Violet will have to bear the consequences of the Everlys’ curse. Also accompanying the woman was a child named Aleksander—a lonely boy stolen by the woman and brought into her care. He has grown immersed in a magical scholar society that he craves to belong to but never seems to be enough, despite being Penelope’s loyal assistant.

Adjacent to this magical world is a lost city where celestial gods once lived among scholars and artisans. The door to this city remains closed ever since a tragic love story unravelled, and to open it, sacrifices must be made. It’s easy to understand The City of Stardust is a plot-heavy book. But at the core of it, it’s driven by two young characters who are lost yet ambitious to find themselves, find their purpose, and find why others have decided so much for them.

Violet is forced to stay in isolation because her uncles care about her safety, never sharing their own progress or problems as they attempt to search for answers while the clock is ticking on Penelope’s warning. She wants to help, she wants to figure out why her mother left and never came back, and she wants to enter the magical world too. Aleksander is less explosive in his actions, but ambitious about making a place for himself among the scholars. He understands the life given to him by Penelope—which is impossible to forget when she consistently reminds him of where he has come from—and is determined to walk the linear path of serving her purpose in order to achieve his own.

Violet’s curiosity and Aleksander’s obedience often clash as the former runs away in search of clues surrounding her mother’s abandonment and the latter follows her as an informant to Penelope. But deep down, both are longing for more than they’re seeking.

Growing up confined, Violet seeks adventure. Having read books in the vast library of her ancestral home, she searches for freedom in the pages. She accepts that adventure is a “dangerously seductive word” for her: it reaches underneath Violet’s ribcage and pulls, like a cosmic string attuned to a compass point elsewhere. She’s waiting for something, longing for a place other than the house, and that drives her on this search to end the curse.

Aleksander, being under Penelope since childhood, has no dreams of his own. Her longing for the lost city forces him to not crave anything of this world—only look for the gods that once were. His journey forces him to realise he would forever remain “a shadow of all the things he’s not”. And that drives him to realise his feelings for Violet, unravelling a romance that suffers through powerlessness—leaving you both hopeful and hopeless as a reader.

The City of Stardust has a fairytale-esque unfolding. It sets up a plot, a world, and a lore, but majorly orbits everything around the two main characters and takes pride in its prose. So while it reads like a potential trilogy stacked into a single book, you’ll understand it isn’t. Because it builds the world for the characters, lets the plot support the characters, and even pushes the lore to serve the characters. This does mean the story can feel incomplete, like it could’ve explored each of its threads more. But at the end, this book reminded me of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi—one of my absolute favourites—because it gives exactly what it sets out to, and not what a reader would expect.

This debut is strong because it doesn’t force itself to dive into aspects that would throw it off its purpose. Told through a narrative style of non-linear, short vignettes, this story made me believe in the power of prose. Despite the vastness of concepts like a lost city, an adjacent magical world, a generational curse, the lore of a tragic love story, and antagonists with immense influence, The City of Stardust chose to be solely about Violet and Aleksander. And for that, I enjoyed reading it.

The City of Stardust is a beautifully written debut full of gothic fairytale vibes, curses, and star‑scattered magic. We follow Violet Everly as she races to break her family’s deadly curse, uncovering dangerous secrets and encountering the mysterious Aleksander along the way.

The prose is stunning — lyrical and atmospheric — and the world‑building is rich with secret societies, strange magic, and almost sentient places.

I found the pacing a bit inconsistent and would have liked more depth to the characters. All in all, however, a very enjoyable read!

I thoroughly recommend it, especially for fans of V. E. Schwab or Erin Morgenstern!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I devoured this book! It drew me in from the first page with the unique plot, interesting main character and awesome world building. I never wanted the book to end. Looking forward to read more books by this author in the future!

Thank you very much for allowing me to read this wonderful book .
I must confess, I’ve not previously heard of this author but after reading this book, I will be adding them to my list of authors to watch out for in the future. It Captivated me from the first page to the last.

I KNOW. I'm sorry for the late review (I've finished it but I haven't had the time to publish my review since last year was my thesis year)

BUT ANYWAYS!

Okay, so I've heard that if you've liked The Starless Sea, you would love this. And as someone who has been a fan of Erin Morgenstern, WHY SHOULDN'T I PICK THIS BOOK?

So this book is magical. Like literally magical, the one that feels like Alice in a Wonderland where you're trsnsported to a magical land just because you fell into a hole. The story is enchanting because the writing is enchanting but it doesn't immediately pull you in. More like 50% of the book, at best

But anyhow, if you like a twisted mix of dark and light magic where secrets lurking somewhere in the middle or in the corners or edges, rest assured you'll be enchanted as well.

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton for this book and Netgalley and sorry for publishing late my review :(

I picked up City of Stardust drawn in by comparisons to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue—a book that left a lasting mark on me. I was hoping for something equally atmospheric and emotionally resonant, but unfortunately, this one didn’t quite land the same way.

The premise is undeniably intriguing: an ancient family curse, a mysterious immortal antagonist, and a quest through a magical underworld. The writing had moments of real beauty, and there are definitely seeds of a rich and imaginative world here.

But for me, the emotional core felt thin, and the characters—especially Violet and Aleksander—didn't quite leave an impact. The story leaned heavily on familiar fantasy tropes without bringing much new to the table, and while there were glimpses of darkness and magic, they never fully coalesced into something memorable. I often found myself detached, waiting for the story to sweep me away—but it never really did.

I can see how this book might appeal to readers who love lush prose and layered world-building, but for those seeking the emotional depth and haunting tone of Addie LaRue, this may not satisfy in quite the same way. A promising idea, but ultimately a forgettable read for me.

I truly enjoyed this book. Its definitely going into my favourites pile. I loved the world building and the amazingly flawed characters. I was immediately rooting for Violet.

Full of beautifully written prose, this book swept me into a modern fairy tale full of curses, magic and unlikely heroes. There are true villains, characters with ever shifting morals and a protagonist who is just trying to do the right thing, being guided by her love for her family.

Utterly captivating!

3.5/5 stars! The cover of this book is so pretty and the premise promised an epic romantic fantasy. It involves a cursed girl and some magical portals. The prose was strong and I was pulled in. The second half went a bit off the rails and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Finally getting around to leaving a review for this! I absolutely adored The City of Stardust! It is one of the most original fantasy books I've ever read and I was absolutely obsessed the entire time I was reading it. It's one of those books that I find myself thinking about time and time again and I am so excited to see what Georgia Summers does next! Definitely become one of my insta-buy authors.

This was such a great read with fantastic world building and well developed flawed characters! A new favourite!

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested this, I was really looking forward to picking it up. My reading vibes have changed though so whilst I will hopefully still pick this up one day, I'm just not sure when.
I have heard amazing things about this book though.

Such a beautiful, captivating, immersive story full of dark and interesting characters, worlds of magic, and monsters that will do the unimaginable to get what they want. I simply could not put this book down.

I had a really fun time with this one! Enchanting and imaginative, The City of Stardust is full of magic and darkness, keeping the reader engaged. I liked the writing and will read more from this author. Worked really well as a standalone. Highly recommend.

I struggled with this review.

The City of Stardust has a really good concept behind it - old Gods, family curse, race to the death - and it is beautifully written. But for me, the pacing was just too slow, with too many characters who don't get explored to their full potential. I wasn't a fan of the ending either.

I think this one just wasn't for me and I'm sure some people will love it. It was a nice read with beautiful prose.

Rating: 3.5/5

A strong premise but a flat delivery. I wanted to love The City of Stardust but many of the characters did not appeal to me and at times the story dragged. I liked it still and will read Georgia Summers again but I had hopes that weren't met with this debut novel.

The City of Stardust by Amélie Wen Zhao is a mesmerizing fantasy novel that takes readers on an unforgettable journey. Set in a world where magic and reality collide, the story follows Azura, a young woman with a hidden power, as she fights to reclaim her rightful place in a kingdom teetering on the edge of chaos.
Zhao’s writing is captivating, with lush descriptions and a richly imagined world that immerses readers from the first page. The characters are complex and well-developed, particularly Azura, whose courage and determination drive the narrative.
The City of Stardust explores themes of identity, power, and resilience, while maintaining a fast-paced and enthralling plot. The book masterfully balances moments of intense action with heartfelt emotions, making it a compelling read for fans of both fantasy and adventure.
Overall, Amélie Wen Zhao has crafted a spellbinding tale that resonates long after the final page. The City of Stardust is a must-read for anyone seeking a gripping and imaginative escape.

“A curse can be many things. A wish left out to spoil in the sun, putrid and soft, leaving behind only calcified desire and oxidised envy. Or a poisoned chalice, a mistake tattooed across an entire family tree, with every generation promising, vowing to never sip until they do. Sometimes, it’s a deal and bad luck conspiring like old grifters closing in on an easy mark.
For the Everlys, it begins with stardust.”

I was impressed by how well-written it was for being the author's debut work, and I was thoroughly engaged with the whimsical world and all the all-encompassing magic it contained. We have myths, other-worlds, and a cursed-family that might end or save it all. My only issue is that the pacing was erratic, and some details were quite convenient. But I will for sure read more books from this author in the future.