For centuries, Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor is a woman named Penelope, who never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt.
Ten years ago, Violet Everly’s mother left to break the curse, and never returned. Now Violet must find her mother, or she will be taken in her place.
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.
Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel to the edges of the world to find her mother and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began…
Rating: 5 ✨
THE CITY OF STARDUST ✨ by Georgia Summers was an enigmatic and lyrical fantasy novel set in our world and a world beyond our own. It is a stunning book filled with ancient worlds, a hidden city and a story that goes through generations. The protagonist, Violet Everly is a young woman who is part of a family’s generational Everly curse. Violet was a character I connected with through her love for books and dreams.
Violet embarks on a journey to find her mother, Mariette after she left a decade ago after trying to break the curse. Violet’s journey was fraught with tension and intrigue as she meets people from the hidden city of Fidelis, home to the Scholars. Aside the Scholars, Fidelis is home to a woman named Penelope, who hunts down Everlys due to said curse.
Aleksander, the second protagonist was interesting to learn about as he was someone who’d grown up in the secret city of Fidelis and serves as Penelope’s assistant. Aleksander and Violet’s path cross multiple times and I enjoyed their interactions from distrust to mutual interest to something more.
I absolutely devoured this book and liked how beautiful and lyrical the prose was. Getting to travel to countries within the book was wonderful and I learned about Prague and their underground cities!
The character development between the characters were phenomenal. As for Violet’s uncles, Ambrose (who practically raised her) and Gabriel Everly – they truly reminded me of the Salvatore brothers -especially with Gabriel Everly and his leather jacket.
I loved how the book revolved around doorways and keys, together with the history and myths surrounding the mysterious Penelope and the lore behind the worlds of the Outside world (Earth) and Fidelis (the hidden city between worlds) The world building was great and I liked the fantasy elements to this book.
Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for review.
The Fiction Magnet 