Publication Date: 25th Jan 2024
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Mystery
2.5 Stars
One Liner: Worthy premise, flat execution
For centuries, the Everlys have been paying a debt to Penelope for something no one remembers. She is ageless and ruthless, making her almost invincible and impossible to take on. Years ago, Marianne Everly vanished to find a way to break the curse, and Penelope wants either Marianne or her daughter Violet as the repayment.
Violet has been sheltered by her uncles in an attempt to keep her safe. By hiding the truth from her, they might have put Violet at a greater risk. With very little time left on their side, Violet has to either find her mother or break the curse and be free of Penelope.
But will the woman let her go? Of course, there’s Aleksander, Penelope’s assistant, someone Violet cannot help but be drawn to. Will he be her friend or betray her?
The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters (Ambrose Everly, Violet Everly, Aleksander, and Penelope) plus an omnipresent third-person.
My Thoughts:
I requested the book for the cover and the premise (since it was supposed to be an adult fantasy). Well, let’s say the results are mixed. Also, the book might work better as New Adult Fantasy (which explains why I couldn’t like it much).
The book has potential. No two ways about it. Despite the lack of structure and not enough world-building, the writing has a sense of ethereal quality, which will work for some readers. Didn’t make an impact on me, but I can see the talent in there.
The major issue is with the main character, Violet. The plot is too big for her fragile shoulders. It’s more than okay to have a naïve lead who makes mistakes. But for her to continue being the same doesn’t help.
The side characters are like sheets of paper fluttering in the wind- so random and not rooted enough to assert themselves.
Penelope is pure evil, or so it seems. She manages to stand out and carries the book as much as she is allowed to.
The romance between Violet and Aleksander is expected. However, I couldn’t care less about the track. Never mind that Violet needs helluva growing up to do. Aleksander shows great promise with some grey shades and a tragic past, though the arc is not fully developed.
The concept of keys to the world is intriguing. The cover is perfect for the setting. Yeah, many aspects of world-building are unexplained. I think I have a vague idea (think being the operative term). It is easy to go with the flow since there isn’t much I can otherwise do.
The ARC copy doesn’t have proper formatting. There are no indicators for scene breaks. Countless times, I had to reread a paragraph to understand there had been a POV and scene change from the previous one. When the narrative jumps at random between characters, not having clear markers is a recipe for disaster.
Moreover, the present tense doesn’t help the narrative as the story weaves between the random past and the present. It gets exhausting to fit the event into the timeline, like trying to fit the puzzle pieces.
There’s an epilogue of sorts, but let’s say I did not like it much either. There is no explanation for how Violet’s growth. We have to accept it since the characters say so (and this happens throughout the book).
The pacing is inconsistent, too. The first half progresses quickly, but after that, the story goes on and on. The climax is so simple that it made me wonder if we needed all this.
To summarize, The City of Stardust has great potential but ends up as a lukewarm read with half-baked characters. It needs more development to hit the right notes. I really wanted to like this one, but it’s not to be. Do check out other reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton (Hodderscape), for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheCityOfStardust
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