Fairyloot Adult #23: January 2024
As I indicated earlier, from now on I will start posting regular unboxings of my Fairyloot Adult book subscription again, starting with this first book for 2024.
January’s theme was Star Chosen and based on the illustration for the theme I was pretty sure which book this would be. It had appeared on many high expectation lists at the end of 2023 and I am also very curious about this debut!
Of course I’m talking about 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 it first.
To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted – and yet whose knowledge of a world beyond her own is too valuable to avoid.
Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.
Very intriguing blurb and the original cover also really appeals to me. That’s why my first reaction to the Fairyloot version was somewhat disappointing.
The cover underwent a complete redesign, which looks a lot less mysterious and intriguing than the standard cover. Of course I do find the illustration gorgeously rendered, with beautiful colours and a lush looking holographic title, but it doesn’t immediately attract me or intrigue me to read the story, which is the case with the original cover. This cover actually reminds me of a sleepy German village, which does not immediately radiate magic and epic fantasy.
Therefore, I was very happy to discover that on the back of this new cover, the original cover is printed, having undergone the standard Fairyloot treatment, which means that it is purple 😉
Usually I like to have unique editions of books that are different from the standard edition, but with this one I’m happy that I also have the standard cover and I will probably, for the first time ever, turn the dustjacket around when putting this one on my bookshelf.
The hardcover itself comes in a beautiful purple colour with an illustration of a magical gate to a hidden path to the mountains in gold foil.
The book block has a very nice sprayed edge with a digitally sprayed figure, which continues over the three edges of the book block.
The endpapers have two unique illustrations by @lizzart_zardonicz and the book comes with a digital signature from the author
A very unique edition this time.
It feels a bit hypocritical of me that I’m not entirely enthusiastic about the new cover, as I often think that Fairyloot takes the easy way out by just going for a new colour for their special edition covers, but hey, taste is taste of course. But all in all, happy with this edition, especially because of the back of the dust jacket!
Groetjes,
Charlotte
