Review: The City Beneath the Hidden Stars

The City Beneath the Hidden Stars by Sonya Kudei
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**le sigh**

I really wanted to like this book. I honestly did. It had so much potential: it takes place in the Croatian city of Zagreb; there’s a Black Queen who may or may not be lost to legend; magical trams; witches, myths, and legends; celestial beings and multi dimensions. At the end of the day, tho, it just becomes too much and the front of the book is bogged down in introducing the reader to all of these aspects of the story. The whimsical nature of the storytelling also felt forced. By the time to plot finally started moving at the end of the book, I found I just wasn’t that engaged with the story anymore. Personally, I feel the book would have benefited from some tighter editing, but that’s just me. I have no doubt that this book will do well, I’ve just read better books that elevate an already magical city into something greater (Gaiman’s Neverwhere did this perfectly for London, and Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series did this for Prague).

Thanks to NetGalley and BHC Press for an advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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