Trollheim: Tale of Systir
Published on 19. May 2026
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-83541-664-8 (ISBN)
Description
When their mother is burned at the stake, Systir and Ada have two options: run or die. For fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, this lyrical tale of magical realism rooted in Nordic folklore is written by a no.1 Sunday Times bestselling author.
Systir's world is small and quiet but shrouded in secrets. Outside of her family's cottage lurks the constant threat of being discovered for what she truly is: unwanted, dangerous, Huldra. When their mother is accused of witchcraft and dragged to the stake, she and her sister must run for their lives. Yet only Systir escapes.
Taken in by the rogue troll Agagkantor, Systir finds herself in the Dark Forest, otherwise known as Trollheim. Here, she discovers a magical realm for mythical beings and a sanctuary for those with nowhere left to turn. For Systir, it's a chance to forge a new family and live life as her true self. But questions remain about her missing sister, and Agagkantor carries a secret of his own - one that could unravel Systir's past and destroy the Dark Forest entirely...
Systir's world is small and quiet but shrouded in secrets. Outside of her family's cottage lurks the constant threat of being discovered for what she truly is: unwanted, dangerous, Huldra. When their mother is accused of witchcraft and dragged to the stake, she and her sister must run for their lives. Yet only Systir escapes.
Taken in by the rogue troll Agagkantor, Systir finds herself in the Dark Forest, otherwise known as Trollheim. Here, she discovers a magical realm for mythical beings and a sanctuary for those with nowhere left to turn. For Systir, it's a chance to forge a new family and live life as her true self. But questions remain about her missing sister, and Agagkantor carries a secret of his own - one that could unravel Systir's past and destroy the Dark Forest entirely...
Reviews / Votes
Praise for City of Stardust:'A dark dream of a novel, Georgia Summers's debut is like a sweet shop - an elegant, mysterious one - full of all my favorite things: a grand old house, strange magic, deep lore, a family curse, a cabal, a globe criss-crossing heroine, otherworldly beings, and a new mythos that feels both timeless and original. Welcome to The City of Stardust. Enjoy - and also beware. This fairy tale is deadly' - Laini Taylor, Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Strange the Dreamer
'A story as darkly wondrous as midnight. Summers brilliantly takes our yearning to open doors to magical new worlds, and twists it into a seductively vicious dream of darkness, blood, and winged horrors. When monsters must be satiated, there is no escaping the choices between love and betrayal; survival and sacrifice. Enthralling to the last page' - Shelley Parker-Chan, Sunday Times bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
'In opening The City of Stardust, you enter a Gaiman-esque otherworld of scheming scholars and soul-stealing gods, where a daughter's quest to understand her mother's absence is as compelling as her fight against an ancient curse. The ghost of the city undone by pride and a broken promise haunts every page of this memorable and accomplished debut' - Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong
'In this darkly gorgeous tale of yearning and curses, Summers explores the terrible and wonderful power of love in its many forms - enduring, loyal, selfish, toxic, destructive - and what happens when betrayal and survival are but two sides of the same coin. Utterly mesmerising' - A. Y. Chao, no.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Shanghai Immortal
'Georgia Summers's fascinating debut, The City of Stardust, draws readers into a compelling story full of magic, curses, keys, and stories. It asks what we would do to break a curse, to close a door, or to open one. Readers who loved The Starless Seaor The Ten Thousand Doors of January will also love this darkly magical book' - Kat Howard, author of the Unseen World duology
'The City of Stardust opens with a haunting prologue that weaves as enchanting a spell as any of the terrible and wonderful magic in the book, and it just gets better from there. Summers' debut is a dark, gorgeous tale of curses, gods and monsters, with the love and loyalty of family at its heart' - Sangu Mandanna, bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
'A starry tale of curses, gods and scholars that glitters with magic. Beautifully spellbinding. I never wanted to leave the City of Stardust!' - M. A. Kuzniar, author of Midnight in Everwood
'A spellbinding and mesmerising tale intricately crafted with writing that glitters. The City of Stardust is like reading V. E. Schwab for the first time - and it's a story that will stay with me for years to come' - Bea Fitzgerald, author of Girl, Goddess, Queen
'With haunting prose and assured world building, Summers' debut shows promise. The City of Stardust has echoes of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus (2011) or V. E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020), and will intrigue fans of portal fantasies' - Booklist
'An intoxicating story redolent of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea' -The Bookseller
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
487 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83541-664-8 (9781835416648)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Georgia Summers is a half-British, half-Trinidadian author known for her debut novel, The City of Stardust, which became a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller. She spent most of her life living across the world, including Russia, Colombia and the USA. She currently lives in London, but she dreams of one day living in a haunted chateau with cats and a ghost that cleans. She can be found at georgiasummers.co.uk or on instagram.com/ge_summers/