Stravaganza: City of Stars Hoffman, Mary

In the third book of Mary Hoffman's parallel-world series, teenage stravagante Georgia travels between modern London and a Renaissance-era alternate Italy called Talia. This time the setting is Remora, a city obsessed with horse racing and deadly political intrigue. Georgia can time-travel while she sleeps, but she's landed in a world where the di Chimici family's ambitions have turned murderous. She's also falling for a boy who doesn't exist in her own timeline, which complicates everything. Hoffman balances courtly plots and young romance with real historical texture — you can feel the dust of the racetrack and smell the conspiracy. If your teen loved *His Dark Materials* or craves fantasy grounded in real history, this is that sweet spot where magic feels earned and the stakes are genuinely high. The worldbuilding is rich without being overwhelming.