Roshani Chokshi

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen? Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire... But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself. A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

The Star-Touched Queen

Why did they always start with history? Show me a dream unrealised, don't show me unchangeable paths.

Amar moved to my side. He didn't crouch behind or run in front; he stood by my side as an equal.

"I will not let us be beings of regret. I know my past; what I want is my future."

A song to my dance. The beginning of a promise.

"I want to lie beside you and know the weight of your dreams," he said, brushing his lips against my knuckles. "I want to share whole worlds with you and write your name in the stars." He moved closer and a chorus of songbirds twittered silver melodies. "I want to measure eternity with your laughter." Now, he stood inches from me; rough hands encircled my waist. "Be my queen and I promise you a life where you will never be bored. I promise you more power than a hundred kings. And I promise you that we will always be equals."

I grinned. "Not my soul then, Dharma Raja?"

"Would you entrust me with something so precious?"

"A memory is a fine legacy to leave behind."

Amar is 80% rizz and 30% flawless complexion.

"My star-touched queen," he said softly, as if he was remembering something from long ago. "I would break the world to give you what you want."

"'I am a nightmare to most, and a dream for the broken; who am I?' and the answer to that is death."

"Tell me, my queen, are you ready to play with fate?"

"I want your perspective and honesty," he said, before adding in a softer voice, "I want to be humbled by you."

I wanted a love thick with time, as inscutiable as if a lathe had carved it from night and as familiar as the marrow in my bones. I wanted the impossible, which made it that much easier to push out of my mind.

nina 

3.5 Stars

The writing in this book was so  beautiful 

I've never read anything like this

Kahli Scott

This kind of reminded me of The Night Circus, in the sense that it's stunningly written but half the time I had no idea what was going on. Metaphors seem to blend with reality, which is a writing style that some people love, but it's just not really for me. The 'twist' as such that comes about halfway through was the most intriguing part, and that's what kept me going when I was thinking of abandoning it. I did enjoy the world and the Indian mythology influences, a refreshing fantasy setting.

Courtney

As far as retellings do go, I have not knowingly read a Hades and Persephone retelling other than A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah. J. Maas. As I am an ardent lover of all things Beauty in the Beast, Hades and Persephone comes in as a close second, being contextually similar to an extent (strong female character willingly goes with dangerous and mysterious stranger).

This book is absolutely magnificent! So eerily imaginative in a both dreamy and nightmarish aspect, you absolutely must pick this up! 
“The woman whom Amar had looked at, as though she held the universe in her gaze, as if galaxies lined her smile, as though she were myths and love and song contained in one body.”

The figurative language in this book is phenomenal! I LOVE THE AESTHETICS!!!! People and places are described in aesthetics! The author’s descriptions are basically aesthetic collages, like the really wonderfully abstract ones people make on tumblr. The descriptions are not overdone or overwhelming at all! They really create and contribute to this very unique mythical retelling!

Being a Hades and Persephone retelling, there were some darker themes of death and eerie scenes that I thought were so terrifyingly well done! My abstract thinking flourished with the aesthetics and happily indulged in uniquely creative places such as The Night Bazaar and The Palace Between Worlds.

“Like ink-spells and umbra, cloudless nights and winter mornings. Lovely, lovely.”

Figurative language is the best.

One minor teeninsy gripe that I personally have is that I felt like Amar, the Hades figure, could have been a somewhat stronger character. He was absolutely wonderful, but I felt like his presence wasn’t abundant enough in the book, and I wanted to read more about him, his origins, and hear some more about his time before Maya, but again, that’s just me. **shrugs shoulders**

Maya, however, is an amazing character to follow and the story is told in her personal narrative, giving you an in-depth look into her thoughts, reactions, and interactions throughout the book. She is a notably strong-willed and immensely clever character, but it’s her marvelously insatiable curiosity and bravery that take her places. I ardently admire that her curiosity is accompanied by such a substantial amount of bravery. The palace sounded so sinister to explore, but there were also so many questions to be answered!

Akaran itself is described as so deliciously enchanting, I could clearly imagine the scrumptiousness of the jeweled fruits! The author really does a spectacular job of cultivating such a metaphorically aesthetic otherworldly place, I highly and whole-heartedly recommend this book! It’s such a feast for the imagination!

At an enchanting and ethereal 5 stars, you absolutely must check this book out for yourself!

Maya felt like a real person with real troubles and real feelings.

Lacy W

Wow! This was such a beautifully written book. I felt like I was reading a poem or something. Roshani Chokshi is so descriptive with her writing. I could see everything because the descriptions were just really well done. 

We follow the story of Maya. She has a pretty dark horoscope so nobody at her father's palace likes her except for her little sister. In order to basically get rid of her, her father marries her off but allows her to chose who. What follows is a story that is unlike something that I have ever read. 

I read in another review that this was a retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone, which I actually know nothing about. I'm so learned, aren't I? If this was, I really enjoyed it and will be attempting to find the actual story. 

I'm also going to be completely honest. I know really nothing about Indian culture. Like literally nothing. This was such a treat to learn about the different stories and beliefs. I will be on the look out for more of these because I just adore everything about this. 

I really want to gush more about how incredible this book was but I fear that this review will grow to long. I really suggest that everyone read this. Don't be put off by the flowery writing. That only enhances the story and really helps you connect to Maya and to Amar.

An instant New York Times Bestseller! Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen? Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire... But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself. A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. Roshani Chokshi's The Star-touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

Gillian Rose

3.5 stars

This was an interesting Hades and Persephone retelling. Chokshi is brilliant at weaving together beautiful words, however, I was extremely confused for like the last third of the book. The middle section of her exploring Nakara and her new life was the most interesting to me even though we also didn't get enough Amar. Maya was a great character though.

dija

This was good but not as good as expected it to be. 

I liked the magic, the tales and the world(s)building but i didn't connect with the characters and the romance was weird and kind of confusing? Idk

Jamieson

“I know emptiness. I know the taste of blood against my teeth. I know what it is to fill your belly with iron. I know hunger. I know pain. I know memories that won’t stay. I know the ghost of life and the perfume of souls.” 


Oh. Oh book you are so, so beautiful. INSIDE AND OUT. 

THIS IS ART !!!! THIS. BOOK. IS. ART 

I understand why some people don't like this book. I get it's a little meandering, that there's no distinct plot, that the writing is incredibly flowery but I don't care. For me, this was none of those things. This was a beautiful tale, incredibly written so it felt like the words themselves were magic. Roshani Chokski definitely can write, she definitely has a way with words and is just able to craft them into something so beautiful I just sat there gaping like .... how 

(Honestly move over Maggie Stiefvater bc there's a new poetic writer in the house) 

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THIS ... THIS STUNNING LINE 


   " ... I know your soul. Everything else is just an ornament. ” 
 



OH SHIT. I better make this review cohesive. Let's break it down. 


  PLOT
 

In simple terms this follows a girl, Mayavati, who's got a horoscope that her marriage will end in death and destruction. Unfortunately, she is then told she has to get married in order to help settle disputes between her kingdom and neighbouring kingdoms. 

She becomes Queen of a kingdom called Akaran ... but everything is not as it seems ! And soon things start to get really freakin crazy. 

You need to understand this is a sprawling plot. Things slowly move along and are revealed, it feels as if the plot is a flower slowly pushing from the ground and unfurling before you. When it's a seed you don't know where it's going and what it's going to look like, but when it is revealed YOU REALISE IT WAS BEAUTIFUL THIS WHOLE TIME

(ps. did we note that metaphor? sign me up I'm the new Roshani) 

But aside from that this plot is a characters journey -- Maya's journey as she learns herself, grows into herself, begins to understand herself. This may be about a bunch of things but it's primarily about one girl who's been mistreated and abused learning to flourish and trust herself and respect herself. It's her learning her strength and her power and embracing it and it's wonderful 

And this leads me on nicely to


  CHARACTERS
 

There are two main characters - Maya and her husband Amar. It mostly focusses on Maya and her journey and growth, and I have to say I LOVE Maya's character. In Maya we see a character who's obviously flawed, who makes massive and obvious mistakes within text but who does her best to fix them, who's incredible strong and allows herself to grow from mistakes 

Maya is just such a good MC! The way her voice and tone changes from the beginning to the end was both noticeable and enjoyable to follow. Very subtly through her voice we notice her development and growth and her starting to embrace herself, flaws and all. The character development is phenomenal ! And the way the characters love and embrace eachother is so beautiful. 

Y'all know I'm a romance hater but here it WORKED. It was such a beautiful and emotive way to explore two people's deep connection and I CANNOT believe I actually really loved the romance !


   ... Somewhere under the muddled air of sweat and dried blood was the bright scent of fairy fruit. Somewhere between those ragged strips of night lay moonbeams tangled with lightning, stars ripped and furious. I could mend it all
 


  WRITING & SOME OTHER STUFF
 

some people say the writing is too flowery. WELL FLOWERS ARE MY FAVOURITE PLANT. 

There is absolutely no doubt the writing is flowery, but to me it's beautiful. Every word, every sentence is perfectly crafted. It's literally art. The wording, the descriptions and metaphors used make this book beautiful, and otherworldly. It literally feels like a transcendent experience reading this. The writing is ethereal, and rich and you feel constantly amazed. The writing is breathtaking. 

Aside from the writing, the magic and setting itself it amazing. I love the magical settings, the Night Bizarre is an amazing setting, and the setting of Akaran is also. Every place they go is perfectly and beautifully described, and I loved the way magic and magical creatures are incorporated. 

It made this book feel special and unique. It's based upon Indian mythology and I loved that, it really felt like the kind of story you'd hear someone tell you 


  That night, I dreamed of locked doors and baying hounds, rooms that were night-dark and a beast-king that smiled and laughed around a mouthful of broken stars to sing one phrase over and over: I know the monster in your bed.
 



  REASONS YOU SHOULD READ THIS
 

• STUNNING WRITING !! Yes, I know it doesn't work for everyone but you're never gonna know if it works for YOU unless you try !! SO TRY MY FRIENDS. 

• DIVERSITY IS HERE AND ITS BEAUTIFUL The indian characters and mythology !! the Indian settings and social norms !! Non-European standards of beauty !! LOTS OF INDIAN TERMINOLOGY !!!! no white people I love it, this is such a beautiful diverse read ok !!

• A sassy, talking, flesh eating horse. Kamala is hard to explain but she's the bomb diggity 

• Solid female friendships ! There's a great friendship between the protag and her friend Guari, (this is a bit spoilery so I'll be tentative) but also super complex relationship between two girls and I love that we are seeing complex friendships 

• THE AFTERLIFE IS DESCRIBED AND INSTEAD OF BEING HEAVEN !! FLUFFY WHITE CLOUDS IN THE SKY !! IT'S A ROOM OF POOLS THAT PEOPLE STEP INTO AND THEN THEIR BODY SLOWLY MORPHS INTO THEIR REINCARNATED FORM. Yes, this kind of ties into diversity but it was just so cool and weirdly mind-blowing for me

• It's just a really beautiful book inside and out if you're gonna do a cover buy BUY THIS. 

• AWESOME character development ! And a plot that focusses on one girl's journey to discovering and empowering HERSELF. SHE DOES IT HERSELF. !!!!!!!!! 

• But also, sends the message until we know ourselves, and until we accept ourselves we cannot truly love another. Aka, love doesn't fix us, we fix us. ( I AM SO IN LOVE HELP ME )


rating: 4.5 ! 

we lose .5 because I was a bit bored at time and sometimes it was all over the place although I came to appreciate that its a rambling story 

It's an incredibly surreal story, a story that's soft and meandering, sort of like a river flowing but it's wonderful and i LOVE IT

and I cannot wait to read the sequel


  “It is foolish to cling to ghosts or spent bones. It is better to forge ahead”

Sade A

"I love you, Jaani. My Soul could never forget you. It would retrace every step until it found you" 
Ok this book was AMAZING!! I had sooo many major feels, anger, disappointment, joy!! Not going to give anything away but I loved this book and I would totally read it again

3.5stars. A uniquely magical story weaved together with beautiful words and interesting storyline.

Jillian Clare

This book is b-e-a-u-tiful. I read The Star-Touched Queen in one sitting, and this is one of those books where I reached the end of the novel and just sat there for a bit in awe of the writing. The prose and the world building was hypnotic, and I really loved the dialogue. This story was incredibly vivid and magical, and it wasn't hard at all to fall into it and stay there. 

So why not 5/5 stars? Honestly, I didn't love the romance. I had problems with the development of the romance, and mainly this stems from the fact that Amar intentionally and obviously hides information from Maya, who, while acknowledging that she is becoming interested in him, is incredibly wary and distrusting of him. After a sudden turn of events, she realizes that she is completely in love with him. This is where the romance really lost me. Perhaps it's just poor development and pacing of the romance, or maybe it's personal preference (I guess I find the slow-burning romance to be more believable? Especially if it's going to be that intense and all-encompassing), so take that as you will. 

While I would not recommend this for the romance, if you're wanting a beautifully written and intriguing story, I'd point you this way.

Jaclyn

*4.5*
Absolutely adored this magical fairy tale! 
Review to come!

Laura

“I know your soul. Everything else is just an ornament.”
#1: The Star-Touched Queen ★★★★☆

Amanda Rocha

https://thewandererliteraryjournal.wo...

Roshani Chokshi’s debut novel The Star-Touched Queen is an adventure, taking the reader through far-away otherworldly lands on a journey of self-reflection and self-discovery. Driven to enchanted bazaars and palaces of another time, racing on horseback across barren fields and wild jungles, the story engulfs the reader, allowing readers to become one with the character Mayavati as she bites into fairy fruits of sapphires and pearls and wears a crown of stars in her hair.

Told in horoscopes and embedded in myth, this story captivates and entrances the reader, lulling them with dreamlike images of golden honeycomb archives and gem-laden palace hallways, inviting readers into a world of fantasy, fairytale, lore and beauty. Spoken in riddles, the novel itself encourages deep thinking. Reminding us that “everything is a matter of interpretation” (112) the book promotes thoughtful decision making. Urging readers to practice “a different way of seeing” (143). But reader beware: The Star-Touched Queen bears virtue and valor, but also loses herself to impulsivity and falls victim to rumor. Like any other mortal, Maya must overcome her past in order to triumph in her future. Following her trials the reader learns from her mistakes, understanding as she does the importance of logic, reasoning, and fairness. Her lover Amar helps her in (re)discovering herself, gently encouraging her strengths and challenging her weaknesses, while simultaneously doing his best to protect her from her those who might try and ruin her.


The character Mayavati is relatable and a trustworthy narrator, constantly checking herself and her opinions, wondering where the boundary between truth and lies resides, what is reality and illusion. The reader gets lost and becomes one with Maya, a simple soul trying her hardest to do the right thing and make the right decisions.

“…the play of interpretation that turned something terrifying and iron-clad into something that could be conquered.” (143)

The novel also makes a statement on the impermanence of memory. The memory tree that keeps Maya’s memories in mirrors and flames is mutable, changing and unreliable. Piece-meal. “Memory is a riddled thing” (112).

 
The story weaves a tapestry of lessons, reminding us of qualities to aspire to – wisdom and patience; warning against the follies in life, selfishness, arrogance and cowardice. Chokshi imparts these lessons through clever storytelling, each character representing what we should aspire to be like or should check ourselves of. Sage characters such as Maya’s father, the good king, remind us to be wise and kind, diplomatic, while in opposition stand the dark characters: “Where the Raja favored wisdom, Skanda favored wealth” (25). Skyanda, the selfish king, and Nirriti, the vain and hungry sister represent negative qualities while Amar and Maya’s father represent positive traits.

 
The wisdom in the warnings of this novel make it valuable, the romance make it promising; every hopeful romantic dreams of a love like Maya and Amar’s: a patient love that stretches the eons, a boarderless love that connects constellations, an endless love that lasts an eternity.

 
There is some religious element to the novel, with references to Hindu religious myths and saturated with an impressive amount of Hindi vocabulary. Though there is a glossary in the back of the book, it is bare-bones skeletal and could be improved upon: many of the italicized words were not included in the glossary and would need to be looked up by many readers.

 
A beautifully written book, imbued with evocative imagery and riddled language, The Star-Touched Queen holds readers mysteriously enchanted from beginning to end.

Emi Gilmore 

2.75/5 stars. 

I'm not sure whether to give their book 2 or 3 stars, so I'm not going to rate it just yet. While the writing is absolutely gorgeous, the plot/characters/romance were poorly done.

Alexa Jade

Laura Kehoe

This is such a beautiful story. Definitely one you all should check out. There were a few little things I didn't love, but overall, I had an amazing time reading this book and am so glad I gave it a try!

Sheila

SUCH a gorgeous cover, I am such a sucker for a nice cover, but I did have to dock stars because I got one too many Cruel Beauty vibes. I absolutely hated that book for the insta-love and idiotic protagonist, both of which I'm sorry to say came through in The Star-Touched Queen. 

Then again, there is a kind of a valid explanation for the insta-love given in this book - aligned with the myths this book pulls from - so I'm willing to forgive it a little for that. Some of Maya's decision-making, however, still leaves me scratching my head.

chloe g

This book has some of the nicest prose I've ever read in ya fantasy. Just truly lovely imagery and descriptions and ideas. The imagination of this world and its characters and settings was so richly thought of. The story was both painful and desolate and hopeless, but then also became a beacon of hope and perseverance and closure. Pursuing the good end for one's own story is done with hard work and determination, as well as helpful characters along the way. It was quite intriguing to read, but I also had to read so slowly so I could take in every word. What a pleasure to read! Would recommend.

Lila Harrison

it was alright, but the plot nd characters were lacking while the prose got out of hand

Sheila Goicea

Night coaxed out the stars, my jailers.

Wow. This book was just...wow... It has been a while since I have read such a unique book. Steeped in Indian mythology about Hades and Persephone and folklore (which I am not that familiar with) this book was teeming with new experiences. It was delicious and decadent in description and dictionary.
 
If words could melt, the words of this novel would have seeped through the pours of my skin, and into my being. Chokshi makes every sentence count, packing them full of imagery and meaning. I know some people would label it as being full of purple prose, but they made sense to me.
 
The story itself centers around a girl named Mayavati, who is a cast away from her society for having a foreboding horoscope. Come to find out, her horoscope tells the truth, but in ways that were not conceivable by those who discarded her for being burdensome. 
 
However wonderful, a few things desperately bothered me--Maya was SO quick to be persuaded away from Amar, who obviously loved her, to believe lies fed to her by someone she barely knew. Because of this, it led her her betraying Amar, for reasons I think were more rash than I believe they would be realistically. 

Secondly, Amar's character, however interesting, is wildly underdeveloped. I wish we could have known more about him. Anything and everything. 

For these reasons alone, I give this book 4 stars. 
 
I won't write too much here, because I don't want to spoil it. I would highly recommend this read, simply out of its beauty and individuality. I am looking forward to its sequel coming out in March, A Crown of Wishes.

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Aleena Korell

Many mixed feelings on this one. Reviews warn of purple prose, and, well... yep. Much of the writing is beautiful, but I also can't help but feel a little bit like I've eaten too much cotton candy. The story is certainly interesting, with a rich and compelling setting. I'm likely projecting, here, but I caught some serious Tam Lin vibes (I crave Tam Lin retellings, so yeah, okay, I'm projecting) which totally does it for me.
 
What DOESN'T do it for me-- semi spoiler alert-- is the reincarnation romance trope (view spoiler)[(the we've-fallen-in-love-before-in-another-life trope where inevitably the main character doesn't remember and inevitably I feel cheated somehow when suddenly they're flooded with memories of their past lives and loves) (hide spoiler)]. It never has. It just doesn't feel genuine to me, and sort of like a cop-out. The Star Touched Queen handles this trope better than some stories since it deals directly with death and reincarnation within the worldbuilding, but still, this romance trope is a personal dislike of mine and this with the excessive purple-- with a little dash of the love interest withholding information from our main character "for her own good"-- makes it a solid 4 stars for me.

Tânia Borges

Perfect. Magical. Stunning. Heartbreaking. Breathtaking. Glorious.

The Star-Touched Queen

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