A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi (2017)
-eARC Review-
YA Fiction | Fantasy
Blurb:
“Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.
Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.
Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.”
–Goodreads
Expected Publication Date: March 28, 2017
pooled ink Review:
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Once again I am enthralled by Roshani’s artistic and eloquent writing style. Her prose continues to impress me. She has a very lovely and vivid way of describing the worlds in her books that just draws me in and holds me captive as I follow heroes, villains, tricksters, and monsters, as they navigate their way through magical obstacles and hidden truths.
When I lived in Atlanta I had the opportunity of meeting Roshani on several occasions at The Little Shop of Stories for various book events. At first I didn’t know she was a writer but became so excited when I found out about her coming debut, The Star-Touched Queen. I fell in love with her writing at once! She has a genuine talent so I was excited to have been granted an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I will continue to look forward to any other stories she spins.
A Crown of Wishes takes place after The Star-Touched Queen. While in the same world this book follows Gauri, Maya’s sister, as well as Vikram, an enemy prince. Light is shed upon how Maya’s disappearance affected Gauri, which is an interesting point of view to hear from. While in The Star-Touched Queen we are wrapped up in Maya’s unexpected adventure it is too easy to forget how her departure must have affected those close to her. But while there are ties between the books and characters, as expected, this book stands alone as does its characters.
We read about Gauri and she is not just the beautiful little sister we read about vaguely long ago, but she is a princess and warrior full of ferocity and passion. Vikram is a very clever prince and dreamer with a gift of twisting words and a heart full of hope and determination. With Gauri tossed out by her traitorous brother the king and Vikram’s title but a disapproving technicality, both feel lost and unaccepted but are blind to how the other could possibly understand such cloudy feelings. Thus begins their colorful journey to compete as partners (no matter how reluctantly they get along) in a magical tournament all for the chance to receive a wish, a wish that could bring them belonging, happiness, and freedom.
I will not say much more because I really don’t want to spoil any of the details, but I will say that it was thrilling and enchanting from start to finish!
A story full of magic, discovery, and dark trials, A Crown of Wishes is indeed that, a prince and a princess chasing after their deepest desires even when they didn’t quite know them their selves. It is an exquisite companion to The Star-Touched Queen.
Cheers.
P.S. Thank you Roshani for always being kind and I hope that one day I will be able to paint as lovely illustrations with words in my own books as you do in yours. Best wishes (:
Note: While often listed as the second book in the Star-Touched Queen duology, both books are technically stand-alones. This is more of a companion novel that takes place after STQ than a traditional sequel. For although they are written in the same world with familiar characters they each feature a different set of main characters as well as their own unique plots. That being said I’d still likely recommend reading The Star-Touched Queen first especially if you’re planning on reading Death and Night, the prequel novella.
Purchase here: A Crown of Wishes
Check out more of this series: The Star-Touched Queen , Death and Night (Prequel/Novella)
Meet Roshani Chokshi!
Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. Her short story, “The Star Maiden,” was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award.
-Goodreads
pooled ink 