Book review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Book Summary
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. 

Flo's Review
I had the pleasure of meeting Roshani at ALA Annual this year in Orlando, and she was just the cutest and sweetest! This made me even more excited to read her books. I had heard a lot of good things about The Star-Touched Queen, so I was very glad to discover that it lived up the hype.

A lot of times we get variations of the same story in YA, and specifically in YA fantasy. I am not dissing the trend, as I love a good Greek retelling. (Remember Greek Week on the blog?) But there are two particular things I loved about The Star-Touched Queen and the first was its uniqueness. This is a not story I was familiar with, or had heard before. I did not know what it was was, so I didn't see it as trying to be something, or a twist on something. It was just a beautiful story in itself. (I should also add that I went in blind, knowing nothing about what this book was about, so every time Maya made a new connection I was completely surprised.)

The second thing that I loved about The Star-Touched Queen is the world-building. This book is rich in it. The descriptions are lush and fill all your senses. It was the imagery and the world that transported me in this story. The plot was good, the romance was good, the supporting characters were intriguing (Kamala was hilarious!), but admittedly those did not keep me turning the pages of this book. What drew me into this one was reading about the Night Bazaar and the many rooms in Akaran.

On a final note, I listened to this book on audio, and the reader did a great job! As soon as I finished this story, I immediately started listening to A Crown of Wishes, and I am so happy to be transported back into this fascinating world.