The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: A Book Review

The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Pages: 353
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: 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.

My Review: On the day that Maya was born, she was prophesied that her marriage would be of death and destruction. Since then she has been shunned by most of her family members and lives a life of obscurity. One day, her father, the Raja, forces Maya to commit suicide. Right when she is about to kill herself, Amar, the Raja of Akaran, saves her at the last minutes and marries her. With this marriage, she has a second chance of life. However, Amar and Akaran is not what it seems to be. Can Maya and Amar overcome the obstacles to find happiness?

I found Maya to be a likable protagonist. I liked that she has a deep love for her sister. However, there were some moments where I found her to be a bit frustrating. She is a very lonely girl who has low-self confidence. She is willing to do whatever people tell her. She is also very gullible and believes everyone’s lies without questioning why. Therefore, for most of the book, she is a weak protagonist. Gradually, she becomes a strong woman. She realizes her mistakes and tries to correct them. Therefore, Maya is a heroine that readers can relate to because she learns her lesson.

Overall, this book is about family, friendship, and love. The Star-Touched Queen is about a woman’s quest to recover what she has lost. The message of this book is to believe in yourself, and to appreciate each moment you have for your loved one because you do not know when that person may be gone. I did find this book to be predictable and slow in the middle. I also did not like that there was a star-crossed love story. Because of this, I thought that Amar’s character-depth was lacking along with the relationship. I also thought the secondary characters needed a bit more work so that I could truly understand them. Nevertheless, the writing is very evocative and lyrical. I also liked how it is heavily rooted with Indian mythology. I really thought it was a well-developed fantasy with a taste of adventure, and I look forward to reading her companion novel, A Crown of Wishes! I recommend this book to fans of Cruel Beauty, A Thousand Nights, and Ever.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath...

Kateryn Parr: Henry VIII's Sixth Queen by Laura Adkins: A Book Review

Kateryn Parr: Henry VIII’s Sixth Queen Author: Laura Adkins Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Pen and Sword History Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 185 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Kateryn Parr is mainly remembered today as being the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, the one who 'survived'. Kateryn was not only a wife but a queen, mother, reformer, and author. Kateryn would face a number of events in her lifetime including being held to ransom during the Pilgrimage of Grace, being placed as regent while Henry was in France, a role which only one of his five previous wives held, her namesake Katherine of Aragon, and overcame a plot which would have led to her arrest and execution. While Queen she was able to unite the Tudor family and establish some form of happiness for Henry VIII's three children. Raised by her mother Maud Parr, under a humanist education, Kateryn was intelligent enough to understand her role in life...

Blog Tour: Guest Post by Shelley Stratton: Trolley Cars, the Metro, and Bringing Historical Settings to Life

Shelly Stratton is the author of She Wears the Mask . This interesting guest post discusses how she incorporates realistic details and facts about streetcars from the early 20th century, which were common long before her birth. Mrs. Stratton describes her love of these older modes of public transportation as well as how she felt a joy and kinship with those who patronized these iconic symbols of urban transportation throughout the industrial age. Thank you, Mrs. Stratton! Trolley Cars, the Metro, and Bringing Historical Settings to Life By Shelly Stratton Decades ago, whenever I visited my great grandmother and great aunt in NW Washington, D.C., they would always ask me, “Did you drive in or take the trolley car here?” As I removed my coat or stowed away my umbrella, I would politely correct them with “I took the metro.” But after correcting them so many times and both of them persistently referring to the metropolitan transit ...

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

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