ARC Review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology 
Source: ARC via Publisher
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: April 26th 2016

Summary: 

Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth. But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly. Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves. Inspired by Indian mythology.

Everyone knows how I feel about over hyped books, I typically don't like that. The Star-Touched Queen was a different story. The Star-Touched Queen transports us to a world unlike our own, rich in mythology and the desire to turn things right for the ones you love, The Star-Touched Queen will have you in its clutches from the first page to the last. 

I really adore Maya's character, born with a horoscope of death and destruction to the man she marries. Do to this she is looked downed by the Raja's wives and the other children in the palace. Maya has learned to make the best of it though. At night she tells her younger half-sister about the night bazaar, and stories of pure mythology. Stories that she thought were just myths. One night to Raja offers Maya a way out and end a war they been fighting. To take a poison as she chooses the man she will would marry. The ultimate sacrifice, just as Maya comes to terms with her death a stranger comes to the rescue, and Maya claims him as her husband. Amar shows her the night bazaar (the one she told her sister was just myth) and brings her to his kingdom where she will be his equal. But the deeper Maya falls in the more secrets she learns, ultimately making a devastating mistake.  

I loved Maya's growth through out the novel, she went from a timid girl who was just trying to get through her days to a fierce queen who would do anything for the people she loves the most. Amar was a harder character to read, as a reader you don't know much but the fact he saved Maya and he he leaves every morning before Maya wakes, and doesn't join her for dinner. There a certain part in The Star-Touched Queen that you debate who Amar really is, as in the secrets he has been hiding from Maya making him the bad guys or the good guy. 

As for the romance I was a little disappointed, I can count on my hand the amount of kisses or "Steamy" scenes there were. I expected a a lot more then was included in the novel. But that my expectation, I know in past lives there was plenty of those but I wish they were included. 

My only problem was I found The Star-Touched Queen challenging to follow at times, now I'm not sure that was just me or other people found it a little bit of a challenge as well. I did get the main gist of what was going on but it was a little disheartening considering I loved the story so much and had very high expectations for it. 

I have a lot of love in my heart for this book, I really want more. I wasn't aware it was going to be a stand alone, so I was expected more adventures with Amar and Maya. If anyone is having any hesitations about reading this book, I will tell you to go for it. For me, it was worth every minute I spent reading it. 

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Want to know more about The Star-Touched Queen? Check back in May because we are featuring Roshani and The Star-Touched Queen on the blog!