5 stars. I loved getting another look at Maya and Amar's relationship. I was much more a fan of Star Touched Queen than Crown of Wishes, so I was very happy to immediately fall into the lush landscape and rich language again. This takes place at Maya and Amar's first meeting in life, where Nriti is still a trusted friend. I am hoping that there will be another novella to fill in more of the past for these characters.

If you loved the other two books you will die hard love this one. I really loved getting to know Death before all the crap happened. It really filled up some gaps and gave you the entire story. I do think that this author with her writing style etc. Could have turned this into a full fledged book in hardback and we all would have paid for it. Although this one is a very quick read it still seems like a full story. This one will give you a full circle look at the stories that this amazing author has brought to us and I really hope for more from this world. Chokshi has a way to weave the stars to the page and this one shows she can do it un under 150 pages!

Don't miss this one!

I absolutely loved The Star Touched Queen so I was really excited to read this novella. Roshani Chokshi's writing never ceases to amaze me, I don't even know how to properly describe it. Magical and poetic are probably the closest words. I really loved the characters in The Star Touched Queen and was really excited to get to read about them again in this prequel. I also missed the worlds from the book, so it was nice to visit the Night Bazaar once again. I would say go ahead and read The Star Touched Queen before reading this novella, as the characters will probably make better sense.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC.

First Line: I stood outside the home, watching as the light beaded and dripped down the length of the Tapestry thread.
Summary: Death is looking for a bride. He needs to have one by the festival called Teej. In his search he meets Night, a beautiful woman with skin like the night sky. She sells dream fruit in the Night Bazaar. He becomes in intrigued by this woman. He builds her a garden of glass and tries to woo her with the idea of power but he also explains that this cannot be a marriage of love. Night is enthralled with this mysterious man who visits her nightly. She starts to fall in love but doesn’t know if she wants to give up everything for a life without love.
Highlights: As in all the Chokshi books the detail and imagery is beautiful. I want to see Night in her evening glory. There is so much to take in it is like a rich chocolate dessert that you have to savor slowly.
Lowlights: The prose at times is hard to follow. It is poetic and I have trouble reading poetry and following the stream of thought.
FYI: Magical and beautiful.

"I want to lie beside you and know the weight of your dreams. I want to share whole worlds with you and write your name in the stars. I want to measure eternity with your laughter."

Roshani Chokshi has this way of writing that makes me feel like I am reading a beautiful LSD trip. In the land of Naraka there are creatures and immortal beings that run the unseen parts of the world. Death and Night is the prequel to The Star Touched Queen and tells the story of how Maya (Night) and Amar (Death) first came to meet and fall in love. I honestly would save this book for after reading TSTQ mostly because I think the revealing of their story in the TSTQ is part of the splendor.

Dharma Raja is such a sweetheart in this book. Though his original intentions were not as romantic as his end, he manages to be passionate from the get go. Everything he does for her throughout the story is so magical and idyllic for someone who wore the night sky on her skin. His relationship with Gupta is hilarious as he is clearly no help to Dharma Raja in his pursuit of a queen.

I love the idea of Night's character. She was thought of to be apart of demons and nightmares just because of the darkness she brings. But in an effort to find happiness in the life that she had she sold fruit that brought dreams, with the only price being told the story of said dream.

A major part of the story that I adored was that not only in TSTQ but from the moment he decided to find himself a queen, Dharma Raja wanted an equal. He wanted someone to share his life with and build a world with. He didn't just want the most beautiful women to bed and have as arm candy. I also loved that once he knew what it was like to have her in his life, the world dulled in comparison when he imagined it without her.

Death and Night was incredibly sweet and magical and is a great addition to the TSTQ series as a background story to the fated lovers.

Before I get into this review, I would definitely recommend that you read The Star-Touched Queen before reading the novella, because even though some things aren't explicitly stated, I feel like just the hints gleaned from this novella may spoil you for certain aspects of the novel (which is set in the future). In fact, you should probably stop reading this review if you haven't yet read TSTQ.

The writing is the beautiful prose that I've come to expect from Chokshi, the vivid descriptions managing to capture my attention and fascination with the world that she has built. The story is very solid as well for a short novella, and reading it actually made me want to go back and reread The Star-Touched Queen to see what connections I could find. The romance is very well done, and you're able to see much more of Amar's backstory than is just given to you in TSTQ (which wasn't a heck of a lot from what I remember).

I actually don't think I should say much more about the novella. If you've read TSTQ you should definitely read it to supplement your knowledge of the characters and setting. If you haven't read TSTQ hopefully you haven't come this far in the review and have gone off to find yourself a copy haha.

Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5

I have read both Roshani Chokshi's book and never wanted to leave the world- I was thrilled to have even another peek there. I love being exposed to the Indian mythology was well.

Book 0.5 in the Star-Touched Queen series. To be honest this story is more of a background story type of book as the two main characters are immortals not the actual characters from the series. It is still an epic love story in its own right though and I admit that I rather enjoyed it. This author has a very vivid writing style that brings to creation some very interesting scenes throughout the course of the book plus it does provide a little insight into the background for the main series itself. Overall a very good novella and I give it 4/5 stars.

What can I say but wow. Her writing has done it again. It's left me speechless. The story she wove was so heartbreakingly beautiful that I was sad to finish. To personify Death and Night and have them fall in love is no easy task but Roshani makes it seem so simple. I love every word every page every chapter of this story. I wish I could forget it just to read it for the first time once more.

Stunning and a magnificent addition to Amar and Maya's story.

At the end of The Star-Touched Queen, I knew I needed a little something more. More background, more history, or maybe just some more Amar and Maya. Death and Night is just that. It showcases their beginning, their courtship, and matching of wits, and of the eventual building blocks to the conflict of their relationship.

In this novella, Roshani Chokshi doesn't hold back with her beautiful prose and descriptions of the setting and the characters. It was great to see some secondary characters again.

Death and Night makes me want to jump right back into Chokshi's beautiful world. This novella doesn't fail to impress or inspire. I can't wait to read more of her work.

I thought this was the perfect addition to the series. It made so many of the objects and events in the The Star-Touched Queen make sense. It was magical, romantic and out of this world. (In the Otherworld to be precise!) Roshani created the most beautiful phrases and passages that I lived for. Her words just elevated the magic and mischief in this story. Not to mention she created the most romantic moods and swoony moments! I think my favourite bit was her description of Night becoming night. Of her dance and transformation.She made me feel the change between day and night. Correction, this world was not just a feeling, it was an experience! An experience of magic, dream fruit, death, night and love. Night was just so amazing. She was independent, caring, imaginative and intelligent. She knew that the world saw her as something to be afraid of but she didn’t let that get to her. Death was broody, charming, suave, dedicated and passionate. He grew immensely in this story from learning to look beyond his curse to being compassionate.

This is the first Roshani Chokshi book I've read and I understood it was a sequel, which to me meant it would set up the world of the 'Star-Touched Queen'.

The writing is poetic and full of metaphors and similes, vibrant and rich in description, but possibly a little too much to the point where I was having to unravel whole sentences to find out what the author was actually trying to say, work out was was literal and what was metaphorical. As we are talking about imagined, magical scenarios, I found this extremely aggravating. Beautiful words, but sometimes less is more.

The characters were portrayed very well and fun to read about, but, again, there was a lot of lyrical description that needed translating.

In short, I'm glad it was short, but it has put me off reading the rest of the series.

I received an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press.
in exchange for an honest review.
I’ll be honest, I still haven’t read The Star Touched Queen. I have it waiting and I’ve heard great things so when this popped up as a sort of prequel I was interested.
Roshani’s writing reads off the page poetically and I immediately wanted to go read the two other books in the series. Even knowing bits and pieces this is a wonderful prequel for people to start the series with. Amar and Maya’s relationship isn’t “insta” but rather I have the feeling that it’s just as complex and might be even as poetic under Roshani’s writing.
I look forward to picking up the rest of the series.

Rating: 4 Stars
• Very enjoyable short story
• Beautiful, vivid writing that had lots of details and metaphors. I really liked the writing style, as it was very imaginative, but not too much.
• Great, likable characters, that really stuck with me

Reading this novella was so freaking awesome! It's been a long time since I read The Star-Touched Queen, but it's been more recent that I read A Crown of Wishes. So it was so fantastic to be in this world again, with these amazing characters again!

One really big plus of this book, was that we got the POV of Death. He's such a big part of this series, and to have his voice, his thoughts, that was really fantastic! And that's not including the fact that it's the story of the start of his relationship with her!

The whole idea of this story, of their beginnings, was really amazing! I'd forgotten so many details, it was great to have this story, and give us more of a background, to know what had gone on. Just utterly fantastic to read!

And oh, that ending! That hurt, a lot! After all that they'd been through, well, we know what's going to happen to them in the future! So oh, that ending hurt, even it was a good hurt, because we know it's going to be alright in the end!

I absolutely loved reading this book, it was a fantastic addition to the series!

Death and Night is the story of Maya and Amar before The Crown of Wishes.

It’s great to see their very first encounter, death and night, and as much to tell you that she did not make it easy.

I loved the story and I think it gives a little extra to their couple. They are so cute together, I loved their meeting and the fact that Amar is struggling to seduce her.

Maya is the Night and she’s alone, except for her only friend, Nritti. When Amar, the Death, comes to propose something to her, she resist, she takes her time and ask him three wish. And the beautiful thing in the story is that he gives her these three things.

This review won’t be long because the novel is not long, it’s a fast reading and if you liked The Crown of Wishes, you will love this story.

Roshani Chokshi has a gift with word, she can tell a story with beautiful words and you will feel them in your heart.

Quick word: A beautiful first encounter for an infinite love.

I really loved The Star-Touched Queen, so I was excited to read Amar and Maya's origin story. The detail was beautiful, I really liked how it switched point of view and that the ending was kind of happy. I wish it had been longer, maybe up to the point that Night reincarnates herself as Maya, but I don't really have any complaints.
This was just a fun, quick read that adds depth to a story I already love.

Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi is a prequel novella to Chokshi's The Star-Touched Queen, where she gives us the tale of how Amar and Maya, the main characters from The Star-Touched Queen, meet for the first time in one of Maya's previous lives.

The story tells us of the courtship of Night by Death (aka Dharma Raja). Inspired by the heartfelt request of a widow, Death feels something missing and searches for someone to be his Queen. His courtship is muddled by a curse laid on him by his false mother that he will lose anyone he loves. Unfortunately for him the object of his courtship will only marry for love.

Death and Night is a tale that I enjoyed for the dynamic of innocence, even between immortal beings, and a rich background of myths and legends. It is a sweet endearing tale of the beginning of a timeless love.

Overall, Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi is a beautiful and romantic gift to readers of The Star-Touched Queen series from Roshani, as we get to see Amar and Maya's romance from the start, or it is the perfect start to a new series if you have not yet read The Star-Touched Queen. I enthusiastically recommend!

(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Death and Night by Roshani Chokshi
Book 0.5 of The Star-Touched Queen series
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Before The Star-Touched Queen there was only Death and Night.

He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes.

What I Liked:

Usually I don't bother with novellas, because they're always too short and not really worth the money. ($2.99 for 60 pages? I'm good.) However, when I was invited to read/review this novella, I didn't think twice. I liked The Star-Touched Queen and loved A Crown of Wishes. Friends, this novella was absolutely wonderful, definitely something you don't want to miss if you enjoyed Chokshi's full-length novels.

Death and Night is the story of the Dharma Raja, the god of death, and Night, an immortal being who sells dream fruits and weaves night. The Dharma Raja has been cursed never to love, but he is tasked with finding himself a wife - a queen. He dare not fall for her though. He seeks out Night, who rejects him without a second thought. But Night captivates Death, Death captivates Night, and this is their story.

As usual, Chokshi's writing was lovely and mesmerizing. I don't know how she does it! I was captivated from the start. Sometimes I would go back and reread a scene just to experience it again, not because I needed clarity. I also love her storytelling! And how there are always tales within the story, and how those tales circle back into the main plot.

I love the South Asian representation! Being Indian, I always get excited to see South Asian protagonists in books written by South Asian authors. You can really see and feel the Indian influence in this book, from the vocabulary to the lore to the mode of dress.

I'm going to be honest - while I enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen, I didn't LOVE it, especially parts of the romance. I wasn't totally smitten by Amar and Maya's romance. So I was slightly worried that I wouldn't enjoy the romance in this book, because Amar and Maya are reincarnations of Death and Night. In other words, this is the original story, the original incarnations. But I shouldn't have been worried! I loved this love story, as short as it was, more than I loved Amar and Maya's.

This is probably because I loved the equal balance between Death and Night. Death is persistent and keeps visiting Night (with her permission), and they get to know each other well. Death is kind and sweet and thoughtful with Night, so different compared to what everyone thinks of him. Night is bold and fierce and lively, and she is careful with her heart. I liked that both characters go after each other, not just one doing the heavy lifting in the relationship. Death woos Night, but Night chases Death. It's a perfect tug-of-war, in my opinion!

I loved their banter and their chemistry, subtle as it was. I liked watching them fall for each other. Two months passes in this story, even though it does not seem like the story would be long enough for two months to pass. You can tell how much their relationship progresses though, with every scene featuring Death and Night together.

There are several strong friendships in this book. Death has one friend, Gupta, who is funny and supportive. I love male friendships! Night has a sweet and lovely friend, Nritti, who gets her own happy ending.

Speaking of happy endings, oh my heart! The ending of this novella is lovely, and exactly what I wanted it to be. I love that Death ran to Night, but Night also had to make a choice, and she chose Death. Perfect! They fought equally to be together, which I loved. LOVED.

What I Did Not Like:

I can't think of anything specifically! Maybe more kissing? More kissing is always good!

Would I Recommend It:

Even if you're not a novella person (like me), I recommend this novella. It's over one hundred pages and includes a preview of A Crown of Wishes, which puts this file at about 150 pages. This novella does NOT necessarily give insight to The Star-Touched Queen, and it's not required to read in order to read the other books of the series. But it is a lovely addition to the series nonetheless.

Rating:

4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars. This is definitely among my favorite novellas of all time! I felt incredibly satisfied after finishing, which is something I can't say after reading other novellas in the past. It was lovely to revisit this world and fall for Death and Night! I liked them more than Amar and Maya - and maybe as much as I liked Vikram and Gauri!

Before The Star-Touched Queen there was only Death and Night.

He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC of this novella courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, in exchange for an honest review.

I think I have made no secret of my love for Roshani Chokshi and her writing. I fell in love with her lyrical writing in The Star-Touched Queen, and again with A Crown of Wishes. I reviewed both of those books as ARCs (The Star-Touched Queen Review | A Crown Of Wishes Review) and bought them immediately when they released. This novella was no different, except that it made me love it in even less pages.

Just like this novella, this review will be short and sweet. Death and Night gives readers so much more depth to Maya and Amar's romance from another life from The Star-Touched Queen, and introduces us to so many other creatures in the Otherworld.

Once again, Roshani's words struck my to my soul. I found myself taking notes with all of the amazing phrases and beautiful words in this novella. This was without a doubt a five star read for me, once again. You can pick up a copy for yourself on Amazon or Audible!

Five stars

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