Continuing with the characters and mythic, magical realism of The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, Roshani Chokshi’s newest release, Star-Touched Stories provides readers with three new stories exploring the universe and relationships she’s established. While some characters are familiar leads, we also get new depth to some who were more on the sidelines of the two novels. With two set after the conclusion on A Crown of Wishes, these stories also provide a glimpse of the future should the series continue (and I certainly hope it does).

The thematic tension between fear and faith is the thread that runs through all three tales. In Death and Night, the fear of a curse first drives Death to court Night and then threatens the relationship that starts to blossom between them. Poison and Gold follows Aasha’s journey navigating the mortal realm and the court of her close friends, Gauri and Vikram. When her fear puts those she loves in danger, she must master it or risk being banished from their inner circle. But as she masters the balance between being human and being a vishakanya, old fears are replaced with new ones. Lastly, Rose and Sword tells a tale of Gauri’s deepest fears about her relationship with Vikram.

The themes in Chokshi’s stories find strong support in the narrative approaches used to tell each—a variety of approaches that also help each story to stand surefooted on its own. Death and Night, is very much an exercise in perspective. As Death courts Night, the narrative switches between their points of view, overlapping in a way that provides only the reader with the complete emotional picture. Poison and Gold is much more focused on Aasha’s individual journey. Because of her dual nature, she struggles at times to comprehend why others act the way they do, so limiting it to her perspective is necessary for maintaining (in the reader) a lot of the uncertainty that drives her actions. Rose and Sword has perhaps the most unusual narrative framing of the collection. Utilizing two timelines, it begins a ways into the future but with a scene that in many ways echoes The Star-Touched Queen and the close (but complicated) relationship between two sisters. Soon, the young girl, Hira, finds her grandmother who begins telling her a tale and it is revealed that Gauri is the grandmother. The heart of the tale she shares is one about herself in the days leading up to her wedding. With the exception of a few brief interruptions from Hira, the bulk of the tale shifts to Gauri in her past—a short time after both A Crown of Wishes and the story immediately preceding it take place. The ultimate outcome of the story is given close to the beginning, allowing the reader to focus not on the events themselves, but on the character at the center of them—Gauri—and the personal growth she must undergo in order to achieve her goal.

My only complaints about Star-Touched Stories all speak to the book’s strengths: 1) there weren’t enough stories and 2) it’s left me wanting so much more to this series. I want to know more about what’s taken place in the time between Poison and Gold and Rose and Sword. I want small, side stories and backgrounds for so many more characters in this universe. I truly hope that Star-Touched Stories is only another stop in this world and that Chokshi will venture to bring readers like myself to this series many more times in the coming years.

Star-Touched Stories will be available August 7, 2018.

The Star-Touched Queen series just gets better and better with each book. With three stories related to The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, these stories will leave you both satisfied and wanting more. Of course, there were stories I preferred over others, so let's get into the nitty gritty!

Night and Death
Rating: 4 stars

I read this one last year when it was released as a short story and I'm happy to see that it's found a family. I mentioned in my review last year that I wished that Night and Death came out before The Star-Touched Queen because it provided a lot of background on Amar that we didn't get to see in The-Star Touched Queen.

Poison and Gold
Rating: 3 stars

I'm sorry to say that Poison and Gold fell flat for me. I couldn't give it anything less than 3 stars, but I felt that it was missing the emotion and magic that I had grown to expect from this world. I loved Asha from A Crown of Wishes, but I wanted to feel the connection between her and her love interest. My favorite scenes from this story involved Gauri and Vikram, which doesn't say much for Asha's stage presence.

Rose and Sword
Rating: 5 stars

This. This is the story that we're all here for! If you fell head-over-heels in love with Gauri and Vikram (like any rational human-being), this beautiful story was written for you. This story had me in tears for the majority of it, and I felt that it wrapped up the series almost perfectly. When you crack this one up, make sure you have the tissue box handy. Because you don't understand, you will cry.

Short N Sweet: Star-Touched Stories includes faces and places that we've all come to love. This is a satisfactory conclusion to an epic adventure.

Death and Night-8/10

Roshani Chokshi hitting me where I live with hints of the courtship-involving-riddles trope which is, for some reason, a favourite. If I were a character in a folktale courting/being courted by a deity of any variety I would expect, nae, require riddles. There's just something that feels like a folktale about them and I really enjoy that a lot. Nonsensical folklore riddles are my favourite.

I think this does a good job of setting up the characters who we meet in The Star-Touched Queen. In a way I kind of wish that I'd been able to read this before going into the book because I think it would have made some of the aspects that frustrated me the first time I read the story more understandable. (Although... I might have been confused by things in the short story if I read it first without knowing what happens next. #folkloreproblems I guess? Oftentimes stories drawn from folklore are a little bit stories with no beginnings.)


Poison and Gold-7/10

It's nice to see Aasha facing the challenges of living in the human world- especially when Gauri and Vikram ask her to take on the role of spymaster, a role for which she'll need to leave the court of training. Her time at court has been an uncomfortable learning curve- she's found herself unprepared for navigating the politics of the court and terrified to touch anyone after an incident with her vishakanya abilities- and she approaches this new challenge with a combination of hope and trepidation. Living in the maze-like house of the current spy master, she has to learn to control her abilities (magical and otherwise).

This one did feel like it suffered a bit for being a short story- there just wasn't quite enough time to build up the relationship between Aasha and Zahril for my taste (although I did like what we did see). Zahril was an interesting character in that I still don't feel like we know that much about her. (Also that she's apparently well-versed in poisoning and making things that smell good but. Aasha just gets rid of the tea she makes which I'm assuming means that Zahril is not great at tea? This detail amused me.) I liked what we did see about Aasha and Zahril coming to know each other, although I do wish we'd gotten to see more of it. It's also kind of a strange relationship because... Zahril is her mentor and also because Aasha is hiding her vishakanya nature (something she's reasonably certain Zahril would hate her for) so off the bat the dynamic is a little tense. Not so much that it was necessarily unbalanced by these factors but it was definitely complicated by them, and they weren't really explored in the limits of the short story. (Because it was. You know. Short.)

Rose and Sword-8/10

This was interesting. Again, I feel like I could have done with maybe... 10 more pages for to fully get across the part of the story involving Hira- as that whole bit really did seem to mostly be an excuse to get Gauri to tell the story of how she had to drag Vikram back from the brink of death right before their wedding. I'm going to have to re-read A Crown of Wishes too because I feel like I forgot what wound up happening with Kamala and I was super confused by the meeting in the short story because of it...

That said it wound up being part quest story, part peak into post-A Crown of Wishes canon, and part musing on what it is to love someone and what it is to commit to loving someone for the long-term. (Especially in the face of the day-to-day stresses of juggling the concerns of an entire kingdom. But also just. In general.) This one was, for me, the most touching of the three stories and a really good note to end the anthology on because it feels like a satisfying conclusion and also like a good reflection of what the stories in the anthology were driving toward.


Final Word
This collection is a wonderful way to delve further into the world of The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes featuring Roshani Chokshi's signature lyrical and musing writing style and familiar characters (and a few new ones too).

A breezy read, one I was excited about because I love Roshani Chokshi’s writing. It’s always so lucious and alluring. This one was as enjoyable as TSTQ and ACoW, though it just makes me yearn for more!

Reading Roshani Chokshi is like getting high on literature. I was lost in myth and enamored in a culture I was fast falling in love with. I had previously read her other work and this collection of stories didn't fail to meet expectations. I do think its helpful to have read The Star -Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes first. It will give you more of a fulfilling experience of the worlds that are built by the author.

In three short stories Roshani Chokshi effectively wraps up the current generations of her Star-Touched series and sets the stage for a possible third novel-length work exploring the adventures of Gauri and Vikram's granddaughters. Personally I found the second story, which focused on Aasha, to be the weakest, but other readers may disagree. This work is a poor introduction to the series, but a lovely conclusion for those already familiar with both of the Star-Touched novels.

4 stars for this collection of small stories taking place in The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes universe!

Told in a very poetic way Roshani is true to her gorgeous, hypnotic yet smart and intelligent writing!

It felt like reading a tale from India. Colorful, dreamy with fantastical creatures and gods.

I don’t think you really need to read her other books first but it would help to enjoy these small stories to their full potential.

My favorite is the one is about Death (Dharma Raja) and Night.

Death has been cursed and can never love. Yet he feels lonely and incomplete even with his faithful counselor Gupta.

But he has a revelation: he needs a wife!

He will propose marriage as a partnership without love.

Night is somewhat shunned by most immortals. They don’t really see Night as a time to rest and dream but rather a time for nightmares.

Yet Night dreams of love. She wants to change things not just sell dreams.

When Death meets Night he makes his intention clear but Night does not want to marry without love.

Death is determined to court Night and woo her with his incredible creations like a crystal garden.


Special mention too to Rose and Sword as I loved reading about Gauri telling her “fairy tale” to her grand-daughter!


If you love elegant prose and reading about exotic and mysterious tales just read it!

Roshani Chokshi has quickly become one of my favorites authors. Her writing is incredibly beautiful and her storytelling is always mesmerizing. I didn't realize how much I wanted/needed these short stories from the world of The Star-Touched Queen until I started reading this, and now I want a hundred more. All three stories were magical and the perfect compliments to The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes.

Death and Night ☆☆☆☆☆
In Death and Night, we are told the backstory and history behind Maya and Amar from The Star-Touched Queen, which I now desperately need to reread. I loved this story way more than I had been expecting; it was so splendid and the writing and imagery was breathtaking.

Poison and Gold ☆☆☆☆
The focus of this story is Aasha, one of the characters I adored from A Crown of Wishes, as she attempts to find her place in the human world. I really enjoyed reading about her training as the Spy Mistress and her growth as a character. Gauri and Vikram are also present in this story and it gave me all the feels.

Rose and Sword ☆☆☆☆☆
I loved the format of Rose and Sword; we have an older woman telling a story to her young granddaughter, and it was absolute perfection. The brief interruptions by the little girl reminded me of the movie version of The Princess Bride, and it was so whimsical and wonderful. I also loved how it tied together really well with Death and Night. I don't want post spoilers or give anything away so all I will say is that I FEEL SO BLESSED BY THE CHARACTERS FEATURED. This story was everything I could have asked for and more.

[Excerpt]:

About 2-3 years ago, I read “The Star-Touched Queen” (TSTQ) in my backyard by the pool. I remember being entranced by the cover the very first time I saw it, and then months later I finally got around to reading the book. It was so good I finished it in about 2 days. The characters, the worlds, the emotion….I loved it all. Roshani Chokshi is a brillant writer, and she does a fantastic job of creating an atmosphere within the story that makes the reader feel like they’re there, too.

Then, a couple days after “A Crown of Wishes” was released, I managed to find a copy at my library, and I enjoyed that one too. I think it was more adventure-centered than romantic for me, although I still did enjoy the characters and overall story. Again, the cover is magnificent. (Whoever’s in charge of Chokshi’s covers….YOU’RE DOING GREAT, HONEY!)

When I saw that “Star-Touched Stories” was available for request on NetGalley, I didn’t hesitate to request a copy. And I’m so glad I did. Truly, this might be my favorite next to TSTQ.

DEATH AND NIGHT:

Since reading “The Star-Touched Queen” a couple years ago, I’ve really wanted to read about Maya (Night) and Amar’s (the Dharma Raja) first meeting. In TSTQ we get to hear all about the many lifetimes Amar has spent in pain because he can never be with Maya for long, thanks to their curse. But their first meeting obviously has great significance because it’s where their story started. It’s the first time they ever see each other, and let me tell, you this story REEKS of romance. The language is very flowery and lovely and infused with angst and the daze of true love. I absolutely loved the dual POVs too because we get to see the feelings they each have and how they react to each other. It was a very sweet story, and I’m so glad we finally got to see this first meeting between the two. Also, it ended on a happy note, which I appreciated considering the next several centuries leading up to the events in TSTQ are pretty rough for the both of them.

Rating: 4.5 stars!

[Full reivew on my blog!]

Other than the fact that I can never remember the name of this author, I loved this book. It's a collection of three stories, all set in the world the author has built. They all tie together and create a wonderful mystery about them. Are they a tale or truth? My favorite was the first story Death and Night. I might read that one again, just because it was so good.

Read it... And read the first two... And then read them again...

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

I completely forgot that I did not finish the Star Touched Queen when I requested this. While I like the idea of stories that expand the history of an established world, I think I probably would have benefited from having read the first two books in this universe. I would not recommending using these stories as an introduction to the series, though your mileage may vary.

This is the first book I have read by Roshani Chokski. It was magical. There are three stories where.each one leads you into a land of love and poetry. I loved all the images that the author described. They were beautiful. Even a lonely King needs a Queen no matter if there is a curse. Love is like that. I loved this book and will look up more of her work. I received this book from Net Galley for a honest review and no other compensation otherwise.

Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi was gorgeous. Written in the same lyrical prose as the author's other books, these stories returned to the world of The Star-Touched Queen. There was happiness and new adventures; lost and found love; and bittersweet beginnings and endings. This is probably one of my top favorite collections of stories. In Death and Night, there’s the love story that tells a clearer history between the characters of The Star-Touched Queen. In Poison and Gold, Aasha got her own adventure and it was great. And in the Rose and Sword, the story is a little bittersweet but still as good as the other two in the collection. What worked for me is that this collection visited a lot of familiar character, places, and stories. The overall world building was excellent and rife with vivid detail that made for an immersive read. So, if you’ve read and enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, then Star-Touched Stories need to be on your TBR list....

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by St. Martin's Press via netgalley for this review, thank you!

Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi is a companion book to The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes universe. It comprises of three short stories: Death and Night, Poison and Gold, and Rose and Sword. Each of those stories has its unique form of prose, given the completely different characters they deal with – in turn, they take us on a completely thrilling but different roller coaster ride.

If you are already a fan of Chokshi’s work, then there is no doubt that you will love Star-Touched Stories as much as you have loved the preceding novels. They each have a taste of romance, suspense, plot, and character building that will not only have you holding your breath but also positively drowning in the rich tapestry – no pun intended – that Chokshi has woven for this universe.

Death and Night:

There is no other way to describe this first story other than breathtaking. The tale of the Dharma Raja and Night is one we fell deeply in love with when we first started this series, so to read about them again is like coming home. As far as suspense goes, there is perhaps not much – in many ways, we already know exactly how their story pans out. But that doesn’t take away from the way in which Chokshi spins their story to still keep us extremely curious, and successfully being surprised with some of the characters’ actions.

One of the strongest tools in Chokshi’s writing arsenal has been her refreshing use of purple prose – while some don’t find it suitable to their palette, I’m a firm believer of using purple prose to its full extent in a fantasy setting. This is especially true for mythical retellings – as opposed to epic fantasies with complex world buildings. Chokshi does a superb job of using this narrative tool to give us a beautiful story of love and inevitability, which is both true to and entirely different from The Star-Touched Queen.

Poison and Gold:

This was easily the story I was looking most forward to, and it did not disappoint in the least. Aasha quickly became a well-loved character – not just in the series, but for YA literature, in general – and her story was one I was desperate to get my hands on. I didn’t know if there was romance to be expected, since Aasha is still so new to our world. I wanted her to first find herself, figure out who she is, and find her place in the world before she found another person. That being said, a part of me was also hoping for her to find a romance, something different from the superficial desires that she had grown used to.

Of course, Chokshi gifted me with both. Aasha’s perspective offers a lot of opportunity for creative writing, and I’m glad that it was used to its full potential. Her perceptive nature makes her a good eye to look at characters from, just as her curious eyes allow for an author to easily construct some very beautiful story-settings. Moreover, the kind of journey she’s pushed on gives us equal parts adventure and self-reflection. This is the perfect kind of story for someone like Aasha, who is both very old and very young in this world.

I’d also like to add how happy it makes me that her romance is a sapphic one, and one that actually had me sitting on the edge of my seat looking for an outcome. I suspected that whenever she would get a romance storyline, it would be sapphic, but to see it on paper just had my heart bursting with joy.

Rose and Sword:

This story struck such a deep chord inside me. I was completely blindsided by it because it was not narrated in the manner in which I expected it to be – but it still was an experience I don’t regret. Vikram and Gauri are some of my favourite MCs and I was awfully bittersweet about ending this series with them.

Their short story is one that is equal parts joy and grief, and it left me feeling so emotional when I finally closed it. I think this one is the one with most potential for spoilers, and since we’re keeping this spoiler-free, I’ll stop talking about it here. All I have to say for this is that it did a great job of showcasing what this entire universe means to me.

At the end of the day, these are myths I have grown up hearing from my own grandmothers, every night for as many nights as my childhood stretched. That is one of the many reasons why this series means so much to me. Chokshi’s decision to end it in a similar storytelling format, especially with my favourite characters, had me choking up. This final story is everything this universe means to me – thrilling, yet comforting; loving, yet lonely; welcoming, yet painful. Absolutely perfect.

Thank you Roshani Chokshi, not only for giving us this delightful set of stories but also for creating this universe that we so easily fell head over hells for. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to get my hands on the end product!

Star-Touched Stories takes us back to the world of the Night Bazaar and the heavenly courts, introducing us to new characters and revisiting old friends as we once more enter the enchanted realms of the Star-Touched series.

Death and Night
Grade: A                    Sensuality: N/A

In Death and Night, the veil is pulled back from the realm of gods and we witness a rare, mythical mating. When the Dharma Raja (Lord of Death)  goes to take the soul of an elderly man, the man’s wife asks for only one thing: that the man’s soul might wait for her, that they be reborn together. The Dharma Raja contemplates this on his return to Naraka and realizes something: he’s lonely and wishes for the sort of relationship that couple had. But who will marry Death?

Night is a woman of the Otherworld. At the end of each day, she brings darkness and rest to a weary world. Her beauty reflects that; she glitters like stars across the dark skies and the dreams and bedtime stories of the mortal and immortal realms scroll across her skin. When the Dharma Raja steps into her ashram and proposes, she is taken aback. His is a completely practical offer and he takes pains to tell her that there will be no love. She refuses, of course, for who would accept a proposal that doesn’t even hint of affection? But she doesn’t send him away without some hope. And ‘some hope’ is all a god needs to pursue his dreams.

I loved both characters from the moment they were introduced and when they met and interacted, a smile planted itself on my face and didn’t leave till the end of the story. The tale is witty, and charming, and magical and romantic. I absolutely loved it.

Poison and Gold
Grade: B-                    Sensuality: Kisses

Set in the world of A Crown of Wishes

Poison and Gold is a companion novella to A Crown of Wishes, starring one of the secondary characters from that tale. Aasha is a vishakanya who just wants to experience a mortal life. To that end, she has joined the court of her friends Queen Gauri and King Vikram, working as an advisor. What most don’t realize is that this ‘advisor’ can read the desires of a human heart and can kill with a touch. Since her powers aren’t advertised, however, many on the royal council consider her presence at meetings unnecessary and Gauri and Vikram are being urged to let her go. Their solution to the problem is to train Aasha as a Spy Mistress thus giving her a formal title so that the court can feel comfortable about her presence. So off she goes to learn the art of intelligence gathering.

Aasha had initially been unsure as to whether or not she wanted the official designation of spy, but she quickly warms up to the idea, realizing that it’s a job that suits her personality perfectly. She also warms up to Zahril, the enigmatic woman training her.  When asked for a truth she would not want another to know, she confesses her desire to kiss Zahril. She is surprised that when next she sees the powerful, mysterious lady, she grants Aasha’s wish.

In this tale, love comes slowly and softly. The characters are cautious, careful and cunning and so their romance is one that is sedate, subtle, and sweet. It’s about being vulnerable before a lover and about overcoming deeply held prejudices. I was intrigued by the concept of the tale, but the short length of the story kept the author from fully exploring her characters or their romance.

Rose and Sword
Grade: A-                 Sensuality: Kisses

Sequel to A Crown of Wishes

In Rose and Sword, the heroine of A Crown of Wishes has one more adventure before entering marital bliss. It is the evening before her wedding and Gauri is working off her pre-ceremony jitters by running through her sword drills. When Vikram joins her for a few stolen kisses and a bit of verbal sparring, she makes a startling discovery - he’s sick and feverish. By the end of the night the doctors aren’t sure he will live to see the morning.

Calling upon her Otherworld councilor Aasha, Gauri learns that she can make a bargain with the yamaduta (messengers of death). When the yamaduta comes for Vikram’s soul, Gauri demands a deal and is given one: If she can steal back Vikram’s last breath from the final gate before Death and bring it back to him, he will live. The trick? She will see the sorrow awaiting her in the future if she makes that choice and will have to bring back the breath knowing the pain Vikram will cause her in coming years.

Vikram makes this story shine. Every moment with him is pure, joyous pleasure and his wit and charm make him a delight to spend time with. While Gauri is a far less likable character, she has the grit and determination to make this supernatural adventure believable. The supporting cast is well drawn, and the plot is riveting. Rose and Sword is a perfect sequel to A Crown of Wishes.

I would strongly recommend Star-Touched Stories to fans of the Star-Touched series. This charming compilation of tales from that universe allows us to spend more time with beloved characters and introduces us to some very delightful new folks as well.   I would, however, advise those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading the previous books to begin with The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes since those books introduce us to this universe and the characters in it.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

These were fantastic stories. I love Roshani Chokshi's lyrical and dreamy writing. The pacing was a little slow but not enough to make the book drag. It just felt like a languid stroll through magical stories that deserved to take their time. The last story was heart wrenching. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to get myself a physical copy to reread!

Roshani Chokshi is a magical storyteller, and that continues to be evident in every story she writes. This series of stories are novellas that tell you of mini adventures that people have in the world she has created for her characters, and while you may not enjoy all of them, you should still be dazzled by the level of artistry in her writing. I certainly am.

I will be focusing on just one of the three stories, which impressed me the most - Death and Night. This combined a lot of great elements that I enjoy seeing in romance books, including tests of love, outcast characters, and mythology. In this novella, the two main characters are beings of the Otherworld, one of whom rules over death and the other heralds night. One day Death realizes that he is lonely and needs a queen, and he decides upon a being who lives largely in the human world and is reviled by many in the Otherworld. But there is one problem - he refuses to love his queen and Night won't accept anything less than love in her marriage. Thus ensues a test of sorts, and as Death fulfills each request, he discovers that love will not be silenced, no matter how much you try to ignore it.

The beauty of this story was really in the description of the world and its beings, as each character is colorful and reflective of a world that only appears in our dreams. I enjoyed reading about how the human world interacted with the Otherworld as well, especially where Night was concerned. She creates dreams for people, which sometimes become nightmares, and her existence is solitary by nature. Her few friends love her, but they can do little about the superstition surrounding her. Death was a refreshing change for Night, who expected him to feel disgust for her and instead he was intrigued by her. When she put to him the three requests and he slowly fulfilled each one, I could practically see Night's smiling face in front of me. For each gift was a show of love, even if Death didn't realize it.

I can't wait to continue reading Roshani's stories in the series! They are a joy to read for all ages, and I highly recommend each one.

Star-Touched Stories is three magical stories set in the world of The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. You don't need to have read either book to enjoy this one, but it would help in order to understand some of the characters. Roshani Chokshi's writing is pure magic. I don't think I've ever read any books quite as magical as hers (and I read a lot of fantasy).

All three stories are special in their own way, but my favourite was the first one: Death and Night. The Lord of Death and the Goddess of Night meet by chance and, contrary to their natures, fall in love. As their romance blossoms, both begin to question if they could be made for more than they've believed. Death and Night are both completely brilliant characters, and the setting of this story is just the best (especially the Night Bazaar). I loved the romance between these two, and all of the supporting characters were great as well.

Poison and Gold was my least favourite of the three (although, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it). In this one, Aasha is sent to train to become the kingdom's new Spy Mistress. However, she has lost control over her power to kill and can't understand why. That particular aspect of the story really got on my nerves, because it was SO OBVIOUS why she'd lost her control. She's not a stupid character, so why dumb her down so much in this story? I also didn't really like the romance between Aasha and the Spy Mistress (whose name I can't even remember). It just came across as too forced and unnecessary.

Rose and Sword was a nice addition to the book. Vikram falls ill and is on the brink of death, so Guari travels to the land of the dead to retrieve his last breath and save his life. I was so happy to read more about Guari and Vikram (mainly Guari) that almost anything could have happened in this story and I would have enjoyed it. Just to make things even better, Kamala - the lovable demon horse - is back and as brilliant as ever. It was a lovely ending to Guari and Vikram's story.

Roshani Chokshi does it again. She is incredible and all her books stun. I am so excited to see what comes next from this powerhouse author. The way she forms words together into sentences is just impeccable, and that combined with her plots and characters make for fantastically well crafted stories.

The stories touched my heart. I absolutely loved all of these. All three.

I am ashamed to say that I hadn't read the book that comes prior to this one. So there were some references I didn't understand but overall, the stories gripped me and would not let go. The author was so descriptive I felt like I was in the Night Bazaar and in the tower of the Spy Mistress. Roshani Chokshi definitely has a way with words. I could practically see the glass garden. I was, in other words, in love.

The representation was astonishing too. Now, mind you, the stories aren't very long. They are in every sense of the moniker: short stories. But the LGBT representation was fulfilled from the first story and then the second story was all about the L.... *wink wink*. The first story was about Death, her version of Hades, and Night, which was kind of like her version of Persephone. Except in this version, no one was manhandled nor were they kidnapped nor was their mother tricked. Nothing "bad" happened. Death was simply courting a woman and the story speaks of their dates and the curse upon him, because there always has to be a misunderstood curse, and the way in which Night circumvents his stubbornness. Night has friends that serve as foils and mirrors against this backdrop of not-so-easy love and it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. It wasn't insta-love either. Obviously there was attraction there. But Death didn't get down on bended knee to propose to her because she was the love of his immortal life. And neither did Night accept a proposal because Death was lauding poetic about her. They both worked at it and it was the sweetest sight to see. Night conferring with her friends and deciding what to do was just like my friends and I, it was scary.

Mentioned throughout the book, "men and women looking at her hungrily...". It drove the LGBT representation like nothing I had ever seen. The second story was all about LGBT. But not in a way that the story *only* about that. It was in the story. It wasn't the story. The main character in this one had a slightly harsher challenge to overcome: the death of a former lover by the main character's own kind. Mind you, it wasn't her. And she hadn't even been alive but the love interest in this story had becomed consumed with hate for the main character's kind. So much so that the main character hid it for as long as possible. Only, finally, bringing it out to save her true love's life. (Being so super vague because this character played a major role in the first book...) But instead of never speaking to her again, the true love got over it. And not too quickly either. Honestly, this story may be my favorite out of the three.

The third story made me cry. It involved life, death, and family. I can't even review all that much because I'm afraid I'll spoil it. There was so much to love about this story. Told as a spoken story to the main character's granddaughter, this story encompassed the fear of the unknown while also acknowledging that that fear, the adventure of it all, is what makes life worth living. The visions shown in this story touched my heartstrings because of the way they spoke of the fact that while couples and love and everything may have its fights and may have its downs, there is always something to look forward to. Things will always get better. In one way or another.

The ending killed me. I'm still tearing up over it.

All in all, an amazing book and one that I recommend to absolutely everyone.