Wow, wished I'd read this book a lot sooner. Now, to be fair I did attempt to read it when it was first released and by attempt I mean that I did read a few chapters. Back then the story just didn't pull me in and I don't know if it was a weird timing or something else, but I just felt it'd be better to set it aside for when I'm ready to give it another try. And I'm glad that I did, otherwise I'd be missing out on a great story.
To be honest, I didn't read the first book in this series, so I didn't know what happened with Maya and also I wished for the glossary to be at the beginning of the book and not the end, since there are some strange words for the creatures we meet in the story and I didn't know exactly what they were. That being said, maybe I should've read the first book but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't follow the plot. As for the plot itself, I quite liked it. It's a quest for power that in the end turns into a much more important life value. I loved all the details about this new magical world, that really helped me to imagine what it actually looked like and made me feel more connected to the story and characters.
Now as for the main characters, I'm a fan of Vikram's. He's really smart and at times his determination and positivity makes him almost innocent in his view of the world. But he also has a sad past, same as Gauri. And that's something that bonds them together and slowly forges this beautiful friendship that will more times than not save their lives. And while I like Vikram, I can't say the same for Gauri. I just didn't connect with her as much as I did with Vikram. She's strong and a fighter but also so pessimistic and so full of guilt that it at times really clouds her judgement. And more times than not the only way she deals with all that guilt is to lash out at the people who are the closest to her. That made her a bit immature in my eyes but she's only eighteen, so I'll cut her some slack.
All in all, I liked the story and I'm glad I finally read it.

CROWN OF WISHES was even better than THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. Roshani's writing has a quality that I have never found in another book, While it is better to read the first book before this one, it isn't necessary. I LOVED it and can't wait to see what Roshani writes in this world next.

I tried reading this book and got into this book for a bit, but I wasn't feeling this book at all. Great story up to the point that I read too.

Roshani Chokshi's <em>A Crow of Wishes</em> is a follow-up to her novel The Star-Touched Queen, which I have not read. There were times I felt as though I'd missed out on something, but for the most part, this novel reads smoothly as a stand-alone.

The story follows two members of royalty - Princess Gauri and Prince Vikram. They are from different countries, but fate brings them together to undergo a journey of epic proportions with a strong sense of mythology.

Princess Guari is held under the strong hand of her ruler brother. Anything she loves or cares about is stripped and taken from her by her brother so that he can continue to control her.

Prince Vikram is heir to his country's throne, but he wields no power. Even when he ascends to the throne, he is patronized and coddled, though he rules with a pleasant, clever attitude.

When Princess Guari is sent to Vikram's kingdom to be sacrificed/killed, Vikram takes to her and makes an offer to rescue her and to travel together to the underworld to take part in a competition - the prize: to have a wish granted. But how will two strangers learn to trust one another through such a journey?

What Chokshi does remarkably well is to balance the strong supernatural, mythological atmosphere with a sense of 'real.' The supernatural aspects (or the Indian mythology) play a strong role, but ultimately this is a story of two people learning to live and trust and journey together.

But at the same time, this <em>is</em> a story about a journey. A journey of two exceptional people - people who have much to lose or who have already lost their futures.

It is a story that, like the best of fiction, combines both the journey and the strength of character which is what makes this worth reading.

Looking for a good book? A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi is a strong story of character and journey but the reader may want to read the first volume before venturing here.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Much like the first, I found this writing to be over-wrought. It was so purple it veered into ultra-violet. Like it was painful to look at directly. I didn't like it. Will the library buy it? Of course they will. The first one was a huge hut with teenagers and this one will be too. Do I think they should be reading it? My opinion on this is mostly irrelevant.

So great and original and a wild ride from start to finish, Always kept me guessing and the relationship between the main characters was believable and cute.

This book was really magically. I enjoyed the world building, the characters, and I loved how there was nonstop action. I loved how the characters grew over time and this was just really good and I am glad I finally got around to reading this magical story.

This book had a wonderful story, you can see that the author was passionate about sharing her culture and that made it even more special. The characters were very well thought and fit the story so well, each one had their backstory and goals and dreams and had to work out their personal differences and work together so they could win the Tournament of Wishes. The romance was very well done as well.

I only deducted a star because it was at times a bit hard to understand what was going on and some times I realized I was picturing the scene wrong in my head, but still I think I would give it 4.5 stars if i could.

Vikram and Gauri have chips on their shoulders that might be filled by a well-worded wish. But first, they must find the tournament, pass two challenges and make a sacrifice. I loved how each of them were guarded, but for really sensible reasons. Gauri is a prisoner, handed over to the enemy by her own brother. Vikram cannot trust his future advisers or anyone else. Despite this, they must trust each other in order to gain their wishes. The character building and changing is good and realistic.

I'm not sure why I never wrote a review for this book. Roshani Chokshi writes lyrical words that piece together tales as smooth as songs.

A Crown of Wishes was heart breaking and beautiful, filled with rich culture, breath-halting adventure, and a relationship worth all the angst in the world. I wanted to laugh, cry, and swoon all at the same time.

I loved Guari and Vikram, who they are independently as well as who they were collectively. Each action and conversation were integral to this story, their story, and I enjoyed them so much.

Formatting made this a little difficult to follow, but the writing was just as gorgeous as I remember The Star-Touched Queen being. I enjoyed both Vikram and Gauri as characters, and the later introduction of Aasha as well. I liked the idea of the tournament, but I felt that the actual quest to complete the tasks was a bit rushed each time. Still, it was a lovely book with well-written and developed characters, and I really did enjoy it.

Just beautiful. I liked this even better than Star-Touched Queen, primarily because the character development here was SO GOOD. Gauri and Vikram are both laid bare to the reader and developed in a way that Maya and Amar weren't quite. The lyrical, poetic language was just as good, if not better, than book #1, and the plot was a bit tighter. I especially liked Aasha's character. The Indian mythology aspects were a treat as well; it's always refreshing to read a non-European fantasy/romance.
Highly recommended.

Added to 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge for book with mythological characters (of which this book has a wide assortment).

*This book was kindly provided to me as an ARC by the publisher, Griffin/St. Martin's Press. Thank you :)

Lavishly written, gorgeous imagery, this is a contemporary classic I am excited to recommend to teens!

I was sort of disappointed that Mayas story wasn't continued, but Guari did not disappoint. And there was even a cameo or two! I absolutely love the middle eastern aspects of Chokshi's storytelling! Just as enchanting as the first!

The Star-Touched Queen was one of my favorite 2016 debut novels. It took me awhile to finally pick up the sequel because I wasn’t sure if I wanted there to be one. The story ended, but I realized that the book wasn’t about Maya, though she did make a couple appearances. It was about Gauri, her sister. Still, it took me forever to finally read it.

A Crown of Wishes was beautifully written and poetic, with a lavish setting and romance you couldn’t help but root for.

So why did I rate it three stars?

A Crown of Wishes was too much. I liked the romance and I liked Vikram and Gauri as characters, and I even liked the setting and weird adventure the two went on to participate in the tournament. There was magic and mystery around every corner, but it was over the top. The writing that I appreciated so much in book one was just dripping with poetry and magic and it slowed the pace of the story to the point of being too slow.

This is one of those examples of why I prefer standalone books. When we want more of something, sometimes more isn’t really what we want. A Crown of Wishes had a good plot and romance, so if you’re prepared for lyrical writing and a majestic setting and you don’t compare it too much to The Star-Touched Queen, it’s a great read.

A Crown of Wishes is a spellbinding follow up to the stunning The Star-Touched Queen which was based on a Hades and Persephone retelling. TSTQ has a focus on Indian folklore, mythology, horoscopes and infused with wild imagination and enchanting writing.

Vikram’s eyes widened. “What’s this? Praise from Her Beastliness in the morning? Are you under a curse that makes you friendly before noon? If so, how do we make it permanent?”

A Crown of Wishes follows Gauri and Vikram both princess and prince of neighbouring warring kingdoms, who take part in a deadly tournament of wits and magic. They both have nothing left to lose and take risks for their kingdom and people. Gauri wants her lecherous brother off her throne and to be able to rule her kingdom whether she’s an unmarried woman or not. Vikram the sly fox prince will never be seen as a true ruler and being surrounded by a council of vipers he must never let his mask slip, he must be cunning and swift and prove he can rule regardless of his heritage.

“It felt silly to say that he couldn’t bear to lose her. He never had her. She was not a thing to be possessed. But her entrance in his life had conjured light. And losing the light of her would plunge him into a darkness he’d never find his way out of.”

The romance is a slow burn and highly addictive, if this is your type of romance then you will find yourself flying through the pages, highly anticipating the next interaction with a wildly beating heart. Gauri and Vikram have chemistry straight away, Gauri may have tried to kill Vikram in the beginning buy hey that’s just how Gauri is - stab ask questions later. I really don't want to say too much about this book because I feel it's one that the reader should go into slightly blind but I will say it's perfectly paced with lots of mythology and mystery to keep you entertained.

He turned to me, mischief glinting in his eyes.
“How do they celebrate good fortune in Bharata? In Ujijain, we kiss."
“Look elsewhere.”
“Are you sure? You spend an awful amount of time looking at my lips.”
“That’s only because I’m horrified at the sheer idiocy of the words leaping out of them.”

I highly recommend A Crown of Wishes for fantasy fans and for suckers for magical retellings with their own unique twist. Chokshi has such a lyrical way of writing, she has the ability to pull you into the story and allow you to experience everything first hand. I never wanted to leave the magical world with its lush wildlife and vivid scenery. I’m eagerly awaiting the short story Death and Night as I can’t wait to revisit the dazzling world Chokski has created

I loved reading A Crown of Wishes. It was a wonderful companion novel to Star-Touched Queen. There were some similarities with the the first book with the mythology and yet it was a different story. I really enjoyed the magic of this novel. It was a beautiful read and I even re-read it on audiobook because I enjoyed it so much.

I put off reading this book because I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of the first one. I enjoyed the writing and the gorgeous worldbuilding, but the story itself didn’t really go anywhere. I was pretty disappointed because I had this book for review, and after reading the first, I couldn’t really bring myself to read it.

So, I ended up finally deciding to listen to the audiobook of the sequel instead of reading it. For some reason, I’ve found that I have a higher tolerance for slower stories when I’m listening than when I’m reading. Turns out, that I didn’t have to worry at all because I actually really enjoyed A Crown of Wishes. You see, this book has all of the wonderful qualities of the first, but without its one major flaw. Just like the first book, this installment features beautiful storytelling, richly-drawn mythology, and elaborate magic. But this book also has a strong plot, something that I found severely lacking in Star-Touched. And because of that, I was much more engaged with the characters. I cared far more about what happened to Gauri and Vikram than I ever did for Maya and Amar. The Tournament of Wishes was a wonderfully fantastical backdrop that gave Gauri and Vikram plenty to do—and the stakes felt much higher in this book. Sure, the story still occasionally got bogged down in the elaborate details, but I found myself engaged most of the time, which I couldn’t say with book one.

So, if you’re like me and you loved Chokshi’s gorgeous writing but found yourself a bit bored with the story in Star-Touched, I highly encourage you to give this second book a try. I’m very glad I did.

Oh, And you might want to pick up the audiobook because Priya Ayyar’s narration certainly does the book justice!

Overall, I give this 4/5 Stars.

This is as achingly beautiful and poetic as A STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. I look forward to many, many more tales from Roshani Chokshi!

So, So GOOD! I love a good fantasy YA and Roshani Chokshi's first book was mind-glowingly good. This follow-up is just as lovely and does not disappoint. I certainly recommend this author to all lovers of good YA.