Roshani Chokshi hits it out of the park once again in this companion to STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. The lush, beautiful language and the stunning portrayal of diversity and Indian mythology took my breath away. I will continue to follow Chokshi throughout her career.

When Gauri, the princess of Bharata, meets Prince Vikram while being held captive by his people in Ujijain, her life takes a magical turn. Invited by the Lord of Wealth to participate in his Tournament of Wishes, the two flee Ujijain and make their way into a land of magic to compete for the opportunity to win a wish.

I believe this book is based around Indian mythology, which was a fresh and interesting genre for me. I love the world the book is set in, with unusual magical beings and fantastic world-building. The game-style story was very reminiscent of books like Caraval, so it was really nice to see this one done in an entirely different setting – it made the story a bit different from others like it.

I liked the characters – Vikram and Gauri are both sweet and relatable – and I loved Roshani’s writing style. For a while, I felt Aasha’s storyline was a bit irrelevant, but she did start to fit into the book better towards the end. For me, the book could have been longer: the story felt a little rushed. Gauri and Vikram had barely arrived in Alaka before they’d completed their tasks and the tournament was over. It could have contained a lot more detail and slower pacing without becoming too long or too descriptive.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I was expecting. It’s creative, well written, and the romance between Gauri and Vikram is lovely (not too angsty or forced like so many YA romances are). I would definitely read more from Roshani Chokshi.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a companion novel to Chokshi’s Star-Touched Queen. Princess Gauri has lost her crown to her ambitious brother. He has gone so far as to tell the neighboring kingdom, now holding her prisoner, that they should kill his sister. Vikram is the Prince of that kingdom and he admires Gauri’s strength and determination. Instead of murdering her, he invites her to be his partner in the Tournament of Wishes. Gauri does not like him and it is with reluctance that she pairs with him for the contest. Vikram and Gauri throw verbal barbs at each other, making their tenuous relationship very entertaining. Vikram is particularly witty and likable while Gauri is more surly. The magical tournament is filled with Indian mythological creatures and legends. Somewhat like Caraval, the rules are mysterious and contestants must figure out what they are looking for and how to accomplish each phase of the contest. The mystical elements are exotic and fascinating, adding to the book’s allure. While the book isn’t as intriguing as Caraval, it has great merit. 3.5*

DNF at 35%.

I really enjoyed "The Star-Touched Queen" but this one just isn't grabbing me. The characters of Gauri and Vikram aren't gelling, and I'm uninterested in their obviously-impending romance.

It isn't the author's fault, but the plot is extremely similar to Stephanie Garber's 'Caraval,' which I read recently and wasn't enthralled by: two attractive young people must gain entry to a magical 'game' in order to win a wish; the girl's main goal being to save another young woman, although she might be distracted by the attractiveness of the young man...

Maybe it's my mood, but I have lots more to read!

I can never say enough times how much I love this author. She spins such tales so effortlessly I am amazed every time I turn the page. The stories she writes and the characters she gives life to are so unlike anything I've read before and every time it leaves me wanting more. I am stupefied and left speechless time and time again.

“He’d built his life on wanting the impossible – true power, recognition, a future – and now magic had found him when he’d stopped looking.”

I bought myself a copy of Roshani Chokshi’s The Star Touched Queen last year, and immediately dove in. While the book started off absolutely brilliantly, in the middle, the writing and the magic fused to become a very vague thing which had me not loving it as much as I hoped I would.

I wasn’t sure if I would read A Crown of Wishes but Roshani with her One Line Wednesdays, all the bloggers saying it was amazing and also, THE COVER THAT IS TOO GORGEOUS FOR WORDS convinced me to put it on my Wish list, and then the LOVELY folks at Macmillan sent me a review copy! *sends happy hugs*

Truth be told, I’M SO SO SAD that this book is over because I LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT, and now I’m going to miss Gauri and Vikram SO much.

This book was BRILLIANT. I loved everything in it and everything it offered me. Let me break it down for you:

1. ROSHANI’S WRITING: If NOTHING else will make you believe in Magic, Roshani Chokshi’s writing style will. The way she crafts her words together, her descriptions about things both ordinary and extraordinary and just her general ability to bring everything alive on a page is unparalleled. I had at least four moments where I just sat back after a particularly well done scene and just MARVELLED AT THIS LADY’S SHEER TALENT.

2. GAURI AND VIKRAM: I loved these two characters together, but even more than that, I LOVED THEM INDIVUDIALLY TOO. The fact that this story was told from both their points of view, and showed us how they thought, their dreams, hopes and desires separately and then slowly, how they wanted the other was EVERYTHING I was looking for.

I loved that there was no real distinction between general male and female roles. At no point was Gauri the weaker one or vice versa, and that the two of them needed each other equally. Their power, their wit and their courage was equally matched, which is just what all fantasies, contemporaries and real relationships need to be.

3. THE BANTER: Honestly, BEST. BANTER. EVER. I LOVED it. They were these two firecrackers being set off by and it was hilarious and filled with chemistry and made their relationship so much better. My heart exploded into feels in the last chapter of the book in the Ujjain gardens because AWWWWW. Seriously, best relationship development I’ve seen in a while.

4. THE PLOT: The plot is only second-best to the magical writing and perfect characters in this book, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t GREAT anyway. I can’t describe it without spoiling the magical journey that Roshani’s journey will take you on, but suffice it to say that IT IS A VERY WELL CONSTRUCTED BOOK.

Undeniably magical and witty, A Crown of Wishes is a book shaped masterpiece.

So good. I don't know what else I can say about it. This series is just so good.

A well-written and enjoyable book, I am glad I requested this title and will be more than happy to pass the title along to my fellow library purchasers.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the advanced reading copy of A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi. I can't wait to start this book.

As this is the second book to a series I don't want to give to much detail, as not to spoil anyone. I will say I love the magical world that Chokshi creates. Her ability for storytelling is a true gift and her gift has definitely grown in this last novel. Roshani Chokshi is now 100% on my auto buy author list.

So great. I love the settings, the characters, and the way that I could never tell what was going to happen. I like that the two are unlikely allies at the beginning, and the idea that the prince is adopted.

I didn't go into ACOW with high expectations after only moderately enjoying The Star-Touched Queen, but Chokshi blew me away with this one. The world-building, the characters, the writing, it was all FANTASTIC. I adored Guari and Vikram, the way their relationship progressed felt natural to them and the story. The tension and banter between them was AH-MAZING. Then the tournament was so intriguing, everything kept me on my toes and guessing what would happen next. And the descriptions of it all was beautiful and enchanting. ACOW has showed me the talent of Roshani Chokshi and I can't wait to read what she comes up with next!

I think I may have loved this one more than the first. Roshani Chokshi is a master of imagery. Her words conjure up beautiful, magical and at times terrifying images of other worlds.

This second book focused on Gauri, the sister of Maya and the Fox Prince she meets along the way. Their story is of the other world and a game they find themselves players in. It is about confronting fears, and opening yourself up to vulnerability.

I cannot wait for whatever comes next.

Amazing world-building and lush, beautiful language make for a story you can't put down once you start and that leaves you spellbound.

The covers alone of these books make me want to travel and read them. This was another beautifully written and imagined story.

“Vicious and sweet,” said Vikram, shaking his head. “Beastly girl.”
“You like me, don’t lie,” I teased.
“I couldn’t lie if I tried,” he said quietly.



It just so happens that I was given this ARC by the publisher back in December….I just was way too tired and ‘out of it’ to truly enjoy the lush story-telling of this novel. So every time I would pick up this beauty to read it, I’d get distracted or start to fall asleep…on the prologue. It was clear to me I wasn’t going to be able to read this book while in the height of my pregnancy. I did, however, get to finish it two days before I went into labor! So here I am, finally writing a review for this crazy, intricate book.

“The problem with guilt was not how it attacks the present, but how it stained the past.


I can’t say there weren’t moments where I was scratching my head-because I did that a lot. But it was never in a bad way. This author, from what I’ve always heard, writes in a deeply poetic way that you just need to be in the mindset for-I definitely gathered this from the moment I started. This isn’t your average YA fantasy-I feel it’s a bit deeper than that. Keep that in mind when choosing to start this novel-it completely changes the tone of both the book and how you feel whilst enjoying this story.

“You’re a monster,” she said.
I secured the necklace. “We all have to be something.”


When I think back on why I enjoyed this book so much (I read it almost a month ago) it always goes back to the characters. I had heard so many good things from my close friends that loved this book about the witty Vikram and I took that with a grain of salt-I mean, no book boy is ever really as good as people say (Okay, whatever…I lie, but still-everyone’s perception is different) and I almost always feel a tad different. Now, whether that means I loved them more or less is dependent upon the book-obviously.

Vikram had tried bribing them. At one point, he offered Gauri’s hand in marriage, which earned him two sharp jabs in the ribs. For equality’s sake, he offered his own hand in marriage, but that ended all bargaining negotiations on the spot.


So, when thinking of this story, did I love Vikram as much as others? Absolutely. Did I obsess over him as much as my friends? Perhaps not-but he became an instant BBF all the same. Ha, just goes to show I’ll never change. I had thought he was supposed to be tortured and somewhat sullen, almost an enemies to lovers type deal, but turns out that wasn’t the case. She hated him, but he was just cautious of her-you know, because she is from a different kingdom and all. No, he was a sarcastic prince that made me smile from ear to ear, laugh at the most random moments….did I mention I have a prince fetish? Oops.

“I prefer the poisoned food.”
“You may be rewarded yet,” he said. He popped a handful of pomegranate seeds in his mouth. He froze, some of the juice spilling from his lips. “Oh no,” he breathed, clutching his chest.
“Vikram!” I screamed.
He held up his hand. “I meant to start with mangos.”



So it’s extremely obvious that this book wasn’t so much about the plot, for me, but the characters. It was a bit obscure, in my opinion, so I took solace in the characters’ hilarious banter and romantic interactions. Vikram and Gauri had the best banter I’ve read in a while, holding up to some of my favorite bantering couples-it made this long book seem like it was over in a minute.

“My apologies. Is it your bellicose-let-me-drain-your-blood face? Could you not master an expression that looked less like an outraged cat? ”
“Better than steepling my hands and looking like an overgrown spider.”
"An overgrown spider who is rarely wrong.”
"My bellicose-let-me-drain-your-blood face has saved your life.”
“And this overgrown-spider pose is about to save yours.”



But Gauri is probably the base of why this book was so alluring-Vikram opposed her and was sly as can be…but I think he was much more tolerable in the beginning of their uneasy alliance (and nicer sooner) whereas Gauri made it harder. She was constantly on alert, always threatening him and, in her mind, thinking of ways to be rid of him (ohhh but he was too cunning). This added an extra layer of animosity between the two, adding tension and a romantic build up that pays off greatly in the end.

“I thought you were going to stay away from me,” she said.
He looked at her, this princess who seemed so dangerously sharp that he might cut himself just brushing against her shadow. “I don’t know how.”



And while the characters were the main draw to the story, for me, the story wasn’t without its addictive elements, as well-obviously. My biggest problem stems from the games. I do agree with my friend, Brittney, that this almost has a Caraval type feel. And while that’s fine, I don’t know that I was in the mood for games that aren’t in fact…games.

She laughed. And Vikram, who had never wanted for his life to slow down but only to move faster and faster to the next thing, found himself craving to live in this second.


Whatever. Call me a square, but I love structured, clear cut games and tournaments in books. I don’t like when the games aren’t clear and when they don’t have clear cut rules, winners, prizes etc. etc. Or, I don’t know, I love the life and death games (Sorry. I’ll just always be a HG type girl…). In this story, I felt the games, and the plot, for that matter, were a bit obscure. And, frankly, I don’t always love obscure.

As was the case with Caraval, though, I did enjoy it here-I just don’t know that I expected it-Which, hey, isn’t this book’s fault, now is it??

One final thing-I’m not a fan of one person being a certain pov and the other being in a totally different pov. I don’t know why it bothers me, but every time it switched I thought about it, and I just don’t like this minuscule distraction-I’m not sure what the point is, but for some reason it happens a lot in stories. I’m one of the few who can’t see past it. I still loved the story, it just served as a distraction I didn’t love.

“Surviving isn’t just about cutting out your heart and burning every feeling into ash,” he said. “Sometimes it means taking whatever is thrown at you, beautiful or grotesque, poisonous or blissful, and carving out your life with the pieces you’re given.”



A wonderful story full of twists and turns, games that leave your mind reeling, banter and a slow burn romance that is totally worth the wait, and writing that immediately enthralls you, this story is a winner. It’s hard to say whether this book will be for everyone, but its promising enough I would suggest everyone give it a try. The characters are worth every page you choose to read, and, frankly, Vikram is worth more than that. I hate that it took me so long to read this ARC, but I’m just glad I’m fulfilling my duty. This book was worth the wait, and I’m glad I can voice just how fun it was-this is not one I’ll soon forget.

Roshani Chokshi returns to her beautifully cultivated world with the tale of two royals fighting for the right to rule their kingdoms in A Crown of Wishes.

A companion novel to The Star-Touched Queen, you should be able to read this book even if you haven't read the previous one, though there are a couple of characters and connections that you might not be familiar with. Gauri, for example, one of the main characters, in the younger sister of Maya, the main character from The Star-Touched Queen.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Gauri, a princess that wishes to save her kingdom from her vicious older brother, and Vikram, a prince who wishes to take true control of his kingdom rather than allow a council to rule it, the story begins in a bit of a heavy handed fantasy method. Vikram's perspective felt a little more fanciful to me and required more work, taking me out of the story whenever it cropped up.

Gauri was vastly more interesting to my mind. Her fierceness was present from the first moment we met her as a prisoner of war. She's been in a dungeon for six months, but her cunning mind has used this time to beguile her jailers into thinking her weak while in fact she's gathered knowledge that will, hopefully, help her regain her strength and mount a force to take back her kingdom from Skanda, her wicked brother.

Both characters share similar motives, though if I had to choose which one I believed in more it would have been Gauri without question. She might have made slightly foolish decisions, but they were never more foolish than those of any person going to war, fighting for a kingdom. If anything, she trusted too much and that caused her plans to falter, lead to her temporary imprisonment and potential execution. However, it also lead to the opportunity to collude with Vikram and go to the Tournament of Wishes.

The quality of writing was maintained from Chokshi's previous novel, perhaps even improved a bit now that she's had the experience of writing a novel. The descriptions were not overly flowery, which I appreciated, because it let the wonder of the individual events shine without being overpowered. Easily pictured and easily sunk into, this novel takes you on an adventure of peril, of discovery, of battles not only for kingdoms but for one's true self. Vikram and Gauri must fight not only for what they believe is right for their kingdoms, for their people, but for their futures.

While there are no future books planned in this world, I anticipate more books from Roshani Chokshi being highly anticipated. She demonstrated to me with The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes that her knowledge of fantasy is well in hand, as is her writing ability. The future is bright for this author and for those of us lucky enough to read her books.

The Star-Touched Queen was one of my favorite reads of 2016. The story was intricate, the setting rich, and prose beautiful.When I heard about the sequel, I was a little confused. Where was she going to take our characters now? But when I learned A Crown of Wishes was a companion novel that followed Gauri, that's when I got excited.

Gauri has enemies everywhere. The ruler of Bharata, her brother, wants her dead and so do the leaders of Ujijain, where she is imprisoned. When she is called for an audience with Vikram, the prince of Ujijain, however, things change. Together, Gauri and Vikram embark on an adventure to compete in the Tournament of Wishes and win the hearts of their people.

Once again, Roshani Chokshi captured me with the amazing places our characters encounter. The magical realms are rich, vast, and somewhat terrifying, as are the magical beings that inhabit them. I loved the way the stories of magic wove together and the unexpected twists they created in the end of the story.

Gauri and Vikram were both well-crafted, interesting characters. I loved Vikram's sense of humor and was simply delighted to see who Gauri became after losing her sister in the first book. We were introduced to many new characters in this book. The Lord of Wealth and Treasure keeps you on your toes. Aasha was my favorite new character. She was a true fighter.

This book had many themes that really resonated with me, including stories, hopes, dreams, desires, and wishes. A Crown of Wishes is as lovely a read as its predecessor.

I was a great fan of The Star Touched Queen when it came out last year – in part because it was fantasy and I love fantasy unendingly, and in part because I was one of the people who really loved the lyricism in Chokshi’s writing. It felt, and has always felt, that the way she tells a story is intertwined with the type of story she tells. The culture Chokshi takes from almost demands it.

A Crown of Wishes takes what I liked in the first instalment and expands it, with the ever popular overarching plot of a fantastical competition. Whilst the Hunger Games trilogy is the most famous, A Crown of Wishes definitely feels more like Caraval to read. Except, in my opinion, Chokshi does it better.

Whilst this is a romance there isn’t just romance here. The development and growth of the two main characters (Vikram and Gauri) is as important as their growing feeling for one another. Both feel like outcasts in their own homes and both are fighting to claim what they feel is owed to them. Vikram, known as the Fox Prince, lives by his wits. Gauri, the Jewel of Bharata, lives by the sword. They’re a classic tale of opposites, which is what makes them so fun to read.

I read this slowly, savouring the way the story was told. It’s not a sequel, more a companion. But it’s still as magical and engrossing as the first.