Holy cow - I don't know where to begin.

I liked A Star-Touched Queen, it was romantic and magical - but this one. This book. This book knocked everything else out of the ball park. It was BEAUTIFUL. It was so wonderfully written, Roshani Chokshi's writing continues to baffle and awe me. She has a way of stringing sentences that sound like magical songbirds floating around my head. I can't fault them, and I can't get enough of them.

When I first read this this book was going to focus on Gauri, that was enough to seal the deal that I wanted to read it ASAP. And I wasn't disappointed! Gauri is a feisty, honorable, flawed, emotional and beautiful character. The snippet that we got of her in the first book was enough to get my attention and want more. She was a beautiful character to follow, and her journey was a joy to read. And as for Vikram, I'm just going to sit here and swoon for a fair while. I lost count of how many times my stomach flipped with swoony butterflies, sigh.

I will now read EVERYTHING Roshani Chokshi writes, she's got a fan for eternity right here!

I read this book back in December, and I never ended up reviewing it, and now I'm at a loss as to what to say. And I hate that because this book was SO DAMN GOOD and I might have even loved it more than Roshani's debut, which I didn't think was possible, and idk I'm just really sad I didn't spend the time talking about it yet. And that I definitely won't be able to do the book justice at all now. So instead of writing an actual review, which I think would be super hard at the moment, I'm just going to give you a few reasons why you should absolutely read this book. (And while you're at it, if you haven't read The Star-Touched Queen yet, get on that).

1. The banter between Gauri and Vikram. These two were HILARIOUS together. I was cackling aloud so many times. Both of them had their own reasons for wanting to play the game, and they didn't really WANT to work together, but they did. And it made for such banterfully lively conversations that had me shipping these two so hard. Their romance was so sweet and wonderful to watch unfold.

2. The beautiful prose that Roshani weaves throughout the book. This woman is so damn talented, guys. I feel like I'm in another world when reading her stories, which is figuratively true given that they're set in a fantastical world, but it just feels so REAL. The descriptions were vivid and almost dreamlike. It was so enchanting and had me hooked from the very first page! It was diverse and painted in vibrant colors, and a book to savor.

3. The characters themselves. Strong-willed, loyal, and stubborn, Gauri and Vikram were actually quite similar to each other. They were both determined to win this tournament, to secure themselves wishes. They faced dangers and survived on their wit and their strength, but they did not count on the tournament forcing them to face their choices and their deepest desires. I loved the two of them SO MUCH, and I'm so, so glad Gauri got her own story. Siblings are not secondary characters. <3

Rating: 4.5 Paw Prints!

First Line: Vikram had spent enough time with bitterness that he knew how to twist and numb the feeling.
Summary: Gauri is a princess of Bharata. Vikram is the prince of Ujijain. Gauri is a prisoner of Ujijain and therefore a prisoner of Vikram. She has been banished from her kingdom and her throne by her evil brother. When Vikram enters her cell and proposes to free her in if she will travel with him to the Otherworld to enter the Tournament of Wishes she agrees in hopes of escaping and returning to her homeland. As they travel they encounter magical creatures and trials that will test them as they compete for a wish from the gods.
Highlights: The writing and imagery is beautiful. The detail is so colorful and enchanting. I love the cover.
Lowlights: With all the detail and characters it was easy to get lost. At times the story seemed to be shifting and didn’t seem to have a main climax. I expected more from the tournament. It was still fun but not nearly as good as the first book.
FYI: This is the second book in a series but I feel that it can be read as a standalone as well. People are mentioned and seen from the first but they do not alter it without knowing the previous book.

This BOOK. OMG no beautiful words are coming to my heads as I write this review.
I loved the first book, and I loved the second. This was such a beautiful story, the writing is just beautiful and it flows lovely. That cover WOW! like just embrace the fact that both of these stories have some of the most amazing covers. Just like the cover being amazing, so are the characters and this story. It gave me all the feels, and I for one can not wait to read more from this author.

A Crown of Wishes compels the reader from the first page with its lush prose and strong, likable characters. I absolutely loved how Chokshi's infusion of the Indian folklore adds an ancient, rare quality to her novel. I'd recommend A Crown of Wishes to anyone looking to diversify their fantasy reading.

This title is a great addition to the burgeoning tide of books set in the far east, and based on eastern fairy tales or folk lore. I know very little about Indian folklore or Hinduism, but it didn't matter. The author's style and plot kept me interested and I was easily able to fall into her world.

Gauri is a banished princess-with-attitude, who is determined to outsmart her villainous brother and win back not only her kingdom, but the freedom of one of her closest friends (or sister, I can't recall - I haven't read the first in the series so I was a bit muzzy on parts of the backstory). Her banishment sends her to a neighboring kingdom, and she appears on the doorstep of prince Vikram, whose battling his own demons.

The two decide to pair off to fight a magical game called The Tournament of Wishes, the winner of which can claim a Wish. They cross over into an eastern fairyland populated by demons, life-sucking wraiths and tricksters whose only goal is to stop the humans from winning. I loved the world building and imagination, and the dual POVs were tightly drawn to show the personalities of both Gauri and Vikram. Because of course, the challenges cut at the heart of each character, and force them to confront their fears, mistakes and failures. At first, their alliance is uneasy but that shifts as they realize they must have each other's back bc nobody else does.

While my feelings for The Star Touched Queen were hazy, my love for A Crown of Wishes is undisputed. It is like Chokshi took a look into my heart and delivered me a fantastic love story, characters who were wonderfully complex, and blended that with wit, humor, and wisdom.

Let me begin with the characters. We may witness the tournament through their eyes and in their heads, they will find themselves a home in our hearts. Gauri is a talented warrior who has learned to guard her heart, both from sadness and love. Vikram longs for what is rightfully his, but is denied by a dangerous secret. Aasha may consume desires, but that does not stop her from a fierce and impossible yearning of her own. Their raw memories as well as their experiences during each trial, round out their intricacies and carve a spot in your heart.
I want to take a moment to talk about this novel’s romance: it is absolutely a million times better and more realistic. Not only am I sucker for enemies turned to lovers, but their relationship and trials demand the uncovering of their secrets. I was totally sold. Give me more because I love each of them and their love.

It is not only a tale of love, but of also freedom and justice. And throw in some riddles, rhymes, and philosophy. But don’t forget the characters that tug your heartstrings and quests that make you believe in magic. The ending is fantastic, sewing up loose threads, hinging on agency and forgiveness.

I absolutely loved The Star-Touched Queen. It was magical and lyrical, and pretty much everything I always want in a book. So when I knew that there was going to be a sequel about Maya’s sister, Gauri, I was excited to say the least.

You know, I think I loved A Crown of Wishes perhaps even a tad more than The Star-Touched Queen because of Vikram. I adored Vikram. And I loved that there were chapters from his POV because it allowed me as a reader to get to know him beyond Gauri’s interpretation of him as a companion and love interest. He was a mix of sassy and sweet, which is pretty much the perfect combination, okay? His one-liners were amazing. I don’t know how Gauri resisted for so long because I was swept off my feet practically the moment he was introduced *swoons*

The writing style in A Crown of Wishes was quite different to its predecessor, but no less lovely. There were still beautiful, lyrical passages, but since this was from Gauri’s POV the changes made sense. She’s not as whimsical as Maya, and she’s hardened a lot because of the treatment of her brother. I loved her. She was a badass heroine without being an emotionless ice statue. She cares about people, and her kingdom, and her sister. She is great with knives, but she isn’t always so great with being honest about her feelings but she has feelings and she acknowledges them and feels them. And I just loved seeing a badass character who didn’t rely on being soulless and ruthless to be badass.

I was intrigued by the storyline, and I absolutely know that I am going to read this book again. Because I flew through it there were probably things that I missed and I have a feeling that A Crown of Wishes is the type of book that will stand the test of a re-read (which is quite a feat, really).

There were a quite lot of lovely side characters, and side stories, as well. One of my favourite side characters was the vetala. I thought he was hilarious and he kind of reminded me of Kamala, which is high praise because Kamala is my everything. I also really loved Aasha, who actually has a few POV chapters. She was 100% not straight because when she was talking about kissing she said that she’d kiss a girl or a boy and can we just shout from the rooftops about this, please? I really, really want Aasha’s book because I feel like there is so much to read about her and her life, and a queer story from Roshani Chokshi would be out of this world amazing. Also a quick shout out to the Serpent King because reasons.

I don’t even really have much more to say about this book because its twists and turns are something that you should have no idea of when reading it. I highly recommend A Crown of Wishes to anyone who loves YA fantasy because this is going to become a staple in the genre, I can tell.

© 2017, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

You could carry a story inside you and hold it up to the light when you needed it the most.

Amazing story! A must read! Didn't want this book to end. Vikram and Gauri will deal with desires, fears and take part in a journey of self-discovery. A tournament of wishes where a wish comes at cost. Take a journey into this beautiful story. You will not regret it!

A companion to Star Touched Queen, but with a different feel. The writing is less flowery and there is more action in this title. While I enjoyed both, I think STQ appealed to me more. I think that each book will have a large audience and will definitely read Roshani Chokshi's future books.

A Crown of Wishes is a companion novel to The Star-Touched Queen that can be read independently of the first novel in the series. While it can be read independently, I would actually also recommend reading the other novel (either before or after) simply because it's an excellent novel that shouldn't be missed. The writing is so stunning, as you might already know if you've read The Star-Touched Queen. There's such a magical feel to the prose, which very much suits the world in which the book is set.

The banter between the two protagonists is hilarious, and there were so many quotable interactions that I'm sure will pop up on Goodreads quotes. I really appreciated how the romance developed slowly between the two of them, mostly stemming from seeing glimpses of each other's hidden aspects throughout the novel, either from just being around each other or from magic.

I really liked Aasha, a secondary character whose point of view we saw in a couple of chapters. While I won't say too much about her storyline as it could get slightly spoilery, I would definitely have liked to have seen more from her. The host of other secondary characters were also very intriguing, from Kubera, the Lord of Wealth who runs the Tournament of Wishes, to the Serpent King, to many, many other characters based on Indian mythology.

The ending was quite satisfying, tying off all those loose threads in the plot. I'm quite impressed with how conclusive Chokshi's novels are, there's hardly anything to criticise about how they end, except maybe the fact that they actually do end (I could definitely keep reading her beautiful prose). We also got some cameos from book one, which was a nice touch.

All in all, A Crown of Wishes is an excellent follow up to Chokshi's first novel. I would certainly read more books in this universe or any others she may write; her writing is simply gorgeous.

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

Last year I read The Star-Touched Queen and loved it. Since I failed to review it in the blog, feel free to read Effie’s review here. The first book in this companion series was full of magic, death, stars, fantasy and a muted romance. A Crown of Wishes blew my mind, it was amazing from every angle and I loved it even harder than Maya’s story

Wow!

Yep, it’s that good. You get the basic premise from the blurb. Gauri is in trouble and Vikram is ordered to sentence her to death. Instead, he asks her to be his partner in the Tournament of Wishes, a contest in a magical place where the winners are granted wishes. They both believe that a wish would make their lives better and turned their futures around. In A Crown of Wishes we revisit some of the places and characters of the previous book and Maya even makes a tiny appearance as well. The world building is amazing, so vivid that the reader can almost taste, see and feel everything around.

I adore this couple. Gauri and Vikram and one of my favorite couples of all time. I loved their imperfections, their bravery, their fears, how their suffering brought them closer together, help them understand each other and appreciate what they have to overcome. They learn each other’s secrets, they learn to trust each other, to depend on each other and eventually to forgive and love themselves. Such an amazing character growth in the span of a couple of weeks. The banter and chemistry between them is to die for!

Gauri is fierce, a soldier, an expert in politics, a natural leader and a defender of the poor and the beaten. She has suffered a lot at the hands of her manipulating and cruel brother, but she still has a tender heart (even if she doesn’t think so) that loves stories and misses her best friend and her missing sister.

“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.”

Vikram is so smart, it’s scary. He’s not trained in battle, but he can run and outsmart anyone. He’s sweet, realistic, loving, handsome, self assured, and a great leader.

There are a lot characters, some human, some magical, and some are gods. Incredible cast. I also loved how at the end, when they go home, they realize that wishes cannot ‘cure’ everything that’s wrong in their lives. Gauri and Vikram make wise choices and achieve their goals at the end. The ending is so precious and I want more! *hing, hint*

“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.”

I think that with A Crown of Wishes, Roshani Chokshi has now become of my of favorite authors. The writing is lyrical, enthralling, breathtaking, just pure magic. Read the quotes that I added to my review, read the excerpt, and listen to the audio sample for plenty of proof of how vivid, engrossing and sweeping it is.

“I never dared to hope for someone who challenged
and respected me, knew me at my worst and still coaxed out my best. And yet I had found that in the unlikeliest of places and most inconvenient of people. Wasn’t that enough to fight for? Could I live with knowing that I’d left him standing in the shadows . . . waiting for me?
I couldn’t. And that was all the answer I needed.”

Overall, A Crown of Wishes is a gem. It’s a story of growth, change, magic, possibility, strength, destiny, and an epic love. It explores the power of stories, how they change, how they are created, told and re-told, and if we’re lucky, they become legend. Such a raw, beautiful, masterful story. Loved it!

A Crown of Wishes is a stunning and magical tale of love and hope and fighting for the life you want. A beautifully written and richly spun tale.

This book was just magical. I thoroughly enjoyed The Star Touched Queen, and was most excited to hear that a sequel was coming.

I loved that this sequel followed a different set of characters than that of the first, as it really added some more depth and insight into the already established world of Star-Touched Queen. The world itself is really beautifully explained and explored, and no detail is left behind. Honestly, I would recommend this book on the world building alone, I felt as if I was actually in places such as Alaka (part of the Otherworld) with its expansive gardens, and amazing environment.

I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about another set of mythology, as I had no previous insight into Indian mythology. It's something that’s wanting me to do further research. The detail in these mythological beings is brilliant, and they definitely do not have "human" traits as some authors are prone to do, to gain reader empathy/relatability. The glossary at the back is also a wonderful help to those needing a little more insight into the main recurring deities/creatures, and was a great help to me.

Both Gauri and Vikram's character development is what also drew me right into this world. Gauri's journey from a battle hardened, protective woman into a more world aware and softer (not weaker) person is amazing, and I loved seeing the small subtle changes in her as the trails wore on. Also Vikram's interpersonal journey is just as amazing. All through this book is empowering, strong, beautiful women, who are not seen as any lesser than their male counterparts.

All in all, it's definitely something I will be recommending at work and through my friendship group. As the difference in this book compared to other mythology based books is brilliant, and the story and characters are entirely relatable. Just all in all a wonderful, rollicking read.

I loved this and yet I kinda have no idea what I read. There was so much action and adventure, it really felt like the main characters were always on the move. It’s a traditional goal oriented tale but there is enough fantasy and mysticism that I didn’t know what would happen next.

Vikram is an intelligent young prince who is constantly trying to prove himself but his efforts constantly fall on deaf ears. He finds solace in his search for magic and thinks his opportunity arrives when his is invited to compete in the Tournament of Wishes in the magical land. There are several requirements, one of which being he has to have a partner for the competition. He crosses paths with Guri, and knows instantly that she’s a perfect fit.

We met Guri in the companion novel, A Star Touched Queen. In this story, she’s a grown princess with a strong and independent will that grates on her brother’s amoral tendencies. Guri has her own reasons for competing and sees Vikram as a means to an end. Vikram is a clever guy with a smart mouth. They were so fun to be on the journey with.

I actually liked this novel more than the Star Touched Queen. This focused more on the adventure plot than heavy romance. It really felt like they were forming a foundation of friendship with the potential for more rather than forcing a romance right out of the gate. I had such a great time with these characters, I would love an epilogue or novella with a life update at some point. A lot happened in this book but I left it feeling that a journey was completed and I had enough time to care about the characters and that it quite hard to do in a standalone.

What can I say about this book? Since the minute I heard that THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN was going to have a follow-up novel, I was so excited. Now that I have read it, I am in awe of the author’s ability to weave together such a magnificent tale. The richness in her writing and talent for bringing imagery to life enhances the story in such a way that the reader cannot help but get drawn into this world. I honestly didn’t think it was possible for Roshani Chokshi to outdo herself, but she did. The mystical elements and the emotion that fill these pages will captivate and beguile. This is a must read for 2017.

Audio Book Note: If you are an audio book fan, then A CROWN OF WISHES as well as the first book, THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN, are a must add to your library. They are wonderful narrations which bring together all the magic, emotion, and fantasy of the books all the while bringing to life the characters.

4 wishes stars

“That’s not true,” he said softly. “Here, I’ll tell it to you. Once there was a beast princess and a fox prince—” “Beast princess? That sounds awful, I—” He shushed me. “—and they had to do all kinds of awful things. Like talk to each other.” I laughed. “And fight through memories that tried to lure them away, poisonous beauties and . . . fear.” My chest tight ened. “And they did all of this for freedom. One day, even if they couldn’t see it now, it was going to be worth the pain.” We were both quiet. “

An ARC has been kindly provided by St Martin's Press, via NetGalley.com, in exchange for an honest review.

This story reminded me of some Persian tales with flourishes at every turn and lyrical sentences. You’ll get your fill of colors, smells, tastes, magical creatures and fantasy landscapes. It’s a world where rubies fall from snakes mouths where golden apples stick to your hand giving you hunger like you’ve never experienced and beautiful women can kill you with a bare touch.

It tells you the tale of Gauri and Vikram forming an unexpected alliance to enter the Tournament Of Wishes. Both are shunned by their kingdom. Each had their own wants and desires. They’ll have to be courageous facing their worst fears. They will use every intelligence and talent they have in the hope of winning the contest. They will be stripped bare to their soul and of course will come across changed forever.
“Somehow as they’d stumbled together from one near-death incident to the next, he had found a connection.”

I loved so many things in this book.
If the writing was gorgeous I loved the roles reversal above all else!
Usually men are strong because they use brute force. They’re muscled warriors and protect female characters with their fists and weapons. Women are known for using their sharp tongue and wits to win battles.
In A Crown of Wishes Vikram is The Fox Prince and Gauri is The Jewel of Bharata also known as Beastly Girl as Vikram nicknamed her. Mrs Chokshi chose to make Vikram the bearer of sharp tongue. He’ll nearly never carry a knife or a sword as his best weapon is his smart mouth and clever mind. Gauri is the story’s muscles. She has trained for years with soldiers and can wield many weapons, her looks included. The female character protecting the male character thanks to her warrior experience and the male character charming people with his tongue made for a refreshing change!

I also delighted in their banter. Gauri will shoot sharp jabs while Vikram deflects with supreme confidence. So little things unsettled Vikram but Gauri was fierce and passionate.
Just to give you an idea of their power play and banter:
“He moved to stand, and I placed my foot on his chest. “I will not perform for you or anyone. Never ask me to do something like that again.” He stared at me. “Are you done? ” “Yes.” “May I get up? ” “No.” “I see you like your men with their egos gutted.” “Only when I’m feeling generous.” (…) He tucked his hands behind his head like a pillow before glancing at the ceiling. “Fine. Now can you kindly remove your foot from my chest? ”

Now we have a tale filled with trials the tournament’s contestants have to win, role reversal, great banter… What am I forgetting? Oh yes: interesting and entertaining characters!

Let’s begin with Vikram. Ha, Vikram (insert sigh here). He is handsome, smart and cunning. He’s also been hurt deeply. The Council’s lack of faith in its ability to reign and the guilt he bears relating to his mother’s death made him easy to love. He believes in magic, he believes the world is his to take. He’s much more optimist than Gauri. Vikram is their duo’s tranquil force.

Gauri was an incredible heroine but was somewhat harder to love in the beginning as she had erected walls around herself. She tried her best to save her kingdom but when everything you try to help ends hurting people you learn to hold back and trust only yourself.
“Maybe if I had been braver, I would have spoken up. But at what cost? I hadn’t forgotten the serving girl I tried defending. My voice was one of the only things I could control—when to unleash it, when to tamp it down like a burning ember, when to grow it in secret. All my life, control and power had worn the same face. I believed in gods, but the only faith I truly practiced was control. Nothing in excess. Nothing that placed my life in the hands of another.”
Mistrusting everyone, prompt to unleash her temper she was the hot headed one of the story. Fierce, protective, loyal she’ll have to learn to rely on others.

Aasha earned a special place in my heart. She was a side character in this story but what lovely side character! She had such great power and yet did not want to use it and harm others. She did not want to be what she was. If I could use an analogy she would be like a wolf refusing to eat bunny and choosing to survive on flowers only.
“Aasha flinched any way. She wanted to be like her sisters: content. She wanted, so often, not to feel that she was the only person who desperately wished things were different. But she could not help who she was and she did not want to apologize any longer for her dreams.”

As you can see this book has many assets to seduce and enthrall its reader. So would I recommend this book? A thousand times!

Beautiful writing.... The descriptions are incredibly vivid. Enjoyed the story as well.

A Crown of Wishes is a companion book to A Star-Touched Queen -- or you might call it a "sister" book, as the main characters in the books are sisters. Gauri, the protagonist of A Crown of Wishes, is the younger half-sister of Maya, whom you might remember from A Star-Touched Queen.

This book had me excited right off because it features two of my favorite story elements, the hate-to-love story and a tournament. The story begins with Gauri imprisoned. She's broken out of prison by a prince who wants her to be his partner in the Tournament of Wishes, a contest in which the victor wins a wish.

Initially this book reminded me a little of the first Throne of Glass book, in which a tough, no-nonsense character gets let out of prison and has to compete in a tournament. I loved the unexpected ways that gender was portrayed in the book. Gauri is the one who is angry, tough and vengeful. She loves makeup, but almost views it as battle paint. Vikram is more trusting, forthcoming, and vulnerable. Known as the "Fox Prince," he longs to be taken seriously by the people of his country.

The two must put their differences aside and work together to win the tournament. Now, sometimes tournaments are used in books as a substitute for plot, and at first I was a bit worried about that in this story. But no -- these characters grow and change as they face each challenge.

As always, Roshani Chokshi's writing is full of rich description, folklore and mythology. If you loved the Star-Touched Queen, definitely try this. And if you haven't read that book, I think you could really read these two in any order.

OH MY!!!
Where to begin. This book is both visually pleasing, with it's amazing cover, to emotionally pleasing with it's absolutely stunning and amazing story, world, and characters. Each page had me wanting more and more. I truly loved book one of this series and didn't think I could love it anymore, but alas I was wrong. Book 2 pulls you in and does all the things to ones emotional state that you want from a book, and more.
Roshani has a wonderful grip on how to write a fantastic book and keep readers coming back for and wanting more. From her rich world to her captivating characters. I think EVERYONE should read this, of course after reading book 1, if they haven't already!!

*I was given an ARC of this book to read for free and review. I had already read book one on my own and these are solely my words and opinions.