There's been a lot of talk about how beautiful the writing of Star-touched Queen which is true, but at times, it's a little too much. The world-building, while fantastic, dominated times, and I wanted to connect more with the characters, But it is an excellent addition to YA, and I am eager to read more of this author's work.

I'm not sure what's up with me and Indian mythology books these days, but I'm loving it! I'm also hating how little I know of them and want to rectify that as soon as I possibly can. I will probably appreciate this book more fully knowing them. Weirdly enough, it felt like three books in one. Not just two parts, as the author herself had divided them. I saw someone in the reviews say that this book kept taking weird and unexpected twists, and that held very true!

In a world that fully believed in horoscopes, Maya's is bound to death. So naturally, any death anyone suffers is blamed on her. Nevermind that it's a ridiculous assumption, nevermind that she's a human being worth knowing for herself, not just the fate they forced on her. No one cares. Hating life at court, but seeing no escape, Maya is forced to adhere to the ladies of the Harem and their pure hatred of her. Until one day as she sneaks around to hear her father, the King's, announcement, she finds out what her father plans for her, a marriage to help end the war. Only it's just another tactic when what he's asking her for is actually death.

So, what I liked:

The creativity with merging the Indian mythology with this fantasy setting. The use of Indian mythological creatures as well as the Gods and Goddesses, it honestly opened a whole new world for me. The premise and inability to see where the story was going in some aspects was thoroughly enjoyable.

What I didn't like:

I felt like my personal idea of 'part two' dragged and was very dull most of the time. Especially since the place felt so empty in Naraka with only Maya, Amar, and Gupta. I don't know, but since she was supposedly a queen of a palace, I would have liked anyone else to be around? Servants? A cook? A maid? A guard? Subjects? It felt kind of dead *laugh* and I would have hated that. Especially since she didn't question any of that, despite being a princess her entire life and understanding the inner works of a real palace and the people within it. I get that she was more focused on what he was hiding rather than anything else in her surrounding that should make sense but didn't, but still.

Maya's wishy-washy character also bothered me a bit. She went hot and cold with Amar throughout the whole book. I get that led the story on (and in a way was fairly predictable), but it didn't make sense to me.

What I have mixed feelings about:

The writing. At first, I was really intrigued by the intricate imagery the author was weaving. But later on, it felt like she was weaving all these beautiful images but not giving any context or doing active world-building or adding to the story actual substance. It made me feel a little putout. But she is a beautiful writer, that's something I can never disagree on.

Favorite quote:

"I know your soul. Everything else is just ornament."

In my opinion this Cover is stunning beautiful. I love the colours and the style. It also fits the story perfectly.

The author's writing style is amazing. Roshani Chokshi is writing very fluid and I've been spellbound to this great story really quick. The only thing what took a bit time to get used to have been the character's names but you'll get used to them, I promise. It might also have been just me - and that might sound a bit weird to some of you - as I always want to know how the names are pronounced correctly. Otherwise this book is easy to read and I could imagine every face, every scene and every detail perfectly.

I also liked the pace of the story. There've been no dull or boring scenes at all but lots and lots of action, emotions and surprises. The emotions I've gone through during reading this story have varied from love to pity, from friendship to hate. There've also been some tears stinging my eyes, when I've gone through emotions like loss and regret.

And then there are the amazing characters. With some of them I fell in love straight away but there are also some characters of which I've been suspicious or even worse. With some there have been alarm bells ringing in my head so loud, that I couldn't ignore them for long.

At first there is Mayavati - often called Maya. She's the protagonist of this story and also the one I fell straight in love with. Maya lives a life nobody deserves. She's feared without having done anything wrong in her life. She has a strong will, courage, a big heart and is curious. Maya has something others lost: Hope.

Then you will also get to know Amar. He's the one I've been suspicious of. I couldn't quite catch why I felt like this and it took me a very long time until I could build a clear opinion about him. There are some very big secrets he's hiding but in the end? I would trust him with my life. I don't want to tell you more about him, as I would give away too much. I can just say, that he's amazing.

And then there is Nritti. She's the one, where my alarm bells went off like crazy. She's beautiful and convincing and seems like the friend you would love. She's giving you faith and hope and you want to lay your fate in her hands. Nritti seems protective and trustworthy but also too perfect to be true. You want to know why? Then you should definitely join Maya and all the other amazing characters on their huge journey.

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend 'The Star-Touched Queen' to every reader, who loves to get lost in a grand story and live in other worlds.