Wednesday Words: A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

Happy Hump Day!

I forgot my book at home last week, so this week, I am sharing with you what I am reading this month.

A Crown of Wishes is the 2nd installment to Roshani Chokshi's The Star-Touched Queen series. It follows an adopted prince named Vikram on a journey to a fantastical tournament with the reluctant Princess Gauri, who we saw grow up into a fearsome warrior in STQ. Here is the premise:

Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom's enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they'll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes - a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.

Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.

Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there's nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

I'm not as into this story as I was with the first book (it's how I felt about Bitterblue; I didn't really need to see what was going on with her down the road), but the dialogue and banter between Vikram and Gauri is hilarious. I love Vikram's character. Also, once again, we get to delve into Indian fantasy and mythology. I like getting to see the Night Bazaar again (I wonder if anyone has illustrated it...). I'd like to know if we see Maya again.

So let's find out, maybe. Using Random.org, I will select a line from a page to share. There are 367 pages in the book, and Random has chosen page 339. Geez. Ah, wait, the opening line to a chapter, and it's a good one.

Skanda turned to me. "Why aren't you dead?"

I can't wait to see how she gets back home. I accidentally saw a line from the page before it that really intrigues me, too, so now I must speed up my reading!

What are you reading this month?

Wednesday Words: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

So I'm going to go ahead and date this for yesterday, because I forgot to post. That's what I get for taking a break.

Happy Wednesday! On the 2nd Wednesday of the month, I share what I am currently reading and provide a line or few from a randomly chosen page. This week, I am reading Roshani Chokshi's The Star-Touched Queen.

I've never read Indian mythology or folklore, so because this book is "steeped with" it, as the blurb says, this is a whole new world for me. But so far, I'm liking what I'm reading. Here is the premise:

"Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself."

Even this didn't give anything away for me, because in the first 60 pages a lot happens! It's an intense start with a lot of great imagery. I have one big suspicion that I'm going to hold on to. If it doesn't happen, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

I am 92 pages into the book, and because I don't want to spoil anything for myself, I will let Random.org generate up to page 93. It chose page 72, so let me share a line from there.

The inhabitants of the Otherworld moved airily through the Night Bazaar, sidestepping dancing conch shells and examining iridescent fruits. With their long limbs, stark cheekbones and symmetrical features, they were too perfect to be mistaken as human. 

That last line creeps me out a little. It gives me the feeling that they look human but eerily too human. It reminds me of a scene from The Haunting where the main character is trapped in a room of mirrors, and the first one she looks in, her reflection is almost her but not, and then it smiled, and I died.

What are you reading this week?