The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi follows Princess Mayavati, the daughter of the great Raja of Bharata. With a horoscope that affirms a future marriage of bereavement and demise, Maya only seems to attract hate and disgust from the rest of the kingdom who fear of what she will bring to the world. When the Raja arranges to marry her off to Prince Amar in an attempt to silence outside rebellion, she finds herself in the new position of both wife of the prince and queen of his homeland, Akaran, all at once. As she struggles to fall in line with her new duties, she finds a newfound confidence, which was something she had refrained from in the past. Using her new power, Maya discovers her voice all while slowly discovering her new husband. As she learns to appreciate Amar’s compassion and protection, she soon finds herself worried for her own life. With the fate of the world on the line, Maya fights to save the lives of herself and those she loved the most. I absolutely adored this book and found myself not being able to put it down. I enjoyed taking the journey with Maya as she changed from a quiet princess who watched the world through crevices in the palace into a queen who embraced who she really was and who she was meant to be. The plotline has so many lovable qualities about it, but the thing that kept me most engaged was the author’s writing. Throughout the entire novel, Chokshi provides clear visuals in each and every scene. The way she would describe even the simplest of things made me feel like I was seeing them right in front of me as I was reading. Personally, as more of a visual learner, writing that can give me a clear mental image has always been what I gravitated towards. I think Chokshi did an amazing job on the entire novel, but the mental illustrations alone are enough that I would highly recommend giving it a read.
I absolutely adored this book and found myself not being able to put it down. I enjoyed taking the journey with Maya as she changed from a quiet princess who watched the world through crevices in the palace into a queen who embraced who she really was and who she was meant to be. The plotline has so many lovable qualities about it, but the thing that kept me most engaged was the author’s writing. Throughout the entire novel, Chokshi provides clear visuals in each and every scene. The way she would describe even the simplest of things made me feel like I was seeing them right in front of me as I was reading. Personally, as more of a visual learner, writing that can give me a clear mental image has always been what I gravitated towards. I think Chokshi did an amazing job on the entire novel, but the mental illustrations alone are enough that I would highly recommend giving it a read.