[Review] The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

08:00 Cilla 8 Comments

The Star-Touched Queen is a beautifully-written Hades and Persephone-style story about Maya, a princess born under a horoscope of death and destruction, who is set on a path to discover her strength and who she really is. Chokshi writes gorgeous prose, and the worlds Maya live in are enchanting. At times, however, the plot gets a little lost amidst the pretty. 

Given my lack of familiarity with either the Hades and Persephone or the Indian mythology, I was reading this story with entirely fresh eyes. I read so much fantasy that sometimes elements of the world feel worn, so it was a lot of fun to have this setting where most of the elements - the magical creatures and themes - are unfamiliar. My favourite was the flesh-eating horse demon, Kamala, and the elephant who spun clouds. And of course, The Night Bazaar.

I didn't know what to think at first about Amar. He seems like an absolute dream - a guy who promises to share his kingdom with you in a relationship that is completely equal. At the same time, he is unable to tell Maya pretty much anything about himself, or why he seems to have loved her even before they met. To be honest, by the end I wasn't fully swept up by the romance, but for me the story is less about their love anyway and more about Maya's journey to finding her place and self.

Chokshi's writing is stunning. Just look at this:

What I wanted was a connection, a shared heartbeat that kept rhythm across oceans and worlds. Not some alliance cobbled out of war. I didn’t want the prince from the folktales or some milk-skinned, honey-eyed youth who said his greetings and proclaimed his love in the same breath. I wanted a love thick with time, as inscrutable as if a lathe had carved it from night and as familiar as the marrow in my bones. 

She has a way with similes and metaphors, and her style really suits the genre. At times, however, I got sidetracked by the poetry of her writing that I lost the thread of the story. A couple of times, I had to backtrack to make sure I hadn't just missed an explanation about something. All in all, though, The Star-Touched Queen was an enjoyable debut that would suit fans of fantasy and retellings of mythology. I look forward to reading more from Roshani Chokshi!

Reading this book contributes to the following challenges:

❥ Goodreads Challenge