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ay_angie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
Just okay. As good as the writing is, I felt there were so many moments where I got lost on what was happening. I wished we delved more into everything around her to feel more emotionally attached to the story.
nujibuji's review against another edition
3.0
The writer has a knack for descriptive language, but this book needed a few more rounds of edits to get it into tip-top shape. Too much flowery writing can overwhelm the story after a while. It was really enjoyable to read the colorful prose in the beginning, but then it just got to be too much in every sentence. It took away from the main plot, which clearly got lost in the pretty language. There were so many cool elements to the story that were never fully developed, like the night bazaar, the tapestry with threads, and the horoscopes. Kamala (the demon horse) was amazing, and the story needed more focus on a few elements just like that. When she came into the story, there was actually more structure to the plot and the language settled down a bit. But overall too much was going on at all times in the book, and things kept happening without a whole lot of explanation. There were so many mentions of things that felt like they were important or would develop into something more, but they were just that - mentions. One minute Mayavati is in one place and then she's whisked off to another without the reader understanding how and when the setting changed. One minute Mayavati hates Amar and then the next scene she's so enamored without us truly understanding how and why the shift occurred.
It seems a South Asian narrator was selected to narrate the audiobook, but she did not pronounce certain words correctly, which was an injustice to the author’s purposeful use of those words (ie. Ghungroo). Other than the mispronunciations, the narrator did a great job. I loved her voice for Kamala.
It seems a South Asian narrator was selected to narrate the audiobook, but she did not pronounce certain words correctly, which was an injustice to the author’s purposeful use of those words (ie. Ghungroo). Other than the mispronunciations, the narrator did a great job. I loved her voice for Kamala.
undeadpoets_society's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very intriguing book. It gave me a cultural view that I never had before. And who doesn't love a fantastical magic system filled with wonder?? I started reading this book for class, but I finished it for myself. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good love story with strong female protagonists.
The concept of the book interested me, but the best thing about this novel is the characters. The growth that the protagonist goes through is stunning, and the friends she meets along the way are darling. The romance that blossoms is intense and beautiful. I would love to use this book to teach about different cultures and compare them to our own. I also think it would be beneficial to use this book as a feminist study in a classroom setting.
Warnings:
Drugs - No
Sex - No
Rock and Roll - Fantasy creatures and demons
Violence - Some
Language - No
The concept of the book interested me, but the best thing about this novel is the characters. The growth that the protagonist goes through is stunning, and the friends she meets along the way are darling. The romance that blossoms is intense and beautiful. I would love to use this book to teach about different cultures and compare them to our own. I also think it would be beneficial to use this book as a feminist study in a classroom setting.
Warnings:
Drugs - No
Sex - No
Rock and Roll - Fantasy creatures and demons
Violence - Some
Language - No
christina558's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
3.0
I'm very conflicted about this book. But I think, overall, it fell short of my expectations. I liked the world, it felt very magical, and I actually liked the writing. However, I felt like the plot itself was very messy, and I wasn't too fond of the insta-love and I felt like their relationship could have been developed better. Also, I didn't like how the majority of female characters were only ever really motivated by the men around them. Overall, it was a decent read, but I had problems with it.
sl1m3_0's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
booktreasuresau's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.
moxiegirlzriot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.75