Once Upon a Twilight!: Roshani Chokshi

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Waiting on Wednesday: A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

A Crown of Wishes

The Star-Touched Queen #2

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Release Date: March 28th 2017

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

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.

Blog Tour: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi + Excerpt

Welcome to our stop on The Star-Touched Queen tour for Roshani Chokshi. This tour is hosted by St. Martin's Griffin!

The Star-Touched Queen

Author: Roshani Chokshi
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy
Release Date: April 26th 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

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.

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

EXCERPT: LESSONS IN SILENCE

The archives were cut like honeycombs and golden light clung to them, dousing every tome, painting, treatise and poem the soft gold of ghee freshly skimmed from boiling butter. I was only allowed to visit once a week—to meet with my weekly tutor before I inevitably scared him away. Every time I left the archival room, my arms brimmed with parchment paper. I loved the feeling of discovery, of not knowing how much I wanted something until I had discovered its absence.

The week before, I had lost myself in the folktales of Bharata. Stories of elephants who spun clouds, shaking tremors loose from ancient trunks gnarled with the rime of lost cyclones, whirlwinds and thunderstorms. Myths of frank-eyed naga women twisting ser- pentine, flashing smiles full of uncut gemstones. Legends of a world beneath, above, beside the one I knew—where trees bore edible gems and no one would think twice about a girl with dark skin and a darker horoscope. I wanted it to be real so badly that sometimes I thought I could see the Otherworld. Sometimes, if I closed my eyes and pressed my toes into the ground, I could almost sense them sinking into the loam of some other land, a dream demesne where the sky cleaved in two and the earth was sutured with a magic that could heal hearts, mend bones, change lives.

It was a dream I didn’t want to part with, but I had to settle for what magic I could create on my own. I could read more. Learn more. Make new dreams. But the best part wasn’t hoarding those wishes to myself. It was sharing everything I learned with Gauri, my half-sister. She was the only one I couldn’t scare away . . . the only one I didn’t want to.

Thinking of Gauri always made me smile. But as soon as I caught sight of my tutor of the week, the smile disappeared. He stood between two pillars of the archive section marking the kingdom’s history. Beyond the sheer number of things to read in the archive room, what I loved most was its ceiling. It was empty, wide enough to crawl through and conveniently linked to my father’s inner sanctum.

The tutor, as luck would have it, stood directly below my hiding spot. At least Father’ announcement hadn’t started. The courtiers still murmured and the footfall of tardiness fell on my ears like music. But if I was ever going to get to hear that meeting, I had to get rid of the tutor first.

“Punctuality is a prize among women,” said the tutor.

Read Leydy's 5 trees review!

Roshani Chokshi comes from a small town in Georgia where she collected a Southern accent, but does not use it unless under duress. She grew up in a blue house with a perpetually napping bear-dog. At Emory University, she dabbled with journalism, attended some classes in pajamas, forgot to buy winter boots and majored in 14th century British literature. She spent a year after graduation working and traveling and writing. After that, she started law school at the University of Georgia where she’s learning a new kind of storytelling.

Blog Tour: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi | Interview | Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on The Star-Touched Queen tour for Roshani Chokshi. This tour is hosted by Rockstar Book Tour.

The Star-Touched Queen

Author: Roshani Chokshi
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy
Release Date: April 26th 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

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.

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

INTERVIEW

The world building in The Star Touched Queen is incredible. Can you tell me a little bit about how the idea behind it came about?
I’ve always been fascinated with magical worlds, in particular how we accessed these lands. When I was little, I loved the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA for the simplicity of its portal magic. Open a wardrobe: whole new country. Bam! In some folklore, fairyland is a place that’s just outside the realm of sleep. Sometimes the Otherworld lies atop the mortal plane, touching us but impossible to enter. When it came time to developing Maya and Amar’s world, I wanted to draw on all of those concepts of other lands. Hence, there’s mirrors that lead to different kingdoms in the palace of Akaran. The Night Bazaar is “on the other side of a moonbeam.” The numerous magical cities are stacked one upon the other. Like cake. Cake is, probably, my biggest motivation in writing. And life in general.

Was there a scene that didn't make it into the book that you wish had?
Yes…there was one scene I really loved writing. But I realize why we couldn’t use it. Nothing *happened* with it, it was just me having way too much fun describing a ship in the sky. Alas!

What’s the most interesting/exciting thing you’ve done in the name of research?
Maybe this is a super corny answer, but it’s the honest one, so I hope I don’t make anyone roll their eyes so aggressively they end up in a coma…BUT…the most interesting and exciting thing that helped my research was just living. I try to travel when I can. I try not to say no to new things (provided they don’t put me at risk for bodily harm, e.g. cage wrestling tigers would be a NOPE). I *love* talking to people wherever I am and I love hearing their stories. It’s inspiring! Living was my best research (WOW THAT IS CORNY, I AM SO SORRY).

What's your ideal environment for writing?
One of two things: either a room flooded with sunshine and utterly silent, or a room dimly lit and thrumming with noise.

Name a song that describes your book?
My brilliant editor, Eileen Rothschild, was the one who introduced me to this song. She said she played it a lot while editing, and I think it fits perfectly: “Which Witch” by Florence and The Machine.

Read Leydy's 5 trees review!

2 winners will receive a finished copy of THE STAR TOUCHED QUEEN, US Only.

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FOLLOW THE TOUR!

4/28/2016- Pandora's Books- Review

4/29/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

Waiting on Wednesday: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Star-Touched Queen

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Release Date: May 3rd 2016

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.

But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.

Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves.

The Star-Touched Queen is a lush, beautifully written and vividly imagined fantasy inspired by Indian mythology.

Book Review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy
Release Date: April 26th 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

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.

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

I had this book for a while now and waited to read... WHY? Why did I waited to read this book?

This story is fantastic! Clearly this is a must read and I highly suggest everyone to get their copy!

Honestly May is a wonderful character and I love her so much! She's interesting, clever and I just love being in her head. Also, I want to point out that I had a huge dilemma while reading The Star-Touched Queen. I wanted to read it fast, to know everything at once yet I wanted to take my time to understand every detail. AH! Just go read this book and you'll understand.

The Star-Touched Queen is magical, lyrical with an amazing world to explore. The world building is nothing like I'd read before. Hence the reason why I wanted to take my precious time with this baby. The way this world is described... It's so vivid! You want to be there and explore every inch. While reading, I had the same experience as when Daenerys Targaryen is in the House of the Undying. The part when she walks into her throne... The throne she's doing everything to get back. The way she just stands in one place and just stares in awe, even though it's destroyed. When you read The Star-Touched Queen you will feel like you're there and you will want to stay in one spot and analyze this world.

As for Maya and Amar... I don't want to say anything but you all you need to know is they will make you swoon. They're perfect! I love, love, love them together and as individuals. I will stop right now or else I will tell you everything! Including the twists and turns and the mystery... okay, okay, I'll stop for sure.

When I tell you to read a book, it means you need to read it. The Star-Touched Queen is one you cannot put aside. If you do, you'll be mad at yourself for putting it aside, like I did.

Y'all need to read this beauty. A story with mystery, epic characters, romance, actions, deceptions, great pacing... should I continue? The Star-Touched Queen hits the mark of awesomeness and it goes beyond the line. And the best part... this is a standalone! No need to wait for a sequel, no pain, no waiting. Now do yourself a favor and go pre-order The Star-Touched Queen!