Praise for Star-Touched Stories:
"Deftly woven with fantastical elements and Indian mythology, the tales reflect and materialize the characters' internal struggles...Aasha's and Gauri's stories explore complex themes of identity, ambition, love, and loss. Chokshi marries sensuous storytelling with kick-ass protagonists in these feminist romances." - Kirkus Reviews
Praise for A Crown of Wishes:
Named “One of the Most Anticipated YA Novels of 2017” by Entertainment Weekly, Teen Vogue, and Bustle.com
"Careful plotting, multiple viewpoints, high-stakes action, and a slow-burn relationship makes this heady fantasy completely engrossing. A first pick for YA collections."—School Library Journal, starred review
"Chokshi's debut, The Star-Touched Queen (2016), was lush and gorgeously written, and Chokshi has only improved; this lovely companion tale boasts a stronger narrative structure in addition to the delightful prose."—Booklist
"With a happily-ever-after reminiscent of beloved fairy tales, this is a great pick for voracious readers who like their bejeweled princesses to have hard edges."—Kirkus Reviews
"Chokshi revives the luscious and strange setting of Alaka from The Star-Touched Queen pulling in further elements of Indian folklore for creatures both charming and terrifying."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for The Star-Touched Queen:
New York Times Bestseller
#9 on the Summer 2016 Kids' Indie Next List
Buzzfeed Book of the Year
Paste Magazine Book of the Year
Southern Magazine Book of the Year
Bustle.com Book of the Month
“Chokshi's prose is captivating.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A stunning debut with lush language."—School Library Journal, starred review
"A unique fantasy that is epic myth and beautiful fairy tale combined."—Booklist, starred review
"In Chokshi's prose, voices have substance and texture while light has color and flavor."—NPR.org
"Lush and dizzying."—New York Times Book Review
2018-05-15
A collection of three companion romance narratives featuring the spunky heroines of TheStar-Touched Queen (2016) and A Crown of Wishes (2017).In "Death and Night," Dharma Raja, the god of death, is cursed by the Shadow Wife to lose the woman he loves. He is confident that he will never fall in love—until he meets Night incarnate. "Poison and Gold" traces the adventures of Aasha, a "vishakanya," who wants to not just live, but also belong in the human world yet is unable to control her powers. She strives to regain her identity—and consequently, her confidence—under the tutelage of Bharata's deadly Spy Mistress. Refreshingly, this story depicts same-sex desires. In "Rose and Sword," young Hira listens to her paternal grandmother, Gauri, narrate the tale of a bride who sets out to rescue her fiance from the threshold of death on the eve of her wedding. Deftly woven with fantastical elements and Indian mythology, the tales reflect and materialize the characters' internal struggles. Although Night's narrative is at times clichéd and overrun with tedious descriptions, Aasha's and Gauri's stories explore complex themes of identity, ambition, love, and loss.Chokshi (Aru Shah and the End of Time, 2018, etc.) marries sensuous storytelling with kick-ass protagonists in these feminist romances. (Romance. 12-18)
