Review 16. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: April 26th 2016
Pages: 342 pages

"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."

Maya is cursed since the day she was born. The stars foresaw a wedding of death and destruction. Ostracised, Maya grew in her father's court happy with the only future she could envision: a scholar's life. However, one day, a marriage of convenience is arranged and Maya becomes the Queen of Akaran, an eerie kingdom with a mysterious king that wishes her to be his equal. Slowly, Maya starts unlocking the secrets of her kingdom and an ancient mystery comes to surface.

Writing: Have you ever noticed how beautifully written are novels set in the Orient? The rich and colourful culture makes easy to fall in love with the story and the world wove by the author. The Star-Touched Queen is told through Maya's voice and her voice made me dream of a magical India. The writing is poetic and compelling and makes the story flows naturally.

“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. I wanted the impossible, which made it that much easier to push out of my mind.”

The Star-Touched Queen is based on Indian mythology. I confess I felt ashamed for knowing so little about it. However, I can say I fell in love with it and I can't wait to know more about the mythology that inspired such a stunning story. 

Characters: Princess Mayavati, Maya, is the main character. Cursed by her horoscope, she didn't have an easy life in the Raja's court (the harem's wives always scorned her). However, this curse offers Maya the opportunity to become independent and fearless. She is strong and has this desire to find where she belongs that I think everyone can connect with. These are the reasons that made me adore Maya. Also, I loved the relationship between her and her little sister - who was the reason behind of many of Maya's actions.

Amar has this mysterious aura surrounding him. His love and devotion to Maya made me swoon. A hopeless romantic like me felt my heart breaking and being glued a thousand times.

“I love you," he murmured into my hair. "You are my night and stars, the fate I would fix myself to in any life.”

Worldbuiling: The world created in The Star-Touched Queen is witching. The royal court, the harem, the kingdoms, the mystical creatures and the mythology blend to create an entrancing world. The little details and the descriptions make this world fell real, alive. Every moment can be sensed by the reader and that's pure magic.

Roshani Chokshi is an author to follow after her enchanting debut, The Star-Touched Queen.

Waiting on Wednesday. And I Darken

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is And I Darken by Kiersten White. I love fantasy. I enjoy fantasy set in different places. And heads rolling and impaled bodies are just the icing on the cake. And I Darken is a must read. The book will be released on June 28th.

"NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL.

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point."

From Goodreads

TTT. Would I Love It Now?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish

This week's TTT theme is Ten Books I Feel Differently About After Time Has Passed. I've come to the conclusion that I rarely change my mind. But there are a few books that I question myself if I would love them as  much as I did before, if I read them now.

Delirium, Lauren Oliver. I adored Delirium. It's one of my favourite dystopias. However, I was very disappointed with the ending of this series. Open endings always leave a sensation of emptiness, but I don't mind them if they're well done. But no matter how poetic the ending of Requiem was, it did ruin the series for me. I feel if I were to read Delirium again, I'd not give if five stars just because I knew how it would end.

The Hundred, Kass Morgan. I had no idea this book was so hated till I read it. I didn't like Clarke and it took a long time until something interesting happened on Earth, but I loved Glass (weird name, I know) and her story and her relationship with Luke. As I wrote in my review, I couldn't put the book down because I was eager to read Glass's chapters. However, after reading so many awful reviews, I'm afraid my opinion would change if I re-read it.

Matched, Ally Condie. Matched will always be a favourite of mine. I read it twice, first in Portuguese and then in English. But if I were to pick it up a third time after reading Reached, I fear my opinion would change and it's something I don't want to happen.   

Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell. Shocker, right? As a former fanfiction writer (let the hate start), Cath's obsession with it was perfectly understandable to me. However, after reading Fangirl, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there wasn't closure - if you were/are a committed fanfiction writer, I believe you understand what I mean. If I were to read it again, I'm sure my rating wouldn't be the same.     

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas. Did I tell that after reading spoilers of the-sequel-I-shall-not-name, I cancelled my pre-order? A Court of Thorns and Roses has now become a stand-alone to me. I want to re-read it, but I'm afraid if I do it, I won't love it because I may find the love story pointless.

PS. Who is still emotionally devastated after the last episode of Game of Thrones?

Review 15. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: April 2013 (first published October 18th 2011)
Pages: 435 pages

"It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen."

The island Thisby is known for the deadliest race of all: the Scorpio Races. Men ride capaill uisce, hoping to control them long enough to reach the finish line alive. Sean Kendrick has already won four races, but that doesn't stop him from trying again. Kate "Puck" Connolly never wanted to ride on the races -especially after losing her parents to the sea. However, life has many twists and Kate finds herself in the races. Who will win? But most important, who will die?

“It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” 

Writing: The Scorpio Races is an enthralling story, told by two voices, Sean and Puck. The writing is beautifully-raw. Maggie Stiefvater isn't afraid of writing bloody and brutal and at the same time expressing the purest emotions.

"I scream Finn's name. Now the mare tosses part of her victim at me, ears flattened back. I half gasp, half sob, jumping back from the bloody joint. There's something stringy coming out of it, like jellyfish tentacles. I want to just kneel down and stop thinking."

The story is slow-paced - the race only happens near the end.  However, there isn't a slow moment (so many jaw-dropping moments). The story tells to detail the events before the race, from the Thisby inhabitants preparing for the arrival of the tourists to the parade with the racers to the daily training on the beach. I just loved how it focused on every single detail about the races. The prose is so poetic and beautiful and cruel that the pace felt just right.

Characters: Can I say I loved every character? Well, not every character - how could I love Mutt? He was so despicable that I wanted to punch him.

Puck is a very strong character. She lost her parents, lives with her two brothers and with them tries to earn enough to survive. Puck enters in the races not for the glory, but for love to her family and home. She never backs down, even after every man on the island telling her to quit the races - fragile male ego much? I wish I had the strength and the courage Puck has.

Sean is an introspective character. A man of few words, he keeps a lot to himself and is the only who doesn't feel intimated by Puck's presence in the races - he even ends up helping her. At young age, he saw the races killing his father (and the mainland took his mother), but instead of feeling fear from the water horses, he learned to love and respect them. He has really strong connection with Corr, his water horse, and that shows how much he cares for these mythical creatures. Sean is one in a kind.

Relationship: Who doesn't love a slow-burn romance? Watching Sean and Puck falling in love was freaking cute. Sean let Puck in and Puck let Sean in and they figured out they had a lot in common: the love for their island and horses (Corr was Sean's best friend and Dove was Puck's). Who knows the precise moment when they fell in love? Every chapter, they became closer, they started thinking more and more about each other. And then, without warning, they were in love. This is how a relationship is perfectly built. 

“I say, 'I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.'
Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.”

Also, Corr's crush on Dove, let's talk about cuteness.*.*

Worldbuiling: Even though the story has its roots in Irish lore, Maggie Stiefvater creates her own world. A harsh and cruel world where death hovers, but at the same time entrancing. She brings to life a new vision of the water horses, but not less fatal. The capaill usice are vicious creatures, but there is a charm in them that can't be denied. The island Thisby is so well shaped and described that I wish it was a real place. The worldbuiling of The Scorpio Races is simply flawless.

The Scorpio Races is a beautifully-raw story that has won my heart.

Waiting on Wednesday. Ivory and Bone

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is Ivory and Bone by  Julie Eshbaugh. "A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice". By now, everyone already knows about my obsession with Pride and Prejudice. So, of course, I must read this book - even though, I've read a few bad reviews. The book will be released on June 7th.

"A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along."

From Goodreads

Bout of Books 16 Read-a-Thon. Wrap Up

I can't believe another Bout of Books is over. Congratulations survivors! This last week just flew by, didn't it? Now, it's time to look back and see if I have met all of my goals.

My goals for Bout of Books 16 were:

1. To read every day;
2. To participate in two challenges;
3. To write at least one blog post per day.

To read every day? Check. To participate in two challenges? Check. To write at least one blog per day? Check. I fulfilled all of my goals. =D

About my readings:

• I read three out of the four books I propose myself to read at the beginning of the Bout of Books 16. Also, I started reading The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey (which means, I didn't pick up Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr). 
• The day I read more was May 15th (Sunday) and the day I read less was May 11th (Wednesday). On Sunday I read 265 pages and on Wednesday I read 77 pages. 
• From May 9th to May 15th I read 1170 pages from four different books (three physical books and one ebook).

Instagram

About the challenges:

• I participated in 6 out of the 6 challenges.
• My favourite challenges were: If you like this, try this and 5 Favorites hosted by Bout of Books.
• The challenge I found more difficult was: NONE!

Bout of Books 17 will be from August 22nd to August 28th. If nothing goes wrong, I will, once again, participate. Hopefully, I'll read more (I confess this wasn't my most successful Bout of Books) and there will be more challenges (I'm thinking about hosting one). 

Now, it's time to say goodbye and hope to see you all again in August. Also, it's time to review every single book I read (long task ahead). Bye! :)

Bout of Books 16 Read-a-Thon. May 15th

 Pages read today: 162 pages of Night Study + 103 pages of The Girl at Midnight

Total of pages read: 1170 pages

Books read today: Night Study & The Girl at Midnight

Books read: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Night Study by Maria V. Snyder