It was hard for me to get back into these stories, though I enjoyed them. Roshani Chokshi is such a lush writer.

I did not review this book on my blog as I had to stop blogging due to time constraints. I did not yet read this book.

I absolutely adore Chokshi's story telling and these short stories were no different. She is able to weave a fun, easy imaginable fantasy story and make you believe it heart and soul. Her writing style is fabulous with well though out plots and characters you root for.

This duology was so amazing and these little added stories made me super excited, it brought me back into the world and gave me some extra insight.

Three short stories set in the same world as The Star-Touched Queen & A Court of Wished. Vibrant and vivid writing, almost tactile, in Chokshi’s verbose style. ‘Death and Night’ is the best at 5 stars but all three make for a solid selection. ★★★★

I thoroughly enjoyed the first story but found that I lost interest by the end of the second. The authors writing is unique and grabbing so I am putting my loss of interest on myself and not the author.

I'm honored to be part of the St. Martin's Press Star-Touched Stories Blog Tour, to celebrate Roshani Chokshi's newest addition to the Star-Touched world. If Roshani's name sounds familiar to regular blog visitors, that's because I reviewed her incredible debut, The Star-Touched Queen, two years ago, right here on the blog!

Star-Touched Stories, which goes on sale TODAY (Aug. 7) features three fun, fantastical stories set in and around the Star-Touched world, including (from Goodreads):

Death and Night

He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes.

Poison and Gold

Now that her wish for a choice has come true, Aasha struggles to control her powers. But when an opportunity to help Queen Gauri and King Vikram's new reign presents itself, she is thrown into the path of the fearsome yet enchanting Spy Mistress. To help her friends, Aasha will have to battle her insecurities and perhaps, along the way, find love.

Rose and Sword

There is a tale whispered in the dark of the Empire of Bharat-Jain. A tale of a bride who loses her bridegroom on the eve of her wedding. But is it a tale or a truth?


Roshani knows how to fashion characters you love to love and that you love to hate, while maintaining a fine line between drama and humor. I've laughed out loud several times while reading her first novel and these stories, and that's a rare occurrence for me! Her writing is beautiful and poetic, and admittedly, a bit flowery. I've been away from YA for several months now, having been drawn into the world of literary fiction and classic literature, but flowery writing aside, Roshani's stories and characters never fail to pull you in. Her additions of Indian mythology and culture are a bonus, especially for firangi bahus like me, who love recognizing elements of Indian culture while reading.

Death and Night is a prequel for the main characters, Amar and Maya (or Death and Night), from The Star-Touched Queen. Readers learn more about the history of these two characters, particularly how they met and how Death courted Night. Oh, the sweet passion! It's a good thing Gupta is there for comedic relief, advising Death on how to romance Night, otherwise some readers will sigh themselves right out of their chairs.

Poison and Gold features Aasha, who was a secondary character in A Crown of Wishes. Fans who desired to see a companion novel from her point-of-view will be happy to read about her brave independence, fierce friendship, sass, and romance!

Rose and Sword is a story within a story, featuring a grandmother spinning a fairy tale, with elements of both Star-Touched and Crown, for her granddaughter. It's a heart-tugging, tear-inducing read, and this one, of the three stories, may thrill die-hard fans the most.

Admittedly, I have not yet read A Crown of Wishes, the second in the Star-Touched duology, but you do not have to read either book to enjoy this collection of short stories - though it does heighten the enjoyment!

Fans of Roshani's characters and world-building will be thrilled with this new short story collection, and those who have not yet had the pleasure of reading her full-length novels will hopefully be encouraged to do so after reading these three delightful stories!

Thank you, again, to St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to be part of this fun blog tour. And congratulations to Roshani on yet another wonderful publication!

I started reading this one but didn't hold my interest since I really didn't like Star Touch Queen but enjoyed A crown of Wishes. . I though the concept was good since it was a set of short stories but I wish I could have connected with the characters more.

I have a love/don't really like relationship with Roshani Chokshi work. The Star Touched Queen was meh, but. A Crown of Wishes was really enjoyable and these stories slid along that spectrum again.

Really nice prose, but sometimes that story isn't for me and sometimes it's a hi, inject this into my veins type thing.

There's a reason I'm absolutely desperate for a copy of The Silvered Serpents. There are going to be ice peacocks in it, like 😍

Also, I'd love if she returned to this world someday. That would be good. Maybe a high-tech, futuristic version that's still absolutely riddled with magic.

I loved The Star-Touched Queen but when I first this collection of stories I thought it was way too OTT. Since then I've come to appreciate it. It's the type of the book you have to be in the mood for. It's very flowery and romantic. It's poetic. Perfect for fans of epic romance

Star-Touched Stories has the same rich, descriptive world building I was taken by in The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. I loved the opportunity to go back and see familiar characters, as well as meet new ones in these three short stories. Chokshi’s writing transports you to her world and wraps you in it. I loved all three, and would happily read more stories set in this world.

I never thought I could be more in love with Roshani Chokshi's writing, and then I read Star-Touched Stories. This was the best companion to her series that I never knew I needed.

I liked this a lot, but did not feel it was necessary to the The Star-Touched Queen series. Novellas are not usually my thing because I feel like they waste time, but these were very enjoyable! A fun accompaniment to the duology that I'd recommend to people who really loved those books and would like to read more of that world.

I loved diving back into Roshani Chokshi’s work after reading The Star-Touched Queen. I’m usually unable to get into fantasy stories however, there was no issue with The Star-Touched Stories. I could read a thousand more of these stories. I’m pretty sad there aren’t more. As a lover of fairytales, these stories just melted my heart. It is a collection of romance laced stories that will make you swoon repeatedly. So many moments I spent gasping and grinning my face off.

The gorgeous, poetic descriptions, the brave and strong heroines, and the enchanting writing made me fall in love. The descriptions of the Night Bazaar were alsways a delight to read. Each of these short stories seemed so true to life with human emotions despite taking place in a fantastical place. It’s very much like being transported right into the world with Chokshi’s rich storytelling.

~Death and Night~

I adored Death and Night so much. Here we have your classic “I will not fall in love with this person” and I’m sure we all know how that follows. 😂 Nonetheless, it was a sweet tale. I adored the contrast between our two leads, they complemented each other well.

I related a ton to Death and Night. I felt it was well portrayed and also so heart-wrenching trying to live without love with Death. It was great to see Gupta again here as his sarcastic and humorous self. His interactions with Death were a treat and such a contrast.

Night was so relatable in her wanting to be recognized for what she does and who she is. I felt her yearning in wanting more for herself as shhe sold Dream Fruit. I found it really inspiring for anyone involved in any of the arts – literature, art, music, etc. She captured the feeling of an artist so well here.

My one and only complaint about this is that it felt like it happened very quickly. I was surprised how fast the two months had passed from the beginning of the story. I felt this was the most classical fairytale sounding story of the bunch. The quick timeline, the two characters meeting so quickly, the curse, the “healing” of said curse and the happily ever after.



~Poison and Gold~

I love the idea of becoming a spy, so Poison and Gold was a delight to read. I could really relate to Aasha as she feared her secret getting out and hurting people. This gave me such an Elsa vibe, which is never a bad thing. Aasha struggled a lot in Poison and Gold – with being involved in Gaira and Vikram’s lives as they get married, hiding her secret, living with regrets for what she’s done and becoming a spy master. Aasha was a blunt character at times who said what she wanted no matter what was happening – such as a meeting Gaira was holding. Not to mention Aasha couldn’t seem to make the Spy Master get along with her very well in the beginning. Like Aasha, Zaharil was also blunt to Aasha which made the training a bit difficult.

Like fantasy, I’m usually not a fan of hate-to-love or dislike-to-love but man, I was silently hoping for this the entire time reading. I enjoyed seeing Aasha and Zaharil grow closer as the training happened. I wish there were more descriptions of the training. It was so exciting to see a non-straight relationship, which was possibly lesbian but I don’t want to assume it.

~Rose and Sword~

I think Rose and Sword struck me most because of meeting these characters in Poison and Gold. It was a sweet follow-up. The ending to this tore out my heart in a heartbreaking and heart-mending kind of way. I loved the framing of this story as being told as a story from a grandmother.

It was so much fun to see Gauri again in her own story. How far would you go to save someone? We see Gauri make this journey when Vikram falls ill. The ending to this is unexpected but so gorgeous. I liked seeing Gauri and Vikram’s relationship play out in a couple scenes and seeing what would happen to them.

If you love fantasy or romance, I can’t recommend this collection of stories any more than I already have. You will not be disappointed. I will be reading every single thing that Chokshi writes from now on.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

Roshani?! Girl. You could write a phone book and I would tear up when reading it. I absolutely love Star Touched Queen and this just took me back into that world. I could not love this more!

If you love the Star Touched Queen's universe, then you will appreciate this collection of stories. I loved them.

Another beautiful title by Roshani Chokshi. I absolutely loved this collection. I believe Indian mythology provides such a lush and underutilized landscape for YA fantasy, So far, I have to say you cannot go wrong picking up one of Roshani Chokshi's novels. If you are looking for more Star Touched Queen definitely pick this up (or start here to get a taste of the series and go back to the beginning when you are done).

What a joy it was to be back in the Star-Touched world. I always enjoy the way Chokshi melds mythology with lore and emotion. So wonderful!

I was looking forward to this collection of stories after finishing A Crown of Wishes. While I wasn't a fan of The Star-Touched Queen, I really enjoyed its sequel and had high hopes for the short stories that accompany the series. Unfortunately I wasn't completely won over by them. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I didn't really like TSTQ or the romance or any of the flowery descriptions in that first book which came up again in the stories. But I loved that ACOW sort of veered away from that and the parts of these stories connected to the sequel were better for me. Overall it left me feeling pretty meh about the book as a whole.

This short story collection is a must if you love The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes! I was pleasantly surprised at how each of the stories already features the couples that we know, from Maya and Amar's back story and Gauri and Vikram as well. I loved seeing more of the characters that we knew and loved from the first one and the short story format was perfect for sharing snippets of their lives - before and after we had met them in their books.
Roshani Chokshi's writing is romantic, beautiful, lush and captivating. Everything was so intoxicating, from the magical world based on Indian mythology of the underworld, the night bazaar, all the beautiful creatures and the denizens of the underworld.