STAR-TOUCHED STORIES brings you back into the world of STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. For those who love the world Roshani Chokshi created, this book is for you. The best part? You get three short stories in one book!

My favorite is without a doubt DEATH AND NIGHT. It is perfectly written, especially Dharma Raja's character. The romance in these stories made me swoon and my heart race. I love that I was also able to read one story at a time and feel satisfied at the end.

I'm so thankful to Roshani Chokshi for bringing us these stories to satisfy a craving for the Star-Touched world. I devoured these three romantic short stories and they stuck with me even once I finished. I love Roshani Chokshi's enchanting and alluring style of writing that will always keep me hooked. It's unique and magical.


Final Verdict: I recommend this to fans of romance, short stories, fantasy, and the Star-Touched world.

Gorgeous and enchanting, these stories were a delightful addition to the Star-Touched universe Chokshi writes in. There is something effortlessly beautiful about the prose and the magical details, and I'm so glad I had a chance to pick this up from one of my favorite writers.

Roshani Chokshi has already earned herself a place on my auto-read list so it is unsurprising that even though I am a shit head who hasn’t read A Crown of Wishes, I still needed to read Star-Touched Stories. Chokshi has a distinguished writing style that just calls out to me, I guess.

Short stories set in a favorite world are always fun and I love how Chokshi really does somehow manage to bring the Star-Touched queen world to life even through this short snippets into the lives of beloved characters. WHICH. I know I’ve read Star-Touched Queen so I have some context but its been two years so I really didn’t remember much and yet, THE STORIES WERE SO WELL WRITTEN that I didn’t really need to remember much.

Of course, two of the three stories are about characters from A Crown of Wishes so… I wouldn’t have context even if I had amazing memory but it did make me want to read the book EVEN MORE. I just have a very long tbr so I keep putting off reading all the sequels I’ve wanted to read for ages. (excuses, I know. I am a terrible person)

SO. Here is the low-down on the shorts themselves.

‘Death and Night’ follows the first meeting on our main characters from The Star-Touched Queen: their playful flirtations, romance and courtship. It is so easy to immediately root for these two because they are both so deserving of that happiness.

‘Poison and Gold’ follows the the story of Aasha, a Vishakanya who is, in oversimplified terms, having an identity-crisis. She no longer feels quite like a vishakanya or a human being and hasn’t really found an inbetween that works for her. When Gauri and Vikram recommend her to be the next poison-master she finds her calling and a potential mate (who also just happens to hate vishakanyas.)

‘Rose and Sword’ shows a grown up Gauri telling the story of how Vikram died and was brought back to life to her granddaughter. We get to see the world that Maya now calls home and also just see what has become of some beloved characters.

Yes. I have a favorite story and yes it is ‘Poison and Gold’ but also, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE stories is absolutely lovely because Chokshi is an amazing writer and I will be shocked the day I read something she writes and don’t immediately fall head-over-heels in love. Anyway, so yeah, if you’re a fan of the books, read the stories. THEY ARE WORTH IT.

What a gorgeous collection of novellas! Incredible, lush writing, as always. They are all lovely, but I think the first one, Death & Night, was my favorite. If you haven't yet read A CROWN OF WISHES, you might be spoiled by this collection!

I went through a lot of emotions while reading this novella. While the stories and Roshani's writing is enough to give anyone all the feels, my own emotions were more or less nostalgic. I remembered "meeting" Roshani on twitter in 2015 in a debut author chat and how excited I was to see a POC ownvoices author writing an Indian fantasy. It's so beautiful to see how much this series and the world has expanded, and I can't help but be so proud as I read the perfect and beautiful wrap up to one of the very first South Asian YA books I have read as a blogger.

Star Touched Stories is a beautiful goodbye to the world and its characters. It gave that satisfying after taste of the finale of a very beloved and long series. The stories had the signature elements of Roshani's lush and evocative writing, her layered and lovable characters and the extraordinary world she has created with the previous two books. The three stories take you through an emotional rollercoaster ride, and it's impossible to stop yourself turning the pages.

While it's phenomenal in whole, individually the stories excel as well. While my personal favourite is the last one, Rose and Sword, all three of the stories are memorable and outstanding.

Death and Night

A prequel to Star Touched Queen, it tells the story of the path to Amar and Maya's love story. Even though you know what's going to happen in the end, you are still hooked to it, as you swoon over Death's love for Night, his efforts ( especially his adorable attempts at courting ) and his pain. When I was done, I wanted to go back and read The Star Touched Queen all over again.

Poison and Gold

I have to admit, Aasha didn't stand out to me in A Crown of Wishes, but as I read her story, I was so surprised by how much I loved her. Curious and kind, she was a perfect Hufflepuff, and that was enough for me to develop a soft spot. The story has a f/f romance to die for, and you'll root for Aasha every step in her way, as you always want her to get everything she deserves.

Rose and Sword

OH MY GOD. This was my reaction to this story. Placing this one at the end was such a good decision, as it took me like an hour to even get over it. I literally can't say anything without spoiling, and this is something you have to go in blind, but let me just say this. Have those tissues ready. I was sniffling so hard throughout.

This is a must read for anyone who has read and loved The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. It's the closure and wrap up this series deserves, and Roshani delivered it perfectly. I'll miss these characters and the world so much. Now let me go cry over Rose and Sword once again.

I read this book over a period of time. I finished the first one right away, and it took me time to get to the others. The biggest thing I took away from this story is absolute wonder at how gorgeous a writer is Roshani Chokshi. The way she crafts her words and her understanding of human nature and all it’s glory and flaws just blew me away. Each story left me with tremendous joy as well as a quiet ache inside. The first story of Death and Night story was so sweet but I also felt incredibly sad reading it and knowing the trials they had ahead of them. I enjoyed Asha’s tale and seeing her gain confidence in herself and find her place - and someone special. And the final short with Gauri and Vikram was just so lovely and real. I adore these characters so much. Don’t pass on this addition to THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN and CROWN OF WISHES.

Just beautiful.
The stories are lush and interesting. The writing is lyrical and absolutely beautiful.
A great addition to the series

Once again Chokshi delivers dreamy tales written in some of the most beautiful pose I have ever had the pleasure to read. You float through reading these stories, grasping for air when you finally come up after finishing only to flip back to the beginning and start again.

SPOTLIGHT: ‘Star-Touched Stories’ by Roshani Chokshi
August 1, 2018 By Katie (Edit)

Roshani Chokshi is back with Star-Touched Stories and we can’t tell you how excited we are for this book! Check out the Q & A and read an excerpt below!

SPOTLIGHT: 'Star-Touched Stories" by Roshani Chokshi
Courtesy of St. Martin’s Press
On August 7th, the next installment of the Star-Touched series will be here! We absolutely adored The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. When Death & Night, a Star-Touched novella came out, I tripped over myself to download it to my Kindle.

It goes without saying that Roshani Chokshi is one of my favorite authors, and I adore the tone of her stories and the magical feel I get when I read a single page.

Star-Touched Stories is a complilation of three novellas in set in the Star-Touched universe. First is Death & Night which was released on its on before, but there are two new novellas that will have you swooning, too!

Roshani has brought us back into the Star-Touched world and given us the tale of how death met night, the story of a wonderful little spy, and the story of a young woman who supposedly loses her husband on the eve of the wedding. Each one is spun in such a way that you're drawn back into the world, and I especially loved our story of Death and Night's meeting and romance. All of these beautiful tales are chalk full of wonderful romances and swoon worthy suitors that made me smile as I was reading these stories. I loved that Chokshi included the story of Death meeting Night, because it was something that I felt was SOOOO beautiful to have as background to the Star-Touched Queen. I cannot get enough of this world. I'm glad to have added this to my collection of her books.

Perfect companion to the rest of the series. My kids will love this one, especially those who were not ready to be done with this world.

What an absolute joy to be back in the world of The Star-Touched Queen series. These stories are as magical and lyrical as ever and this is yet another book you need to savor as your read. They ensnare you and makes it feel like you're really there with the characters. I adore Roshani's writing and she just has this way of bringing this world to life. I will be the first to admit that usually purple prose isn't for me, but there's something really splendid about this series that manages to enrich your soul. I can't help but to fall in love with these stories. These are stories I didn't even know I NEEDED in my life until I read them and I love that the publisher has found a way to print these novellas together into a physical book.

"Death and Night" is a prequel to The Star-Touched Queen, and think reading this story adds so much depth to what we know now of Maya and Amar's story. I've really reading a lot of romance stories lately and this novella is just fluff that gives you the warm fuzzies. It's heart-warming and I love this one so much. There's also really hilarious moments between Gupta and Death and I can read their banter all day.

I almost feel like "Poison and Gold" this was more of a lead-in to "Rose and Sword" (but okay, my faves are Gauri and Vikram, so I'm kind of biased), but it does manage to stand on its own. We met Aasha in A Crown of Wishes and it's lovely to see her story here. I thought this one was really heartfelt as we journey with Aasha and I loved reading her grow as a character. What's really beautiful about Aasha's story is that this is also f/f! So, thank you, Roshani for giving us this wonderful story.

"Rose and Sword", you guys. LIKE. WHAT HAPPENED. MY FEELS. That's just not right. You start off this book with a lovely, sweet novella and then you end of bawling from emotions by the end? This is a story within a story and I really did not expect to be this emotional reading this one. This acts like an epilogue for Gauri and Vikram and I think this story was both wonderful and bittersweet. If you guys love Gauri and Vikram as much as I do, grab a box of tissues.

***Thank you to the publisher for providing me an e-ARC from NetGalley for review as part of a blog tour***

4.5 Stars

Oh my God, the writing... But first, the stories. I'm not so into companion novels (but I do love Levana's story in The Lunar Chronicles) and not also into short stories or anthologies so I wasn't sure what made me request this one from Netgalley. Maybe it was the cover because duh? look how gorgeous it is. But anyway, I'm glad I did request this ARC.

First paragraph on first story, Death and Night, I was hooked. Death is the first narrator and I found his thoughts not only dark but sad. So sad, my heart answered to him right away. And then there's the love story between him and Night herself. It was perfect. I haven't felt true love in so long, I just loved it. Sure there was ssa bit insta-love an dthe plot was a little rushed but we mustn't forget this is a short story.

The second story I couldn't connect that much, maybe because I heard too much from Aasha and I long to hear from the spymaster herself. I wanna read her thoughts too. In fact I want to read hers more than Aasha becaus eshe's much darker and Aasha was all-scared adn I don't know. But I love the LGBTQ+ rep though I wasn't expecting. It's very refreshing.

The third story, I adore so much. It started with a kid resenting her sister but then her granny told her a story. The three stories somehow are connected with each other. And very much connected to the main series, I guess. I haven't read them but I want to now.

The writing is juts perfect for me. I love it. So aesthetic. So Beautiful and magical. See, I really love this kind of writing but lately all I've been reading are books with aesthetic language but said aesthetic language are used only to describe things around. But it turned Roshani Chokshi's writing is art itself. I'm gonna read all her works just for her inspiration. And oh the world. I love the world. I can't wait to read the other books in the series..

I found this book to be amazingly written. Roshani is a great storyteller. I would recommend this book if one wants to expand their mind and get lost in a book.

Death and Night take on human form as they learn to love one another. A woman granted a wish loses her self-confidence as she navigates a world unknown to her. A queen and king, on the night before their wedding, engage in the greatest challenge to their union. Author Roshani Chokshi brings back characters readers will recognize in Star-Touched Stories, a triad of novellas almost too sumptuous for consumption.

In the first story, Death needs a queen but doesn’t want to risk his heart. Due to a curse inflicted on him centuries earlier, he’s destined to lose anyone he loves. He searches for a companion with a proposition in mind. He’ll offer a suitable mate all the comforts she could possibly want but not love. Of course, he didn’t count on meeting Night and falling in love with her. Night, too, becomes enamored with Death, despite his insistence that he doesn’t want a relationship. Together they navigate a territory unknown to both of them until they reach a point where they must decide whether love is worth the cost.

The second story opens with Aasha, a being from the Otherworld who made a wish to live among humans. A close friend to Queen Gauri and King Vikram, Aasha lives in the palace and uses her talents to advise both on matters of state. As the two royals prepare to join their kingdoms through marriage, other advisors complain about Aasha’s proximity to Gauri and Vikram. They offer her the opportunity to train as a Spy Mistress so she can retain an official title as well as a legitimate reason to stay close. With the utmost of reluctance, Aasha begins her training and finds it to be exactly what she needed to center herself. She also finds the opportunity for love in the most unexpected way possible.

Gauri and Vikram become the focus of the third story. Many years into the future, Princess Hira finds herself pouting on the eve of her big sister’s wedding. She runs to her grandmother and former queen, Gauri, who shares her own love story with Hira. On the night before her wedding, Vikram falls victim to a mysterious illness. Gauri learns the only way to cure him is to go to the Otherworld and bring back his last breath. Along the way she runs into challenges to herself and to the strength of her love, which force her to consider carefully whether the journey is worth it.

Author Roshani Chokshi gives readers a chance to spend more time with Aasha, Gauri, and Vikram, beloved characters from her previous novel, A Crown of Wishes. In Star-Touched Stories, as with her previous books, Chokshi bends her prose in ways that will delight readers with its unexpected twists. Many of the metaphors will make readers sit back in appreciation.

Those same metaphors, however, also slightly weaken the book. In many cases, they come too close to one another. The lush descriptions, enchanting at first, at times will overwhelm readers and will force them to step back from the book for a while to breathe.

Chokshi’s talent is unquestionable; her descriptions and world building offer readers a delightful departure from other stories. It wouldn’t hurt, in future books, for her to give her readers a little bit of space in between some of those descriptions. With enough plain narrative to act as the stitching to the rich metaphors, the tapestries of her novels and stories will appear that much more lush.

Fans waiting to find out more about Aasha, Vikram, and Gauri will certainly appreciate returning to their world in this trilogy. Readers new to Chokshi’s work can consider it a crash course in her writing style. I find Star-Touched Stories Bordering on Bookmarking it.

Nice companion to the main series. I enjoyed getting to see more of the characters, both from the past and in the future.

I truly don’t even know how to review Roshani’s works anymore. After reading all of her major published works so far, I’ve run out of words to describe her words. Lush? Overused. Delectable? Falls short. Joyful? Pretty close.

Roshani’s words are exhilarating. Never one to shy way from lyrical and “flowery” prose (don’t you think people use flowery in a condescending way these days? What’s wrong with words so delicate they could shatter if you even breathe them?), Chokshi channeled the world of The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes with poise and some urgency in Star-Touched Stories. Reading these three interconnected novellas felt like she was holding my hands and asking me to listen to and absorb these stories, lest they be ignored and forgotten.

Death and Night was a prequel to The Star-Touched Queen, told the love story between the Lord of Death and Night. Their courting was borne out of a need, but the love that blooms between them, a surprise.

Poison and Gold was a sequel to A Crown of Wishes, taking place almost a year after Gauri and Vikram’s betrothal. It centers Aasha, a character that everyone fell in love with after A Crown of Wishes, in the same way that Gauri and Vikram took her in as their trusted friend. Her story was the one I was most invested in, even if the beginning dragged a little, the payoff was amazing. Aasha is sent to train with the Spy Mistress. Their relationship is thorny at the beginning, but as they learn to live together, and as Aasha becomes more of her own person, it turns into much more.

Rose and Sword was also a sequel to A Crown of Wishes, though it took place after Poison and Gold. Going back and forth between the eve of Gauri and Vikram’s wedding, and that of a princess named Meghara and a nameless groom, this novella gives us a bit more depth into what entails having a happy and fulfilling relationship. It had me at the edge of my seat, so to speak, as Gauri raced to keep what she loves most close to her heart.

God, I can’t wait for The Gilded Wolves!

I love Roshani's world of fantasy and magic! An excellent return to the characters we know and love!

*eARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley*

Death and Night: I could've skipped this one, since I'd already read it, but I didn't want to. It was just as good, just as precious, the second time around. OTP FOREVER. I love this dark and fierce and powerful couple so much. (Still 5 stars)

Poison and Gold: oh my god I loved this one so, so much. first of all, thank you for an f/f relationship, Roshani. It was beautiful and full of learning and understanding and a willingness to try, to look beyond their own pasts and toward a future instead. To be honest, I didn't really remember Aasha from A Crown of Wishes. But even so, I adored her so much. I loved her curiosity and spark, her kindness and refusal to underscore her own passions and desires. I loved that she found herself, and that with Zahril, she also found a love worth a leap of faith. They both deserved it. It was such a gorgeous story. And I absolutely LOVED seeing Gauri and Vikram again. They're my favorites! (5 stars!)

Rose and Sword: oh. oh, this one made me cry. From the first chapter to the last. So simply exquisite in its entirety. A little weighted, a little sad. But also filled with laughter and happiness. I loved the approach that Roshani took with this particular test and adventure, how she wove a tale around the inevitability of Death and what one would do to bring back a loved one they aren't ready to let go of quite yet. But I'm being incredibly vague for a reason. I think this is one you should go into not knowing anything about it. It was, probably, my favorite of the three of them. I feel so settled and satisfied. My heart is happy. (5 stars!)
"To possess even a single line in the legend of you is the greatest wish I could have made."

I am not sure if I needed to read the other books first but I did not. It seemed like a regular story to me. It didn't really have me confused so I assume it is just an extra story in the series that can be read alone. I really liked it. Like I previously stated I haven't read the other books in this series but now I want to after reading this one.