You know that feeling when you finish an amazing book, and you just wish for one more scene to revisit that favorite character or that awesome story world? That’s pretty much what Star-Touched Stories is. Every time I ran into a character I remembered from The Star-Touched Queen or A Crown of Wishes, I got so excited. There’s a story about Aasha! And Kamala appears in another one! Yay! And more Gauri and Vikram! I couldn’t have been happier.

The same rich-as-ripened-fruit, delicious writing fills every single page of all three stories. There’s plenty of peppery banter between characters and deep, heart-wrenching emotions. Grab a spoon and eat up every page. (I know... that’s a metaphor which would make Zahril scoff.)

While the stories would stand on their own as interesting tales, it’s hard for me to imagine reading them without first reading The Star-Touched Queen or A Crown of Wishes. I think you could. But I’m pretty sure it’ll make you want more of the story world.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Star-Touched Stories is a group of short-stories, three in total, that take place in the world of Roshani Chokshi’s The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. I was once again drawn to Chokshi’s beautiful prose, and was reminded of the descriptive imagery and world-building that made me fall in love with her writing in The Star-Touched Queen. Here are my thoughts on each of the stories..
Death and Night: I haven’t read The Star-Touched Queen in a long time, so it took a moment for me to realize that this was a prequel. It’s the story of how Amar and Maya met. I loved the dynamic between the two, and I appreciated the added backstory to these characters that I adored back when I had read The Star-Touched Queen.
Poison and Gold: This story revolves around Aasha from A Crown of Wishes. Aasha is sent away to become Guari and Vikram’s Spy Mistress. It’s a cute love story that shows themes of believing in oneself.
Rose and Sword: A little girl is being told a story by her grandmother, which is a wedding between Night and Death. Once again you see characters from both A Crown of Wishes and The Star-Touched Queen. This story brought me to tears. It's touching and pulls on your heartstrings.
These stories are worth reading just for the beautiful and lyrical writing. I do recommend reading The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes prior to reading these just for the joy of seeing these characters again and getting to experience more of their stories.

It seems like a period of time where I'm just finding writers to enjoy in the most backwards fashion! Earlier this year I reviewed the first book in Chokshi's new middle-grade Pandava Quartet series, Aru Shah and the End of Time and greatly enjoyed her adaptation of Indian mythology and folklore. I wanted to read more of her books and found Star-Touched Stories which contains a novella Death and Night, a prequel to her Star-Touched Queen duology. The story of how Maya (Night) and Death (Amar) meet in a chance encounter is eloquently told, beginning with drawing the soul of a dying man whose wife wishes she could follow her beloved beyond death, into whatever form he takes, wherever he goes. Death puzzles over the depth of the woman's love and the depth of her feelings of loss. Death has been lonely and recognizes that he longs for a queen. But is Death capable of love?

This book also contains the novella Poison and Gold, which explores issues of family, identity, featuring Aasha, released from the vishakanya harem (and Reader, there is historical precedence for this scary collective, as told in the Arthashastra. Young women, imbued with poisons, were used as assassins. An inspiration for Hawthorn's Rappaccini's Daughter, perhaps?), serves her friends Queen Gauri and King Vikram, and learns from a charismatic spymistress, Zahril. This was a lovely story that I enjoyed. Chokshi has a gift for creating moments when her characters' silences are full of emotion and meaning.

The final story, a novelette titled Rose and Sword initially reminded me of the atmosphere of Carson McCuller's Member of the Wedding, as ten-year-old Hira feels rejected and out of place in her sister Meghana's wedding preparations. But the story turns to reflect on a legend of a bride who loses her bridegroom on the eve of her wedding, in the kingdom of Bharat-Jain. But does she really? Along with giving us the legend, Hira's grandmother helps her to learn to discern the truth.

This was an enjoyable set of stories that I didn't feel awkward reading without the background information of the main series under my belt. It did, however, whet my appetite for reading duology. I'm greatly enjoying Chokshi's adaptations of Indian mythology in her work.

Star Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi is a collection of three stories. Each brings its own uniqueness and is woven in Roshani's complex and detail writing.

Death and Night is one that stood out to me. Roshani gives us a tapestry of a tale filled with culture, myth and imagery. One of the courtship of Night by Death (aka Dharma Raja). Inspired by the heartfelt request of a widow Death feels something missing and searches for someone to be his Queen. His courtship is muddled by a curse laid on him by his false mother that he will lose anyone he loves. Unfortunately for him the object of his courtship will only marry for love. Death and Night is a tale that I enjoyed for the dynamic of innocence, even between immortal beings, and a rich background of myths and legends. It is a sweet endearing tale of the beginning of a timeless love.

Poison and Gold and Rose and Sword also continue to bring characters you already love from the Star Touched Queen series. They give perspectives of event that maybe were seen from a different character. Adding them to the whole of the series gives you an even deeper appreciation and understanding for the stories and world that is already so detailed and complex. Everything adds artfully to the whole experience off the series and in Roshani's stories every detail counts and is appreciated.

Overall, if you are a fan of the other Star Touched books or of any of Roshani Chokshi's work this is definitely one to pick up it gives you just that little bit more that you've been wanting.

I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of Star-Touched Stories (The Star-Touched Queen #2.5) by Roshani Chokshi. I had the pleasure of meeting her a few times at book events before she was published as just a fellow book lover and since her publication and she is so sweet and I have enjoyed this world and previously reviewed the other two books in the series.

Rating: 5 Stars

Star-Touched Stories is a set of short stories or novellas. There are three lush stories full of beauty and adventure. The three stories are : Death & Night, Poison & Gold, and Rose & Sword. All three were brilliant and beautiful. They each were a very decent size/length and just expanded the world we already knew. I loved seeing characters I knew in a different and new way, and what has become of some. There is such a beauty to the way Chokshi has written this world. Everything is so vivid and jumps right off the page. I can't really get into much more of these as I wouldn't want to spoil anything. Just pull up a chair and enjoy these short stories as they pull you deeper into the rich and marvelous world of magic! This is an enchanting addition to the series that anyone who has enjoyed the other books will devour instantly!

I absolutely love Roshani's storytelling. She has this ability to bring her stories to life in a manner that leave you wanting more, while feeling completely satisfied with all she gave you.

I thoroughly enjoyed being back in The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes world with this collection of three short stories. I enjoyed getting to see glimpses of the characters, and their stories. I wouldn't have excepted anything more from any of these stories, considering the world in which they're all set. While I definitely enjoyed each of the short stories, my favorite was Death and Night. Oh my heart at the end of Rose and Sword. I should have seen that ending coming.

If you've read The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, I highly recommend picking this book up. I'm looking forward to adding this book to my collection of Roshani's stories on my shelves. The only bad thing about short stories, is they leave with this yearning for more, even though they already gave you everything you needed. Now I need to go re-read these stories again.

After reading The Star-Touched Queen, I felt in love with Roshani's writing. There is something mysterious, mystical, calming about it. The way she tells a story, the worlds she creates, makes you forget about everything else and immerse yourself in the characters, in the story. Needless to say I am always looking forward to a new book release and that I will read everything she writes.

In Star-Touched Stories, Roshani presents us with three stories. Death and Night, Poison and Gold and Rose and Sword. I loved every story however, Death and Night holds a special place in my heart because I loved Maya and Amar's characters so much in The Star-Touched Queen, it was so fulfilling to get to know more about them previous The Star-Touched Queen world. Poison and Gold being about Aasha from a Crown of Wishes, and Rose and Sword, which out of the three stories, this one was the one that made me cry the most, oh, that ending.

It has been such a pleasure as a reader to come across Roshani's books. The richness on her world building, her magnificent writing style, her ability to transport us to these magical places and makes us want more and more. Her previous books I read have taken me on an unforgettable journey and Star-Touched Stories was not the exception.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced free copy in exchange for an honest review, and Brittani for inviting me to the Blog Tour.

Star-Touched Stories takes us back to the world of the Night Bazaar and the heavenly courts, introducing us to new characters and revisiting old friends as we once more enter the enchanted realms of the Star-Touched series.

Death and Night
Grade: A Sensuality: N/A

In Death and Night, the veil is pulled back from the realm of gods and we witness a rare, mythical mating. When the Dharma Raja (Lord of Death) goes to take the soul of an elderly man, the man’s wife asks for only one thing: that the man’s soul might wait for her, that they be reborn together. The Dharma Raja contemplates this on his return to Naraka and realizes something: he’s lonely and wishes for the sort of relationship that couple had. But who will marry Death?

Night is a woman of the Otherworld. At the end of each day, she brings darkness and rest to a weary world. Her beauty reflects that; she glitters like stars across the dark skies and the dreams and bedtime stories of the mortal and immortal realms scroll across her skin. When the Dharma Raja steps into her ashram and proposes, she is taken aback. His is a completely practical offer and he takes pains to tell her that there will be no love. She refuses, of course, for who would accept a proposal that doesn’t even hint of affection? But she doesn’t send him away without some hope. And ‘some hope’ is all a god needs to pursue his dreams.

I loved both characters from the moment they were introduced and when they met and interacted, a smile planted itself on my face and didn’t leave till the end of the story. The tale is witty, and charming, and magical and romantic. I absolutely loved it.

Poison and Gold
Grade: B- Sensuality: Kisses

Set in the world of A Crown of Wishes

Poison and Gold is a companion novella to A Crown of Wishes, starring one of the secondary characters from that tale. Aasha is a vishakanya who just wants to experience a mortal life. To that end, she has joined the court of her friends Queen Gauri and King Vikram, working as an advisor. What most don’t realize is that this ‘advisor’ can read the desires of a human heart and can kill with a touch. Since her powers aren’t advertised, however, many on the royal council consider her presence at meetings unnecessary and Gauri and Vikram are being urged to let her go. Their solution to the problem is to train Aasha as a Spy Mistress thus giving her a formal title so that the court can feel comfortable about her presence. So off she goes to learn the art of intelligence gathering.

Aasha had initially been unsure as to whether or not she wanted the official designation of spy, but she quickly warms up to the idea, realizing that it’s a job that suits her personality perfectly. She also warms up to Zahril, the enigmatic woman training her. When asked for a truth she would not want another to know, she confesses her desire to kiss Zahril. She is surprised that when next she sees the powerful, mysterious lady, she grants Aasha’s wish.

In this tale, love comes slowly and softly. The characters are cautious, careful and cunning and so their romance is one that is sedate, subtle, and sweet. It’s about being vulnerable before a lover and about overcoming deeply held prejudices. I was intrigued by the concept of the tale, but the short length of the story kept the author from fully exploring her characters or their romance.

Rose and Sword
Grade: A- Sensuality: Kisses

Sequel to A Crown of Wishes

In Rose and Sword, the heroine of A Crown of Wishes has one more adventure before entering marital bliss. It is the evening before her wedding and Gauri is working off her pre-ceremony jitters by running through her sword drills. When Vikram joins her for a few stolen kisses and a bit of verbal sparring, she makes a startling discovery – he’s sick and feverish. By the end of the night the doctors aren’t sure he will live to see the morning.

Calling upon her Otherworld councilor Aasha, Gauri learns that she can make a bargain with the yamaduta (messengers of death). When the yamaduta comes for Vikram’s soul, Gauri demands a deal and is given one: If she can steal back Vikram’s last breath from the final gate before Death and bring it back to him, he will live. The trick? She will see the sorrow awaiting her in the future if she makes that choice and will have to bring back the breath knowing the pain Vikram will cause her in coming years.

Vikram makes this story shine. Every moment with him is pure, joyous pleasure and his wit and charm make him a delight to spend time with. While Gauri is a far less likable character, she has the grit and determination to make this supernatural adventure believable. The supporting cast is well drawn, and the plot is riveting. Rose and Sword is a perfect sequel to A Crown of Wishes.

I would strongly recommend Star-Touched Stories to fans of the Star-Touched series. This charming compilation of tales from that universe allows us to spend more time with beloved characters and introduces us to some very delightful new folks as well. I would, however, advise those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading the previous books to begin with The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes since those books introduce us to this universe and the characters in it

I received a copy of this lovely book from Wednesdayreads and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I read the Star Touched Queen, I have been utterly in love with the worlds Roshani Chokshi pens. Her writing is so lush and vivid, and her characters are just as beautiful. A friend of mine described this series as “a fairytale with dark undertones” and that is the perfect way to describe it. Her books are truly classics of our time, and Roshani has made her way to the top of my favorite authors.

I was absolutely thrilled to a receive a review copy of this book, and it was a wonderful addition to the rest of the series. As The Star Touched Stories is a collection of Novellas, I will review each story individually and then the collection as whole at the end.

Please note that this review is spoiler free in regards to the content of this book alone. It will however contain spoilers to The Star-Touched Queen and Crown Of Wishes, as they are the first books in the series.

Death and Night (5/5)

This was the most beautifully written novella I have ever had the pleasure to read. I actually listened to this as an audio book first, as it was previously published before this collection was compiled. The world building is just as lush as the first two books in the series, and the story filled me with such a calm and warm sense of nostalgia as we got to revisit some of the characters we know and love.

My favorite part of this story was the banter. I loved the relationship between Death and Gumpta, and then that between Death and Night. It was also interesting to see Night (later known to us as Maya) interact as a sister to the same woman who would later become a villain in the series. Chokshi did an AMAZING job with the character development between these connecting stories, and I love gaining insight into some of the events that took place before the events of the first book in the series.

The only issue I had with the novella was a continuing theme throughout the collection- pacing. The end seemed very fast and sudden, while the rest of the story had been a bit more slow burning. I would have like to see more consistency with the pacing of this book, but overall I still loved this short story.

Poison and Gold (2/5)

This was certainly my least favorite of all the stories in this collection. The biggest reason being, as mentioned above, the pacing. Because Chokshi’s writing is so deep and beautiful, this story would have been soooo much better as a full novel rather than a short story. With the other two stories in the collection, the characters were already established. In this book, we still don’t know Aasha as well, and we are introduced to a very important but new main character, the spy mistress. With such a quickly paced story, I wasn’t able to enjoy Aashas development as much or the rest of the story. There were chunks that seemed to be missing out of the story, and long lapses of time were briefly surmised when they could have been shown in more detail.

The relationship in this book felt forced, and a large part of that is that the feelings seemed so sudden. We weren’t really given the time to get to see why Aasha falls for who she does, or what is so appealing about the love interest.

I did really like one thing about the book, which was the message of gaining trust and confidence in yourself. As Aasha has such a unique situation, she battles between who she was raised to be and who she is trying to be. She straddles the line between two worlds, and I love that throughout the story she learns to trust in who she truly is.

Rose and Sword (5/5)

Taken from the alternating points of view from one of our favorite characters and one of their descendants, this book was delectably nostalgic and made me want to reread the whole series again.

I can’t describe the story too much without giving away major spoilers, so I will shy away from reviewing that too heavily for now. However, I will say that I LOVED the adventure and the motivations behind the quest in this story, as well as how the alternating points of view spun the tale so eloquently.

My favorite part about this story (aside from being able to see one of my favorite characters and how the fare after the events of their story) is the message that relationships aren’t perfect. Throughout the story, the main character must see the less appealing but just as real negative parts of a relationship. Communication issues, as well as personality issues are addressed. I love that, and it is so rare to see in works of fiction. I love how a YA author is helping readers to see by means of this story that love isn’t perfect, and it can require a special kind of bravery to work through the challenges of relationships and marriage.

The Star-Touched Stories (4/5)

As a whole, I loved this addition to the series! I love seeing what happens to the beloved characters after their tales have “ended”, as well as gain insight into what shapes them into the people we meet in each book. The pacing was at times very strange, but I loved the themes of faith, trust, and upholding your values even in the hardest of times that were woven throughout the story.

Be sure to grab a copy of this novella collection as soon as it releases tomorrow, August 7th!

Roshani Chokshi does it again with her beautiful way with words. This is a collection of short stories set in the the Star-Touched Queen world featuring characters you already know and love. I usually stay away from novellas, and definitely away from short-story collections because rarely are they worth the time or effort. You never get enough or too much is crammed in to the point it makes no sense and you hate it.

Not the case here.

A run-down of my thoughts on each short story.

1. DEATH AND NIGHT
My favourite, hands down. It is basically the prequel to The Star-Touched Queen you didn't know you needed but secretly wished would land in your lap. This tells the story of Night incarnate and the Lord of Death and how they met and came to be lovers, and let me tell you, this was perfect. It was lush and swoony and romantic and utterly wonderful. The magic and the world-building was top notch in this. The rest of this book could have been trash and I'd still finish in the hopes of getting another moment that resembles this particular tale. I literally have nothing bad to say about this one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. POISON AND GOLD
This was probably the one that could have tanked the ship for me. This one takes place after the events of A Crown of Wishes, and focuses on Aasha going through a series of tests and trial to become the new Spy Mistress. I really liked Aasha in ACOW, but I fell off the wagon here. It was a story that felt too long and boring and frankly, unasked for. The spy mistress angle should have been more exciting, but was not. I wanted more of a story of discovery of the world for her, but it became more about her, personally and her insecurities and weaknesses.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. ROSE AND SWORD
I enjoyed this one as well! Not as much as the first, but more so than the second. It focuses on Gauri as she travels to the underworld to save Vikram from illness and death on the eve of their wedding. I love Gauri and Vikram together, so I was delighted to get more of their banter and dynamic together. My major complaint with this was it was too short. It needed—no, deserved more. Chop Aasha's story in half by speeding up the pace and give those pages to Gauri.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was a great companion piece to the Star-Touched world and came at a good time for me, not wanting to leave that world just yet.

Gorgeous as always and a wonderful way to revisit familiar characters from the Star-Touched universe. Fans of the first two books should devour this.

I loved both A Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, so I was excited to dive back into their world. Roshani Chokshi has a way with words and I love getting lost in her prose.


Kamala. Kamala. Kamala, how I've missed Kamala. And Guari and Vikram. It was like visiting old friends. Short stories aren't usually my thing. They're hard to fall into as deeply as a full-length novel. But with the backdrop of the first two novels, I found these stories had some of that depth already built in, especially Rose and Sword, which was by far my favorite of the three.


The other stories were nice. They started off slower, and I found they maybe lacked that certain poetry of word the author lends to her novels. But short stories are short, so, shrugs, there are less words. Death and Night was sort of quiet and the first half of Poison and Gold felt a tiny bit flat, but the second half was... Wow, so much more lush and complex, exactly what I've come to expect from Roshani Chokshi.


Rose and Sword was the perfect ending. Perfect. It felt like coming home. (Insert heart-eyes here.)


This is a definite must-read for anyone who enjoyed A Crown of Wishes.

I adore the writing of Roshani Chokshi!

First, I was provided Star Touched Stories by St. Martins via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Second, If you have yet to read Chokshi, please take a moment to add this series to your TBR pile. Star Touched Stories is a collection of 3 novellas. These novellas are TECHNICALLY set after the first two books, so the order should be:

Star Touched Queen
Crown of Wishes
THEN, Star Touched Stories – Being released tomorrow, 8/7/2018


“Here is my fear and my wonder, my hopes and my doubts. Here I am.” Star-Touched Stories, Roshani Chokshi

Let’s do a quick break down and I’ll try my best not to do spoilers haha.

Death and Night – a kind of prequel to Star Touched Queen, BUT I would not read this until after you read book one, as it will give you a character spoiler. I adored this one. It was all the information I could have ever wanted from the main characters in book one. Not only that, this novella had more humor in it than book one ever allowed. Whereas Star Touched Queen was intense and drastic, this prequel is very fun and almost light hearted. (5 Stars)

Poison and Gold – for this one you will want to read Crown of Wishes beforehand if you can, but again it can be read by itself if you’d like. This story centers around a side character we meet in book two of the series and again, just gorgeous writing. I enjoyed it greatly. It’s almost has a coming of age feel and learning who you are in the world. I feel like this is a continuing theme in Roshani Chokshi’s books. She wants her characters to find themselves. To see not just where they belong but where they long to be. (Yes, it sounds cheesy, but read the stories and it’ll make sense hahaha). (3.5 stars)

Rose and Sword – Absolutely wonderful story! 100% you need to read Crown of Wishes before reading this novella. You need too. There is no negotiation here. LOL ALSO, I don’t know how to not be spoiler free, so I’ll just say that this one wrecked me. WRECKED ME HARD. (5 stars)

I would recommend to anyone looking to pick up this collection to please, please read the other books before this. You CAN read this by itself, but having the knowledge of the first two books helps. Also, Roshani’s writing is not for everyone. It is very lyrical and romantic.

I would recommend this to anyone that loves beautiful writing. This is for anyone that has the time to sit down and truly enjoy a book that paints you a setting and situation. Not everyone will enjoy Roshani Chokshi’s writing, but those that do – it will become an instant favorite.

Happy Reading

~Ash

This is another great book by Roshani Chokshi. Each story gives us even more insight into beloved characters, while building out the world and sharing an important world mythology. I love her lavish prose. I feel like I can just crawl into her sentences and snuggle up there.

Short stories are great for the classroom because they can be shared with students in a short amount of time and pique their interest for the full-length novels.

Publication: August 7, 2018 by St. Martin's Press
(I received an ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's in exchange for a review)

Publisher's Summary:
Three lush and adventurous stories in the Star-Touched world.

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.

--I'd previously read/reviewed "Death and Night" earlier this year. Chokshi's writing is rich, vibrant and sensuous in its detail and world building. I want to wrap myself up in her descriptions and dive head first into the beautiful, intriguing stories. I still love this first novella, kicking off the Star-Touched Queen series. It is a beautiful story--lush, dark yet romantic.

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.

--Aasha was one of the stand out characters from A Crown of Wishes. I was delighted that she got her own story. The pacing was great as was Aasha's physical and internal journey to accept her future and who she is because before you can find fulfillment with another, you must first love yourself.

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?

--This was another lovely story, set several generations in the future with Gauri and Vikram's grandchildren. We do get a lovely tale featuring the peril Gauri must once again endure to save Vikram before their wedding. This story reminded me a lot of the myth Orpheus and Eurydice. What sacrifice and challenge would you face for love? A beautiful tale, both lovely and bittersweet. I might admit to some tears at the end!

Overall, a masterfully written set of novellas!

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This collection of short stories was written beautifully. I loved the ability to be able to see the untold stories from The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. While you don’t technically have to have read the previous books it would definitely make a lot more sense to you if you did.

Death and Night:
I loved the chance of getting to see the beginning of the love story that we later explore further in The Star-Touched Queen. This is the story we are told about but never really told. It really helped me to understand Death’s character a lot more. Death is afraid to fall in love because of the curse that has been placed upon him but then he meets Night and realizes that he has no control over whether or not he will fall in love. I loved watching Death and Night grow to know each other and slowly let down all their guards. I also loved seeing the gifts that Death made for her, both because it was interesting to see them already knowing them from the previous book but also because they were just so beautifully described.

Poison and Gold:
I was really happy to get to this story as it follows the characters in A Crown of Wishes, and although I really enjoyed both The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes, A Crown of Wishes was by far my favorite. To get to further delve into the lives of Gauri and Vikram was a treat. This story in particular follows Aasha and she begins training to be Gauri and Vikram’s new Spy Mistress all while battling the fear that she is no longer in control of her deadly powers. I had grown to like Aasha’s character in the previous book and this story was no different. Even though it is a short story I think we really got the chance to see Aasha’s character grow. She starts to become more sure of herself and dare I say she might even fall in love. I will admit to this story being a little slower than the other two stories in this book, but still fully enjoyable.

Rose and Sword:
This story really hit me in the feels. I want to see more of these characters and the fact that Gauri is a grandmother passing along this story to her granddaughter has me release that this is the end of the characters for me. I did think this was the perfect ending to A Crown of Wishes and we got to see the love between the characters. This was my favorite story in this book.

Overall I think Roshani Chokshi is a beautiful writer and I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Fans of Roshani Chokshi's Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes will welcome the opportunity to read more about their favorite characters as well as meet new ones in these 3 novella length stories. Told with Ms. Chokshi's signature vividly descriptive storytelling that paints pictures in the mind's eye, Indian-style folk lore of love and the otherworld is brought to life in screaming colors.



Two beings destined to be alone as they work in darkness find unexpected love together, while Aasha has left the otherworld to be with Gauri and Vikram, but in order to stay with her friends she must rise to the challenge of training to be a Spymistress, learning every characteristic of danger and poison. A bride loses her bridegroom on the eve of their wedding, and must face death to win him back.



Lush descriptions make Ms. Chokshi's stories to come to life, and these novellas are no different, as the heroes fight for their destinies in a colorful world where the line between the world and the otherworld is thin.



Written for young adult audiences I think that a PG-13 rating is appropriate as Vikram is well known to make crass jokes, as well as some adult themes. A good compliment to the previous books in the series, it helps to have at least read A Crown of Wishes, before reading this collection.





Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

I’m a huge fan of Chokshi’s books. I fell in love with Star Touched Queen and Crown of Wishes was one of my all time favorite books. But, I struggled a little with this one. The writing was gorgeous, as usual. And I love the setting. I just had a hard time getting into the book.

The first story felt a little slow for my taste. As much as I love all of the characters, I had a difficult time really investing in the story. I did enjoy parts of the story, though. But after I started in on the second story, I began to feel more interested. By the end, I was back to loving what I was reading.

Now, I should say that I’m not always a fan of short stories. I have a hard time feeling fully invested in a story that is only twenty pages or so. I’d hoped to have an easier time because I already knew and loved these characters, and in the last two stories that was totally the case. But the first one wasn’t as exciting for me.

On the whole, this book was good. If you love Chokshi’s other works, I’d suggest giving these a read. They’re quick reads and give a nice insight into the lives of so many delightful characters.

Star-Touched Stories is a beautifully written addition to the Star-Touched Queen series. Prepare to laugh and cry (I definitely needed tissues). This book sees the return of some old favorites and the introduction of some new characters. Roshani Chokshi is truly a magician with words and her full skill is evident in these pages. Prepare to be transported back into this wonderfully magical world. While you technically don’t need to read the first two books in the series to understand this one, there are spoilers for the first two in the second two stories.

Since this is a short story collection, I wanted to include a few thoughts on each story.

Death and Night: This one was just so much fun to read. It tracks the courtship of the Lord of Death and Night as they navigate misunderstandings, getting to know each other, and curses. I loved how the front they each presented to the world was slowly unraveled and how they only fell in love once they truly knew each other. Chokshi captures the essence of a new relationship and, although this one has magic galore, it feels entirely relatable.

Poison and Gold: This is one that I would love to see expanded into a full-length novel. Focusing on Aasha, one of the more minor characters from A Crown of Wishes, Poison and Gold delves into the world of spies and secrets. Although the focus was more on figuring out who you are, the romance was absolutely adorable and surprisingly heart-warming for something that involved so much poison and death.

Rose and Sword: Rose and Sword was the one story that made me cry. This one was so beautifully tragic, sweet, and romantic. It details what happened to Gauri and Vikram after A Crown of Wishes and perfectly captures what it means to truly choose to love someone day after day. This one was probably my favorite in this book (but all three were fantastic). Just make sure you have a tissue or two handy.

For me, the mark of a good book is how strongly I want to reread it one day. With Star-Touched Stories, I was tempted to begin reading again as soon as I turned the last page. Lyrical, magical, and utterly captivating, Star-Touched Stories is a stellar installment in one of my favorite series.

Wow, I really enjoyed reading this collection of stories. I'd already read Night and Death before, but that was awhile ago, so I'd forgotten a lot of it. It was so great to read about these characters some more, and these additional snippets into their lives!

Night and Death was so great to read! It's the story of what happened before Star-Touched Queen, and it explains why Star-Touched Queen happened. I really felt for the dude, his mom's shadow cursed him. And they thought they had beat it, but apparently not. But at least it gets fixed!

Poison and Gold, yeah, it was so great being in Aasha's head, since we hadn't been previously! I empathized with her lack of control over her powers. Her training to become the Spy Mistress was so interesting! Loved to read it!

Rose and Sword was bittersweet. I mean, it's the story of Gauri and Vikram's wedding, so it should be happy, right? Except that he kinda dies, and there's a journey Gauri has to go on. I loved how she was telling this story to her granddaughter, that was so sweet!

This collection of stories was so great, and I enjoyed reading it so much!