~ARC provided by NetGalley~
I have to say Roshani Chokshi is truly becoming my favorite author. She has a lyrical almost magical quality to her writing. These novellas in Star-Touched Stories will be a truly wonderful companion for anyone who has read her two previous Star-Touched novels. Each of these stories made me fall in love with the characters and the entire story itself even more than I did when I read the first two books. I definitely recommend for anyone who's a fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of the book for review.

Oh my God! I can’t believe I let a few unimpressed reviews make me doubt reading Roshani Chokshi’s work in the past. When The Star-Touched Queen first came out, I was enamored with the cover and excited because it was based off mythology from the sub-continent. But I saw a lot of mixed reviews and got discouraged from immediately picking up a copy. And then got buried under my mile high TBR pile. But this book has utterly changed my mind.

Star-Touched Stories is a compilation of 3 short stories featuring characters from the universe that the author has created in her previous books, The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. As someone who has not read them, I ended up finding these characters delightful. The writing is mesmerizing; at times a little silly but always magical. The stories are original and yet have that quality of ancient familiarity about them. I think that is the most impressive thing about Roshani Chokshi’s writing; even though I’m not very well versed in the extensive mythos and folklore of the sub-continent and have mostly forgotten their magic that formed part of my childhood, Chokshi made me reminisce long-forgotten tales and I felt as if I’d known these characters and creatures all along, that I was revisiting old friends.

The first story is titled Death & Night and reminded me of the tale of Hades and Persephone. Death is looking for a companion whom he cannot love. Night is looking for love but also so much more. They find each other but it seems they cannot keep what they have. This story is written beautifully and Roshani Chokshi weaves a lustrous world of fantastic creatures and dreadful curses.

The second story is Poison & Gold and it shows the aftermath of a character’s wish being granted; Aasha is torn between her past and her present but her new adventure might just help her find her true place in the world, and perhaps someone to share it with. My favorite thing about this was the age-old element of a character finding themselves on a quest which helps them attain true purpose. The author writes a beautiful narrative of self-reliance and the complexity of being human.

The third and final story is titled Rose & Sword. I believe this follows the progression of the story of the protagonists from A Crown of Wishes. It is very much a commentary on all the different directions in which a woman’s heart is pulled by society, all the demands made of her and how expressly she tries to steel herself and face them. But it is also a story about love and family, and resilience and knowledge. It is perhaps my favorite of the three, because it is as much an ending as it is a beginning.

All three tales of magic and mayhem tie up nicely together and have a dream-like quality about them. For readers who are previously acquainted with Chokshi’s gorgeously curated universe, these stories should be a great way to revisit some beloved characters. For those who are not (including myself), this is a great way to sample the work of an amazing author whose words sing on the page and whose stories make you crave adventure.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review**

I didn't think it was possible for Roshani Chokshi to blow my mind and exceed my extremely high expectations yet again, but naturally, she did. Wow. Star-Touched Stories is everything I wanted and needed in my life right now. There are 3 short stories in this book: Death and Night, Poison and Gold, and Rose and Sword. Each story is woven with Chokshi's signature lyrical prose. Chokshi is an artist; her words paint vivid sceneries and the most intricate yet heartwarming storylines. I'm in awe of her as usual.

Death and Night: *5 stars*

"I wanted a love that time could never erode, a foundation that would grow spires and turrets large enough to swallow constellations. And yet I wanted a love like a home. a corner of the universe built for two and snug as skin."

If you're a fan of The Star-Touched Queen then you will devour this story. This is the story about how Death and Night (Amar/the Dharma Raja and Maya originally met). It's a sweet story that discusses how scary it is to let yourself fall in love, but when you meet the right person you simply can't control it. You love who you love.

Gosh, this story is so romantic. I was swooning the whole entire time. Chokshi perfectly conveyed how it feels when you first start to like someone, and then when you start to fall for them. Death and Night is a beautiful. touching, mesmerizing love story. I couldn't have asked for more.

Poison and Gold: *4.5 stars*

This story is about Aasha. We first met Aasha in a Crown of Wishes. Now, in Poison and Gold we see how she has settled in to her new life in Bharata and Ujijain with Gauri and Vikram. Turns out, Aasha is struggling with controlling her vishakanya side with her human side. Anytime she is surprised or scared her vishakanya star lights up which turns her touch into poison.

This story is about Aasha's journey in accepting herself and in turn being her true self. It's a heartfelt story that anyone can relate to. We all feel as if we don't belong sometimes, but at the end of the day we have to love ourselves and stay true to who we truly are.

Rose and Sword: *All of the stars*

This story wrecked me. I smiled, laughed, and cried. This is now my favorite story Chokshi has ever written. It is THAT beautiful. Everyone needs to read this story even if you haven't read A Crown of Wishes.

This story is told from the perspective of Hila, Gauri and Vikram's granddaughter, and Gauri in her old age. Gauri tells her granddaughter a story about her and Vikram before they were married. The night before they were to be wed Vikram died. It was up to Gauri to bring him back as his life was at a crossroads: he could die now or he could die at an old age.

The moral of this story is how much power the person you love has over you. Gauri is terrified of losing Vikram or for them to grow apart once they are married. She has to face the impossible choice of losing him now or losing him later when it would most definitely destroy her. Either way she knows she will lose him at some point as he is meant to die before her.

Nothing I say or write will give this story the justice it deserves. It's a heart wrenchingly beautiful story of what we all feel and fear when we are in love. It's as heartbreaking as it is honest. Please, please please. read this story. I'm preordering this book right now because I have to own it in a physical copy. It's that amazing.

Thank you to Roshani Chokshi, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Star-Touched Stories” for an honest review.

A deep lover of all things Roshani Chokshi, I was nearly beside myself in relief and overwhelming joy when I got the approval to read “Star Touched Stories” for NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. The Star-Touched world has meant so much to me in seeing diverse women taking a stand and embracing their own power.

The words choice is lyrical, magical, and draws you into an entirely other world, far away from our humble, modern one, to a land where magic and death, darkness and light, all sway and swing together, in comparison and contrast, reaching for love and connect, vying with myth and truth.

I do not want to spoil any of these side stories for anyone, but I think you should pick them up immediately. Each of the stories still involves familiar and beloved characters from the novels. My favorites in order were the first (Death and Night), the third (Rose and Sword), and then the second (Poison and Gold).

I expected to love this collection of short stories. Overall I did enjoy my time back in this world the author has created. I think this is a great addition for the people who absolutely love this series. I loved the first book, and liked the second.

This book though, my favourite out of the three was the first one called Death and Night.

Roshani Chokshi writes beautiful, lyrical words. Three magical stories, I wont spoil anything because her fans will devour this book. Highly recommended.

When I read the second story, Its Asha's story and it was boring, it left me not wanting to continue and I found myself skimming throught to the end of that one.

The third story is was, beautiful but it didn't move me like when I read the first one, let alone the first book in the series.

overall rating 3 stars.

I loved this book. The use of Hindu mythology was refreshing and unique. The landscape that the author portrayed in their words was breath-taking. I wanted to go visit the Night Market and eat Dream Fruit, among others.

The first story was originally part of a pre-order incentive, but is now part of this fantastic colletion. It’s easily my favourite story of the three because it’s the story of the first time Maya fell in love with Ama - in her originally incarnation. The story is moving, lovely, and passionate. I loved seeing their originally love story. Including him trying to woo her, being afraid of losing her. Her bravery in giving her heart to someone so afraid of a curse.

I really struggled with the second story, however. I found it to be slow, and the usual lyrical prose was less lyrical. I only started to get into the story towards the end. Because of this, it took me awhile to finish it.

The third and final story is told a bit differently than the others, but it worked well. I enjoyed revisiting some characters I love and seeing how their lives played out. This tale is so painful and shows the power of love. The couple’s interactions are sweet and sad, and the ending was exactly what I hoped for.

"Star-Touched Stories" is a good short story collection revisiting the lush world Chokshi created in the first and second books. The second story really made the whole collection drag. But the other two stories were fantastic.

Man, this book was an absolute pleasure! I honestly LOVED it! I have always loved Roshani Chokshi's writing, she's honestly a master storyteller!

I was tremendously excited to have received an advanced copy of this book, after enjoying The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. I was delighted to see that all stories included central characters from both novels. I loved the fact that the novellas reunite us with some familiar characters, and Roshani Chokshi definitely reminded me of all that I loved about all these amazing characters.

I had already read Death and Night previously, and I absolutely ADORE that novella! The way Roshani Chokshi writes her books has always been enchanting to me, and I don't think that will ever fade. The two other novellas, Poison and Gold and Rose and Sword, also delighted me to no end. I loved the character and world-building as well as the romance. I wholeheartedly enjoyed Roshani Chokshi's vivid descriptions, to this day I think she is one of the most capable writers in that regard.

Overall, if you've read the other two books in this series, I STRONGLY recommend these novellas, they are totally worthwhile!

*insert major swooning here* Roshani brings another gorgeous book to life! I fell in love with her writing when i first read The Star Touched Queen! I eagerly awaited A Crown of Wishes and needed more. So when I heard of an ARC opportunity for her third installment I jumped at the chance and pretty sure I had some major fangirling.. (I may or may not have screamed at my desk at work when I got the email)

In this third installment to this world, Roshani brings us a book with mini stories set in the same world. The first story, Death and Night is more of a prequel to The Star Touched Queen. This story gave me all the feels as my heart is still hung up over The Star Touched Queen, I mean that book left me an utter mess and now I get an even closer look at the characters, which means all new tears form ugly crying.

The second story, Poison and Gold we get to see more of Aasha's story who was focused on in A Crown of Wishes. You really see Aasha grow in this story! She already came so far in A Crown of Wishes, but in this one she gets even more character depth and you get to see an even deeper side to her. I think in this one she really learns to stand on her own and you see her start to finally accept herself.

The third story, Rose and Sword is a story being told by a grandmother to a little girl. You get to see some of your favorite characters come back and get reintroduced into the worlds of Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. Like everyone else has stated already, be warned you will be left a broken mess in the floor sobbing after this story. I'm still not okay and I don't know if I will be again. My heart is in shreds and I can't stop ugly crying.

Overall, I loved this book and I hope to see more in this world. Roshani is a beautiful writer and brings so much to life. her descriptions are so vivid that you are immersed and see the world the way she wants you to. Seriously, her writing is so creative that you will be instantly captured and you will yearn to reach out and experience it for yourself... (if only it was truly real). The plot to each story was amazing and I'm glad we get to see more to the stories of the characters we have come to love. I can not recommend this book enough. While this can be read as a stand alone, I don't suggest it. I highly suggest reading her other two books first so you get a better in depth feel for the characters and that way it don't ruin the first two books later on.

This gets all the star ratings in the world, but since its on a scale of 5, I have to say 5/5 stars. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press who provided this e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

If you are going to write a novella in between books, THIS is how it is done!

I will normally avoid short stories, origins and any other form of novella like the plague. Nine times out of ten I find them to be fluffy little tales of what my favorite characters are doing in between books and I hate it. Rather than bringing me closer to the characters I have grown to love, they tend to pull me away with pointless tidbits that I really don't need to know. Star-Touched Stories not only surprised me by blowing my expectations out of the water but by also giving me beautifully written insights that only made me love these characters more. To say I was impressed is an understatement.

I definitely recommend reading Chokshi's other works before diving into this amazing short story collection, not only because the books are incredible but because you there's so much magic you will be missing out on.

Roshani Chokshi is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy writers and I am anxiously waiting to see what magical tale she comes up with next!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen series so reading more stories from this world was a lot of fun for me. These aren't necessary for people who read the series but it is definitely a fun extra for fans of the characters. That being said, it really would only be a good read for people who have already read and loved The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. There are a lot of references to moments that happen in the main books of the series and I don't think a casual reader would care enough about the characters to enjoy these stories if they aren't already huge fans of the other books. I would recommend this book for people who have read The Star-Touched Queen and enjoyed it and want more of that kind of story. Novellas tend to just work this way so it is hard to make it a general recommendation. I will say that I think the first story is my favorite because I always want more of Maya and the Dharma Raja but the other stories were still fun to read as well.

To me this book seemed to go slow. There was a lot of descriptor words that were distracting at times. At times I wasn't clear on what was going on.

LOVED IT! I felt like a child that was being told the most captivating stories and didn’t want it to end. I wanted more. 3 short stories from the Star-Touched world. Stories of love and death, of overcoming fear, of overcoming insecurities and discovering your true self. This book doesn’t disappoint and will leave you craving more.

If you haven’t read the Star-Touch bookies go out and pick them up. They are so beautifully written that you will want to read it over and over. I know what book I will be giving as a gift this year.

Three magical stories that add so much depth to the world Chokshi has created.
Beautiful writing that winds these stories in a fairy tale fashion that I adore! I highly recommend for fans of the series, I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't read them yet but they are amazing. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The prose in these stories is magical. These short stories add so much more world building to the already amazing series! I usually don't read novellas but I am sure glad I didn't skip these! I would recommend these to anyone who loves the series and the fantastic world created by the author!

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.

This tale shares similarities with beauty and the beast. There is a curse, both characters are a little strange and there is a love story. I loved the journey we followed in this story and the writing was perfect for the flow of the tale. In fact i thought this tale felt a little bit like a fairy tale and I loved that.
The characters were magical and beautifully described, they felt special in a world of special people.

I had a feeling of Feyre and Rysland from A Court of Thorns and Roses with Death and Night. I completely fell in love with the characters and it was easy to conjure up the image of them from the description.

My only negative is that there wasn't enough of the story. I would love to have the opportunity to explore their world and maybe the challenges they face after the Teej.

Overall I think this was a great piece of the story giving us just a glimpse of what Roshani is capable of and makes me want to pick up more of her work.

Poison and Gold

Aasha is living with Vikram and Guari as they get ready to join their two kingdoms. Aasha has been concerned that her powers are completely out of control.

Guari and Vikram give her the opportunity to become a spy mistress for them, otherwise she would have to go home forever. Aasha didnt want to leave the kingdom and so she takes the chance to train and stay.

This is a lovely story with love and challenges that I really enjoyed.

Rose and Sword

A little girl is being told story by her grandmother about a wedding and death.

Its a tale of loss and I really loved it.

It was a very emotional story and I definitely had a few tears

My favourite of the three was the first story. Death and Night. I really enjoyed that journey

You should read this!!

The Good
Because these new companion short stories and novellas are trendy, I’ve read a lot of them. I’m generally not a huge fan of them, because in a lot of cases they seem to be a way to make more content, but that content doesn’t add much to the overall series. This is not the case here. Each of these stories adds a lot to the world that Chokshi has built. Things happen here and characters change, even if it all happens in the space of a short story instead of a novel.

Also, Chokshi just writes beautifully, as we know. Her words really create luscious pictures and draw you in to a beautiful world. These stories explore new bits of that world while still drawing on what we’ve seen before. It’s lovely.

Chokshi also includes relationships that aren’t just straight, and works them in without any hand wringing. This was really nice to see and the relationships felt as natural as any other that she’s written.

The Bad
Because these are short stories, there isn’t that much space to develop them, sometimes leaving me wanting more. Some of them do lend themselves to the shorter space, but others could have done with more space to develop and explore the characters. Hopefully the characters and some of the ideas will be picked up again by Chokshi in other works, because there is definitely enough space here to learn more and to explore more. But I guess wanting more isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The Verdict
If you liked Chokshi’s other books, definitely check this out too. It’s more of what you love, even if it’s in a small space. I enjoyed this and I see it fitting in well to Chokshi’s other work. Look for this book coming out in August!

Roshani Chokshi is such a beautiful writer. Her words are almost lyrical and ebb and flow like they are about to jump off of the page. They are so magical that I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this short story collection.

The stories expand on and are related to Chokshi’s fantastic full-length novels The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. They reveal more about some of the duology’s much loved characters and further immerses the reader into the magical world they live in. I highly recommend this collection for people who have read these two books, but even if you haven’t, it could act as a good taster before jumping into the main stories.

The first story is Death and Night, one that I had read previously and really liked. I could have skipped over it and am glad that I didn't. It was just as enjoyable the second time around. The story is about how Death fell in love with Night. Their relationship and interactions were wonderfully written with a perfect balance between romance, humor and heartbreak. This particular story is a prequel to The Star-Touched Queen and explores how Amar and Maya first met.

This is followed by Poison and Gold, which focuses on Aasha, a character from A Crown of Wishes. The story is about learning and understanding, basically believing in yourself and opening up to others. It features a beautifully written female/female romance that I cheered on right from the beginning.

The final short story is titled the Rose and Sword. This story took me by surprise! I wasn’t expected such an emotional rollercoaster as it’s a little bit sad with snippets of happiness and humor. You will definitely need a box of kleenex for this one! It features a grandmother telling a story to her granddaughter and explains the inevitability of death. We all die in the end but how far would you go to bring a loved one back and at what price?

All of these stories were so well written and work together perfectly within the collection. I cannot recommend them enough! Never have I read a group of short stories that left me feeling so satisfied and complete. That truly proves just how talented Chokshi is and I cannot wait to see what she will release next.

I loved this so much. Roshani Chokshi has a way with words and I can't dislike any of her books. She always immerses her readers into her stories and this is no different. I can't say much without spoiling her other books but these novellas continue those stories and fans will not be disappointed.

I loved loved loved Roshani Chokshi.s books and I was thrilled at hearing there would be more stories in her world. These stories are magical and utterly enchanting. Chokshi’s writing is captivating and beautiful. Her world building is realistic and magical all at once. I recommend reading the books first before these stories, but this should definitely closely follow them!