Gauri is a princess that has been betrayed by her own country and turned over to a neighboring enemy kingdom where she will surely be executed. She sees her one plan of escape when the Fox Prince asks to speak with her. Instead of killing him and escaping, she agrees to compete with him in a Tournament or Wishes in the Other World where they will both be granted one wish. But things change for them as they compete in the tournament and they find out that what they originally wanted might not be what they want in the end.

While this is the second book in the series, you don’t need to have read the first book to understand the plot of the second book as this book has a different set of main characters. The original main characters are mentioned but it’s more as a reward to the readers of the first book. I did read the first book like 2 years ago and didn’t remember much of the storyline and I actually ended up liking this book more than the original. This was a great mix of fantasy and romance and action and it was also exotic since it was set in India. I definitely recommend picking this one up!

beautiful second book in a fantastical written and for me unique feeling fantasy series. I love the setting, i love the characters... i love it all.
If you want to be taken away into a different world, and get swept up? give this a read!

Wow, wished I'd read this book a lot sooner. Now, to be fair I did attempt to read it when it was first released and by attempt I mean that I did read a few chapters. Back then the story just didn't pull me in and I don't know if it was a weird timing or something else, but I just felt it'd be better to set it aside for when I'm ready to give it another try. And I'm glad that I did, otherwise I'd be missing out on a great story.
To be honest, I didn't read the first book in this series, so I didn't know what happened with Maya and also I wished for the glossary to be at the beginning of the book and not the end, since there are some strange words for the creatures we meet in the story and I didn't know exactly what they were. That being said, maybe I should've read the first book but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't follow the plot. As for the plot itself, I quite liked it. It's a quest for power that in the end turns into a much more important life value. I loved all the details about this new magical world, that really helped me to imagine what it actually looked like and made me feel more connected to the story and characters.
Now as for the main characters, I'm a fan of Vikram's. He's really smart and at times his determination and positivity makes him almost innocent in his view of the world. But he also has a sad past, same as Gauri. And that's something that bonds them together and slowly forges this beautiful friendship that will more times than not save their lives. And while I like Vikram, I can't say the same for Gauri. I just didn't connect with her as much as I did with Vikram. She's strong and a fighter but also so pessimistic and so full of guilt that it at times really clouds her judgement. And more times than not the only way she deals with all that guilt is to lash out at the people who are the closest to her. That made her a bit immature in my eyes but she's only eighteen, so I'll cut her some slack.
All in all, I liked the story and I'm glad I finally read it.

CROWN OF WISHES was even better than THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. Roshani's writing has a quality that I have never found in another book, While it is better to read the first book before this one, it isn't necessary. I LOVED it and can't wait to see what Roshani writes in this world next.

I tried reading this book and got into this book for a bit, but I wasn't feeling this book at all. Great story up to the point that I read too.

Roshani Chokshi's <em>A Crow of Wishes</em> is a follow-up to her novel The Star-Touched Queen, which I have not read. There were times I felt as though I'd missed out on something, but for the most part, this novel reads smoothly as a stand-alone.

The story follows two members of royalty - Princess Gauri and Prince Vikram. They are from different countries, but fate brings them together to undergo a journey of epic proportions with a strong sense of mythology.

Princess Guari is held under the strong hand of her ruler brother. Anything she loves or cares about is stripped and taken from her by her brother so that he can continue to control her.

Prince Vikram is heir to his country's throne, but he wields no power. Even when he ascends to the throne, he is patronized and coddled, though he rules with a pleasant, clever attitude.

When Princess Guari is sent to Vikram's kingdom to be sacrificed/killed, Vikram takes to her and makes an offer to rescue her and to travel together to the underworld to take part in a competition - the prize: to have a wish granted. But how will two strangers learn to trust one another through such a journey?

What Chokshi does remarkably well is to balance the strong supernatural, mythological atmosphere with a sense of 'real.' The supernatural aspects (or the Indian mythology) play a strong role, but ultimately this is a story of two people learning to live and trust and journey together.

But at the same time, this <em>is</em> a story about a journey. A journey of two exceptional people - people who have much to lose or who have already lost their futures.

It is a story that, like the best of fiction, combines both the journey and the strength of character which is what makes this worth reading.

Looking for a good book? A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi is a strong story of character and journey but the reader may want to read the first volume before venturing here.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Much like the first, I found this writing to be over-wrought. It was so purple it veered into ultra-violet. Like it was painful to look at directly. I didn't like it. Will the library buy it? Of course they will. The first one was a huge hut with teenagers and this one will be too. Do I think they should be reading it? My opinion on this is mostly irrelevant.

Review:

Protagonists: Vikram is the crown prince of his empire, unfortunately since he is not the emperor's son by blood his father's council plans on making him a puppet king once he ascends the throne. When a sage tells him he's been invited to a tournament where he could win a wish, a wish to be a real king, he leaps at the chance, the only problem is that he needs to take someone else along. Enter Gauri, a princess turned prisoner of war after her brother squashed her rebellion. These characters are fantastic, I love that since I read the first installment in this companion novel duology I know these characters to some extent and I loved watching them shine in their own story. Gauri is a strong warrior, but she doesn't trust easily and can be a bit prone to paranoia, Vikram is sharp minded but feels held back by the matter of his blood. I can't express how amazing it was to watch these characters grow over their journey and grow into even stronger characters by the end. There is a third main character, but I'll let her be a surprise since she was one for me, suffice it to say though I really enjoyed her story as well.

Romance: I'm a sucker for a good "hate to love" romance and this story has a great one. Gauri and Vikram have a great combative aspect to their relationship and over the course of this story they get closer, and their walls come down. Now, usually I'm the kind of person that doesn't want to see a romance fully blossom in just one novel, I like seeing it drawn out a bit over the course of a series, but here, and with the first installment as well, their entire romantic journey feels earned and right, nothing ever felt forced or out of place. I will say though, that if you're expecting a passionate and electric romance, that's not going to be found here, the romance in this book is lighter and more emotional than it is physical.

World Building: I only have one problem with the world building in this book, and why that is, is that there are a few lines of dialogue in this story that seems to make it incredibly clear that there will be no more stories set in this world, at least no more novels set in this world, which is fine, but I wish that it didn't feel so final after only two books. Everything else was fantastic though. I'm still pretty new to Hindu mythology, but just working off what was established in the first installment, this story blew me away. I loved getting to see more from the Otherworld and learning more about the beings that inhabit it. Also, it's made clear early on that what happened to Maya in the first installment still weighs very heavily on Gauri's mind, so we do see Maya again, though not nearly as long as I had hoped we would. The world is built out so much and has so much richness to it that I was completely blown away.

Predictability: Going into this story I had only a few things on my wish list that I wanted to see and while I saw them all, they all unfolded differently than I had expected. That's kind of the general feeling for many of the twists in this story. I was able to figure out most of the more obvious plot points, but it was in how they were executed that really caught me off guard, though there were a few twists that completely blew me away they were the rare exception.

Ending: So, funny story, I experienced most of this story as an audiobook from Audible, and unbeknownst to me said audiobook also included the first Star Touched Novella in there as well, so when the final climaxes were going down, I had no idea that's what they were as there was still a whole lot more audiobook left. Still, the final climaxes were perfect for these characters as it really showed off how far they had come in this story and what they wanted for their future. Then there's a bit of an epilogue to fully tie the story of these characters up and if you've read some of my reviews in the past you know how much I love an epilogue!

Rating:

I love this story so much, I may even love it more than the first one, and that's saying something. It's a fun and exciting adventure in a lush and vibrant world, and while I wish things didn't seem so close ended with this story, that doesn't stop me from loving it as much as I did.

So great and original and a wild ride from start to finish, Always kept me guessing and the relationship between the main characters was believable and cute.

This book was really magically. I enjoyed the world building, the characters, and I loved how there was nonstop action. I loved how the characters grew over time and this was just really good and I am glad I finally got around to reading this magical story.

This book had a wonderful story, you can see that the author was passionate about sharing her culture and that made it even more special. The characters were very well thought and fit the story so well, each one had their backstory and goals and dreams and had to work out their personal differences and work together so they could win the Tournament of Wishes. The romance was very well done as well.

I only deducted a star because it was at times a bit hard to understand what was going on and some times I realized I was picturing the scene wrong in my head, but still I think I would give it 4.5 stars if i could.

Vikram and Gauri have chips on their shoulders that might be filled by a well-worded wish. But first, they must find the tournament, pass two challenges and make a sacrifice. I loved how each of them were guarded, but for really sensible reasons. Gauri is a prisoner, handed over to the enemy by her own brother. Vikram cannot trust his future advisers or anyone else. Despite this, they must trust each other in order to gain their wishes. The character building and changing is good and realistic.

I'm not sure why I never wrote a review for this book. Roshani Chokshi writes lyrical words that piece together tales as smooth as songs.

A Crown of Wishes was heart breaking and beautiful, filled with rich culture, breath-halting adventure, and a relationship worth all the angst in the world. I wanted to laugh, cry, and swoon all at the same time.

I loved Guari and Vikram, who they are independently as well as who they were collectively. Each action and conversation were integral to this story, their story, and I enjoyed them so much.

Formatting made this a little difficult to follow, but the writing was just as gorgeous as I remember The Star-Touched Queen being. I enjoyed both Vikram and Gauri as characters, and the later introduction of Aasha as well. I liked the idea of the tournament, but I felt that the actual quest to complete the tasks was a bit rushed each time. Still, it was a lovely book with well-written and developed characters, and I really did enjoy it.

Just beautiful. I liked this even better than Star-Touched Queen, primarily because the character development here was SO GOOD. Gauri and Vikram are both laid bare to the reader and developed in a way that Maya and Amar weren't quite. The lyrical, poetic language was just as good, if not better, than book #1, and the plot was a bit tighter. I especially liked Aasha's character. The Indian mythology aspects were a treat as well; it's always refreshing to read a non-European fantasy/romance.
Highly recommended.

Added to 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge for book with mythological characters (of which this book has a wide assortment).

*This book was kindly provided to me as an ARC by the publisher, Griffin/St. Martin's Press. Thank you :)

Lavishly written, gorgeous imagery, this is a contemporary classic I am excited to recommend to teens!

I was sort of disappointed that Mayas story wasn't continued, but Guari did not disappoint. And there was even a cameo or two! I absolutely love the middle eastern aspects of Chokshi's storytelling! Just as enchanting as the first!

Loved this book! The world was glittering and rich, and the characters were to die for. Though it was a little slower paced for a fantasy, I found myself savoring every minute of it.

Great follow up to The Star Touched Queen. I actually enjoyed the characters more in this book than I did the first one.

The Star-Touched Queen was one of my favorite 2016 debut novels. It took me awhile to finally pick up the sequel because I wasn’t sure if I wanted there to be one. The story ended, but I realized that the book wasn’t about Maya, though she did make a couple appearances. It was about Gauri, her sister. Still, it took me forever to finally read it.

A Crown of Wishes was beautifully written and poetic, with a lavish setting and romance you couldn’t help but root for.

So why did I rate it three stars?

A Crown of Wishes was too much. I liked the romance and I liked Vikram and Gauri as characters, and I even liked the setting and weird adventure the two went on to participate in the tournament. There was magic and mystery around every corner, but it was over the top. The writing that I appreciated so much in book one was just dripping with poetry and magic and it slowed the pace of the story to the point of being too slow.

This is one of those examples of why I prefer standalone books. When we want more of something, sometimes more isn’t really what we want. A Crown of Wishes had a good plot and romance, so if you’re prepared for lyrical writing and a majestic setting and you don’t compare it too much to The Star-Touched Queen, it’s a great read.