***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: Middle East

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Narrator(s): Priya Ayyar
Series: stand-alone
Length: 9 hrs 22 mins
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Source: received from publisher via Netgalley, won audio from author
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.

But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.

Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves.

The Star-Touched Queen is a lush, beautifully written and vividly imagined fantasy inspired by Indian mythology.

The Star-Touched Queen is a story of many things: love, loss, redemption, revenge, learning and knowing oneself...and then some. The heart of the story finds its origin in the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, but I also found myself captivated by reminders of other favorite tales, like that of Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast and even The Neverending Story. Basically, this novel combines so many aspects from my favorite stories and yet somehow manages to remain unique and compelling.

And it's a stand-alone!! That, like, never happens anymore: a fantasy novel that comprises the pages of a single book and yet manages to convey the magic of three. The magic was all over the pages of this story, and what a lovely story it was. I'm actually kind of impressed with myself that I was able to savor it, rather than devouring it in one sitting. The first time I read it, anyway. ;-) I won a copy of the audiobook from the author and that I did devour immediately upon receiving. And if possible, the story is even more majestic, nay hypnotic, on audio.

The narrative is simply gorgeous and poetic, no matter which way you experience it. I could lose myself for days in a story of this caliber. It felt like a story of before and after, and yet it spans so much more than that: a love that will not be denied, a betrayal that unbalanced the worlds, and a need for vengeance so deep that it threatened to destroy the worlds completely. I cannot fathom how Chokshi could fit so much into such a tiny book and have it turn out so lovely. She must have a bit of Otherworldly magic of her own.

She so seamlessly weaves the Indian culture and the mythology in this story. It's a true work of art. And gorgeous to behold, from the descriptions of life in the palace of Bharata to the incandescent beauty of Akaran. (I'm actually super glad I listened to the audiobook because I was saying practically every proper noun incorrectly. And it sounds so much lovelier in Priya Ayyar's velvety voice.)

The characters were all so full and bursting with vitality. Yet, I never imagined that a flesh-eating demon horse would become one of my favorite characters, maybe of ever. But somehow, Kamala wormed her vicious way into my heart. Honestly, this was the aspect of the story that reminded me most of The Neverending Story because I felt like Kamala was akin to Falkor, joking about eating the main character and becoming a source of companionship and encouragement throughout the story. I've always wanted my own luck dragon, but now I kind of want a demon horse, too.

Which is probably the best testament to how amazing and compelling this novel is. You're living and breathing the story right with the characters, and then you're wishing you were part of the story, too. Funny how that happens. I've read this book twice now and I still can't get enough of it...

GIF it to me straight:

First Falkor, now Kamala.

I'm going to need a zoo for all of my favorite imaginary friends.

About the author:

Roshani Chokshi’s work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer and Book Smugglers Publishing. She was a finalist in the 2014 Daphne du Maurier contest hosted by Romance Writers of America, and a 2014 Katha fictions contest finalist hosted by India Currents and Khabar Magazine. Her writing draws on her Filipino and Indian heritage.

The Star-Touched Queen is her first novel.

Find Roshani:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Labels: beautiful covers, beauty and the beast, bluebeard, fantasy, favorites, hades-persephone, macmillan, Middle East, mythology, retellings, reviews, roshani chokshi, the neverending story, the star-touched queen

Title: The Tyrant's Daughter
Author: J.C. Carlson
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Random House Children's
Publication Date: February 11th, 2014
Source: received from publisher via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs.

When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations? J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics. *Bonus Backmatter includes a note about the author's CIA past, and a commentary by RAND researcher and president of ARCH International, Dr. Cheryl Benard. Recommendations for further reading are also included.

Every once in a while, I’ll get the urge to read something I normally wouldn’t. When I got an email about The Tyrants Daughter, I almost passed it up, but then I could not stop thinking about it. It was a gamble but in the end, I decided to give it a shot.

The Tyrants Daughter is not an easy read. It’s written beautifully, but it’s a hard subject. This stuff usually doesn’t interest me. The World News is never on in my house. Out of sight, out of mind, but this stuff told from the pov of a teenager? Well it worked for me and I really liked it.

Laila is ripped from her home in the Middle East immediately following the murder of her father. Her mother is a wreck, and her little brother is for the most part clueless about what really went down. They were both brought up like royalty, believing their father was a king.

Now adjusting to American life, Laila is faced with news reports and Internet articles telling her otherwise. Was her father a Monster or a King? He’s not around to defend himself, so what is she to believe? Watching Laila struggle with all these truths was heartbreaking.

This story isn’t just about the grief of losing her father though, there are still a lot of politics at play. I can’t go into too much detail without spoiling, but I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would all end up.

One of my favorite things was Laila adjusting to life in America. There is one scene where she tells her new friends a story from her home, and it really showed how different their cultures were. I loved how we got to see how America is viewed through Laila’s eyes. It really felt authentic.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Tyrant's Daughter. It’s not for everyone, and I’m surprised it was even for me but sometimes reading out of your comfort zone can pay off!

About the author:

J.C. Carleson never intended to be an author. Although she was always a proficient writer of term papers, reports, and other necessary but mundane documents, she didn't consider herself
cut out for the creative life. Nearly a decade as an officer in the CIA's clandestine service changed that. With her head now brimming with stories of intrigue, scandal, and exotic locales, Carleson was finally ready to give writing a shot. Her fiction and non-fiction works alike tap into her unique experiences, drawing readers into the highly charged, real world of espionage.

Find J.C. Carleson:

Website | Goodreads