From the author of The Star-Touched Queen comes a beautiful lush fantasy, Roshani Chokshi’s A Crown of Wishes.Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. … her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes – a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.
Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.
Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.
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I really loved seeing the story pick up where it left off in the first book, but from a totally different perspective! Gauri and Vikram are both amazing characters, and their story was so good! I loved following along with the tournament and watching how Gauri and Vikram grew and learned things along the way. Definitely recommend this one as well!
A Crown of Wishes is the second book in the Hindu-inspired fantasy series by Roshani Chokshi. It tells the story of Maya’s little Gauri as she deals with the absence of Maya during Maya’s adventures in The Star-Touched Queen. Gauri is desperate; shunned from her family, she teams up with an attractive if potentially untrustworthy prince from another land to participate in the Tournament of Wishes. The winner gets one wish — whatever they most desire. If they survive the tournament.
When I read A Crown of Wishes, I thought, “It isn’t as good as the first book, but it’s GOOD.” The setting is in India pre-Western influence, a land divided into small, ever-battling kingdoms. The rich Hindu mythology and pantheon are reimagined in this tale. Gods and goddesses, monsters and creatures, wishes and magical objects are all very reachable and dangerous. It made for a fascinating and wonderful backdrop for this creative story.
The characters are deep, developed, and dangerous. And the Tournament of Wishes went just as such a tournament should, full of mind-bending puzzles, danger, serious competitors, and creative creatures.
I recommend this book to fans of Caraval and of non-Western YA fantasy.
I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I am not obligated to provide a positive review.
A Crown of Wishes is the story of a prince and a princess from rival kingdoms who are forced to work together if they’re each going to get what they want. As they both get closer and closer to their end goals, they start to see each other and themselves from an entirely different perspective. Obviously it’s more complicated than that, but that’s the easy description.
I absolutely loved this story. It’s one of my favorite fantasy books that I’ve ever read. I’ve also loved all of the other books by Roshani Chokshi. Her writing is so descriptive and I do realize that isn’t for everyone. For me it’s the perfect writing style, though.
Gauri and Vikram are both so different. Gauri’s life in her own kingdom has always been tough. She’s had to watch as her kingdom is driven to ruins. So how does she decide to fix all her problems? It might have something to do with a sword… Vikram is the prince of Gauri’s sworn enemy. Unlike her he much prefers to talk things out. I LOVED some of his retorts to things that Gauri or other characters would say. Just perfection. Love the fox prince.
If you’re looking for an interesting fantasy world with a healthy amount of romance too, check this one out. As long as you love beautiful descriptive writing and some good banter this should be a great read.
What another great read by the brilliantly talented Roshani Chokshi. I really enjoyed this story. It was magical, action-packed, adventurous, and romantic. It has all the things I loved in The Star-Touched Queen and more. Vikram and Gauri were amazing characters that complemented each other so well. They were like night and day, but fit together so perfectly. I really liked the tournament of wishes and all it put our two main characters through. They were tested at every turn and had to acknowledge their weaknesses and face their fears and secrets. It was all so very exciting and interesting and make for a great story. I really loved this story.
OK, let me preface this by saying that I’m really not that much into the fantasy genre. So while this would not normally be on my TBR list, I’m glad it was and I did. Good characters, amazing imagery/world building and more profound passages/insights than you could shake a stick at!
The author always has a way with building the setting. She’s super descriptive and you feel like you’re part of her world. The characters are interesting, but the overall plot feels a little rushed and the relationships seem rushed and flimsy. Overall it was a very entertaining read.