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A review by mxhermit
Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi
5.0
Roshani Chokshi has a deft hand at her craft, weaving worlds that embrace the reader and take us away, whether it be in her novels The Star-Touched Queen, Crown of Wishes, or this newest bind-up of short fiction that accompanies those two, Star-Touched Stories.
Returning to the world of Otherworldly beings and the humans that interact with them, readers are treated to new faces and old, familiar stories that go on just a bit longer and reveal depths about Death & Night, spy mistresses, and a whispered tale of doomed love.
Roshani Chokshi's eloquent writing remains as beautiful as ever. The worlds crafted trend toward the fantastical, weaving intricate images of gardens and beings at the Night Market. Physicality aside, there's also the depth of feeling the reader gets from the characters. Interacting with one another, it's possible to really understand the depth of want, need, loneliness, fear. These aren't passing mentions that in a lesser hand might just be words. Chokshi's compels the reader to experience heartache right alongside her characters, to laugh with them as mock each other, to long for an answer to their problem just as much.
My favorite tale was "Death and Night", a novella that was the first offering of Star-Touched Stories. It had all of the emotional buildup that I mentioned above, but it also had levity that I think some stories lack when the focus is so much on romance. Gupta, the adviser to Death, was a kick. He was able to make remarks to Death that few others might have dared and his demeanor was overall pleasant.
This book is considered 2.5 of the Star-Touched series, with each story taking place at intervals around the main works (Queen, Crown). I think that it would be possible to read it without having read those two primary books, but there would be something lost in the reading, especially in regards to Poison & Gold, which would actually be a bit spoiler-y for A Crown of Wishes.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.
Returning to the world of Otherworldly beings and the humans that interact with them, readers are treated to new faces and old, familiar stories that go on just a bit longer and reveal depths about Death & Night, spy mistresses, and a whispered tale of doomed love.
Roshani Chokshi's eloquent writing remains as beautiful as ever. The worlds crafted trend toward the fantastical, weaving intricate images of gardens and beings at the Night Market. Physicality aside, there's also the depth of feeling the reader gets from the characters. Interacting with one another, it's possible to really understand the depth of want, need, loneliness, fear. These aren't passing mentions that in a lesser hand might just be words. Chokshi's compels the reader to experience heartache right alongside her characters, to laugh with them as mock each other, to long for an answer to their problem just as much.
My favorite tale was "Death and Night", a novella that was the first offering of Star-Touched Stories. It had all of the emotional buildup that I mentioned above, but it also had levity that I think some stories lack when the focus is so much on romance. Gupta, the adviser to Death, was a kick. He was able to make remarks to Death that few others might have dared and his demeanor was overall pleasant.
This book is considered 2.5 of the Star-Touched series, with each story taking place at intervals around the main works (Queen, Crown). I think that it would be possible to read it without having read those two primary books, but there would be something lost in the reading, especially in regards to Poison & Gold, which would actually be a bit spoiler-y for A Crown of Wishes.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.