The Star-Touched Queen

Starred review from March 28, 2016
A princess's destiny may lie among the stars in Chokshi's exquisite debut novel. Princess Mayavati of Bharata is only one among her father's many children, and her horoscope says that death is her constant shadow. Her kingdom is on the brink of war, and when her father announces that she soon must choose her husband, it comes with a horrible catch. When a mysterious stranger, Amar, breaks into Maya's room and offers her the keys to his kingdom, she only hesitates for a moment before being whisked away to Akaran, a haunted place where mirrors offer glimpses of strange lands, and an enchanted tapestry holds the fate of millions in its threads. Chokshi's prose is captivating, and the pages come alive through lush descriptions of Night Bazaar teeming with Otherworldly delights, gardens made of glass, and realms where the lines between life and death are blurred. Maya is a strong heroine, and while there is romance, an emphasis on familial love adds another level of richness to a folkloric fantasy about sacrifice, self-discovery, and making your own destiny. Ages 13âup. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.