Title: A Crown of Wishes
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Pages: 352
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Source: Free ARC from St. Martin’s
Rating: A-
Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from St. Martin’s via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.
Summary: A beastly princess and a fox-like prince, their kingdoms on the edge of war, become the most unexpected of teams when offered the opportunity to compete in the Tournament of Wishes. Together they enter the Otherworld to compete against humans and immortals, for the opportunity to win one wish. If they win, they each win a wish, but only one will return home, while the other is bound to the Otherworld for the remainder of their life.
Review: If I’m being completely honest, I think I would have liked this better if I hadn’t read The Star-Touched Queen first, and so recently. Because it was freakin’ amazing. Like, definitely the best YA I’ve read this year. Maybe the best YA I’ve read ever. EVER. And when the first thing you’ve written is one of the best things in the whole entire world, how do you best that? Sometimes, you don’t. Sometimes, your second shot is second best. But that’s still pretty damn great.
The thing I loved about The Star-Touched Queen was the sense of magic and whimsy, the gorgeous purple prose. The words were magic and so was the story. A Crown of Wishes simply didn’t have that same Alice in Wonderland feel to me. There was magic, but it was darker and more shadowy than whimsical. And I missed the purple prose. It was kind of like switching from cotton candy to coffee. I love cotton candy and I love coffee. But if you’re expecting cotton candy and you’re handed coffee instead? Yeah.
From the first page, I loved Vikram. Gauri I knew a little bit from The Star-Touched Queen, but I expected to like her more than I did initially. She grew on me. And Aasha…I know this is supposed to be the last book in this world, but I feel like she could have had more of her own story. Crossing my fingers and hoping Miss Chokshi one day finds herself compelled to write a story for Aasha. There is so much more I want to know about her, and I want so much for her.
So, probably unfairly, the hangover from The Star-Touched Queen has rubbed a little of the shine off a book I would normally find perfectly wonderful. Because it really and truly is. Roshani Chokshi knows how to write, there is no doubt about that. I would and will buy anything and everything she writes. Her characters are everything, her world-building is phenomenal, and her imagination for story-telling is just…dare I say…incomparable? So hangover or no, A Crown of Wishes is worth your time. You need not read The Star-Touched Queen first, but I highly, highly recommend you read both. Just be prepared for a markedly different tone.
P.S. OMG that cover though, right?!?!?