The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choka Review

This is a spoiler free review!

The Star-Touched Queen

Written by Roshani Chokshi

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Mythology/Retelling

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Pages: 342

Source: Library

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

Review:

I did not expect much from this book at all as I hadn’t really read that many reviews on this book or heard that much about it. But after I’ve read it and comprehended everything that’s happened, I realized that it was a lot better than I thought it would be. This was also a Hades and Persephone retelling and it was gorgeous and brilliantly executed.

COVER

The cover is gorgeous. I love how how the stars are at the bottom half and it is almost like she is coming up out of the stars. I also really like how she is holding a lantern and heading towards a palace. This is honestly one of my favorite covers of all time.

WORLD-BUILDING

The world building was done so brilliantly. The mythology within her world are so wonderfully described and we really get to know what the world looks like and is like. At first, the world building was a tad confusing but I quickly came to understand it.

"In all the tomes and folklore I had read from the archives, there was no limit to the worlds around us. Somewhere unseen were demonic realms filled with laughing asuras and blackened suns. There were austere kingdoms on the peaks of mountains where phoenixes serenaded the moon and the halls of the gods glinted with lightning. And there was our own, human world, mortal, with only the comfort of stories to keep away the chill of death."

Then there are the characters.

MAYA

Maya has a horiscope that predicts death. She suffered through loneliness because all the people she lived with believed she was going to bring about terrible things but she gains strength from her loneliness. Maya is open to what her heart really desires. She has such a big heart really and is such a strong character. And she did most of the saving. Not the other way around. She was cunning and witty and was able to pull apart deception that was set before her.

AMAR

Amar was really really sweet. You could really tell that he cared about Maya. He wasn't an assehole and wasn't sexist. He treated Maya like an equal and that is what made him truly beautiful. He shot up to one of my favorite male love interests pretty quickly. I was swooning half the book.

KAMALA

Kamala was hilarious. She was a demon horse who helped Maya and had such sass. She loved to eat people because she was a demon horse and she constantly jokes about it. I really enjoyed reading about her.

PLOT

The plot was really very amazing and quite unexpected. There were twists and turns at every page and you do not know what the villain is going to do next. Oh and the villain was so well done because you never know what she is going to do or what she is doing or why.

There, my queen,” he said. “A constellation to wear in your hair.”

“My star-touched queen,” he said softly, as if he was remembering something from long ago. “I would break the world to give you what you want.”

ROMANCE

Tons of people thought that this romance was insta-lovey but I don't think it is like that at all. Amar's eternal love for Maya was so beautiful and seemed so real that it was almost hard to believe that I was reading a book. They were definitely a match made in heaven or hell or wherever they happen to be. [That was literally the only confusing thing about it]

Oh and did I mention that this is a Hades and Persephone retelling that was so well done that it was almost better than the original.

WRITING

The writing was so beautiful and mesmerizing and it made the romance and everything in it so much more beautiful and real. The writing was also breathtaking. It was really magical. A true masterpiece.

Final Thoughts:

I highly enjoyed this book. If you like mythology or a good romance, I recommend this book. It exceeded my expectations and quickly became one of my favorite new releases.

Quotes from the Book:

“I know your soul. Everything else is just an ornament.” 

“I see only night and smoke, dreams and glass, embers and wings. And I would not have you any other way.”

“A memory is a fine legacy to leave behind.

“There is no romance in real grief. Only longing and fury.” 

“Trust is won in years. Not words.” 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

Movie Review #3: Jack the Giant Slayer

Another movie review! Recently, I saw the movie Jack the Giant Slayer. It was a really good movie as I had hoped it would be. This is also mostly spoiler free.

Title: Jack the Giant Slayer
Director: Bryan Singer
Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 4 Crowns
Release Date: March 1, 2013

We all know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. But maybe we don't know the real story. This is the real story.

PLOT

The plot was done really well. It was unique and different to the normal Jack and the Beanstalk story. We got to know more about Jack and why he climbed the beanstalk. He climbed it to rescue the princess of course. Though the princess wasn't weak and helpless like you might think she'd be. She was very badass

ACTORS/CHARACTERS

Nicholas Hoult plays the hero of the movie, Jack. Jack is a poor farmer and lives with his uncle after his father dies. I really enjoyed seeing this different type of Jack. He is still quite an average person even though he happens to be a hero and saving the princess. 

Eleanor Tomlinson plays Princess Isabelle. I adored the princess. She was a strong-willed character who knew what she wanted and didn't want to be tied down. I have seen Eleanor Tomlinson in one other thing so far which was Poldark and I have to say, I adore her. 

Ewan McGregor was hilarious as Elmont. This was an entirely different role for him since the only other thing that I have seen him in happened to be Star Wars. He was a lot less series in this movie and funnier. 

FIGHTING

There was quite a bit of fighting as there is a fairytale/action type movie. I didn't mind the fighting too much though there was a lot of it. I feel like it made the movie more exciting. 

ROMANCE

There was a little bit of chemistry between Jack and Isabelle but not as much as I wanted. I feel like their romance was a bit rushed and could have been slowed down a little bit more. 

CONTENT FOR OLDER VIEWERS ONLY?

This movie is rated PG-13 for a reason. I feel like some of the fighting or "gorey" type seasons would not be for younger kids so watch out for that. But there isn't any profanity or nudity or things like that so in that respect, it is great for younger viewers.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I originally thought but Nicholas Hoult was attractive and a good actor and I adored Eleanor Tomlinson. 

Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey Review

This is a spoiler free review!

Love, Lies and Spies

Written by Cindy Anstey

Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Romance

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Release Date: April `9, 2016

Pages: 368

Source: Library

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself

Review:

I have such a soft spot for Victorian/Nineteenth century England books. I adore the romance, the characters and the writing. This book has quickly become one of my favorite YA Historical Fiction books. It had so much potential and it lived up to it. I adored the book.

COVER

The cover is really nice. I really like the fact that it is in all black and white except for the words. I also like how there are lots of keys on the cover and I especially like the fact that there is a young woman chasing a carriage because frankly that resembles Juliana a ton.

WORLD-BUILDING

The world building is done fairly well. We get to view a lot of London and what it was like in the nineteenth century. We get to see what each gender's role was in that time and what each person was supposed to do. I found it really interesting and Victorian London is one of my favorite time periods for books.

Then there are the characters.

JULIANA

We first meet Juliana when she is hanging off a cliff. Juliana happens to be clumsy. She is always tripping over things or getting herself into quite the muddle. She is very independent even though some things [such as her falling off cliffs] seemed to show she wasn't. It is also clear from the beginning that she has no interest in entrapping any young man. Nor is she swooning over any man she happens to meet. She is such a Lizzie type character [Lizzie from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen] and I really enjoyed going on adventures with her.

SPENCER NORTHAM

Spencer is such a gentleman and a really unique character. I expected him to be compared with Mr. Darcy a bit but he really wasn't that type of person. Except he does do a little bit of brooding. But he wasn't mean to her or anything. Quite on the contrary, he was really polite and gentlemanly towards her. Spencer also showed a lot of compassion for the people he loved or cared about. He is also a very attractive and well-educated bachelor. To be honest, if I lived in that time period or in the book, I would totally go for him.

LORD BOBBINGTON

He is such a Mr. Bingley type character. He is best friend's with Spencer and their friendship is amazing. I really appreciate a good friendship and with some of the books that I have been reading lately, that is a given. He is hilarious and has his attentions on Lady Vivien when it is obvious that she doesn't like him.

CARRIE
She really cares about her best friend and cousin but sometimes she shows it in a bit of an awkward fashion. I really enjoyed seeing Carrie and she was a main character.

PLOT

The plot greatly resembles Jane Austen books except for the ending which was a bit more exciting. You can even pick out some of the characters and put them in place of your favorite Pride and Prejudice characters or stuff like that. The women are supposed to marry well and have their husbands provide for them but the main character doesn't want to marry. She prefers to be free and study her hobby which is bugs or insects. She's even writing a book with her father. I really like how the plot plays out. There isn't any love at first sight and the plot is hilarious and highly enjoyable.

ROMANCE

There is no love at first sight here which made me super happy. I was a little worried about a love triangle but that did not happen. Bobbington knows Spencer has his eye on Juliana and doesn't get in his way. The pair only have eyes for each other. Juliana is eighteen and Spencer is probably twenty-one or something around that. They act just like young lovers and are shy of their affections.

The ball scene was adorable and them dancing just made my day. There is one swoony scene that made my day and they are just so adorable and cute.

WRITING

The writing is perfect. It would fit in with the Jane Austen books or books from that time period perfectly. The way the characters speak or describe things is so eloquently put. The writing is wonderful and I adored it.

Final Thoughts:

If you like historical fiction novels then I highly recommend this one. It has the perfect dose of everything and it is highly enjoyable. Be ready to read on into the night and rate it as high as you can. I adored this book. This tagline is perfect: In this hilarious homage to Jane Austen, a lady with a penchant for trouble finds a handsome spy much more than merely tolerable.

Quotes from the Book:


“I shall be considered completely beyond the pale if I am dashed upon the rocks. Aunt will be so uncomfortable. Most inconsiderate of me.”

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns

Top 5 Wednesday | Favorite Books Outside Your Comfort Zone

  TOP FIVE WEDNESDAY

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY IS A WEEKLY MEME HOSTED BY SAM. YOU BASICALLY GET A NEW TOPIC EVERY WEDNESDAY, AND YOU LIST YOUR TOP 5 BOOKS RELATED TO THAT TOPIC. HEAD OVER TO THE GOODREADS GROUP, AND ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST OF WEDNESDAY-ERS IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING!

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Today’s topic is “Favorite Books Outside Your Comfort Zone” This is such a hard topic for me to do because I don't read that many books outside my comfort zone or if I do, I usually DNF them. Well, here it goes.

5. Me before You

I adore this book. I do not pick up Adult books like ever but I am planning on reading more Adult books in the future. I also don't really read romance adult and while this wasn't all romance it was still there. I enjoyed this a ton and I did tear up cause this book makes you feel all the emotions so prepare yourself. 

 4. Open road summer 

This was really really good. I did not end up eating it Five stars but I still really enjoyed it. I have started reading contemporary but normally I shy away from them because I feel like they are kind of fake and too cutesy but this was a lot different. 

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3. Falling Kingdoms by morgan Rhodes 

I only picked up this book because it got good reviews. But it is compared with Game of Thrones and that is a show that is not up my ally. I wasn't really prepared for the amount of death that happened in this book but I still highly enjoyed it and is one of my favorites for this year. 

2. fallen By Lauren Kate

I adore fantasy but I don't reach for paranormal like ever but I picked up this book and I enjoyed it so so much which surprised me a lot. 

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1. Obsidian by jennifer l. armentrout

I love this book but it is another book I would never pick up on my own. I don't read paranormal ever and then I picked this up and enjoyed it so so so so so much. 

UPDATE!

Hello guys. 

So, as I have mentioned before, I am going to California and am not sure how much I will be able to post there.  I will try to post a review once a week but I am not certain yet. I have to see how my grandparents' wifi is and if I can use their computer. 

That being said, I will be doing a ton of reading so I hope to have a lot of reviews coming in the near future. 

I will also try to keep up with weekly memes or give them all to you at the end of the month/beginning of next month when I return. 

I am going to miss all of you so so much but I can't wait to get back on here and post. 

And I'll leave you all with a little gif from Jim Kirk. Btw. I am going to see the new Star Trek movie that comes out this month. I can't wait!!!!!

WINGS OF WAR BOOK BLITZ

Hey guys. I am so excited to share this with you all.  This is a book blitz for the Wings of War Series by Karen Ann Hopkins. 

Embers

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them.

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she’s immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. 

Following a violent episode with her aunt’s boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember’s exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she’s a Watcher, a descendant of angels.

While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it’s cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Embers is the first novel in the dark and gritty YA paranormal romance series, The Wings of War.

Gaia

Watchers and Angels are at war. Which side will Ember choose?

Humankind is on the precipice of the apocalypse. 

As the Demons grow bolder and the walls between the planes of existence weaken, Ember is forced to develop her powers as quickly as possible, and she seeks out a powerful earth Watcher to continue her supernatural lessons. Her glimpse of the future demands she fight the dark forces spreading across the earth.

But her new mentor has his own agenda, making her question everyone and everything she ever trusted.

When Ember is thrust into the world of the Watchers, she learns of their plans—ones that defy the scripture and make them enemies of the Celestial Host. Ridding the world of evil gets complicated when it becomes impossible to take sides. 

As Ember struggles with morality, she soon discovers that there’s something more frightening than anything she’s faced before.

Tempest

Ember must stop the apocalypse from happening, but at what cost?

The Angels of destruction have arrived, and only Ember stands in the way of their mission to carry out God’s wrath and annihilate His enemies.

When the barrier between celestial creatures and humans beings is broken and Angels descend to Earth, Ember soon learns there’s a fine line between good and evil. As she faces a world full of monsters and magic, a terrifying darkness rises and threatens to destroy everything she’s fighting for.

In the riveting third installment of The Wings of War series, Ember and her friends embark on an epic journey, where unlikely allies are forged and age-old beliefs crumble to dust. And just when Ember accepts love in her life, it’s ripped away from her in the most terrifying way possible.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE [EMBERS WILL BE 99c DURING THE BLITZ!

Excerpt

Ivan spoke with an excited voice. “Do you hear it, Ember?”

I tilted my head and listened. It was faint, but there was a low rumble in the distance. As we walked forward the sound grew.

“Yes. Is that the falls?” I asked.

He nodded his head. “We’re almost there.”

Soon the noise was a deafening roar, vibrating in my ears. When we stepped out of the cover of the trees, I was astonished. Raven Branch Falls was much larger than I expected. The water dropped from nearly seventy feet into a dark pool. Giant boulders jutted out below the pool to create smaller falls, which led into a rapidly flowing rocky creek bed.

My gaze was drawn to a tree leaning out from the side of the falls where a large grey owl was partially hidden in the foliage. There was something familiar about its eyes, and the way it was looking at me gave me the distinct feeling that I knew the bird. Could it be the same owl I saw racing through the air the day of my arrival? 

Ivan grasped my arm and tugged me closer to the falls. He held my arm tightly as we stepped onto the boulders beside the deep water hole. Spots on the enormous rocks were wet and slippery from the spray of the falls and I was grateful for his help. He led me out to the farthest point we could go, where a carpet of soft moss blanketed the surface of a particularly large boulder. Ivan gestured for me to sit, which I did, and then he bounded off, climbing along the boulders until he was a little ways downstream.

I watched him go, thinking what a nice boy—or wolf, he was.

Without looking, I knew Sawyer was behind me. The movements of my stomach and heart gave him away.  He sat down very close. 

“Where did you come from?” he coaxed softly.  

For a second I saw the boy from my dream.

The breath caught in my throat. I gazed at him. 

He doesn’t seem evil to me. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah. 

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. 

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War, and the continuation of the Temptation series. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible.

"I loved joining Rose and Noah during their journey in the Temptation series by Karen Hopkins."-Katie McGarry, acclaimed YA author

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / GOODREADS

GIVEAWAY

$25 Amazon gift card and books 1-2-3 [Embers-Gaia-Tempest] Ends July 14

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Music Monday #20

I got this idea from the blog Trust in the Words. 

Sledgehammer by Rihanna

This song is my new obsession. I adore the song and first heard it in the Star Trek Beyond trailer which I am so so so excited for. I love the piano at the beginning and the background music and the lyrics. The music video confuses me a ton but oh well. But this song is so so so good and I recommend it so go listen to it. 

What's in your headphones?

Happy reading everybody! <3