Murder, Magic, and What We Wore, by Kelly Jones ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Mystery, Regency England, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 19th, 2017

304 Pages

Synopsis: The year is 1818, the city is London, and 16-year-old Annis Whitworth has just learned her father is dead and all his money is missing. And so, of course, she decides to become a spy.

Annis always suspected that her father was himself a spy, and following in his footsteps to unmask his killer makes perfect sense. Alas, it does not make sense to England’s current spymasters—not even when Annis reveals she has the rare magical ability to sew glamours—garments that can disguise the wearer completely.

Well, if the spies are too pigheaded to take on a young woman of quality, then Annis will take them on. And so, she crafts a new double life for herself. Miss Annis Whitworth will appear to live a quiet life in a country cottage with her aunt, and Annis-in-disguise as Madame Martine, glamour artist, will open a magical dressmaking shop. That way she can earn a living, maintain her social standing, and in her spare time, follow the coded clues her father left behind and unmask his killer.

It can’t be any harder than navigating the London social season, can it?

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore is a cute Recency romp, that had me laughing out loud more than once. 

Annis is a refreshing young miss. Despite her magical talent, she’s no special snowflake. She’s intelligent, but very naive and because of this, makes mistakes and has to rely on others to help fix them. Annis is not afraid to get her hands dirty, and in addition to investing her father’s mysterious death, takes time out to help others.

Millie, the maid to Annis and her aunt, actually wound up being even more interesting to me. She’s far more practical than Annis, and saves the day more than once. I also enjoyed the close friendship that developed between these two girls despite their dissimilar backgrounds. There’s a lot of “girl power” moments courtesy of these two as well as some secondary female characters.

I loved the fantasy elements added to this, but while there’s an acceptance that magical abilities are par for the course, there’s no other details on how they came to be. Also lacking is some character development, specifically in regards to men. There’s a hint of a potential future romance between Annis and her father’s lawyer, Mr. Harrison, but to be honest, by the last page I knew nothing more about him than I did at the beginning of the book. 

The mystery is intriguing and although I guessed who the villain was about halfway through the book, it still kept me reading. The ending isn’t a cliffhanger, but it leads me to believe there will be additional books.

Overall, Murder, Magic, and What We Wore may be a little short on details and development, but is still a quick and enjoyable read. I’m definitely interested in where Kelly Jones takes her characters and story next.

 

 

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A Poison Dark and Drowning (Kingdom On Fire #2), by Jessica Cluess ~ 3.75 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Victorian Society, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 19th, 2017

432 Pages

Synopsis: 

The magicians want her to lead.

The sorcerers want her to lie.

The demons want her blood.

Henrietta wants to save the one she loves.

But will his dark magic be her undoing?

In this seductive and explosive second book in the Kingdom On Fire series, Jessica Cluess delivers her signature mix of magic, passion, and teen warriors fighting for survival. Hand to fans of Victoria Aveyard, Sarah J. Maas, and Kiersten White.

Henrietta doesn’t need a prophecy to know she’s in danger. She came to London to be named the chosen one, the first full female sorcerer in centuries, the one who would defeat the Ancients. Instead, she discovers a city ruled by secrets. And the biggest secret of all: Henrietta is not the chosen one.

Still, she must play the role in order to keep herself and Took, her best friend and childhood love, safe. But can she truly save him? The poison in Rook’s blood is transforming him into something monstrous as he begins to master dark powers of his own. So, when Henrietta finds a clue to the Ancients past that could turn the tide of the war, she persuades Blackwood, the mysterious Earl of Sorrow-Fell, to travel up the coast to seek out strange new weapons. And Magnus, the brave, reckless flirt who wants to win back her favor, is assigned to their mission. Together, they will face monsters, meet powerful new Allies, and uncover the most devastating weapon of all: the truth.

When I reviewed the first book in this series, A Shadow Bright and Burning, and gave it 3 stars, my main complaints concerned what I saw as lack of character development and not enough world-building. In the sequel, A Poison Dark and Drowning, Jessica Cluess has addressed those issues much to my satisfaction. But, the “romance” here was just awful, hence my rather odd rating.

Henrietta drove me absolutely NUTS! On the one hand I continue to love that she’s not the typical “chosen one”. She’s intelligent, feisty, courageous, and loyal to those she cares for. She battles over doing what’s right and is plagued by self-doubt and guilt over her previous actions. She also continually lies and keeps secrets in the name of protecting her friends. In essence, she’s a complex, yet relatable character,  and I’m enjoying where the author is going with her story. However, the flippin’ love square between her, Rook, Magnus and Blackwood was horrible and distracting, and had me grinding my teeth almost the entire time I was reading. I don’t think I’ve been this annoyed by someone’s constant dithering since the Bella Swan in the Twilight series! In my humble opinion, if Jessica Cluess would lay off the soap-opera relationship drama, this would be a much tighter and more entertaining series.

What I did like though, is that all the characters were much more multi-dimensional in this story. Magnus is now one of my favorites as it’s revealed that there’s much more to him than being an incorrigible flirt. There’s also a new character introduced, Maria, who I absolutely loved and I can’t wait to see what happens with her in the next book. And while many other reviewers continue to dislike Henrietta’s childhood friend, Rook, I’m actually rooting for a riding off into the sunset, happy ending for him and Henrietta.

The world-building is absolutely PHENOMENAL here, which is what really saved this book for me. Combining Victorian England with Lovecraft-like monsters known as the Ancients is absolutely brilliant, and you find out much more in this book about their history and why they’ve been brought here. Likewise, there’s more revealed about Sorcerers and Magicians and the animosity between them. And finally, even with all the fantasy elements that compose this tale, Cluess still manages to capture the very real societal norms of the period, especially when it comes to how women were treated.

I’ve gone back and forth on whether to rate A Poison Dark and Drowning 3 1/2 Stars or 4. There are so many things I loved about this book, but I disliked the relationship drama so much that it took away some of my enjoyment. After a lot of agonizing, I came up with the 3.75. I think that fans of the previous book will most likely enjoy this sequel even more. And although I had issues with both books, I’d still recommend that historical fantasy fans give them a try. Despite my critical remarks, I devoured this in two sittings and I will definitely be reading the third book.

 

Burntown, by Jennifer McMahon ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Coming of Age Stories, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

336 Pages

Synopsis: Eva grew up watching her father, Miles, invent strange and wonderful things in the small workshop behind their house on the river that runs through their old mill town. But the most important invention of all was the one Miles claimed came from the mind of Thomas Edison himself–a machine that allowed one to speak with loved ones long passed. Smuggled out of Edison’s laboratory, the blueprints were passed down to Miles, and he’s been using them to protect Eva, her mother Lily, and her brother, Errol, ever since.

Then, one night when a storm is raging and the river is threatening to flood, the machine whirrs to life on it’s own. Danger, it says. You’re in terrible danger. The next thing Eva knows is waking up on the side of the river and seeing her mother’s grim face. Eva’s father and brother are dead, their house has been washed away and an evil man is searching for them both. They need to hide.

Eva changes her name to Necco–a candy she always loved–and tries to put everything in the past behind her as she adapts to her new life off the grid. But when her boyfriend is murdered and her mother disappears, she know the past is starting to catch up to her.

What really happened the night of the flood? As Necco searches for the truth, her journey unites her with two women who are on desperate quests of their own. And as the trio follows the clues to solving the mystery of Necco’s past, they discover that sometimes it’s the smallest towns that hide the strangest secrets.

Burntown is a genre-defying novel that’s an interesting mix of coming-of-age, supernatural, fantasy, science fiction, mystery and suspense. I’ve read previous books by Jennifer McMahon’s and one thing I’ve learned is to expect the unexpected, and this latest book is no different.

In addition to the quirky characters, there are mysterious murders, a flood, an obese former circus performer, a machine that may let you communicate with the dead, and a sinister figure wearing a chicken mask. Yes. You read that last bit correctly! While it seems as though all these separate elements are just too dissimilar to work together, somehow the author weaves everything together in an entertaining way.  

The story might be a bit strange, but it’s oddly enjoyable. The only reason why I’m marking this down is because after being captivated throughout the entire book, I found the ending to be a bit anticlimactic. Overall though, Jennifer McMahon has once again proven what an imaginative writer she is. Burntown is a vividly written tale with endearing and memorable characters, and a unique and suspenseful plot.

 

 

 

 

Enigma (Schrodinger’s Consortium #2) by Tonya Kuper ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

304 Pages

Synopsis: Worst. Road. Trip. Ever.

Escaping with Reid Wentworth should have been fun, but how can I enjoy it when I just (accidentally) killed someone, my mom and brother are in danger, and the Consortium is trying to enslave humanity? (Yeah, they aren’t fooling around.) So feeling something for Reid Wentworth was not part of the plan. Trying to help unite the Resistance against the Consortium means I can’t be distracted by hot boys.

The Resistance secret hideout isn’t exactly the rebel base of my dreams. A traitor there wants me dead, but we have no idea who it is. And with both the Resistance and the Consortium trying to control me, the only one I can trust is Reid. If we’re going to have any chance of protecting my family, controlling my unstable powers, and surviving the clash between the Oculi factions, I’m going to have to catch this traitor. By using myself as bait.

Enigma is the conclusion to the Schrodinger’s Consortium duology, and while it wasn’t quite as perfect as Anomaly, it was still a quick and enjoyable read.

The story picks up three days after Anomaly ended. The story is told in Josie’s and Reid’s POV, which gives things a more personal touch as you can see what they’re really thinking about each other. Their relationship is still in its beginning stages and has all the sweetness and awkwardness of young love. Josie is still reeling from the events of the previous book, and while Reid does everything he can to help her, complications arise when they’re forced to hide their feelings from the rest of the Resistance. As a result, there’s lots of sneaking around, hiding in each other’s rooms, etc. And while I love the two of them as a couple, I found myself wishing for a little less romance and a bit more action. That’s not to say there isn’t any action. There’s quite a few fight scenes where you once again see all those awesome powers that made Anomaly so much fun. I just found the pace to be slower here because a lot of emphasis seemed to be placed on how Josie and Reid felt about each other, and not as much on finding the mole and bringing down the Consortium.

However, Tonya Kuper once again does a masterful job at world-building and introducing interesting new characters with even more awesome Oculi superpowers. The fighting scenes are exciting, and it’s fun watching Josie learn how to use her powers and feel more comfortable about herself.

Overall, I think Enigma is a solid ending to this unique and creative duology and will please fans. While you could read this as a standalone, I recommend reading Anomaly first because you’ll get much more out of the characters and their story. Teens and adults who love science mixed with fantasy, and like their characters to be on the nerdy side, will definitely enjoy these books. Tonya Kuper is a fantastic writer and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

 

Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3), by Rachel Caine – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Alternate History, Fantasy, LGBT Relationships, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Hoarding all the knowledge in the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny…

Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit. But Jess and his friends have a bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies–and to save the very soul of the Great Library…

The third installment in the Great Library series, Ash And Quill picks up immediately where Paper And Fire left off. To quickly sum up the mythology of the series: The Great Library of Alexandria exists in this alternate reality. Sadly, this isn’t a good thing. You see, they insist they’re there “to contain the knowledge of the world in the name of the greater good.” What this really means is no one outside of The Library is allowed to possess actual print books. If they want to read they’re given “blanks”, into which stories can be temporarily downloaded. There are all sorts of other rules and restrictions, but the biggest and most serious offense is possession of a real book. It’s not only a serious crime, it’s one that may cost you your life.

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite YA series, which isn’t a huge surprise as I’m a huge fan of Rachel Caine’s previous books. While I found the last book a little slower paced, here the action began on the very first page and never stopped. And what I really liked was that everything that unfolds in this book is obviously setting things up for the last two. 

What truly stands out though are the characters. In the previous two books there were times where I felt somewhat disconnected from Jess and his friends. Here, they literally spring to life. The dynamic between them is wonderful and they each contribute something vitally important to their mission. Although romance understandably takes a backseat in this eventful story, what is there is lovely, whether it’s between Jess and Morgan; Wolfe and Santi; or Dario and Khalila. And best of all, there is no angst and no annoying love triangles!’

The world-building continues to be spectacular and with Jess and his fellow rebels spending a majority of the story with book “Burners” in Philadelphia, you get to see what The Great Library has done in a different light. The ending is a heart-rending cliffhanger and I can’t believe we have to wait an entire year for the next book! I swear this series is going to kill me before it comes to a close! 

Ash And Quill is definitely my favorite of this series thus far. Full of magic, adventure, friendship, and of course–BOOKS!–this is a series not only for teens, but adult book lovers as well, and I really can’t recommend it highly enough! 

 

 

 

Dragon’s Green (Worldquake Sequence #1) by, Scarlett Thomas – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Alternative Fiction, Books, Fantasy, Middle School Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: Effie Truelove believes in magic, as does her grandfather Griffin (although he refuses to do any magic, let alone teach Effie how to use it). After a mysterious incident leaves Griffin close to death, Effie is given an unusual silver ring and told she must look after her grandfather’s library of rare and powerful books. But then the books fall into the hands of shady scholar Leonard Levar, and Effie is propelled into the most dangerous adventure of her life.

Now, Effie and her friends–nerdy Maxmillian, rugby-mad Wolf, helpful Lexy, and eccentric Raven–must discover their true powers if they are to get the books back. And Effie alone will have to travel to the Otherworld, she will discover the true meaning of the strange old book called Dragon’s Green…

Dragon’s Green is Scarlett Thomas’s first book written for children, and what a marvelous beginning it is! Effie Truelove is a heroine in the same vein as Harry Potter. She’s courageous, loyal, and determined to do the right thing. But her true strength comes from the support of friends, who are just as well-developed as Effie. They’re an entertaining mix of kids who are always willing to come to each other’s aid. The dialogue between them is clever and funny, which further adds to the enjoyment of the story. The world-building is simply phenomenal. The story is set in an alternative London after a catastrophic earthquake has destroyed the majority of technology and seemingly, magic. You can probably guess from the cover and premise, that books play a central role here, which makes this even more appealing. The only reason why I haven’t given this a perfect 5 star rating, is because except for Effie’s grandfather and Maxmillian’s mother, who both seem to know more than they’re willing to share with our intrepid heroes, most of the adults are at best, uncaring, and at worst absolutely horrible. They’re very reminiscent of the way adults are depicted in Roald Dahl’s books. I was left wishing they were a little more original, but the rest of the story is so wonderful that this is a minor complaint. Dragon’s Green is a fantastic and creative beginning to this new middle grade series, and I highly recommend it to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I can’t wait for the next book!

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, by Candace Robinson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to both Candace Robinson and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Today

242 Pages

Synopsis: Some see it…Some don’t…

People in the town of Deer Park, Texas are vanishing. There is a strange museum, known as Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, that appears overnight. Perrie Madeline’s best friend and ex-boyfriend are among the missing. Perrie, along with her friend August go on a pursuit to search for them in the mysterious museum. Could the elusive Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault have anything to do with their disappearances?

And another fellow blogger makes her mark! If you haven’t checked out Candace’s blog at https://literarydust.wordpress.com please do. You won’t be disappointed! As for Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault it’s a quite a promising debut. The plot is very imaginative and unique. It begins in an ordinary enough way with Perrie dealing with family and romance issues and worrying about college. She’s someone readers can instantly relate to. She can be unforgiving and obstinate, but overall she’s a compassionate and caring person, even when it comes to Neven, her ex-boyfriend who she believes cheated on her. One of my favorite parts of the book is the relationship between Perrie and her quirky cousin Maisie. The girls are inseparable, so when both Maisie and Neven go missing, naturally Perrie is not going to sit back without jumping into the investigation herself. On her dangerous journey she brings her new love interest August. Once they set foot in the sinister museum of the mysterious Quinsey Wolfe, things get crazy very quickly. While the glass exhibits are beautiful, there’s also something deeply disturbing about them, which unfortunately Perrie and August soon discover. I’m not going to go into further details because you really need to read this for yourself. My only two complaints are that I thought some of the scenes were a little too rushed, which I think is the result of the book being too short, and there were some instances where there was more telling rather than showing. Otherwise, I thought this was an absolutely brilliant debut that’s unlike any other YA horror/fantasy that I’ve read. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this for older teens and adults who enjoy this genre and are looking for something different. Seriously guys. You need to read this! It. Is. That. Good! And look at the pretty cover. Doesn’t it just call out to you? The ending is a humdinger of a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait for the second book in this duology which I’m hoping will be a little longer!

True North (True Born Trilogy), by L.E. Sterling – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

400 Pages

Synopsis: Abandoned by her family in Plague-ridden Dominion City, eighteen-year-old Lucy Fox has no choice but to rely on the kindness of the True Borns, a renegade group of genetically enhanced humans, to save her twin sister, Marot. But Nolan Storm, their mysterious leader, has his own agenda. When Storm backtracks on his promise to rescue Margot, Lucy takes her fate into her own hands and sets off for Russia with her True Born bodyguard and maybe-something-more, the lethal yet beautiful Jared Price. In Russia, there’s been whispered rumors of a Plague Cure.

While Lucy fights her magnetic attraction to Jared, anxious that his loyalty to Storm will hurt her chances of finding her sister, they quickly discover that not all is as it appears…and discovering the secrets contained in the Fox sisters’ blood before they wind up dead is just the beginning.

As they say in Dominion, sometimes it’s not you…it’s your DNA.

I’ve been looking forward to True North since I finished its predecessor, True Born, and although I think it suffers a slight case of the dreaded “sequelitis”, there were still parts I enjoyed. I think my biggest problem was that there just didn’t seem to be as much action in this as there was with the first. After the exciting conclusion in True Born, I assumed that in addiction to more action-packed fight scenes, we’d also get a better picture of Russia and how it differs from Dominion. I was also expecting more information regarding the different societal factions, as well as more revelations about the Fox sisters. While there are some more answers given about Lucy and Margot, they don’t come until near the end, and there is nothing new imparted about the Preachers or the True Borns, which left me a bit frustrated. My last complaint is in regards to Lucy and Jared’s romantic relationship, or rather the lack of one. Jared drove me absolutely up the wall with his hot and cold attitude toward her, and even when he finally explained himself, I just didn’t buy it. He reminded me too much of Edward Cullen in Twilight, (which is a whole other topic for another day). But, there were also some positive aspects to balance the negatives. Lucy, who I really liked in the previous book, continued to grow and find herself here. She was more self-confident and willing to rely on her own instincts even if it meant going against what others were telling her. I have a feeling that she’s truly going to be a force to be reckoned with. There was also a new character named Alistair who I thought was intriguing and likable, and I hope there’s much more about him in the next book. Nolan Storm, the enigmatic leader of the True Borns, came across even more interesting here, and left me wondering what his true motivations are toward Lucy and Margot. Thankfully the action did pick up a little in the second half and the ending was a satisfying set-up for the third book. While True North was a little disappointing, I’m still hopeful that the next book will regain all the excitement that True Born was filled with. 

About the Author:

L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature–where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of two previous novels, the cult hit YA novel The Originals (under pen name L.E. Vollick), dubbed “the Catcher in the Rye of a new generation” by one reviewer, and the urban fantasy Pluto’s Gate. Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt–inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

 

 

 

 

 

Castaways – By Jessika Fleck – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Fantasy, Friendship, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

320 Pages

Synopsis: The Castaway Carnival: fun, mysterious, dangerous.

Renowned for it’s infamous corn maze…and the kids who go missing in it.

When Olive runs into the maze, she wakes up on an isolated and undetectable island where a decades-long war between two factions of rival teens is in full swing.

Trapped, Olive must slowly attempt to win each of her new comrades’ hearts as Will–their mysterious, stoically quiet, and handsome leader–steals hers.

Olive is only sure about one thing: her troop consists of the good guys, and she’ll do whatever it takes to help them win the war and get back home.

The Castaways is a clever novel that is a combination of Mean Girls and Lord of the Flies. As the story begins, Olive Maxi Gagmuehler is being tormented by three high school classmates. A couple of the things they do to her are definitely cringe-worthy, so beware. Everything comes to a head one night when after being once again attacked, at a carnival, Olive runs into a corn maze and suddenly finds herself trapped on an island with teens from different time periods. the only thing they have in common is they were all running away from something or someone, when they landed n this mysterious island. Olive is someone that many teens will relate to, especially if they’re victims of bullying. While she’s clearly terrified of her attackers, she also fights back against her tormenters. Once she’s on The Island, it quickly becomes apparent that this is no oasis of safety. While the teens and two young children in her group are for the most part welcoming, there’s another group that seems determined to wipe them out. But one of the best parts about this story is that nothing and no one is what they seem. Olive is the one constant, and she not only becomes the catalyst for change on the Island, but she goes through a journey of self-discovery that leaves her a stronger person by the end of the book. There were a couple of things that prevented this from being a perfect read for me. While I liked Will, Olive’s love interest, I never really bought into their romance for some reason. I’m not sure if it was just me, but there just didn’t seem to be any sparks. It almost seemed like they were forced together because of the circumstances, rather than there being real emotion behind their relationship. And, there were a couple of plot holes, particularly in regards to Olive’s tormenters that weren’t filled in enough for me. For the most part though, I thought The Castaways was imaginative and unique. It also does a good job at tackling the subject of bullying and sends a strong message that running away is never a positive solution to solving problems. It’s a book that should hold wide appeal for teens and I think it would also make an excellent selection for book discussion groups.  

A Crown Of Wishes (Star-Touched Queen #2) ~ By Roshani Chokshi – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: March 28th, 2017

352 Pages

Synopsis: Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future Of 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. 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.

A Crown of Wishes is the “companion book” to last year’s The Star-Touched Queen and while you needn’t have read the first book to enjoy this, I recommend that you do because it completes the magical world-building that was first introduced in TSTQ. I enjoyed the previous book, but this was even better, thanks to its two main characters, Gauri and Vikram. They’re both feisty and stubborn and lock horns on more than one occasion, and the banter between them is clever and funny. Their romance develops slowly but believably and it seems that the reader is aware before the two of them, that they are made for each other. There’s a third character introduced, Aasha, who is quite intriguing and while quite a bit of her background is revealed I’d love to see a book or even a novella devoted solely to her. The mythology and world-building is absolutely magnificent! Chokshi really has a beautifully descriptive and vivid style of writing that draws you into the story. The competition itself is exciting and makes this a fast-paced book. My one complaint is that I thought there were a few things that fell into place a little too easily for Gauri and Vikram. Otherwise, A Crown Of Wishes is a lush adventurous tale full of magic and humor and I highly recommend it. This duology has left me eagerly looking forward to Roshani Chokshi’s next venture, The Gilded Wolves, which is due out in 2018.