“A story. This was the key to immortality. The things that made kings quiver and deities distrustful: Nothing but a tale.”
A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi takes place several years after the events of The Star-Touched Queen, but can be read as a stand-alone novel. Gauri, the little girl who loved Maya so fiercely, has grown up after her older sister’s disappearance. She is now a famed warrior-princess, the coveted ‘Jewel of Bharata’ who leads troops into battle during a fierce war that started mere moments after her sister was whisked away. Vikram is known as ‘the Fox Prince,’ the adopted son and only child of the king of Ujijain, the land at war with Bharata. When Gauri is wrongfully captured by Ujijain soldiers on grounds of a false betrayal, Vikram approaches his enemy with an offer: to come with him and compete in the Tournament of Wishes, held by the Lord of Wealth and open by invitation only. The prize for winning the tournament is a wish, and both royals have use for such a gift: Gauri, to restore her honour and usurp the greedy, plotting brother of hers that sits on the throne of Bharata and most definitely betrayed her; and Vikram, to overthrow the cunning advisors who have taken advantage of his feeble father and have made sure that Vikram will be nothing more than a puppet king when he succeeds to the throne. As they orchestrate a daring jailbreak and venture into lands unknown, Gauri will see her sister’s stories come to life, paying visits to the otherworldly Night Bazaar, and encountering all kinds of strange and mystical creatures as they battle danger from all sides and their growing attraction to each other in an effort to secure the chance to make things right for their respective lands.
“All war is philosophical. That’s why we call it war. Strip it of its paint and it’s nothing more than murder.”
Once again, Chokshi delivers a stunning, spellbound tome seamlessly weaving together ancient Hindu mythology and new fairytales. In this novel, you come to understand the complexities of court and war, and how even the smallest decisions can have devastating consequences to alliances and friendships. The scenery and action is, once again, wonderfully choreographed and mapped out, from the glade of golden apples to the underwater chambers of Kalia, the naga king. You come to understand the difficult decisions that sometimes must be made to ensure survival, as each of the decisions made by both Gauri and Vikram can be fully experienced in this multiple-perspective novel. The writing is delicate yet memorable, bringing forth themes of heartbreak, bloodthirst, and fear. This book is cutting and hurtful, more so than the previous one, but this is forgiven with the additional morals of love, loyalty, and the art of survival. For survival is not just determined by a heart beating within a body’s chest, but by the deeds of a person, carried out with each inhale and exhale of their soul, for it is emotions and actions that make us truly live.
“Surviving isn’t just about cutting out your heart and burning every feeling into ash. Sometimes it means taking whatever is thrown at you, beautiful or grotesque, poisonous or blissful, and carving out your life with the pieces you’re given.”
