The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Star-Touched Queen
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: April 26th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

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 am still quite bummed out by this review and my reading/listening experience with this book.  I wanted so much to just love and devour this book but unfortunately it did not work for me.  I opted to listen to the audio book version of this book.

Ultimately what did me in was the fact that at about the 50% mark I just still did not care what happened to the characters.  I could not immerse myself into the world and I just was not feeling any emotions towards Maya or any other character.  It was not until the last 75% of the book where I started to feel like I was interested in the plot.

The narrator felt rather monotone and just lacked the spark I felt that was necessary to get me into the Otherworldy realms.  There is a lot going on in this book and I can see why other readers did enjoy it, but for me, it just was rather slow and uneventful.  The fantasy aspects and unique world definitely provided promise and could be enjoyed by other readers.

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

Title: Happiness for Beginners
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 24th 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

A year after getting divorced, Helen Carpenter, thirty-two, lets her annoying, ten years younger brother talk her into signing up for a wilderness survival course. It's supposed to be a chance for her to pull herself together again, but when she discovers that her brother's even-more-annoying best friend is also coming on the trip, she can't imagine how it will be anything other than a disaster. Thus begins the strangest adventure of Helen's well-behaved life: three weeks in the remotest wilderness of a mountain range in Wyoming where she will survive mosquito infestations, a surprise summer blizzard, and a group of sorority girls.

Yet, despite everything, the vast wilderness has a way of making Helen's own little life seem bigger, too. And, somehow the people who annoy her the most start teaching her the very things she needs to learn. Like how to stand up for herself. And how being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes you just have to get really, really lost before you can even have a hope of being found.

Review

Happiness for Beginners balances heavy topics with light-hearted humor in a beautiful, adventure story.  Helen has been facing quite a tough year and decides she needs to leave her comfort zone and explore nature.  While I personally haven't faced some of her struggles I found Helen incredibly relate-able.  I immediately felt for her and was cheering her on.

Jake is hands down a favorite of mine.  Jake is a good guy, he is funny, quick witted, smart, and extremely like-able.  The interesting and unique relationship between Jake and Helen are all over the place. Even though Jake wants to help Helen, she is determined to find herself on her own.  She learns a lot about her strengths and weaknesses and what happiness means to her.  While Helen and nature do not always get along she preservers through her journey.

Helen befriends a range of other hikers, one suggests reflecting on three good/happy things and to train yourself to see the good in your day.  I loved the concept and I know its nothing new but it fit the story so well and made me pause to reflect on my own outlook on happiness.  The self growth, secondary characters, and humor made this story one of my favorite feel good books! 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: October 6th 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Review

I was a bit hesitant when starting this one because I loved Fangirl but was not the biggest fan of the fan fiction that started each chapter; however, I have enjoyed all of Rainbow Rowell's works so I figured I had to give it a go.  Carry On is a wonderful fantasy story full of friendships, adventures, magic, kisses, and heroes; I was not disappointed.

Carry On is told through multiple point of views, which really gives the reader a well rounded story line.  Baz and Simon are the stars of the show, their constant fighting/banter that evolves throughout but never disappears is truly fantastic. The secondary characters, Agatha and Penelope, were full of personality and great fit to the team. Similar to her other works, Rowell's dialogue and overall readability is on point, it was easy to get transported into this magical Harry Potter-ish world and watch all the scenes unfold.

Carry On was not at all what I expected, it was much more.  It truly was a magical adventure story with old friendships and new relationships, that I would highly recommend.