Treated with scorn and fear in her father's kingdom because of a formidable horoscope, 16-year-old Maya commits herself to her education only to land in an arranged marriage that culminates in her sudden elevation to the throne, a situation that is threatened by dark secrets and Otherworldly magic.
This was such a fun YA fantasy. It feels familiar (the Hades and Persephone retelling really stood out to me) while still being fresh (it’s deeply rooted in Indian folklore). I loved reading a fantasy that wasn’t medieval European inspired. Chokshi’s writing is very “purpley,” and if that’s not to your taste this may not be the book for you. But I found her vivid and lush writing really brought the world building to life. This is a fairly simple book in terms of themes and construction, but that’s not bad necessarily — I blew threw it quickly and it achieves what it meant to. I would have enjoyed it perhaps a little more if it wasn’t YA and had dove a little deeper into some themes and characterizations more and had gotten a little darker, but that doesn’t really take away from my enjoyment of this book.
