A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
My Rating: ★★★★
After a failed attempt to throw her brother off the throne, Gauri was turned over to one of her kingdom’s enemies and is scheduled for a public execution. Facing death, Gauri figures she might as well fake weakness and bide her time until she can fight like hell to escape. However, she’s about to meet someone willing to give her a second chance… for a price. Prince Vikram has the chance to enter the Tournament of Wishes, but he needs a partner to enter the contest with. Enter Gauri, the princess is nowhere near what he was expecting, who is the perfect partner in the contest that will test them in ways they never expect.
Roshani Chokshi has a beautiful writing style that is nothing less than magical. I can see the people and the locations, both mortal and magical, vividly in my mind as I read. Even if I’m not happy with how the story is going at the moment, I can’t even complain much because it’s just so magical that the vivid imagery makes up for it. After reading the first book in the series, I knew I had to pick up its unconventional sequel following a new cast of characters, one of which we met in the previous novel.
We follow Gauri and Vikram, who are total opposites and challenge one another every step of the way. One of the things that I like about these two characters is that they challenge gender stereotypes. Gauri is hot headed, strong, stony, and has quite the mouth on her. These are typically characteristics given to male characters, so it was exciting to see them given to Gauri. On the other side, there’s Vikram, who is lean, fast, not necessarily strong, and thoughtful. These are typically characteristics given to female characters, so I enjoyed the switch here.
Gauri and Vikram are total opposites, so it was wonderful to see them clash and set aside their differences to work together. They each have a lot to lose, but so much to gain, in the Tournament of Wishes. I love enemies to lovers stories and this was a great one even though they weren’t necessarily truly enemies to begin with. It was so much fun watching them but heads, become reluctant friends, and eventually grow feelings for one another while trying to pretend that wasn’t the case.
I enjoyed the story, but I do think that it could’ve ended a bit sooner. I’m not sure if the pace needed to pick up in places, but the story seemed a bit drawn out at times and it seemed like it could’ve sped up and ended several chapters sooner. Regardless, I did enjoy the story and I wouldn’t mind another sequel or companion to the series following another character or two down the line.
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