** spoiler alert ** 
 Augghhhhhh. I loved this book so much, so it's agonizing that I can't give it five stars. But I'm sticking to my guns: I have to dock a star, first for the incredibly abrupt ending, the pacing lag (we could have spent less time meandering in the last third and more time developing the initial romance), and the really annoying misogyny in the first portion of the book: 
 "I'd rather spread ideas than legs," I hissed back. "But I doubt you would agree--" 
 Why was that necessary. It just really wasn't. And it's so weird because the rest of the book is dominated by a heroine who, while initially lacking in personality, develops into a capable, strategic, sympathetic character that I grew very fond of. She was also not at all prudent and shared a close relationship with her headstrong sister, Gauri, and on top of all of that, she ended up sympathizing with and actually being extremely merciful to her villainous ex-sister. I just really wish someone had caught this and edited it out because it seriously irritated me and it was extremely unnecessary. 
 This book wasn't particularly well received, and I actually do understand why a lot of people didn't care for it. It's perplexing in places, extremely surreal, but I liked that; it didn't bother me that some things happened just because. For me, it was such an atmospheric, absorbing read, beautifully written and full of soul. It was also incredibly authentic, proving exactly how important #ownvoices reads really are. The infusion of Indian mythology felt real, earthy and magical and beautifully unique. 
 It took me a while to warm to the hero, Amar, but somehow he crept up on me, and there was one moment of startling clarity in which I just surrendered and realised that I was probably as much in love with him as Mayavati was. It was one small passage, this one: 
 "The doors were flung open and as I stumbled past the entrance, I saw Amar bent over the tapestry. A crown of blackbuck horns gleamed on his head, cruel and slick. In the dark, they looked blood-tinged. His hands roamed over the threads, fingers flicking, yanking, snarled in strands that he pulled out in swift, merciless strokes like he was tearing out throats instead of threads." 
 I think it was the pure atmosphere of this scene, the absurdity and the darkness of it, the slow and terrifying unveiling of Amar as the Dharma Raja, that just knocked me right back. I read that passage above, and suddenly, I loved him. Because this book, without really stating it plainly, makes its case--death is not evil, and nor is it merciful. It just is what it is. It's a part of nature. This, proven in the story of Nritti, who in the end was not cast in a light of evil or nastiness, but of pity. She tried to cheat death, and that's not how death works, and so she wasn't a villain, really, but a person lost in grief. 
 A lot of people hated the talking horse, but I adored her. A lot of people hated the writing, but for me it worked. I think this book is really a love it or hate it thing, but it took me on a journey. I wasn't even aware that I was reading a Hades/Persephone retelling until well over halfway through, but that's not shocking, because half of the time when I'm reading retellings I don't actually realise it until I've been smacked in the face with it. I didn't realise that A Court of Mist and Fury was a Hades/Persephone retelling either, but for me this worked so much better as a retelling, because it felt like a fairytale. It was written with the right air of constant magic, whereas ACOMAF felt fanfictiony, the protagonists wafting around with all of their airs and graces and all of it written so jarringly like a modern coffee shop AU romance. 
 It's maybe a weird comparison to make, The Star-Touched Queen versus ACOMAF, but I kept thinking about it, that Rhysand was meant to be Hades but his character is nowhere near as grey and dark as Amar's, while at the same time being sympathetic. I think it was the total neutrality of Naraka that really intrigued me - Maya isn't running away from evil Bharata and into the arms of some bland Good Guy Prince Charming that we've all seen a thousand times before. She also isn't going to be a queen who flounces around a kingdom in fancy dresses, collecting taxes and boasting her prowess (Feyre, because don't pretend that any of the Night Court royals have actual jobs. All Feyre did all day was wander around the art quarter in a fancy cashmere sweater). Maya loves Amar but she also loves her work, and she wants to be queen of Naraka not just as the wife of the Dharma Raja, but as part of a cosmic balance. She isn't just a wife or a lover, she is a co-ruler. The job she is taking on is imperative to the existence of life itself and it's this she's fighting for, not just for the love of her king. 
 Overall, a stunning read. It took me places, transported me, and that's exactly what I want from high fantasy. I want a journey, something surreal and inspired and completely unique. Roshani Chokshi makes real magic with her words.