Star Daughter (a review) // ft. 18 books with amazing Desi representation that you need to read ASAP

hola amigos!

I hope you’ve been well! Today I’m really excited to share my review of the wonderful Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar, a contemporary fantasy about a half-star who has to quest to the heavens in order to save her father. As well as this, I will be recommending 18 desi books to diversify your TBR! I buddy read this book with the brilliant Mis Hashmi. 

**I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.**

This post is part of a blog tour being hosted by Hear Our Voices Book Tours – an incredible tour company that is working to get books to #ownvoices readers! You can check out the other stops on this tour here.

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Star Daughter

by Shveta Thakrar// The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.

Sheetal’s quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens–and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.

This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy. 

Published: 11th August 2020 (USA) and 3rd September 2020 (UK)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4 stars)

BOOK DEPOSITORY | GOODREADS | WATERSTONES

my thoughts

As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to read it! I mean… just look at that gorgeous Indian girl on the cover with her flowing silver hair (which looks so incredible that I might just copy it)!! 

Things I really loved about this book:

• Shveta Thakrar’s writing is so beautiful and eloquent that I couldn’t help but get sucked into the story. I wanted to speed through and find out what happens but at the same time, I didn’t want to miss a single word!
• The incorporation of Hinduism and Hindu mythology – I think this is the first book I’ve read that actually talked about Hinduism and I loved how Sheetal actually did Hindu things like chanting a mantra before her quest. All the references to asparas, yakshas and other magical creatures were also really fun to read!
• All the Indian references!! The mentions of food had my mouth watering, all the beautiful descriptions of Indian clothes made me nostalgic and all the gossiping aunties were so relatable! 
• Sheetal and her ‘starry brown girl magic’. While Sheetal did make a few frustrating decisions, she was mostly a relatable and realistic teen. I loved how much she cared for her dad and I really enjoyed reading her story.
• Sheetal and Minal’s friendship! Minal is such a supportive, kind friend, and I couldn’t help but love her. She cared a lot about Sheetal and was a brilliant wing woman! Their friendship did feel a bit one-sided at points, but overall, I really enjoyed reading about these two.
• Dev was also really sweet and really fleshed out. He had multiple layers to him and his struggle between family and doing the right thing was really interesting to read. He is so adorable and I really appreciated how caring and down-to-Earth he was. His and Sheetal’s relationship was also really cute and I loved their scenes together.
• The settings in this book were breathtaking! I felt wholly immersed in each of the places described and I could vividly imagine them. Both the night market and the celestial court sounded incredible and I love to be able to visit them!
• The incorporation of magic into daily life was also really fascinating to read. I really enjoyed finding out how the stars and magical beings lived alongside the humans that were oblivious to them. 

What I didn’t really like about this book was the fact that the plot was a bit predictable (though there were some twists) and the pacing was somewhat disjointed at points. I also didn’t feel completely invested in any of the characters. However, this was a fun read and I had an enjoyable experience.

Overall, I really enjoyed the representation in the book, as well as the worldbuilding and writing style, and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a beautifully crafted world to immerse themselves in!

desi books recs

and now for the bit you’ve all been waiting for!! these are 18 books by Desi authors that I have loved or that are high on my TBR! I hope some of these books look interesting to you and you decide to give them a go!

**clicking on a cover will take you to the book’s GoodReads page

feel-good, read-in-one-go contemporary romances:

  

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma — review

A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai⁣ — review

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon — review

There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon — review

  

10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon 

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon 

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel

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YA contemporaries that explore hard-hitting topics:

  

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan⁣⁣

Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

Internment by Samira Ahmed⁣⁣

That Asian Kid by Savita Kalhan

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YA fantasies:

  

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir⁣⁣ 

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdala⁣⁣

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena

Are you planning on reading Star Daughter? What are your favourite Desi books? What books are you looking forward to? How’s life going? Divulge your secrets…

Hugs!

Kerys xx

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