First line: “Staring at the sky in Bharata was like exchanging a secret. It felt private, like I had peered through the veil of a hundred worlds.”
Location: India

Teens will love the (much needed) unique Indian setting and characters, the fast-pace of the plot, and the unpredictable ending. I, on the other hand, wanted more world-building and more poetic and descriptive language but that would be more in line with an adult fantasy novel (that I would hope exists out there).

Plot spoilers for my addled brainMaya marries the god of Death and was his Queen and soulmate for many generations. Her childhood friend, Nritti, manipulates Maya into leaving Amar and being reincarnated as a princess. Amar finds her again and is ready to make her immortal again when Nritti ruins everything and manipulates Maya again. Maya goes on a journey of self-discovery and ends up saving Amar and the role of Death as a balance to the world.

Goodreads synopsis: "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."