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Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #2
Game of Stars
When the Demon Queen shows up in her bedroom, smelling of acid and surrounded by evil-looking bees, twelve-year-old Kiranmala is uninterested. After all, it's been four months since she last heard from her friends in the Kingdom Beyond, the alternate dimension where she was born as an Indian princess. But after a call to action over an interdimensional television station and a visit with some all-seeing birds, Kiran decides that she has to once again return to her homeland, where society is fraying, a reality show is taking over, and her friends are in danger.
However, things are a lot less clear than the last time she was in the Kingdom Beyond. Kiran must once again battle witches, solve riddles, and avoid her evil Serpent King father - all while figuring out who are her true friends, and what it really means to be a demon.
However, things are a lot less clear than the last time she was in the Kingdom Beyond. Kiran must once again battle witches, solve riddles, and avoid her evil Serpent King father - all while figuring out who are her true friends, and what it really means to be a demon.
2 pages, Audio CD
First published February 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
January 19, 2019
So Princess Kiranmala is back!! And she has to save Prince Neel from where he has been kidnapped by the Serpent King by competing in Who Wants To Be A Demonslayer? a new reality TV show in the Kingdom Beyond.
I really enjoyed the first book of this series, The Serpent's Secret, but this book took everything that was great about book one and made it better! The worldbuilding is both fantastic and hilarious, the characters become more complex (and can I just say I am absolutely in love with the concept of the Pink Sari Skateboarders...I mean!!!!!!!!!). I love, again, how absolutely Bengali it is. We see more creatures straight out of Bengali folktales, all of them spouting rhymes and riddles that Kiran has to figure out if she wants to save Neel.
This books also leans heavily into some important themes, and does it so well. It deconstructs the black/white nature of morality, that just because someone is human or rakkosh doesn't define them as good/evil.
It's also just a really fun, fast-paced book that I absolutely loved reading!! I highly recommend this to everyone!
I really enjoyed the first book of this series, The Serpent's Secret, but this book took everything that was great about book one and made it better! The worldbuilding is both fantastic and hilarious, the characters become more complex (and can I just say I am absolutely in love with the concept of the Pink Sari Skateboarders...I mean!!!!!!!!!). I love, again, how absolutely Bengali it is. We see more creatures straight out of Bengali folktales, all of them spouting rhymes and riddles that Kiran has to figure out if she wants to save Neel.
This books also leans heavily into some important themes, and does it so well. It deconstructs the black/white nature of morality, that just because someone is human or rakkosh doesn't define them as good/evil.
It's also just a really fun, fast-paced book that I absolutely loved reading!! I highly recommend this to everyone!
March 8, 2019
Book One in this series, The Serpent's Secret, was one of my very favorite books in any genre last year, but I think Game of Stars is even better, which is saying a LOT.
This series is filled with so much exuberant, over-the-top, 100% delightful FUN and silliness and true heart, along with really dazzlingly imaginative scenes. In this book, Kiranmala is thrown into a reality TV show in the Kingdom Beyond that's been organized by her evil birth-father, the Serpent King. She's forced to fight against demons while putting up with all sorts of reality-TV nonsense AND trying to work out how to save Prince Neel (the grumpy half-demon boy she likes) from her birth-father's prison with the help of a really fantastic army of skateboarding rebel girls. I laughed again and again as I read, sometimes at the fantastic comedy, and sometimes in sheer delight because I was enjoying it all SO MUCH.
And now I can't wait for Book 3!
This series is filled with so much exuberant, over-the-top, 100% delightful FUN and silliness and true heart, along with really dazzlingly imaginative scenes. In this book, Kiranmala is thrown into a reality TV show in the Kingdom Beyond that's been organized by her evil birth-father, the Serpent King. She's forced to fight against demons while putting up with all sorts of reality-TV nonsense AND trying to work out how to save Prince Neel (the grumpy half-demon boy she likes) from her birth-father's prison with the help of a really fantastic army of skateboarding rebel girls. I laughed again and again as I read, sometimes at the fantastic comedy, and sometimes in sheer delight because I was enjoying it all SO MUCH.
And now I can't wait for Book 3!
October 23, 2020
Kiranmala’s return to the Kingdom Beyond to rescue her friends puts her back into the struggling spotlight and against a new enemy: game show television. A- (91%/Excellent)
December 1, 2019
I don't know if it was my insane sleep deprivation or whatever but this book is sO FUNNY PLEASE READ THIS SERIES
July 9, 2020
Some of the parts were pretty predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was a good book and I recommend this to everyone I know. If you like books like Aru Shah and Percy Jackson, you will like this.
June 13, 2023
3.5* Book 2 of an enjoyable series where Kiranmala is forced to participate in a reality show, "Who wants to be a Demon Slayer.". She is confronted with facing choices and questioning the societal perceptions of who is good and who is evil. Admittedly this is a book for young kids, but I like the audiobook and find it entertaining.
May 19, 2019
I freaking love this series. Its such a fresh diverse middle grade series! Kiranmala is just so damn smart, caring and adventurous. I adore just how smart she is! She just keeps leadnjnf and tackling each challenge as it comes. I also love incorporating like...a "Survivor" game into a book. Its just so random but fun.
April 29, 2021
An sich hatte mir der erste Band damals gefallen und ich war schon neugierig wie es weiter geht mit Kiran und Co.
Aber diesmal hatte ich echt meine Schwierigkeiten gehabt, was aber mehr an den komischen Unterhaltungen zum Teil lag. ich weiss gar nicht ob das im ersten auch so war. Auf jeden Fall konnte ich den Unterhaltungen oft nicht folgen, ich hatte teilweise oft das Gefühl was zu übersehen.
Ich empfand auch manche Situationen sehr in die Länge gezogen, so das mir dieser Band nicht so ganz gefallen hat.
Der Klappentext und das Cover sah so vielversprechend aus, aber ich bin nicht gut in die Geschichte gekommen.
So ganz konnte mich die Handlung auch nicht mitreißen da ich irgendwie drauf gewartet habe bis was passiert. Aber auch das Ende empfand ich hier irgendwie etwas als unbefriedigend.
ein paar Situationen war auch ganz witzig gewesen, aber leider auch nicht so das es mich umgehauen hätte.
Noch bin ich hin und her gerissen ob ich den dritten lesen werde, da ich mit diesen so meine Schwierigkeiten hatte.
Aber diesmal hatte ich echt meine Schwierigkeiten gehabt, was aber mehr an den komischen Unterhaltungen zum Teil lag. ich weiss gar nicht ob das im ersten auch so war. Auf jeden Fall konnte ich den Unterhaltungen oft nicht folgen, ich hatte teilweise oft das Gefühl was zu übersehen.
Ich empfand auch manche Situationen sehr in die Länge gezogen, so das mir dieser Band nicht so ganz gefallen hat.
Der Klappentext und das Cover sah so vielversprechend aus, aber ich bin nicht gut in die Geschichte gekommen.
So ganz konnte mich die Handlung auch nicht mitreißen da ich irgendwie drauf gewartet habe bis was passiert. Aber auch das Ende empfand ich hier irgendwie etwas als unbefriedigend.
ein paar Situationen war auch ganz witzig gewesen, aber leider auch nicht so das es mich umgehauen hätte.
Noch bin ich hin und her gerissen ob ich den dritten lesen werde, da ich mit diesen so meine Schwierigkeiten hatte.
November 8, 2020
The idea of having a reality TV show in a magical dimension with all kind of mythological creatures is sheer brilliance. Also, hilarious. (Princess Demon Slayer! Lol)
Loved the sub-plot discussions of rakkhoshi not all being evil and how Kiranmala overcomes her prejudice.
And of course any mythology with flying horses is awesome, the end.
Loved the sub-plot discussions of rakkhoshi not all being evil and how Kiranmala overcomes her prejudice.
And of course any mythology with flying horses is awesome, the end.
December 30, 2019
Book 2, such a wild ride! It was super fun, I loved the riddles and all the characters as well, especially the pink Sari resistance skateboarding girls! Excited for book 3!
April 10, 2019
Another wonderful romp through the Cosmos! I really enjoyed this second story of Kiranmala and her adventures. The pace is quick and the action is almost non-stop. There is much nonsense in the book that students seem to enjoy. The creatures of myth and the odd characters really keep readers on their toes. I have students reading these books and they are laughing at antics and thrilled by the action. I can't wait to read the next one!!
December 4, 2021
If you have never driven an auto rikshaw through a rip in the fabric of space-time created by two giant, hippopotamus-sized birds, I strongly recommend wearing a bike helmet when you do so. And if your rikshaw doesn't have a seat belt, you should probably consider duct-taping yourself to the seat. Because I have never been on such a bumpy, upside-down, mentally and emotionally disturbing ride in my life. And I've been on some doozies.
This story is not as complicated to follow as the first one. Now that it's clear how the book and the Kingdom Beyond work - more specifically, how magic and physics work together - it's all a bit easier to grasp.
There is one point - somewhere around pages 110 up to 140 where things get a bit boring, but the chapter after that is probably the best of the book. There are some good characters, lines and events going on there. Just like in the rest of the book, for that matter.
The rhyming thing gets a bit too much at times, but at other times it's just funny. The same holds for the riddles. It's good, though, that the more usual/familiar/known ones are alternated with unknown, new ones, because otherwise it probably would have been boring.
Kiranmala is a fantastic character with a fantastic voice, just like you'd expect a (young) teenager to behave these days.
And ohhh - so that's who Pinki is from DasGupta's new series. Cool!
7.5/10
This story is not as complicated to follow as the first one. Now that it's clear how the book and the Kingdom Beyond work - more specifically, how magic and physics work together - it's all a bit easier to grasp.
There is one point - somewhere around pages 110 up to 140 where things get a bit boring, but the chapter after that is probably the best of the book. There are some good characters, lines and events going on there. Just like in the rest of the book, for that matter.
The rhyming thing gets a bit too much at times, but at other times it's just funny. The same holds for the riddles. It's good, though, that the more usual/familiar/known ones are alternated with unknown, new ones, because otherwise it probably would have been boring.
Kiranmala is a fantastic character with a fantastic voice, just like you'd expect a (young) teenager to behave these days.
And ohhh - so that's who Pinki is from DasGupta's new series. Cool!
7.5/10
March 31, 2019
A great sequel to the first book! Kiranmala is such a fun character and it's cool to read a series that has mythology I am not very familiar with [and I also love that the author includes notes on the origins of some of the elements in the story at the back]. This book focuses more heavily on Kiran than the first book, with Lal and Neel taking a definite back seat. But there are plenty of cool new characters to help Kiran out and it looks like Lal and Neel will be more front and center in the next book. I liked how she incorporated real life elements with things like the Pink Sari Skateboarders and also even threw the phrase 'fake news' in there at one point [this book is definitely more overtly political than the first one and I definitely liked that]. The only thing I'm maybe not wild about is the ending because it's ...not really a cliffhanger necessarily, but definitely less 'final' than the first book. It's more of a 'well we fixed that one thing but NOW we have to fix this even bigger thing ...next time'. Still a really great book thought and I'm looking forward to the next one.
July 18, 2022
This was a more enjoyable read than the first book! "Game of Stars" was more intense, and Dasgupta gives more time to different characters other than the girl whose point of view we have been following.
Without spoiling anything, "Game of Stars" is a mix-and-match of science and Bengali folktales, with many crazy characters and I LOVE IT! Dasgupta has such a calm, collected and funny way of writing which can hold your attention for a good time!
I am unsure how I am going to rate this, it is better than the first book, but something is lacking for me to give it a 4 star, so I am going to give it a 3.5 for now because once again: wonderful introduction to characters, places and an interesting story to tell!
Without spoiling anything, "Game of Stars" is a mix-and-match of science and Bengali folktales, with many crazy characters and I LOVE IT! Dasgupta has such a calm, collected and funny way of writing which can hold your attention for a good time!
I am unsure how I am going to rate this, it is better than the first book, but something is lacking for me to give it a 4 star, so I am going to give it a 3.5 for now because once again: wonderful introduction to characters, places and an interesting story to tell!
March 11, 2019
4.5 stars
This surpassed the 1st book by quite a bit!
This surpassed the 1st book by quite a bit!
March 26, 2019
I absolutely love this book and can not wait for #3
February 26, 2019
Princess Kiranmala is back home in plain old New Jersey, trying to readjust to normal middle school life. Just four months ago she was battling her birth father, the Serpent King, in the Kingdom Beyond, the alternative dimension where she was born. When the demon queen shows up at school and tells her she must find her way back to Kingdom Beyond to save Prince Neel from the Serpent King, she has no choice but to join the reality TV show Who Wants to Be a Demon Slayer? and attempt to rescue him.
But her plans to rescue Neel aren’t so clear when she arrives. Like in the first book, Kiran has to solve some of the world’s weirdest riddles, endure the worst possible jokes and puns, and somehow keep it together as she battles witches and demons. But her biggest challenge is figuring out who’s friend and who’s foe. Some of her human friends seem to be creating obstacles that threaten her success. Some of the demons seem to be allies, and some can’t stop drooling over the prospects of killing her. Can she sort out who’s who before the Serpent King completes his plan?
If you enjoyed THE SERPENT’S SECRET, you are going to love GAME OF STARS. Full of surprises up to the very end! Kiran is a brave, wonderful character, and her friendship/devotion to Neel is inspiring. Full of heart and overflowing with humorous one liners, the story touches on issues of prejudice and racism in an accessible way for readers who might be more interested in the adventure. My favorite thing about this painfully hilarious series is how it draws from traditional Bengali folktales and children’s stories and mixes those with American pop culture and a coming-of-age intergalactic hero’s journey. This is no easy task, but thanks to Dasgupta’s masterful storytelling kids will be eager for book three.
Do not miss the author’s notes in the back!
Who will love this book?
Young fantasy lovers
Kids who live for funny/goofy/riddles/pop culture references
Kids who enjoy books set in other cultures/dimensions
For ages 8+
Thank you to the KidlitExchange Network for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own. For more info including an inspiring video by the author, check out my full review: https://thewingedpen.com/featured-gam...
But her plans to rescue Neel aren’t so clear when she arrives. Like in the first book, Kiran has to solve some of the world’s weirdest riddles, endure the worst possible jokes and puns, and somehow keep it together as she battles witches and demons. But her biggest challenge is figuring out who’s friend and who’s foe. Some of her human friends seem to be creating obstacles that threaten her success. Some of the demons seem to be allies, and some can’t stop drooling over the prospects of killing her. Can she sort out who’s who before the Serpent King completes his plan?
If you enjoyed THE SERPENT’S SECRET, you are going to love GAME OF STARS. Full of surprises up to the very end! Kiran is a brave, wonderful character, and her friendship/devotion to Neel is inspiring. Full of heart and overflowing with humorous one liners, the story touches on issues of prejudice and racism in an accessible way for readers who might be more interested in the adventure. My favorite thing about this painfully hilarious series is how it draws from traditional Bengali folktales and children’s stories and mixes those with American pop culture and a coming-of-age intergalactic hero’s journey. This is no easy task, but thanks to Dasgupta’s masterful storytelling kids will be eager for book three.
Do not miss the author’s notes in the back!
Who will love this book?
Young fantasy lovers
Kids who live for funny/goofy/riddles/pop culture references
Kids who enjoy books set in other cultures/dimensions
For ages 8+
Thank you to the KidlitExchange Network for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own. For more info including an inspiring video by the author, check out my full review: https://thewingedpen.com/featured-gam...
August 10, 2021
Again, I know I'm not the intended audience and I firmly believe that many can relate to Kiranmala and will enjoy this book; unfortunately, for me the sequel fell flat.
I will not deny that in Game of Stars we still have more riddles, an adventure to venture through, and the fascinating continuation of Bengali Indian folklore and mythology.
The core of my problem with this story is the romantic interests being woven into a middle grade because again it is the first one I read that includes such feelings. My overall enjoyment of middle grade revolves around the themes of found family and friendships evolving through events or a journey the characters embark on. I'm also not naive enough to disregard thess types of emotions from a 12-year-old, but again not my cup of tea!
On a different note, I enjoyed the theme of battling between good and evil and that one isn't born into these traits. Instead, you become good or evil based on your actions and choices, so I applaud the author for including such a theme.
Things I did not like:
-Kiranmala is so quick to stereotype those around her monster or not.
-Once again things are Kiranmala's fault because she just doesn't listen, instead she leads by her anger until the plot requires her to realize her mistakes.
-My favorite characters, Neel and Lal, make minimal to no appearance in the story. Which I found odd since they had a somewhat good chemistry, and I wanted it to develop in this story but nope!
-I get that it's a middle grade, but things were way too convenient for the MC which had me thinking, what was the point of the game show?!?!
-The story was interesting with a TV reality game show aspect to it -and I'm not one to watch them, but it was a good take on it; however, the pace at times felt off and boring.
-A little more descriptive details on the culture's food or sayings so someone from another culture can be fully immersed.
I will not deny that in Game of Stars we still have more riddles, an adventure to venture through, and the fascinating continuation of Bengali Indian folklore and mythology.
The core of my problem with this story is the romantic interests being woven into a middle grade because again it is the first one I read that includes such feelings. My overall enjoyment of middle grade revolves around the themes of found family and friendships evolving through events or a journey the characters embark on. I'm also not naive enough to disregard thess types of emotions from a 12-year-old, but again not my cup of tea!
On a different note, I enjoyed the theme of battling between good and evil and that one isn't born into these traits. Instead, you become good or evil based on your actions and choices, so I applaud the author for including such a theme.
Things I did not like:
-Kiranmala is so quick to stereotype those around her monster or not.
-Once again things are Kiranmala's fault because she just doesn't listen, instead she leads by her anger until the plot requires her to realize her mistakes.
-My favorite characters, Neel and Lal, make minimal to no appearance in the story. Which I found odd since they had a somewhat good chemistry, and I wanted it to develop in this story but nope!
-I get that it's a middle grade, but things were way too convenient for the MC which had me thinking, what was the point of the game show?!?!
-The story was interesting with a TV reality game show aspect to it -and I'm not one to watch them, but it was a good take on it; however, the pace at times felt off and boring.
-A little more descriptive details on the culture's food or sayings so someone from another culture can be fully immersed.
May 18, 2020
Still a fun series, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as book 1!
For one thing, my favorite character was barely in the book.
I also wasn't wild about the plot--it took a while to get to the main event (the competition), which was then barely in the book in favor of other plot stuff, but then that other plot stuff also didn't seem to matter that much in the end? The story in this one just felt mostly like filler between book 1 and book 3.
Also I feel like the writing and humor was less fun and more grating--I don't think it was like this in the first book, or at least not as much. Like, we get it, some kids like burp jokes, but one or two is enough!
(Also that's not a target audience thing--even as a preteen I thought those weren't funny, lol)
Overall, still a good time, but weaker than the first installment. I'm really excited for book 3 though! I'm hoping and thinking that some of these issues will be taken care of in that one.
For one thing, my favorite character was barely in the book.
I also wasn't wild about the plot--it took a while to get to the main event (the competition), which was then barely in the book in favor of other plot stuff, but then that other plot stuff also didn't seem to matter that much in the end? The story in this one just felt mostly like filler between book 1 and book 3.
Also I feel like the writing and humor was less fun and more grating--I don't think it was like this in the first book, or at least not as much. Like, we get it, some kids like burp jokes, but one or two is enough!
(Also that's not a target audience thing--even as a preteen I thought those weren't funny, lol)
Overall, still a good time, but weaker than the first installment. I'm really excited for book 3 though! I'm hoping and thinking that some of these issues will be taken care of in that one.
May 18, 2020
3.2/5 stars, full review to come! I think this series is so cute but for some reason I felt less invested than I did in the first book. There was just SO MUCH going on that I'm still not sure how some of it tied together. It seems to me that Kiran doesn't actually do that much problem solving, more like she realizes what's going on a little bit too late and then does her best to help the people who are already solving the problem... but if that small amount of power isn't a metaphor for being a preteen, idk what is.
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
November 20, 2020
I had a blast reading this book! As I said about the first book, the story doesn’t take itself too seriously, although you can see from the afterword how carefully the author used various Bengali and Hindi myths in this book. Kudos to Dasgupta for being willing to have her character overcome prejudices against the bad guys of mythology, the rakkoshi! She has Kiranmala first disregard and turn away from them, then realize that there can be exceptions to the rule that they must be “bad”! This is becoming more common but plenty of kids lit still tends to have carefully distinguished good and bad guys. I can’t wait for the next book! I believe it’s out, will check as soon as I finish this review!
December 30, 2021
The Demon Queen begins visiting Kiranmala in her dreams. Soon after, Kiranmala learns about a new gameshow competition, Who Wants to Be a Demon Slayer. She learns that Neel has been kidnapped by her father's minions and that Sesha is trying to get the two magical stones that will give him immortality. Kiranmala journeys back to the Kingdom Beyond to try to stop Sesha and rescue Neel. Along the way, she makes some unlikely allies.
This is a fun second book in the series. I loved that Kiranmala had to look at and overcome her preconceived notions about several characters. There was some sly humor, perfect for late elementary and middle schoolers. Enjoyed reading the author's note about Indian mythology at the end.
This is a fun second book in the series. I loved that Kiranmala had to look at and overcome her preconceived notions about several characters. There was some sly humor, perfect for late elementary and middle schoolers. Enjoyed reading the author's note about Indian mythology at the end.
January 14, 2021
Kiranmala: Game of Stars was even better than the first book! It was a little corny, with the quirky talking monkeys and rhyming Rakkhosh, but it added to the fun. It reminded me of a scale downed version of the Triwzard tournament but Indian mythology style. The Pink Sari Skateboarders were awesome too.
May 30, 2019
3.5*
June 25, 2019
This was such an entertaining sequel! I loved that the book was focused on the demons/monsters' side and I particularly liked the plot of the sequel more than the first one!
It was also a funny book and made me really excited to read the third book!
It was also a funny book and made me really excited to read the third book!
July 11, 2019
I read this one aloud to my kids. I liked it and I think I would have liked it even more if I had read it first before reading it aloud (like I did with book 1).
February 27, 2020
3.5
It was good! It wasn’t my favorite story, but I liked it and had to keep listening. I’m invested now!
It was good! It wasn’t my favorite story, but I liked it and had to keep listening. I’m invested now!
April 5, 2021
This book was much better than the first. The author found her groove and the characters were well developed.
indefinite-dnf
September 2, 2019With apologies to the author, I am temporarily putting this book aside. The barrage of unfamiliar terms (made up or of another language) makes reading this difficult. I will probably come back to it in the near future. 9/2/19
March 20, 2021
It was a very fun read! And a lot of parts made me laugh out loud. It just felt a little too predictable and boring at times. Overall, I really enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews