(4.5 /5 stars) This was so good! I am so glad that the sequel ('The Crimson Fortress') is coming out so soon after I read this (publishing August 2023) - I need to know what happens next!

I had a great time reading this and I looked forward to every lunch break so I could read a bit more (and obviously, my lunch as well). Speaking of lunch, do not read this while hungry because there were tasty food descriptions popping up more than a few times (especially if you're fond of Indian food!).

The book opens with a discovery of a murder, which is always an easy (if gruesome) hook, and it keeps interest throughout with rotating POVs between the four royal siblings that gradually unravel their backstories, personalities and agendas. I really enjoyed the complexities of the protagonists and especially their tense dynamics. (It's not exactly found family - more like rediscovered family - is that an existing trope?) There were also some interesting relationship developments and revelations with side characters...but I won't spoil!

I always love a good quest/adventure and 'The Ivory Key' didn't disappoint. With a refreshing magic system (magic as a tradeable resource, not blood inherited), inventive obstacles, puzzles, mysterious conspiracies and rollercoaster moments, I tore through the chapters to see what happened next. While I did predict a major twist, I loved that it still landed in a way that surprised me, and makes me even more intrigued for Book 2!

Pace-wise, the first half might have been a little slow, but interest-wise it didn't drag. I actually quite enjoyed the build-up of who these siblings were, and their individual high-stakes reasons for hunting the Key. While the second half is more action packed, we still have the pockets of emotion and reflection that made me connect to the characters in the first half.

I did find certain aspects of the writing confusing, e.g. the message sending bracelet, though at least for this example it became a little clearer near the end. At times, I also seem to have missed how the quest gang got from Location A to B...though in all fairness, I might have read too fast! Some action sequences were a bit hard to picture, but funnily enough this wasn't a problem with the fight scenes, and more just physical movements (e.g. Riya diving down for an object). I could still chalk this up to me reading too quickly - I definitely remember that scene with the dive was a tense one!

All in all, this was an amazing debut with unique and compelling characters, strong atmosphere and visuals, plus an engaging, exciting storyline. It's always a good sign when you start a reading session a bit droopy from a long week, and finish it (and the book) absolutely buzzing. I can't wait for 'The Crimson Fortress'!

While this was very enjoyable from the four points of view, it would be interesting to see how this story would benefit from two. The characters each have their own agendas in the story that are pivotal to the pacing and arcs of each other.

I only managed to finish about half the book, but I think that was more because it wasn't to my flavour in the end. But, to anyone interested in Indian-inspired stories and the culture and myths of India, I would highly recommend this to you. It just wasn't for me.

sibling rivalry to the winnnn! akshaya raman's debut novel is STUNNING. i loved this so much, it packs a punch and full of nuance. great read.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

This was such a fantastic read. It was interesting having siblings and their strife be the main focus in a fantasy book. The author did an amazing job with setting the scene at every point. I could practically see it happening as I continued reading. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Another thing that brought me joy was the South Asian representation. Word of caution: make sure you have snacks on hand when reading. I got hungry reading about all the delicious food!

The Ivory Key is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. Akshaya Raman has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy authors list. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out The Ivory Key today.

I adored my time spent within these pages and closed it already wishing for the next instalment, so beloved did these characters immediately become. I loved every one of the four perspectives and found their voices unique, their adventures well executed, and their plights easy to empathise with, despite them often opposing those of another that I also intimately sympathised for. Their world was richly crafted, their politics intensely focused on, their abilities uniquely created, and their adventures tensely fast-paced. This all combined to ensure this one of the strongest first fantasy series instalments that I have had the pleasure of experiencing, in quite a while.

This was an enjoyable read and I loved the main characters. However, I feel like it fell short in a few areas and that's why I'm giving it 3 stars. However, I'm still very much interested in the story so I will continue

The Ivory Key is a book that sweeps you away in to an intricately built and very vivid world full of magic and wonderful characters. The focus of the story is on two siblings both of whom you fall in love with.

A YA fantasy book that did not disappoint.
A south indian inspired book that takes you on a journey, full of magic, quests, secrets and love. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cover is brilliant too!

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman provides us with a rich fantasy world that is unfortunately meandered in for too long before getting to the meat of the story.

It follows a set of siblings in the wake of their mother’s death, attempting to find both their way in the world and how to rule. The magic system in the book is fresh, however I wish we got to see more of it as we stumbled between character arcs. The idea of magic being industrialised was something I could have read a whole book on in itself.

I was a big fan of how seamlessly the sapphic character’s sexuality was woven in to the plot. The sibling dynamics were equally interesting and the quartet of differing personalities made up for some of the books shortcomings. There was an obvious tonal shift between each of the characters in a way that allowed you to know whose POV you were reading, even without checking the chapter name. Unfortunately this also became a draw back as the narrative sometimes became murky as each sibling was determined to have their say.

The main issue I had, however, was the quest not starting until two thirds of the way through the book. The so called “adventure” aspect also felt flat for me. Everything felt perhaps a smidge too easy, far too repetitive and so much distrust I felt like I was in the middle of my second year university flat arguments all over again.

I digress. This could have been a very good book but it fell very short. If the middle third was chopped out, the adventure made, well, adventurous and the finer details explained a bit more I would have loved it. Unfortunately instead it goes onto the pile of miscreant books which would be donated had this not been on an e-reader.

Two stars.

This is a gripping YA fantasy in which four siblings have to join forces to complete a quest to find the Ivory key. Full of secrets intrigue and betrayal this is a great start to a new YA fantasy. The setting and descriptions of traditions, food and life in the palace create make the reader wish they could experience some of these things.

This was a really interesting and lusciously written book about four very different royal siblings in a fantasy South-East-Asian-inspired country called Ashoka. All four of them are searching for The Ivory Key, a mythical artefact which controls the source of magic in the country.
Magic, in this fantasy world, is a resource which is mined, and can only be used by specific trained persons - it can then be imbued into things which will retain their magical properties - bangles for communicating, walls that prevent certain people passing through, anything you could think of. The Ivory Key is a legendary artefact which the four royal siblings' father spent his life searching for clues about - but it seems that this is the time when they might actually be able to find it.
This was an interesting, and well-developed book, but it was very slow to start. I found myself putting it down multiple times while I was in the first half - the blurb tells you that this is going to be four mismatched siblings on a quest, but they don't actually get going on their quest until about 60% of the way through the book, which meant that the entire first half dragged quite a lot as I was desperately waiting for us to get to where I knew we were going. Once the quest did start, though, it was interesting and exciting. As the first of a duology, it promised lots of things to come in the second half, with reveals about the nature of magic, the motivations of several background characters, and plenty of promise of exciting things to come.
My major issue with this book was the pacing - whether that's because of the way it was marketed or the writing itself, I'm not sure, but it felt like at least half of the book was setup, which wasn't what I expected. The magical quest could have started much earlier!

I've read a lot of young adult fantasy books in the last few years, and this book is definitely one that stands out. Not so much for me about the plot, as for the representation and the beautiful writing itself. I found the premise of the storyline very intriguing and immersive, but it did leave me wanting a little more character development. The four siblings often felt one dimensional in their motives and their behaviours, but I was massively impressed by the author's love of the Indian culture and the implenting various ethnic elements into the magic.

Looking forward to reading the second book in the series and will definitely be recommending this on.

Thank you so much to the publisher for approving me for an early read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Ivory Key is the kind of book which will have you reading constantly and not wanting to put it down until you reach the conclusion. It's also the type of book that I wish was around when I was younger - Akshaya Raman kudos to you for delivering such a brilliant Y/A Fantasy with south asian characters, sibling dynamics and an intriguing magic system + world building.

I really loved the whole quest element so much - I'm a sucker for stories where there's a group of estranged / unlikely band of characters who must work together for a common goal and strengthen their relationships along the way. I really enjoyed the lore and magical elements within the book and the journey the characters had to undertake - with the puzzles, mysteries and conspiracies which they had to uncover as well.

The sibling relationships also felt believable and added interesting moments in the novel and gave it much more emotional depth and weight. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel and final instalment in this duology to see where the characters end up and how the lingering threads from this novel get tied up.

When Ashoka runs out of marriage, it is up to Vira and her siblings to track down a mythical source.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The narrative is split between the four siblings.

Vira rules as maharani, since their mother was murdered. The countries are almost at war, insulted that Ashoka is no longer trading magic with them; when the truth is worse. And Vira's latest effort for peace via a political match has been dashed, when her fiance is killed on route to the capital.

Riya is the sister who escaped palace life. Always clashing with their mother, and the rules they had to live by, Riya leaves it all behind. She finds a place with the Ravens - bandits who steal from the rich, to feed the many poor.
When they discover her identity, the Ravens insist that Riya must return to the palace and be their inside person, helping them steal the greatest resource - magic.

Kaleb is a half-brother, a fact that never mattered until the last maharani was killed, and Kaleb framed.
Stewing in prison, he jumps at the chance to help Vira track down the legendary Ivory Key.

Ronak is Vira's twin-brother, but he feels no familial duty to her. He blames her for their brother's imprisonment; and he knows it's only a matter of time before he is bartered away in a political marriage.
Ronak and his friend spend their time trying to build up their wealth, so they can escape abroad.

The siblings are estranged, the pressures of being the royal family pushing them apart, rather than together.
The book starts with their separate stories. They all come to their own decision to track down the Ivory Key, a way to find the ancient magic mines that were hidden centuries ago. Each has their own agenda, but they see the benefit of working together.

I liked the history of magic, and how magic permeated Ashokan culture. It is used so much in their daily lives, and defence of the country; it is impossible to see life without magic.
Vira's citizens are restless enough, and she knows that if they knew about the magic shortage, it would lead to outright rebellion.

The not-so-good.
I did not like the siblings. I couldn't root for a single one.
I thought they were all selfish and obnoxious, in their own way. They are all blind to other people, and for the "good guys", I thought they were childish and quick to blame others.
I had hoped to enjoy Riya's story, as she returns from her sparse but fulfilling life with the Ravens, to the lavish life of a royal... but she's so quick to go back to enjoying all the luxuries, without any guilt, or thoughts of sharing it with those less fortunate than herself. I found her very shallow indeed.

I had trouble believing in the world and circumstances. It had all the promise of being an intriguing and politically dangerous world. Everything was in place; the last maharani being murdered; a court full of advisors with dubious intentions; and other countries ready to rise in war over the loss of magic.
BUT it was only ever mentioned in drips, hinted at and never anything solid. I wished more time had been spent on these, to increase the drama and make the threat hanging over their heads more real.
Instead, the writing was slow and all about dull things; the siblings constantly going over the same details, and their selfish little opinions of little things.

Overall, I loved the idea, but couldn't connect with the story. I will not be continuing with the series.

The Ivory Key is a beautiful and fascinating story that blew me away. It has so much that I love about fantasy, a well developed and intense world of magic, a high stakes quest and dramatic tension. All this makes it a great fantasy read, but it’s the story of family that really sold it for me. The characters are raw and real, and their relationships too each other complex. I especially loved Vira, connecting to her and loving her arc throughout the story.

I loved reading about diverse characters exploring themes of duty, family, legacy and power. The pacing dipped slightly in the middle of the book, but my love for the characters had already been cemented and I remained eager to keep reading their story. The ending rounded out the characters’ journeys but simultaneously left room for growth and I can’t wait to have my questions answered in the sequel.

A beautifully crafted and richly-detailed Indian-inspired YA Fantasy with engaging characters and a gripping plot.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, the world-building for this book deserves 5 stars—it’s so rich and engaging and vivid. It’s incredibly clear that so much hard work has gone into this, and it really pays off. High fantasy level world for a low fantasy YA.

I’d recommend it gladly for those who love this kind of thing, like I do. The magic system is also quite cool (although I think much less refined than the rest of the worldbuilding.)

I can’t really comment on the accuracy of the Desi representation, but from reading other reviews I can see that this is to be praised also. I can say that I really enjoyed seeing how the author has meshed real south Indian culture and mythology into this new world that she has created. Top tier, hats off.

Now, on to the rest of the review 🤔.

Honestly, the first quarter (??) is fairly confusing. I couldn’t quite grasp who people were and what their relationships were—of course I knew they were siblings, but it was about twenty chapters in before I started to actually place who everyone is and what their plot line actually is….. so many people; so many daggers and books and keys and who had even betrayed who to do what?? And wait, I want to understand more about the political system why are we changing POV again 😭?

I think this could have been a bit more refined, because unfortunately, once I understood a bit better, I’d already missed a lot of reader-to-character-connection-building I think. Because I never felt like I really <I>cared</I> much about what happened to the characters. Except for Kaleb, for some reason. Little buddy just can’t catch a break 😔.

Also, some of the plot points and their resolutions are quite predictable, or felt too easily/simply resolved; like the characters maybe hadn’t earned their win?

The puzzles however throughout their mission were quite clever, and I liked how the writer used them to bring the siblings closer together.

I will probably pick up the sequel, and 3.5 stars is still a recommendation.

(Seriously, the worldbuilding is impeccable.)

I loved the representation of this story, the gorgeous cover, the found-family theme, the brilliant plot and the way my heart kept twisting!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman!

This was a lovely young adult, Indian inspired, magical fantasy. It was choc-full of backstabbing and betrayal and a great twist.

I'm still not too sure about the lore of the magic in The Ivory Key, but I believe as a first time reader of book one you are not really supposed to and you will discover the true use of magic in book two at the same time the characters do.

I love books with multiple point of views and I really enjoyed going between the four siblings.