Akshaya Raman

The Ivory Key

Teeeeeesha

Set against an Indian backdrop, this book will pull you in from the very first chapter with its dynamic familial relationships and Indiana Jones Esque quests You will fall in love with every character

In this epic YA fantasy debut, magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology that's perfect for fans of There Will Come a Darkness, The Gilded Wolves, and We Hunt the Flame.

Gillian Rose

3.75 stars

I wanted to like this more than I did. It has so many of my favorite things: complicated sibling relationships, magic, heists, but it fell flat for me. While I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the magic system, half of the book was more setup for the characters and when they finally got to the adventure, I was bored. The second half was much better, and I will be reading the sequel, but I wish I liked it more.

Loved the approach to family obligation. Struggled a bit with Ronak's chapters, but I liked seeing his growth through his siblings' POV chapters, and I loved reading each of the others'.

Riley

I wanted to love this. It has similar-ish vibes to We Hunt the Flame in terms of a quest to restore magic, etc. etc. But there was so little happening for a solid 40% of the book. That 40% does set some stuff up in the background, but setting stuff up and having action aren't mutually exclusive. 

The end did have me shook. I think I'm still a bit confused though? The pacing at the end crammed a lot of answers together but wasn't cohesive.

Also, I feel like everyone was out here being really harsh to Vira?? She's literally the ruler of the realm?? Don't get me wrong, she had some poor judgement calls, but she's like 18 and was thrust into becoming a ruler??

Holly

I wanted to love this. It has similar-ish vibes to We Hunt the Flame in terms of a quest to restore magic, etc. etc. But there was so little happening for a solid 40% of the book. That 40% does set some stuff up in the background, but setting stuff up and having action aren't mutually exclusive. 

The end did have me shook. I think I'm still a bit confused though? The pacing at the end crammed a lot of answers together but wasn't cohesive.

Also, I feel like everyone was out here being really harsh to Vira?? She's literally the ruler of the realm?? Don't get me wrong, she had some poor judgement calls, but she's like 18 and was thrust into becoming a ruler??

l.h.

gorgeous gorgeous girls love this gorgeous book (sibling family dynamics on-point)

Emma

*deep breath* this was... a really really good book. The individual character arcs, the focus on family were all *chef's kiss* the subplot romance? don't even get me started. loved it. loved the build-up. And that ending... fuuuuuxk. Good stuff. I'm gonna be messed up over this book for a while.

anika.

disclaimer this is actually 3.5 stars rounded down (extra .5 of a star added for the [fortunate] lack of romance at the end and the setting)

Four siblings. A country in ruin. One quest to save them all. Vira is desperate to get out of her mother's shadow and establish her legacy as a revered queen of Ashoka. But with the country's only quarry running out of magic - a precious resource that has kept Ashoka safe from conflict - she can barely protect her citizens from the looming threat of war. And if her enemies discover this, they'll stop at nothing to seize the last of the magic. Vira's only hope is to find a mysterious object of legend: the Ivory Key, rumoured to unlock a new source of magic. But in order to infiltrate enemy territory and retrieve it, she must reunite with her siblings, torn apart by broken relationships and the different paths their lives have taken. Each of them has something to gain from finding the Ivory Key - and even more to lose if they fail. Ronak plans to sell it to the highest bidder in exchange for escape from his impending political and unwanted marriage. Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani, needs it to clear his name. And Riya, the runaway sibling who cut all family ties, wants the Key to prove her loyalty to the rebels who took her in. They must work together to survive the treacherous journey. But with each sibling harbouring secrets and their own conflicting agendas, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family - and their world - for good. First in a duology from an incredible new talent, this Indian-inspired fantasy debut is epic, fierce and magnetically addictive, taking you on a thrilling journey where magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war.

Tatiana 

4.75
Was it really worth everything?

Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya may be siblings, but they've never been close or even liked each other that much. Torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken, only one thing can bring them back together: the search for the Ivory Key, a thing of legend that will lead the way to a new source of magic. Magic is Ashoka's biggest export and the only thing standing between them and war with the neighboring kingdoms—as long as their enemies don't find out that the magic mines are nearly depleted. The siblings all have something to gain from finding the Ivory Key, and even more to lose if they don't. For Vira, the Ivory Key is the only way to live up to the legacy of her mother, the beloved former maharani. Ronak plans to get out of his impending political marriage by selling the Ivory Key to the highest bidder. Kaleb has been falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani, and this is the only way to clear his name. And Riya needs to prove her loyalty to the Ravens, the group of rebels that wants to take control away from the maharani and give it to the people. With each sibling harboring secrets and conflicting agendas, figuring out a way to work together may be the most difficult task of all. And in a quest this dangerous, working together is the only way to survive.

Before I start here’s some reasons why you should read it:

⭐️Sibling Love
⭐️Mined Magic
⭐️A Quest full of puzzles and riddles 
⭐️Indian inspired 
⭐️Betrayal 
⭐️ Delicious food 

I got an annotated version from the author and the authors notes were so wholesome ahhhhhhh.

I absolutely love this book so much. I have nothing to say. It’s just so good. 

The FOOD descriptions were the best no joke it left me hungry hahaha. 

The siblings were perfection. 

The world building was gorgeous. 

Everything was amazing. 

That epilogue WHYYYYYYYYY. 

Anyways now I’m waiting for book 2 😌😌😌. 

Rania Singla

indian fantasy settings always hit me in the heart 🥺
the plot twists oh my god...the author really dropped bomb after bomb with this book.

i didn’t really connect with the characters as much as i would loved to but i still adored every bit of this book!

Jennifer

The Ivory Key is an Indian-inspired fantasy debut by Akshaya Raman. Told from the perspectives of four estranged siblings, this book features a quest and tells a story about making personal choices - some difficult ones where morally conflicts occur.

I personally feel conflicted reviewing this, but let me talk about a few things that I enjoyed in Raman's debut first:

+ Concept: ooh so I personally found the worldbuilding & magic system quite intriguing. Raman's writing style vividly brings out both the fantasy elements as well as the mouth watering descriptions of food throughout the novel. Another interesting element about the book is the how the author draws inspiration from a historical temple in India and develops The Ivory Key plotwise through a quest. I think it conveys this idea of forbidden knowledge / power that's locked within a location that's not accessed in a long time & it's interesting to see how that leads to the siblings having to make difficult decisions throughout the novel.

+ Prose: As I've mentioned briefly in the last point, Raman's writing style helps me visualise the imageries in The Ivory Key, particularly what the magic looks like when I read the pages. I also thought some of the dialogues in the book are quite touching - particularly the ones about the notion of power.

While the premise does indeed look promising, I'm afraid to say that I personally found the overall execution in the writing - particularly the characterisation and pacing, a bit lacking.

- Pacing: This is definitely my biggest issue with The Ivory Key. So while it's no easy task to juggle between 4 distinct POV's, I must admit that Raman's choice of using 4 POV's also takes a hit with the pacing of the book. I feel like nothing really happened in the first 2/3 of the book, and then all of the seemingly unbelievable twists and turns (most of those I've guessed in advance) are crammed in the final few chapters - this turns out to be a very common YA issue.

I also think the short chapter length complicates the pacing issue - not only they felt choppy, I also didn't have an easy time properly engaging with the characters.

- Characterisation: I felt that the character arcs are quite uneven in The Ivory Key. I wasn't given sufficient backstories on why all 4 characters have different agendas on their quest to obtain the Ivory Key. For example, I wasn't very convinced with Ronak's agenda because his supposed path of a political marriange is not very well fleshed out. And because of this, Ronak's POV chapters suffered as a result and I didn't feel very invested in his chapters. Personally I think this book would had fared a bit better if there's 1 less POV to juggle with.

This is a shame because I found Riya and Vira's chapters quite promising. Only if they had more pages from their own perspectives where more about their headspace could be thoroughly explored.

- Storytelling: Both the short chapter length and the lack of character backstories contribute to mediocre storytelling in the book. The short chapter length felt artificial at best - where a full story should take place I felt that many of those got cut in half e.g. Vira's backstory on how she wants to uphold her family legacy. Because of the incomplete storytelling throughout, it's hard to grasp how the characters grew throughout the novel & the coherent life lessons that they've learnt through making difficult choices and undertaking this quest.

To summarise, The Ivory Key is a tad disappointing. While conceptually it's interesting & it features a diverse cast set in an Indian-inspired secondary world, it falters in executing a compelling plot as well as character arcs.

N.B. Content warnings: fire, accidents, + full list of cw's on author's page

(2.5 stars out of 5)

Kaitee Tredway

I love that this story centers around four (royal) siblings: Vira, Riya, Kaleb, and Ronak. Sibling stuff is hard under normal circumstances but these 4 have been tested by politics, parents, betrayals. Some of the biggest betrayals coming at Vira’s hand. She ascended to the throne after their mother’s assassination and she is constantly trying to prove that she is fit to be maharani. All of this means that the four siblings are pretty fractured at the beginning. (I’m not going to say more because I loved the way all of the backstory and layers of relationships were unpacked and I don’t want to spoil anything.)

Of course, the siblings are blown back together (and not necessarily with the intention of repairing their relationships.) Being with each of them as they parse out how to move forward - if there’s even a way forward - was SO GOOD. Raman got those messy relationships absolutely right.

So the magic! It’s bound up in politics, as any necessary and valued resource is. I loved seeing magic as a finite resource rather than an inner, personal well or a country-wide blanket. How much should the government keep for itself? What happens if it’s only available to the wealthy? I haven’t read anything lately that raises these questions and I really enjoyed this approach to magic.

War looms on the horizon and Vira decides that the only hope for her kingdom (and maybe her family) is to find the ivory key and unlock more magic. In order to succeed, she needs each of her siblings to overcome the challenges. If you love the puzzles and quest of The Gilded Wolves and the adventure of We Hunt the Flame, get this Indian-inspired fantasy onto your TBR!

Sahi K

I still have a few 2021 arcs left to read but I realized I wasn’t in the mood for any of them, so had to pick up a 2022 one instead. I can’t believe the New Year is so close. But coming to the book, this is the first 2022 book I received and I have been wanting to read it for a while, since my friend gushed about it. And I’m happy to report that she was right. 

The prose was very beautiful in this book, but at the same time, it was very accessible and easy to get into - I was so engrossed that it hardly took me a few hours to finish it. Places are not overly described but I still liked the feel I got of the setting. The lore about the magic and the history of the world was pretty cool and I’m fed hoping we’ll get to know more in the next book. There’s also a lot of going through scrolls, solving riddles and puzzles, and going on treasure hunts with high stakes - all elements which I really enjoy and and it’s been a while since I’ve read a book like this. While the couple of twists were quite interesting, I could guess a few of them pretty early on in the book, and it didn’t really affect my enjoyment but still it felt like the payoff of the reveal wasn’t very satisfying. But it was fast paced and fun and I didn’t put it down even once. 

I don’t even remember if I’ve read a book which focused mainly on sibling dynamics. So, that was very refreshing and I loved how the author created the relationships between them. Vira is the recently crowned Queen of Ashoka after her mother’s murder and is trying her best to save her kingdom from both an invasion and the depletion of the last quarry of magic. Her actions and decisions (and especially secrets) have led to a divide with her siblings - especially her twin Ronak who is fed up of being used as a pawn in Royal affairs and not allowed to make any decisions for himself. Riya is their runaway sister who has joined the rebels because she hates the royal lifestyle and wants to help the suffering people more. Kaleb is their half brother who is unjustly thrown in prison for their mother’s murder but is not too resentful of his sister and just wants the best for the kingdom. 

They are all very different from each other and for most of the book, their motivations seems to be at cross purposes. So when they forced to work together to find the key that will save their kingdom, I was quite interested to see how their attitudes towards each other will change by being in close quarters. And I have to give credit to the author, she writes very effectively the way they all try to understand each other, realize the importance of showing a united front, and despite still keeping some secrets, their bond also becomes much closer. There’s only one slight possibility of a romance but I’m glad it didn’t take up too much time and the story remained focused on the siblings. I do have one gripe though - whenever they encountered any troubles on their quest, it seemed like one of them always had a solution and it just felt too easy despite the stakes being so high. But I guess I can let it go in a YA novel. 

To conclude, this was a very entertaining and engaging read, with a lot of focus on interpersonal relationships which I loved. Adding to that is a rich world and lots of mysteries, which makes this a very exciting debut and I’m quite intrigued to know where this story is going next.

Lukas Robertson

In this epic YA fantasy debut, magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology that’s perfect for fans of There Will Come a Darkness, The Gilded Wolves, and We Hunt the Flame. Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya may be siblings, but they've never been close or even liked each other that much. Torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken, only one thing can bring them back together: the search for the Ivory Key, a thing of legend that will lead the way to a new source of magic. Magic is Ashoka's biggest export and the only thing standing between them and war with the neighboring kingdoms—as long as their enemies don't find out that the magic mines are nearly depleted. The siblings all have something to gain from finding the Ivory Key, and even more to lose if they don't. For Vira, the Ivory Key is the only way to live up to the legacy of her mother, the beloved former maharani. Ronak plans to get out of his impending political marriage by selling the Ivory Key to the highest bidder. Kaleb has been falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani, and this is the only way to clear his name. And Riya needs to prove her loyalty to the Ravens, the group of rebels that wants to take control away from the maharani and give it to the people. With each sibling harboring secrets and conflicting agendas, figuring out a way to work together may be the most difficult task of all. And in a quest this dangerous, working together is the only way to survive.

Milea Webb

Eilidh 

Anya ✨

Matilde Sofia Silva 

In this epic YA fantasy debut, magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology that's perfect for fans of There Will Come a Darkness, The Gilded Wolves, and We Hunt the Flame. Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya may be siblings, but they've never been close or even liked each other that much. Torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken, only one thing can bring them back together: the search for the Ivory Key, a thing of legend that will lead the way to a new source of magic. Magic is Ashoka's biggest export and the only thing standing between them and war with the neighboring kingdoms--as long as their enemies don't find out that the magic mines are nearly depleted. The siblings all have something to gain from finding the Ivory Key, and even more to lose if they don't. For Vira, the Ivory Key is the only way to live up to the legacy of her mother, the beloved former maharani. Ronak plans to get out of his impending political marriage by selling the Ivory Key to the highest bidder. Kaleb has been falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani, and this is the only way to clear his name. And Riya needs to prove her loyalty to the Ravens, the group of rebels that wants to take control away from the maharani and give it to the people. With each sibling harboring secrets and conflicting agendas, figuring out a way to work together may be the most difficult task of all. And in a quest this dangerous, working together is the only way to survive.

The Ivory Key

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