4.5 stars. This book promised magic, an epic quest, and chaotic sibling dynamics and more than delivered. It took me a few chapters to be completely immersed since the quest doesn't start until halfway through, but the court politics kept me hooked. That ending has me clamoring for the sequel ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Magic is the key to keeping conflict away in this realm and magic is running out. The Ivory Key is the key to unlocking more magic, 4 siblings must find the key to help their country- each has something different to gain or loose. Maybe because of the fantasy and realm building this book took a little while for me to get into.

"A dagger in her hand and secrets in her heart"
Oh my god, I need time to breathe and organize my thoughts about the book. Ever since I started reading, the fantasy genre was full of white characters saving their euro-centric world from disaster, though sometimes I liked them I always felt something was missing whenever I read those stories. They're brilliantly written but my heart was not full until later I realized why it was happening. I needed characters whom I can relate to, I don't know how counts, duke, viscount hierarchy works, but I do know what is a Mantri, I don't know what happens in a royal ball but I do know what happens in a Raj-Tilak, lastly, I've absolutely no idea how western delicacies work but I do know how Gulab-jamun is delicious. So you get my point here? After being done with loads of same character fantasy where there is a POC side character for "diversity", I read THE IVORY KEY. Reading it was like quenching your thirst with cold matke ka paani after a long walk in the heat of Indian markets. It has a Maharani, lost princess, locked prince, and so much more. Where each sibling is looking for a fabled object which holds the destiny of their kingdom, will they find it for the sake of the country or theirs?

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I selected this book because of the beautiful cover, and I am so glad that I did. This YA fantasy is set in an India-like country, and follows the lives of four brothers and sisters as they try to maneuver ruling. They rarely all get along, but always seem to be there when they are needed. It also throws a good adventure line into the story that kept me turning pages right up until the end. Now comes the wait for the second book,

*3.5 stars>

"The Ivory Key" is the first book in an Indian-inspired YA fantasy duology that follows four royal siblings as they try to find a new source of magic for their country before it is invaded by foreign forces. In "The Ivory Key"'s world, magic is a prized, unrenewable resource, but the legendary Ivory Key could lead them to a new source. While they rather estranged from each other, Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya must join forces to embark on the quest to find the key before magic runs out.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was definitely the author's character and setting work. There was vivid imagery, and the main characters were all very fleshed out. In terms of plot, I found myself wanting to learn more about how the magic system worked and why it died out. However, I did feel that the book didn't start to get going until the second half of the book, which dragged my reading down a bit. Most of what's described in the synopsis doesn't happen until further down the line.

Nevertheless, I would like to finish this duology and know how it ends as well as what powers the Ivory Key actually has.

Content Warnings: blood, trauma, family trauma, violence

I love a good magic story and a good sibling rivalry story, and The Ivory Key has both. There's a lot to keep track of in the book, with several key characters all with their own agendas and storylines, so I had to read a bit slower than I usually do. But it is so worth it! A beautiful story and fascinating plot. Can't wait for the follow-up!

THE IVORY KEY is a rich world filled with interesting magic and characters. I liked the Indian-inspired world building of Ashoka, and it isn’t often that I’ve seen a world where magic is treated as a non-renewable “natural” resource. There is a lot going on in the world of Ashoka, and a lot of characters and plots to introduce. It took me longer than I expected to sort out the siblings’ age relationships to each other, for example, but Author Akshaya Raman gave them all unique voices and motivations I could sympathize with. Once I got my footing under me, it was really interesting to see each sibling in turn from the others’ points of view.

THE IVORY KEY is heavy on the family conflict, and because that family is also royalty, the conflict is also wrapped up in politics and state secrets. Raman did a great job of giving the characters initial motivations to keep secrets from one another. However, there were times I found myself growing frustrated about all the secrecy, especially as various people’s schemes fell apart. I was also surprised by how staunchly some of Vira’s siblings were against her or blamed her for certain decisions, considering they grew up with the same parents and in the same court. Why would they assume a teenage girl who inherited a war and promptly lost her one big battle has similar power and control to the previous maharani? The lack of communication or willingness to extend grace to Vira quickly became annoying—but that may just be the eldest daughter in me talking. 🙂

The switch to a treasure hunting quest, complete with elaborate, puzzle-filled death traps, was a tonal shift that took some time getting used to after the first part of the book was largely occupied with the palace and the rest of the capital city. While that made for some really fun set pieces, I was a little disappointed that many of the palace plots were unresolved. That said, I’m enjoying the promise of a wider world and the promise of uncovering a much grander conspiracy in the sequel. I’m looking forward to seeing how Raman can wrap all of this up.

Recommendation: Get it soon. This Indian-inspired fantasy is filled with family conflicts and old secrets that get four estranged siblings to work together—and against each other. While I wish the communication between the quartet improved faster than it did, I believed in the character motivations and rooted for them to start working together. THE IVORY KEY is an interesting start to a fun world, and I’m looking forward to the conclusion.

THE IVORY KEY by @akshraman is an excellent debut novel, the type that's hard to believe is a debut. Raman creates a gorgeously deep setting in a few breaths and adds layers as she adds point of view characters. The four royal siblings who guide this epic--a story about the fate of a nation losing its magic, which can only be saved through solving an obscure and ancient series of riddles posed by a secret society--provide wonderfully divergent opinions on their country and their own responsibilities to it, and each other. I didn't know how much I was craving sibling fantasy until I picked this up, and it's absolutely my cup of tea.

Overall, this is a fantastic read, and I'm so glad book two is already on the calendar for next year.

Thanks to @netgalley and @orbitbooks_us for the ecopy, and @blackstone_library for both the hard copy and the gorgeous background. We don't have ancient ruins in my town, but to me the Blackstone's spirit and architecture, based on the Erictheon of Ancient Greece, holds the same feeling of mystery, knowledge, and power as Visala.

#bookstagram #bookreview #yafantasy

Pictured: THE IVORY KEY on a marble bench, with the white stone walls of the Blackstone Library rising behind it.

3.5 stars!

I'll start with the positives because there were so many. This incredibly rich and detailed Indian-inspired fantasy is written so well; I love the characters and the world-building felt so naturally woven into the story. It follows four estranged siblings as they reunite to find the legendary Ivory Key (surprise surprise!). I really enjoyed all four POVs which is quite rare for a book; I felt that all four siblings were developed and enjoyed the exploration of their dynamics amongst the foursome as well. Everyone had a decent motive and complex feelings towards their journey and family history too.

My personal criticism of this novel comes from the pacing. The 'the treacherous journey' that is sold to us in the summary barely takes off until the 60% mark. On the one hand, I didn't mind the slower pace because it gave you time to get to know the characters and appreciate the tension within the political aspect of the tense, magical world. However, if a book is sold on its adventure aspect, it is a bit misleading to spend the first of the duology setting up the second book.

The descriptions and writing, overall, are a definite highlight; I could always picture the scene unfolding and never felt confused by aspects of the magic/worldbuilding and terms, etc.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review an ARC for this book!

As a Indo-Canadian, it meant a lot to me that this book was even being published, as there is barely any good South Asian rep in the western media. For this reason I really want to thank the author for writing this book because I felt seen and represented well by this book.

I want to start off with the things I loved about this book.

Firstly, the relationships between the siblings was what kept me invested and reading the whole book. I loved how they all have their own motivations and are super secretive with each other, and then over the course of the book they begin to trust each other again and rekindle their relationships. I think the multiple POVs really helped enhance this as we got an in-depth look into what each sibling was thinking and it helped understand the choices and actions, even when I didn't agree with them. My favourite part of their relationship was definitely the sibling banter! It was perfect and I genuinely felt like these MCs were siblings. For a debut novel, I thought the dialogues. were well done and not cringy in any way.

Secondly, I really loved how Indian this book was. I loved how they were always dressed in Indian attire, even when they went on the quest. I loved the delicious descriptions of the food! I got so hungry every time they mentioned the food, especially the kachori's!! I also loved the description of the palace and the furniture and the music!! It really felt like a real world and I wanted to be there SO BADLY!!

I only have 2 criticisms of the book.

The first one is the magic system. I'm still not 100% sure how it works because its supposed to be intangible but it can be mined and put into objects. And in the end Riya is able to touch it? It's something I hope is more explored and better explained in the second book.

Secondly, this book was advertised as an Indiana Jones inspired adventure. So I was under the impression that the bulk of the story would focus on the mission to find the key. However, it feels like nothing really happens in the first 60% of the book, and the latter 40% of the book is where stuff happens and that's when they go on the quest. I understand the need to set up the world and characters, but I feel like this could've been done even if the bulk of the story was focused on finding the key. Moreover, the puzzles and clues they needed to solve seemed to come a little too easy to them (ie. the solution to a puzzle would be on the same page or next page). There really didn't seem to be any puzzling challenges which I think would've helped to elevate the story,

All in all, I still really enjoyed this book and think its a promising debut. I will definitely be reading the sequel because that cliffhanger ending gutted me! I gave this book a 4.5/5!

I've posted a review on my instagram page, and I will be uploading a TikTok review soon!

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman is a fantasy book all about magic, the land of Ashoka, and four siblings. The four siblings are desperate to find the ivory key and restore the prized resource of magic to their land, and they will do anything and go anywhere to make that happen. I really enjoyed this story. I especially enjoyed how the relationship between the two brothers and two sisters grew throughout their dangerous adventure. I will definitely be excited to read the next book in this series. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

A wonderful debut full of mystery, gorgeous world building, and a gripping plot. I really enjoyed the Ivory Key, and found the storyline and characters really developed in the second half of the book.

Expect sibling bonds, mystery, magic, a new world, power struggles and constant twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of The Ivory Key!

I had so much fun reading The Ivory Key! It has everything I love in a young adult novel, and was unique too.

This book tells the story of four siblings, one is the maharani, or leader, of a fantasy place, Ashoka, while her siblings have the notoriety of being rajkumaara. All four of them have unique problems, and all of them are looking for a solution. Their father heard legends of an Ivory Key, a special tool that can be used to unlock hidden magic in the land. (In this world, magic is a finite resource and while the leaders are aware that magic is running out, the populace does not know.) Vira, the maharani, is looking for this key so that she can restore some magic to the land without the population realizing it's gone. Her siblings have other ideas. Once they start to piece together a map, and with the help of their father's journals, they embark on the quest of a lifetime... to find the Ivory Key.

This book was so much fun. It did take me a little while to learn the terminology, but once I did, it was smooth sailing. It was an immersive and exciting book, with distinctive characters and voices, as well as complex sibling relationships and rivalries. The world building was so well done too. All in all, a wonderful and different fantasy novel, and I'm already so excited to read the second one!

wow, wow wow! What bad can I say about The Ivory Key?? Literally nothing.

4.5 ⭐️ on e-book, thank you Netgalley & Clairion for the ARC!

In the Ivory Key we follow four siblings- Kaleb, Ronak, Riya and Vira. Vira is the queen of their land, while the rest of her siblings have all gone on their own life paths that have taken them away from the crown. When Vira learns that magic is finite and need to be replenished from a new source, she enlists the help of her siblings to track down the ivory key. Together, and with their father's training the four embark on a journey to save the kingdom, and bring magic back to Ashoka.

I loved this book so much!! Completely unexpected, but it was so good. The unique magic system, the ties to family, the tension in the romances, the PLOT. Yall. THE PLOT IS SO GOOD. I did not see any of the twists and I am completely obsessed!!! I also loved that there were so many riddles and puzzles (not anything you as the reader have to figure out) that Raman did such a good job of including the reader in so that instead of telling us what the characters were figuring out, she showed us! Really loved it.

The only reason this isn't a full 5⭐️ is because I really needed just a little more from the character development, and that's not to say that what we got wasn't really amazing!! I just needed a bit more and as a fantasy reader am a little harsher on my fantasy books.

Overall recommend for YA fantasy lovers who want a bit of adventure to their books. The magic system is light and easy to understand so this would be a perfect beginner fantasy book, and overall it was SO GOOD. The tension in the romance scenes... YALL!! Highly recommend.

xx
-Christine

Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya are the siblings that define drama and in The Ivory Key they have to let go of their anger and hurt to work together to save magic in Ashoka. Problem is each of the siblings has a secret agenda of what they want when the find The Ivory Key... will they be able to put aside their personal ambitions so that they can save magic and Ashoka?

The first part of the book was slower paced but it really started to speed up. I think it was important to really introduce the characters of this Indian- inspired duology as we need to know them to understand their motivation for finding The Ivory Key. The past has been filled with trauma and each of them have found their own path to survive but now they need to work together so that they can start their journey to peace and forgiveness.

I definitely enjoyed the elements of magic and mystery. A fun read and soon part two will be released!

Thank you to NetGalley, Clarion Books for this review copy of The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman for me to read and enjoy. My opinion is mine alone and my review is voluntary.

A rich cultural Indiana Jones with 4 POVS that move this story at a very fast pace. An action adventure with a few twists and turns. I enjoyed these distant siblings having to learn to rework together to find a treasure of myth. The ending will leave you excited to dive into the sequel and conclusion.

This book had such a fun magic system and the face-paced setting of the story really worked in its favour. It has a lot more representation then most books previous and includes such fun adventures for the characters. It was such a fun book to read and the duology will be fantastic.

Initial Thoughts
I totally saved this one for a rainy day in NetGalley. I was so excited to get an early copy of this book because it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and I wanted to savor every second of it.

Some Things I Liked
Indiana Jones, treasure hunting, cipher solving vibes. I loved the puzzles, clues, and treasure hunting in this story. It gave me National Treasure vibes too and I loved it.
Multiple POVs. Once again, I loved the way this story wove the siblings POVs together with all of the secrets they were keeping from each other. I can't wait to see how the rest of the story plays out and if we will get any other POVs.
The betrayal! That cut me deep but it was so well done. I really didn't see it coming until the last second.

Series Value
I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I loved this one and this was a perfect debut.

Final Thoughts
I really really really enjoyed this book. I am so glad I had the chance to read it early and I can't wait to keep reading.

If you like quests, lush fantasies set outside the typical Western setting, complicated family dynamics, or treasure hunts -- then this book is definitely for you! Akshaya Raman's debut is all of those things and so much more. It's been pitched as National Treasure in a world inspired by ancient India and it lived up to those expectations! The magic system is truly unique and well thought out and I absolutely loved loved all the characters and their dynamics with each other. Highly recommend!

The Ivory Key is told from the perspectives of four quarreling siblings who must save their country Ashoka from impending war. The tale focuses on them finding the ivory key that will unlock quarries filled with magic which fuels their economy and protects them from invasion. Vira has ascended to the throne after her mother, the maharani, is killed. Brother Kaleb has been wrongfully imprisoned for the assassination. Brother Ronak is planning to rescue Kaleb and flee with him. Sister Riya, who ran away after arguing with their mother, returns to the palaces after two years of working with a group of rebels who want her to spy. The only quarry in Ashoka is running out of magic, but it is rumored that there is a map which will lead them to the key that unlocks the lost quarries, which were closed when the Kamala society sought to control the mining trade. After Vira's fiancé is murdered by the society, she must convince her siblings to band together to help her save their kingdom. The epilogue, told from a fifth perspective, will leave readers anxious for the sequel in this fast-paced duology opener.