The Ivory Key

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.

In this Indian-inspired story, we follow a set of four siblings. Their lives have all split in very different ways, and they all have different goals. However, their paths all merge when they each get tasked with a common goal: find the Ivory Key that will restore magic. While they all have different motives for getting this key, they all decide to band together and use their unique talents to get this key back and protect the people they love.

I enjoyed this book. I felt like the characters and setting were all unique and fun to read about. The plot, while predictable, was still fast paced and enjoyable. I was engaged throughout. I think the setting is really the winner of the story. This world feels so rich and well thought out. Throughout their explorations, I was just so excited to see what they found next. The big plot twist at the end I saw coming from near the beginning of the book, so I didn't feel as shocked by it, but I do think it adds a whole new layer of intrigue to explore in the next book.

Overall, this book was fun and engaging. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good YA fantasy.

TW: graphic descriptions of dead bodies, high volume of discussion of grief and loss, death of family members, recovering from trauma, blood, violence, emotional manipulation, alcohol, discussion of identity policing/microaggressions directed toward a biracial character, allusions to human experimentation, discussions of war/an invading country