The Ivory Key (The Ivory Key Duology, #1) by Akshaya Raman Pages: 384
Published by Clarion Books on January 4, 2022
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.
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, rumored 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 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 marriage. Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani needs it to clear his name. And Riya, a runaway who cut all family ties, wants the Key to prove her loyalty to the rebels who want to strip the nobility of its power.
They must work together to survive the treacherous journey. But with each sibling harboring secrets and their own agendas, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family–and their world–for good.
The Ivory Key is the first book in the young adult Indian-Inspired fantasy duology, called The Ivory Key Duology, by Akshaya Raman. I loved this book so much! It was such a fun fantasy quest featuring really complex, unique and interesting sibling dynamics. Fans of puzzles, ciphers and unraveling clues will love the journey presented in The Ivory Key. I know I did- I can’t wait for the next book. The cast of characters is wonderfully diverse and richly multifaceted, and a joy to read about. I can’t wait to discover more books from author Akshaya Raman because The Ivory Key instantly sucked me in and didn’t let go until long after I had turned the last page.
In The Ivory Key we meet four estranged royal siblings- Vira, who is the young new queen of Ashoka, Ronak is Vira’s twin, Kaleb who is stuck in prison accused of killing the former Queen of Ashoka, and Riya, their sister who has run away and is living among rebels (The Ravens). They are each in search of the same mysterious, magical item, but they each want it for their own reasons. In this world, magic is a finite resource that can be mined. But a long time ago, a secret society locked up most of the magical mines and hid The Ivory Key- The literal key to unlocking the magic mines. The four siblings are each in search of the Ivory Key for different reasons. Ronak hopes to use it to escape from his impending arranged marriage, Riya wants it to prove her loyalty to the Ravens and Kaleb needs it to clear his name. The four siblings are forced to work together to try and find the key and I loved everything about their journey. I do wish there was a bit more romance explored, but I am hold out hope for more of that in the second book of the duology.
Fans of quest based fantasy stories and who love a good puzzle or two to solve will really enjoy The Ivory Key. This book was a fast paced and easy read that sucked me in from the very first page. I loved the rotating point of view through all of the siblings, and I loved the large cast of characters. This book was a huge hit for me and I can’t wait to read the sequel! What a great way to start 2022!
Leave a Reply