I think the thing I really found the most interesting thing about this book was the relationship between all the siblings.
This isn't your typical everyone loves an dhelps each other kinda story. And I found it very unique.

The relationship these siblings have is tremulous at best. And it made for a very dynamic story where you weren't always sure of motives or choices that would be made.

The world Raman created was also so beautiful. Her ability to write such a vivid and creative world impressed me so much.
And rhe world building didn't pull me from the story like other fantasy books have done.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone wanting a good new YA fantasy

What a gem! The Ivory Key follows four estranged royal siblings as they attempt to band together to save their country. Tensions are high but the call to duty is higher as Vira, Kaleb, Riya, and Ronak fight against a fatal magic shortage, outside forces, and most of all: each other.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Oh this was a blast. I didn’t expect the betrayal!! The dynamics between the siblings was very original and the plot was very creative. Will definitely be reading the sequel! I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Beautiful world building, unique magic system, family drama, high stakes quest... The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman reminded me of the epic adventure tales I enjoyed as a child, and had me questioning why I ever fell out of love with them.
The book starts off on the slower side, but I find that to be common in duologies. Once the quest starts, the pacing picks up and carries us swiftly to the end. I am expecting the sequel to hit the ground running right out of the gate, and I cannot wait to continue this adventure!

This was one was a little slow to start and hard to really get into. I wish the beginning had caught my attention more because I ended up not even finishing this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

DNF @ 51% - 2.5 stars rounded up.

This story started with a bang - a murdered fiancé, a kidnapped Queen, and a reunion with sisters on different sides of a political conflict? We’re introduced to a world where being queer is normalized and accepted, and I loved that. As were introduced to the other two siblings, I thought this was going to be exactly my kind of story.

However, the plot quickly began to drag. Although the four siblings were in very different situations, their characterization lacked a depth to really differentiate them. I am usually very motivated to read because of the depth of character’s feelings for each other, so these estranged siblings felt very siloed.

I read some other reviews, and it sounds like the book will pick up around 60%, when they embark on a quest.

It will be interesting to see how the sequel is received, maybe it can draw me back!

Ok full disclosure I've had this set as currently reading since Dec. OF 2021.
In my defense I've moved and had my books packed away for awhile, not a year but ok, I have no defense haha 😅
This was actually one of the only physical books I've read I'm awhile as I tend to stick to ebooks lately because kids are so very messy I'm scared. So I've been slowly reading this when I have time to pick it up aka when the kids are busy or sleeping. So yes it's taken awhile buuuut I did really enjoy it.

The world, the magic, the family dynamics and the small hints of romance were so good! I wasn't the biggest fan of the political parts or the ending because cliffhanger! However, I loved the puzzle, hidden chambers, secret society vibes. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Absolutely adored this book. I love south Asian fantasy and this had all the vibes I was looking for but the ending was such an intense cliffhanger!

The Ivory Key was and exciting read that I hadn't experienced in a while. I loved the Indian inspiration and would suggest this to any YA reader. The sibling dynamic was excellent and thought the author did a great job balancing all of them throughout the novel. Even the rivalry between them. I absolutely loved the quest part of this novel--maps, hidden artifacts, enemies around every corner.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Ivory Key is an Indian inspired fantasy story. In a land where magic is a prized commodity, but is becoming scarce, four estranged siblings, each with their own agendas, band together to find a new source of magic to save the land from war.

I liked this book well enough. It was written well and had a good flow. It was well paced and interesting enough to keep me reading. However, I found that I wasn't invested in the characters, especially Vira and Ronak. Will I read the sequel? Probably.

An overall entertaining book that had a great storyline, but I found that lack of detail kept me from being all-in. It was slow to start, which is fine when a fantasy has to world-build, but I feel like more world-building needed to happen. I especially wish the politics of the country was more fleshed out so we could understand Vira's struggle with keeping her Council happy. I also wish magic was explained better, but I do realize that is the main mystery of the story since it turns out that they themselves don't seem to know what magic really is. I still feel like it the characters' understanding of how it works and functions could have been explained a little better.

The Ivory Key hits every note I wanted it to hit -- family drama and siblings who know each other too well and not well enough, complicated romantic entanglements, fun puzzles, exciting adventure. It took a moment for me to get into it (I wanted the siblings together a little quicker), but once I was in, I was all in. I am very excited to pick up the next book and see where it takes me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Clarion Books for approving me for an ARC of this book.

🗝️Told from the POV of our four siblings we learn about their fractured history and what drove a wedge between them all. The old saying “blood is thicker than water” is well and truly tested, seeing each sibling's secrets come to light was entertaining.

🗝️We are taken on a treasure hunt of a lifetime. With danger, rivals and riddles around every corner, the siblings battle against the odds to find the missing key. We see each of the sibling's strengths and weaknesses tested, with some having to make hard decisions.

🗝️The world of Ashoka and all the other explored lands are beautifully described, creating the perfect imagery in my mind's eye.

🗝️ We are left on somewhat of a cliff-hanger, and I can’t wait to see what happens next for Vira, Ronak, Kaleb and Riya. A beautifully told story about family, power and history.

I was not interested in this book, and I could not finish it. I tried several times, but the story didn't hook me. I was not particularly impressed by anything going on, and none of the characters really hooked me. I had hopes for this, but I was disappointed.

There's jumping right into the action and then theirs dumping readers into the middle of the story with no context or world building. I had no idea what was happening and why for most of this book.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC

I received this egalley as part of the ALAN conference and it is kept on a kindle in my classroom. My rating is based on the ratings provided by my students who have read the book and I look forward to when I get the chance to do so.

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman is an interesting fantasy debut. It is written for a YA audience, so sometimes the writing just did not keep me as fully engaged. There were also quite a few tropes that have been rampant in the YA fantasy genre recently, which probably also decreased my engagement.