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theromantasynerd's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
About: The Crimson Fortress is the sequel to The Ivory Key and the conclusion to this amazing YA fantasy duology. It follows royal siblings Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya as they search for the Ivory Key to restore magic and stability in Ashoka. However, uncovering its cipher becomes more complicated and dangerous. Their missions force them to disperse across Ashoka and beyond, with Vira losing her power, Kaleb uncovering Lyria's emperor's motives, Ronak escaping his arranged marriage, and Riya's newfound power. Their quest culminates in a deadly labyrinth, requiring their unity.
My thoughts: I'm amazed by the author's ability to manage so many character arcs and storylines and have them all perfectly timed to converge, diverge, and then converge again throughout this book.
The characters were largely in a mess and experiencing emotional turmoil at the end of the first book. The Crimson Fortress takes up where that left off, with each narrative and character arc reaching a satisfying conclusion. The political issues that have been the focus of this duology are satisfactorily resolved, and we also get adorable personal and/or interpersonal goals for each of the four siblings—it was really wholesome.
de_winnie's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
farhanac's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
faehistory's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
alzena28's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
mthebau's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
amy_rose29's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
mayankshah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An appropriate and gripping ending to this story although not quite as strong as the first book in my opinion.
This book takes the reader on a very long journey from the story in the first book, with a lot of character and story developments that, at times, I felt we're not given enough space or time as they had to be fitted into this book. The fact that the first book ends on a surprise cliffhanger inevitably means there is a lot to uncover in this book but the storylines did feel rushed at times as a result and I would have liked more hints in the first book.
As a standalone book, however, the story is very gripping. I wanted to keep reading and find it what was about to happen with a lot of twists and turns all g the way. While, as a YA novel, it is obvious what wider journeys the characters are going to be going on, there were a lot of small developments that were interesting in their own right in this book.
The ending is also what you would expect of a YA adventure novel, not in terms of content (there were a lot of surprising twists that took us away from what we expected) but in terms of character development. The characters remain true to themselves and their decisions are understandable throughout.
This book is what you would expect from a very very good YA adventure novel and definitely worth a read if you are of the target audience or looking for a gripping yet easy read.
It's remarkable how the author blends in diverse voices, opinions and characters seamlessly throughout the book. The references to cultures from the Indian subcontinent just seem to work and are made to feel natural. A matriarchal society is not questioned or analysed once, showing that books showing diverse opinions do not need to overtly be about that diversity. The author also includes a range of sexualities in their characters in, again, an unassuming way that I really admired.
This book takes the reader on a very long journey from the story in the first book, with a lot of character and story developments that, at times, I felt we're not given enough space or time as they had to be fitted into this book. The fact that the first book ends on a surprise cliffhanger inevitably means there is a lot to uncover in this book but the storylines did feel rushed at times as a result and I would have liked more hints in the first book.
As a standalone book, however, the story is very gripping. I wanted to keep reading and find it what was about to happen with a lot of twists and turns all g the way. While, as a YA novel, it is obvious what wider journeys the characters are going to be going on, there were a lot of small developments that were interesting in their own right in this book.
The ending is also what you would expect of a YA adventure novel, not in terms of content (there were a lot of surprising twists that took us away from what we expected) but in terms of character development. The characters remain true to themselves and their decisions are understandable throughout.
This book is what you would expect from a very very good YA adventure novel and definitely worth a read if you are of the target audience or looking for a gripping yet easy read.
It's remarkable how the author blends in diverse voices, opinions and characters seamlessly throughout the book. The references to cultures from the Indian subcontinent just seem to work and are made to feel natural. A matriarchal society is not questioned or analysed once, showing that books showing diverse opinions do not need to overtly be about that diversity. The author also includes a range of sexualities in their characters in, again, an unassuming way that I really admired.
miad3's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookish_penguin's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5