Akshaya Raman Books In Order

Publication Order of The Ivory Key Duology Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Akshaya Raman is a young adult fantasy author who became interested in writing after writing her first story at the age of ten. She holds a degree in Biology from UC Davis and gave up her science career to become a writer.
Akshaya is a co-founder and contributor to Writer’s Block party and has also been a part of planning teams for various book festivals.

The Ivory Key
It’s a story in the Ashoka Kingdom, where magic is a valued resource. Magic is used to do many things, and one of its important functions is protecting the kingdom from outside enemies. It shields them through the walls at their border, keeping them safe.

Four siblings were raised as the children of the ruling Maharan, i.e., their mother. One is meant to take the throne, the other a magical leader, and the other has no other path except political marriage. When the Maharani is assassinated, the four siblings split up.

Vira is selected as the new Maharani, and with little support and a series of unsolved problems left by her mother, she is trying to become a better leader.

Soon the magic source starts running dry, and Vira is not holding it together, especially now that the kingdom is at war with its enemies. Having the task of maintaining the country during the war and holding the legacy of her predecessor, she knows that magic is the only thing that can keep the enemies from defeating them. But now that the source is getting depleted, what will she do?

They can feel that their neighbors are sensing their weakness and are just plotting their next attack. Vira desperately needs another source of magic as the mines run dry, and she finds it hard to inform the others. She is so desperate to get out of her mother’s shadow by establishing her legacy as a reverend queen of Ashoka.

However, she can barely protect the natives from the looming war without the magic which has been keeping them safe. If their enemies discover it by any chance, they’ll be determined to destroy the remaining magic.
Vira’s remaining hope is to locate a mysterious object of legend known as the Ivory Key. It’s said to unlock a new source of magic, but they’ll have to find a way into enemy territory and retrieve it. To do this, Vira will have to reunite with her siblings, who have taken different life paths.

Her sister Riya ran away from the family and is known to be the daughter with too much fire for her mother’s expectations. She ran away from her role in the maharani’s court and escaped with a group of robbers to take down the ruling class. Her time and place in their camp is almost coming to an end, whether she is willing or not.

Ronak is vira’s twin brother with some grudges against his twin and the ruling team. All he wants is to be out of the situation, no matter the price he has to pay.

Kaleb is the siblings half brother with a non-Ashokan mother and has been charged with treason after he was exposed as the mastermind behind the assassination. Currently imprisoned, he hopes his siblings will help him get out, but with time he realizes that there might be no help coming his way.

There is a lot that the four siblings will do if they are willing to restore the magic to the people. After the murder of Vira’s fiancé and the discovery of something that might direct the siblings to a long-lost power source, it’s up to them to decide whether or not they’ll put the varying agendas for the sake of their people.

With the changing agendas and hidden secrets, the quest is not easy and might be the thing that finally breaks their family and the world they have lived to love. Each sibling has something to gain after finding the Ivory Key; they will also lose more if they fail to see it.

Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating a former maharani, needs to clear his name. Riya, who has been running away and cutting all family relations, wants the key to show her loyalty to those who want to destroy the nobleness that comes with its power.

They have no choice but to work together to survive during the treacherous journey. Still, with each of them holding secrets and having their agendas, the thing that brought them together might also end up tearing their family and world apart.
The stakes are high, with each character having different motivations and agendas. Even though they are telling each other the truth, their motivation aligns with finding the Ivory key. Can their blood ties overcome their desires at last?
The author has done a great job of alternating between the four perspectives giving context for most of their decisions. Akshaya has created a vibrant and vivid world that will come alive in the reader’s mind. The story is a distinct cultural element from Indian and South Indiana architecture, and it’s clear that the author threw a part of herself into this world.

The descriptions of the different foods added flesh to the story. With the alternating points of view, be sure you will not get bored at any given moment of your reading. The story is packed with intrigue, family complexities, and dramas.
Ivory Key is an engaging, lushly described, and well-crafted story that will keep the reader on their toes. Fans of The Gilded Wolves and Indiana Jones Might like the book more. The Indian elements and culture make the story feel real.
Akshaya has created an Indian-themed fantasy story with eastern culture, folklore, and visual aesthetics. She portrays the hardships of the estranged sibling relationship so well throughout the novel that you feel sorry for them because despite all the odds, family bonds are the strongest.

You might find yourself trying to solve the hidden clues alongside the siblings as they try solving the quest for the key. Even though Kaleb, Ronak, Riya, and Vira are siblings, they’ve never been close or liked each other so much. Torn apart by their different paths, the only thing that brings them together is the search for the ivory key.