Reviews

The Crimson Fortress by Akshaya Raman

saltyy_sarah's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense 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

2.5

bloodbrooxv's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

3.0

mdancer's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

aoiicore's review

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

gilded_pages's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

4.75

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