Check my reblogs of this post to see the rest of them 😊 I'll add more if I ever make more etc,

Finished my e-book, makes 29! Crimson Fortress is the sequel to The Ivory Key.

This book admittedly wasn't as strong as book 1. In the first one we set up the fantasy world of needing magic but the kingdom has run out so a group of 4 siblings who drifted apart go on this journey with a kingdom guard to find The Ivory Key which is said to open the 4 quarries of locked away magic.

Kaleb and Ronak and Vira and Riya are our for siblings plus Amrit the guard that kinda likes Vira which is sweet till he turned on her and took the key for himself because he works for some secret society. It feels very Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones since they go into old temples with booby traps etc.

Anyways. The siblings fight a lot to the point everyone was pissing me off. Ronak was the most annoying. Making shady deals with a gang leader in order to help clear Kalebs name meanwhile Kaleb doesn't want his help and it's just irritating. Riya and Kaled were the most tolerable of the siblings especially in book 2. Basically the Ivory Key wasn't actually a key to the quarries but to a tomb of an old semi immortal and previous ruler of the land many centuries ago. And she goes on a evil rampage and she is the true key to the quarries. So now the siblings along with Amrit and 2 friends of Riya worked together to go through the Crimson Fortress and stop her.

The reason why this book 2 wasn't as strong, aside from everyone being annoying and not airing out their secrets and/or trusting each other over complete strangers, is that it felt clunky following 7 people for a while. They do split up in the fortress but idk it was a lot to remember. Also idk I felt the final battle felt I wouldn't say bad but it all happened so fast. As for some of the resolve and the epilogue. I did enjoy seeing the 4 of them kinda mend things, not perfectly but still being a family. However Kaleb apparently had gay feelings for Lukas the new emperor of Lyria the former enemy territory, it's briefly brought up. They have a sweet convo on a balcony but that's it, Kaleb briefly thinks about it a little later but idk in his epilogue it wasn't brought up at all so now I'm thinking was I just queer baited....in pride month....damn. Riya had a nice ending, Ronak just idk didn't get much resolve with his story lines of his former finance wasn't brought up again and idk I felt he got nothing. Vira got her kingdom and her man. Idk the ending just happened to fast. Like we didn't get to the Fortress till the last fourth of the book and the going through booby trapped rooms took forever. Idk.

I will say despite the pacing, despite the queer baiting, despite EVERY ONE OF THEM PISSING ME OFF, well again Kaleb wasn't too bad and Riya was making sense a lot of the time idk why Vira was so stubborn but I did enjoy the book series overall.