The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.

This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.” - taken from Goodreads.

Our story now finds us in Bath and Susan Arkshaw is trying to find her way after discovering who her father is. After rescuing Merlin from a mysterious map, Susan, Merlin, and Vivien realize that a magical serial killer is lurking and will soon strike again. As the Booksellers work to uncover the killer’s motives, Susan’s father begins reaching out through her dreams. When the Booksellers discover that Susan is the serial killer’s next victim, will they be able to save her and what does her father want with her? 

After that ending, there has to be another book in this series.

Visit Garth Nix’s website.

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman (The Ivory Key duology book 1)

“Vira is desperate to get out of her mother’s shadow and establish her legacy as a revered queen of Ashoka. But with the country’s only quarry running out of magic–a precious resource that has kept Ashoka safe from conflict–she can barely protect her citizens from the looming threat of war. And if her enemies discover this, they’ll stop at nothing to seize the last of the magic.

Vira’s only hope is to find a mysterious object of legend: the Ivory Key, rumored to unlock a new source of magic. But in order to infiltrate enemy territory and retrieve it, she must reunite with her siblings, torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken. Each of them has something to gain from finding the Ivory Key–and even more to lose if they fail. Ronak plans to sell it to the highest bidder in exchange for escape from his impending political marriage. Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani needs it to clear his name. And Riya, a runaway who cut all family ties, wants the Key to prove her loyalty to the rebels who want to strip the nobility of its power.

They must work together to survive the treacherous journey. But with each sibling harboring secrets and their own agendas, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family–and their world–for good.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I loved this Indian-inspired fantasy of four siblings who have been torn apart by their royal legacies and the death of their parents. Each is looking for an escape from the demands of their lives. When a troubling secret is uncovered, these four must band together to solve the problem of waning magic before war breaks out once again.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book with a devastating ending that will leave readers hanging.

The story concludes with The Crimson Fortress, in 2023.

Visit Akshaya Raman’s website.