Thirteen year old Ash Mistry has spent the last three weeks in India with his uncle and aunt, and for Ash, India is nothing but heat and dust. All that changes when Ash's uncle is invited to translate ancient texts for Lord Alexander Savage, a fabulously wealthy lord who supports archaeological digs all over India. When Ash finds a golden arrowhead behind a hidden wall, his life suddenly gets more interesting, maybe even too interesting. Because with the arrowhead comes legends of King Ravana, a demon lord who wanted to rule the world. Lord Savage wants that arrowhead. For Savage, the legends are real and he needs that arrowhead to bring Ravana back to power.

THE SAVAGE FORTRESS by Sarwat Chadda is the first in the thrilling Ash Mistry series. Action-packed and thrilling Chadda still captures the emotion and complexity of a boy whose life has been completely turned upside down. Without giving away any spoilers, I was seriously surprised by the turn of events early in the story and at the end. Chadda takes the expectations that you have for children's novels and tosses them out the window to create a very appealing, plot-driven novel that doesn't shy away from emotionally tough subject matter.

The creepy, fascinating details that Chadda brings to the world will appeal to many readers. There are scrolls made of human skin, magicians, rakshasas: demon creatures who are more animal than human, and a scene where a rat is eaten that completely grossed me out. THE SAVAGE FORTRESS perfectly captures the dreadful anticipation of an adventure/fantasy. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it for children who love stories that delve into mythology, magic, and adventure like the Percy Jackson books.

Book Summary

The gods and monsters of India roar to life in this thrilling fantasy!

After three weeks of vacation, Ash Mistry is ready to leave the heat and dust of India behind him. Then he discovers a gleaming gold arrowhead hidden in the sands---a weapon used to defeat evil King Ravana in legend.

At least, Ash is pretty sure it's only a legend . . .

But when Lord Alexander Savage comes after Ash, the legends are suddenly way too real. Savage commands an army of monstrous shapechangers called rakshasas, who want only to seize the arrowhead and restore Ravana to power. As they hunt Ash through magnificent fortresses and brutal deserts, he must learn to work with a powerful rakshasa girl named Parvati, and find the strength within himself to fight on no matter what. Because this isn't just a battle to stop the end of the world. It's a battle to stop the end of reality as we know it.

No pressure.