Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda

 

Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress by Sarwat Chadda can best be described in one (maybe two, depending on the hyphen) words:  Bada$$.  I tweetd Mr. Chadda to ask him what genre (MG or YA) Ash would best fit, his response was:

sarwatchadda Sarwat Chadda

@ maestra_amanda So pleased! I'm still not sure what the difference is between YA and MG. It's the genre of BAD-ASS. No age restrictions.

So, if you like bada$$ stories, this book is for you!  

Ok, ok, here is the "official" summary from Goodreads:

Weaves together contemporary and mythological India, about British-born Ash, whose father is offered a dream job in India, and discovers something is very wrong with mysterious millionaire Lord Savage, finding himself in a desperate battle to stop Savage’s master plan--the opening of the Iron Gates that have kept Ravana, the demon king, at bay for four millennia.

Yes, there is blood and guts.  But there are also wonderful myths and legends, and angry demons trying to take over the world.  But I think the thing I liked the best was how much Ash grew as a person over the course of the book.  He made some deep character changes and that doesn't always happen (especially in kids books).  I also loved how important family was to Ash.  He really did go to the ends of the earth for his little sister, and not because he had to, but because he wanted to. 

I could be totally wrong, but I see this as YA in the same way as the Percy Jackson series is YA (or at least according to my library it is).  I think kids in middle grades would enjoy it, I think kids in high school would enjoy it.  I can even think of a couple 5th graders I know who would enjoy it.  

There was even a mention to Billi SangReal and the Knights Templar in London, which I loved.  Here's my review of Devil's Kiss (the first book in the Billi series).

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Ash Mistry and the Savage Fortress from Mr. Chadda because I won his twitter follower contest.  I was not obligated to write this review.  

Make sure you follow us both on twitter (@sarwatchadda and @maestra_amanda).  You never know what'll happen.