I was super excited for this book and really thought I was going to enjoy it… unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. Going off of the blurb, it could have been a great story, but it was just too … scattered. It’s like the author couldn’t decide on one plot or storyline, and threw them all together.

The Crossing Gate is one of the strangest books I have ever read. It’s a little bit sci-fi, a little bit dystopian, and a little bit fantasy. This made it hard for me to get a grasp on what kind of world I was being introduced to.
Lenora’s world is strictly divided into both age group and socio-economic classes. I liked the commentary the author was trying to make about both capitalism and sexism, but that’s where my enjoyment of the book ended. Despite dealing with more adult topics that I don’t see very often in YA, the writing was very simplistic and childish. Lenora herself seemed closer to thirteen instead of almost eighteen. Halfway through the book, the plot suddenly begins to include themes of rape and prostitution, but the first half is much more tame.
I also didn’t like the setup of the world. Presumably, this is a futuristic novel that is supposed to be set after World War III. However, the fantastical elements and unexplained phenomena made it seem like a fantasy rather than dystopian.

I was so intrigued by the premise and cover of this book! The Crossing Gate is really well written and the story is really imaginative.

It was interesting to dive in and explore this Greek fantasy world full of complex characters and intriguing plot twists. In Elpax, everyone goes through this mystical “Crossing Gate” every time they need to age up in life. So from child to juvenile, and then from juvenile to adult. The world is strangled in harsh rules — juveniles are forbidden from knowing things about the adult world, and punishments include brutal beatings, imprisonment, and worse. The class system also has a strangle hold on the realm. The wealthy can live as they please, and the working class can’t even associate with them in the “incorrect” way.

Lenora (or Leen, as she prefers to be called) is no rebel or delinquent at heart, but she’s struggling to make the crossing to adulthood. And this is slowly lowering her into trouble with the government. Leen wants to help her mum and to keep up with her now-adult friends — but every time she tries to cross, she’s struck with vertigo and intense panic. She literally can’t do it. And she doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. Meanwhile she’s getting “adult feelings” for a boy and sneaking around trying to learn forbidden adult knowledge to understand why it’s kept from juveniles. I did love the mix of technology and magic, as Leen struggles to figure out how the Crossing Gate works and what kind of hold it has on their society. Any snippets and hints about Elpax’s history and royal family had me curious for more.

I thought the overall plot was entertaining throughout the whole book and I found the world to be super interesting. I hope we get more of that in the second book, it was a lot to remember at times and I found myself stopping to remind myself of specific details so I could understand what I was reading. I still found myself intrigued to learn more about the world and political system. I didn’t love the main character (Leen) at first, I found her to be annoying at times but there was definitely more character development as the book went on and she grew on me. I’m still unsure about how I feel about Leen’s relationship with both Erick and Jason because they both are important in her growth throughout the book but I also like the idea of just seeing her do these things on her own. I’m excited to see what the next part of their adventure takes them and I’m excited to see more of certain characters.

OK, at first, I thought this was going to go something like The Giver. You know, One of those books where they keep children in the dark until a certain age and then drop all of society's secrets on them. That was how it went for the first half of the book. And then it just got weird. Parallel Universes. Aliens. Gang rape clubs. And so much more. No thanks.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Crossing Gate by Asiel R. Lavie is an amazing NA sci-fi/fantasy that will appeal to fans of Veronica Roth's Divergent or Amy Ewing's The Jewel. Just like Divergent, the plot is cinematic, and I could totally envision this book as a movie while I was reading it. The story revolves around Lenora, an 18 year-old in a world where juveniles must walk through the Crossing Gate to become adults. She's tried crossing before, but she's backed out every time. Unexpectedly, her Crossing Day goes horribly awry. Her mother is arrested, and she goes into hiding while the Prince's soldiers look for her. Will Lenora be able to save her mother? Can she escape her dystopian society? And what about the young man who she can't stop thinking about?

Here is an atmospheric excerpt from Chapter 1, which establishes the sci-fi setting:

"IF I CROSSED TO ADULTHOOD today, sin-spots would start appearing on my body whenever I committed a sin. Not that I was planning to become a sinner, but I wished I could learn more about them beforehand. Such a fateful decision would change my life forever.
...
The sound of the Ológramma—the holographic television in the living room—rose a bit, pulling me out of my dark thoughts, and the sweet aroma of Mom’s herbal tea filled the air. She must have woken up. Soon, she would come to check if I had finished getting dressed. I turned to my closet and picked up the Crossing Day formal dress—a floor-length gown with short puffy sleeves, dazzling in its whiteness.
“Hurry, Lenora,” Mom snapped as she shoved my bedroom door open. “It’s almost eight. You can’t be late for your Crossing Day.""

Overall, The Crossing Gate is an amazing NA sci-fi/fantasy, and I could not put it down. I have to admit that I went in with reservations, considering this book isn't from a major publisher. Although there were some sections that could have been polished more, I really enjoyed reading this book At over 400 pages, this book is full of plot elements, impressive world-building, and action. One highlight of this book is the dystopian society the author created, which included plenty of flashy new technology and oppressive rules. I felt like I had been transported into a different world. I also loved the concept of adults in this world having three lines to mark them while juveniles have two. I thought that was genius. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA sci-fi/fantasy, I highly recommend checking out this book when it comes out in January!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Crossing Gate in exchange for an honest review.

This is a perfectly fine book, I'm just a bit upset that it started off feeling so unique but quickly shifts into a very standard, generic YA fantasy (which in all fairness, I should have realized was the end goal with a series title like "A Waltz of Sin and Fire").

In this strict dystopian society, 17-year-old Lenora Santos Evgenís can not grow up. Juveniles must walk through the mysterious Crossing Gate to become adults, receive their third parallel black ID line announcing the new phase of life and gain full knowledge of the world they live. After Leen's most recent attempt goes wrong due to unexplained dizziness, she gains the unwanted attention of the monarchy and is accused of trying to start an uprising. To avoid further suspicion she must follow the kingdom's laws perfectly. But, following the rules is harder than it seems, especially when Lenora begins experiencing love, a feeling not meant for those uncrossed into adulthood. As Lenora investigates her inability to cross, terrible secrets about her kingdom Elpax are uncovered and she comes to the realization that fighting the system may be the only way to keep everyone safe.

The description and cover of "The Crossing Gate" were the first two things to draw me in. I enjoyed the setting and a world with censorship I would hate to experience myself. It initially gave me "The Hunger Games," "The Giver" and "Divergent" vibes. But, it bothered me that Lenora was not able to comprehend a lot of concepts. While an important part of the plot, the writing came across more adolescent as a result. The dialogue is awkward and unnatural at times for this reason.

The romance, like many parts of this book feels disjointed and forced. Out of the two men presented to us as love interests, the best friend and the new guy, I have my reservations. Without getting into the specific details of the brewing love triangle, I think both boys are bad options and I'd like to see more healthy relationships depicted in YA stories instead. The reader also misses seeing these characters and by association, their relationships, develop due to time jumps. It lacks a depth I longed to see explored and would’ve helped emphasize the romantic feelings we are supposed to connect with. Currently it comes across as instant puppy love/lust, a personal pet peeve of mine.

I think it's also important to note that "The Crossing Gate" explores events and actions that may be triggering to some readers including sexual assault, rape, violence, suicidal thoughts, misogyny and abusive power dynamics. Themes featured include oppression, government control, survival and death.

This book has a lot of potential, but it didn't do it for me. Sometimes it was super fast-paced with way too many things thrown at the reader at once and other times it was incredibly drawn out with parts skipped over completely. There could’ve been better transitions to help the story feel more solid.

I’d like to see a less abrupt ending to the first installation. While this was most likely done because the story will be continued, it was unsatisfying for the time being. That said, I am interested in seeing where the author takes it next.

This had such a cool concept, and some really interesting ideas, but it felt like the author tried to fit too many things into one book and it felt very disjointed to me.

The characters were all also very unlikeable. They were impulsive, constantly jumping from one extreme to the next, and the men were particularly brutish; yelling, screaming, insulting others, and making threats at the drop of a hat. One of the main character's two love interests being the worst offender of this, and them both being manipulative, to boot.

The dialogue was also very awkward, and felt unnatural. There was no chemistry between any of the characters, and I felt that there was too much telling and not enough showing, so that a lot of things felt very abrupt, and the emotions and conclusions of the characters often felt very illogical to me.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me at 20%. The plot and world-building was interesting enough, but the actual characters and descriptions were poorly written. The dialogue was very clunky and disjointed and totally took me out of the scene. I was having to force myself through each chapter when I finally decided to DNF! It’s a bummer since this had a very interesting dystopian plot, but the writing felt too juvenile.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Absolute Author Publishing House for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book reminded me of many of my old favorites: Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched, and The Selection all mixed together.

The Crossing Gate is about a future society of people who have survived WW3 and now live under a strict ruling to prevent another war. The Crossing Gate itself is used to signify age. At birth you receive a black permanent line, at age 11 you get another and then when you are passing adolescence you are to go through the gate and become an "adult ". Lenora our seventeen year old MC has skipped going through the Crossing Gate three times and it goes terrible wrong the final time. Leen is accused of being a part of the rebellion. While on the run she meets a handsome guy and begins to unravel secrets the government has been hiding.

The concept is a little weird and jumbled at times but overall I enjoyed the writing and storytelling. I definitely got Red Queen and Delirium vibes. I liked Lenora's development and the secondary characters were interesting.

I do recommend this book to readers who enjoy dystopian fantasy books like the books above.

The concept of this book was so unique I just knew I had to read it.

This coming of age story is character driven, fast paced, and the perfect blend of sci-fi/distopian.
I absolutely loved the setting, it has the classic distopian feel with futuristic monitoring and censoring technology that just perfectly represents the totalitarian monarchy.

The characters are dynamic and vivid, it has been a long time since I haven’t been able to find a fault in a cast of characters.

10/10 I highly recommend.

* I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book.

This book had soo much potential. At the begging I was so intrigued about everything and was constantly loving everything that was going on. Plot wise I loved the book and I also liked the main character.
Now about the romance… I don’t know what to think. I hated one of the love interest and when we got rid of him, it turns out that he isn’t actually bad and that he is actually good. I am manifesting for a Bisexual main character!!!! She needs to end up with Alba!!!!!!!!

"Don't come back without a third line"
ΕΛΠΑΞ
"Something is cooking , Been, and it smells rotten!"
"There are eyes and ears everywhere, Lenora. It would do you good to heed caution before speaking radical words"
I would probably describe this book as a mix between "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" 's divisions and revolutionary standards and "Red Queen" power's discoveries...
It's a surprising dystopian plot, set in a world permeated by the ancient civilisations of Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Maya's empires.
It's own originality comes from the concept of the crossing gate separating the three most important phases of a person's life: childhood, teenager and adulthood.
Add to all of these a drop of ancient historical references with plot twists, emotions' acknowledgement and an intricate labyrinth of royal palace's rumours and you've just made an interesting story that, despite being quite predictable in certain times, it can also surprise you.
Our main character is a bit like every girl her age: insecure, curious and adventurous. She doesn't know her own limits... but then again, she never even experienced them.
People who are not always what they seem and relationships put to the test ... no doubt she doesn't know what to do.
There may also be a certain male character that caught my attention more than the others but that's for another day.
I really liked the writing style that made the whole plot more intriguing than it already was and it wasn't hard to get into.
It has all the potential to become an amazing story so I would not lie in saying that I look forward to reading the next book... because there is gonna be one ... and I'm really glad for it.
"May my soul rest in peace"
"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast the stone!"
"A state of emergency has been declared in the kingdom"