That was a lot of fun! And "fun" is what I am actually looking for these days. Fast-paced plot, some action, some mythology, and maybe snappy dialogue. I picked this book up expecting a nice urban fantasy and it delivered. I was not cheated, thus four stars.

I read this with the B2Weirdos and it was a great read! I enjoyed it and pre-ordered book 2. I loved Emiko and the story. Will definitely read more from these authors!

I DNF'd at 25%

There was nothing wrong with the writing at all, but I really struggled to get in to the story and found myself skimming. I consider this a soft DNF, I might try to pick this up again at a future point because I was intrigued by the concept.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was epically fantastic!!! I can’t believe I waited this long to pick up Ebony Gate and am 100% kicking myself! I was hyped from page 1 and read the entire book in 1 sitting! Counting down the days until book 2 is in my hands!

Thank you so much Tor Books for the gifted copy!

This was a fun action forward urban fantasy. I enjoyed the characters, the battle scenes and overall the writing. Personally found the pacing a little off, and there was a lot of exposition in the middle but a strong ending and could see this making an excellent TV series.

3.5/5✨

First, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ebony Gate follows Emiko, an ex-enforcer/assassin for her family’s magical clan. Estranged from her family and determined to remake her life, she finds herself exactly back where she started: ankle-deep in her family’s mess (specifically, tied in a blood debt with a shinigami…)

My favorite part of this book was that it surprised me. While it was initially a little hard to get into with a good amount of worldbuilding and cultural intricacies, once I got into the story, it was thoroughly enjoyable. The magic system in this was not necessarily new, but definitely intriguing. Emiko grew on me as a character the more I read, and I liked that as someone in her family without magic, she still had her own strengths.

Although there was so much I enjoyed about this book, it definitely felt like exactly what it was: the first book in a series (a.k.a a setup book). Also, while I was reading the book, I felt fully immersed, but a few weeks out from having completed the book, I’ve already begun to forget some of what happen. That being said, I’m excited to get into the next book and see what happens next!

I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a more urban fantasy with east asian mythology, a badass female main character, and lots of action.

Just realized I hadn’t published my review here, and book 2 is almost out already so here goes! I absolutely loved this book. Emiko Soong is our weary albeit stab-happy, double sword wielding reluctant hero who's trying to just get on with her life after the trauma of losing herself to her work as a Blade for her clan, despite being kept in the dark about her Talent in a world that values Talents over almost anything.

Although she's done her best to keep to herself after distancing herself from her family, she builds connections with her new community in San Francisco, looking out for folks as they look out for her. When a death god calls in a favor that her mom owed, she steps in to fulfill the blood debt and recover the stolen Ebony Gate or forfeit her soul in its stead.

Emiko's many layered traumas, dissonance about them and everyone’s reluctance to see her as anything but the Butcher of Beijing are a double edged sword that cuts in all ways. Her exhaustion comes through in so much of her self-doubt, even as her innate and trained badassness never lets her just give up.

I really enjoyed the incorporation of various East Asian myths as well as the magical system with eight dragon clans whose members had varying Talents… AND this 2 day action-filled adventure took place around San Francisco and the Bay Area (my US hometown) which was lovely and immediately made me want to go back to all the landmarks mentioned! Bao, the magical foo lion sidekick was also a fave and I want to see all the artist renderings there are of him. Reading this book definitely made me want to get swords! STAT.

This story reminded me of how hard it is to leave family business/drama, especially when it’s a big family. You can get dragged back into that mess before you know what’s what. It’s action filled, with interesting and funny characters and a hidden layer that just piqued my interest consistently. I’m eager to read the next installments and find out if the hoard remains protected. Special shoutout to the city’s magic sentience which I’m also eager to see more of! I can't wait for book 2!

Thank you to B2 Weird for including me on the tour, and to Tor Books and the authors for a finished copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

So I did end up DNF-ing this title, however!! That's because it turns out that urban fantasy may not be the right genre for me. That's not at all because there is anything about this book that's not to love. Quite the contrary! It's got fantastic worldbuilding, I loved Vee's integration of mythology into said worldbuilding and the prose is beautiful and engaging. I just wasn't personally vibing with it. But if urban fantasy inspired by mythology is your jam, I 100% recommend checking out EBONY GATE!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

3.5 stars

The Ebony Gate is an action-packed urban fantasy that weaves Chinese mythology into modern San Francisco. The world-building was fascinating and Emiko is an engaging main character. However, the pacing in this book is a mess, especially in the second half.

After fleeing from her role as the Blade of her prominent magical family, Emiko has found a new life in San Francisco. Burdened by actions in her past she is a bit of a lone wolf. Emiko is a snarky and engaging main character. She is knowledgeable about the world around her but has little personal experience with magic. I did find her motivations and behaviors a bit inconsistent. She repeatedly claims that she is trying to move beyond her reputation as the Butcher. And yet she is quick to lean into the notoriety the title brings her.

It was nice to see Emiko forced to trust other people after doing her best to keep people at a distance. There are quite a few entertaining side characters. However, the story doesn't always balance her relationship with different groups of people well. There are long periods where some characters are completely irrelevant and not even mentioned. Though the plot threads were mostly returned to, it left the story feeling a bit jumbled and disconnected at times.

I was really engaged with the frantic search for the Ebony Gate and I appreciated how it took the story across many different parts of the city. However, the resolution of the plot is ridiculously drawn out. There are so many random obstacles that pop up right before Emiko is about to find the gate. They aren't even plot twists. In fact, the mystery of who stole the gate is barely even a mystery because Emiko suspects them immediately. The last quarter of the book is just filled with annoying delays that add little to the plot. This dragged-out conclusion killed my enjoyment of the book and left me desperate for it to finally wrap up. I blame a lot of the pacing issues on the decision to set a two-day time limit for the task. It creates tension but also feels unrealistic.

The Ebony Gate is an excellent example of urban fantasy. I loved how the rich history of the clans intertwined with modern society. I am curious about the next books in the series but the flat conclusion of this opening installment was a disappointment.

It's been a while since I read this--got caught up in studying for the bar exam and took me a while to come back to this--so this review is a mini-review in bullet format!
Things I loved
- Incorporation of various East Asian mythologies
- Eight clans and individuals with various Talents, ranging from elemental abilities to mind manipulation (seriously a cool magic system)
- Urban fantasy with some portal fantasy elements, as some clan dealings take place in a separate realm
- Emiko's deadpan sarcasm and the fact that she is simultaneously exhausted and a badass. She's got a traumatic past and honestly just needs a break, but that doesn't mean she can't gut a bad guy if needed
- Fun side characters, including an amusing death god, the fashionable and competent Fiona, and the surprisingly-deeper-than-he-seems Freddy
- Recurring themes of destiny, loyalty, and choice
- Bao, a magical foo lion! I am always here for animal companions, and he is a Very Good Boy

Things I wasn't as keen on:
- Something weird happened with the pacing here--the book full of action, and yet was also incredibly slow for the mere two days it spanned? It was like time had no real meaning. I can't explain what it was exactly, but it didn’t quite work, and it hurt my experience of the book a lot.
- Some kind of weird romance elements (pushing close to a love triangle at points) that weren't *bad* per se, but felt out of place among the rest of the narrative

All told, this book faltered on its pacing, but its cool magic and kickass heroine redeemed it--and given how beautiful the cover for book 2 is, I will definitely need to check out the sequel.

Note: the blog link attached below will go live on January 25, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!~

When I initially requested this ARC, I was intoxicated by the concept. Shinigami in a modern day world? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I don't feel like this book delivered on what I was expecting. I will still be recommending this as we do have some badass characters and plot lines, but I felt like the pacing just didn't work for me. Far too slow of a beginning and I left with a lot of questions. I would definitely pick-up another book from this author though.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy! I was very excited to get to read this book.

I think the concept is so intriguing, and I went into the book with high hopes. However, I unfortunately had to DNF this because I didn't personally enjoy the writing and it got in the way of the world building/lore for me. The fight scenes felt repetitive to me, and I didn't see much variation in the descriptive language used throughout the portion of the book I read.

I might revisit this in the future and try it again, but at the moment it just isn't for me.

ok but if my mother signs me up to answer a Blood Debt with a damn Shinigami without telling I'd be pissed asf. Especially since she don't even be talking to me like that??

Firstly this cover is gorgeous and I just saw the one for Book 2 and I can't wait to read that one as well. Ebony Gate was a delightful surprise, I loved Emiko from the minute I discovered she was sword wielder and she was funny too ! You know who was also very funny, the Shinigami like I live for an immortal being who casually creates chaos because they can.

I can't wait to see how the world is expanded upon in book 2 and I hope we get more about the families and their powers <spoiler> and also more of whatever Emiko and the blond had going on </spoiler>

Emiko has escaped her life as the clan blade/assassin and is trying to find a new life away from clan politics and drama in San Francisco. But when an old debt comes calling, she is dragged back into the her former life and find herself fighting to find her new place in the world.

This took me a while to get into, but I ended up really enjoying it. It is action filled and has a characteristic but fun cast of characters. The world building slowly comes together pulling elements of a spectrum of Asian mythology and the fight to stay hidden within a non-magical society. There are pieces that could have been revealed sooner to help move the story along, specifically the city magic seemed to come out of nowhere. I loved Emiko's grumpy energy contrasted with some of the more fun and silly characters. The characters are all versions of well known archetypes so I can easily see this being adapted into a TV show or a movie. I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing Emiko come into herself even more.

Thank you to Tor Books and the authors for the gifted copy.

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

These are the times I wish GR let us do half a star, because this is firmly 2 & 1/2 stars for me.

<b>The Good</b>
*By the end, I was intrigued by the world-building
*There were some very fun action sequences

<b>The Bad</b>
*I didn’t really come to care about any of the characters - in fact, the most likable character, for me, was the lion (he’s not a dog!)
*A lot of the action was a little unbelievable in that superhero movie sort of way, which like - I guess that essentially these are “Superhero-esque” people - so this gripe might be a case of me not being the target audience for this book
*But if this was really just an action book, it went on for WAY TOO LONG - it’s like, you either gotta give me some plot and character development to tide me over, or you just need to be all action all the time, y’know?

<b>The Ugly</b>
*The first 10% of the book or so was just entire lore-dumping into my brain. No really example or “showing” instead of telling, just straight lore dump - it was so much, all at once, that it was really hard for me to keep everything straight or for me to even know what the hell was really going on
*To me, Emiko was not really a relatable main character, and she had the suspicious air of being a woman MC written by a man - I could be entirely wrong, there are two authors to this book, but… It just got my spidey senses going… iykyk

I hate to say it, but I could probably be suckered in to reading the second book. And maybe some of the complaints I have above would get better with a second installment, especially if most of the lore-dumping is now done and out of the way. Overall it’s one of those cases where I don’t think I could recommend it, per se, but it wasn’t a wholly terrible book.

In fact, I like it enough that I rounded up and not down, so that’s gotta count for something, right?

Desde que terminé con la saga de los Huesos Verdes ha quedado un hueco en mi corazón que solo se puede ir rellenando con nuevas historias de Fonda Lee, pero sigo a la búsqueda de otra fantasía urbana que pueda encantarme. Ebony Gate, sin llegar al nivel de lo anterior, me ha hecho pasar un rato divertido y trepidante y tiene mimbres para ser algo más, ya veremos cómo lo acaban desarrollando Julia Vee y Ken Bebelle.


Ebony Gate es una fantasía urbana donde predomina la acción con una protagonista muy atractiva y un mundo que dan ganas de explorar. La definen como un John Wick femenino, pero es una comparación un tanto reduccionista, sobre todo porque obvia el mundo fantástico que cohabita con nuestra realidad habitual en el que tiene lugar la historia.

El libro se desarrolla en la ciudad de San Francisco, donde vive la gente “normal” desconocedora de la existencia de las familias “mágicas” y los miembros de estas ocho familias, cada uno con poderes diferentes. Me gustan mucho las referencias a mitologías orientales, especialmente japonesa, algo que nos enmarca en una aventura un tanto diferentes. También recuerda un poco a la obra anteriormente mencionada de Fonda Lee por la presencia de clanes mafiosos que luchan por el control de la ciudad.

La protagonista es Emiko Soong, que lleva unos años retirada de su labor como Filo de su familia, una labor que le valió el título de La Carnicera de Beijing. Pero los lazos de sangre son más fuertes que su deseo de una vida tranquila, así que se verá de nuevo arrastrada a la acción cuando un shinigami reclame su ayuda mediante un pacto de sangre.

Las escenas de acción son abundantes y están estupendamente narradas. Desde el comienzo fulgurante que nos servirá para conocer a Emiko, como el resto de sus numerosos enfrentamientos con enemigos de lo más variopinto, durante todos los capítulos veremos trepidantes luchas, descritas de una manera muy cinematográfica.

El “misterio” que ha de resolver la protagonista, por el contrario, tiene una solución bastante previsible y es quizá uno de los puntos flojos del libro. La búsqueda de la Ebony Gate del título se antoja un tanto casual y dirigida a bandazos, una excusa para exponer a Emiko a todo tipo de situaciones peliagudas. Pero también es cierto que nos servirá para conocer sus motivaciones y su pasado, su buen fondo y su deseo de mejora.

El sistema mágico también se adapta muy bien a un libro orientado hacia el combate, con 8 o 9 dragones exiliados del mundo mágico cuyos descendientes humanos son capaces de utilizar distintos tipos de magia. Es lo suficientemente completo como para dar mucho juego y a la vez se simplifica como para no maniatar a los autores.

Recomiendo Ebony Gate si buscas una fantasía urbana rápida y sin muchas pretensiones, entretenida y absorbente.

This book was awesome, really hit a window of urban fantasy I haven't seen and I learned as much as I also enjoyed the action