Toba - half mazik - brought to the other realm by Barsilay and Asmel. Staying in asmel’s castle.
Naftaly - son of a tailor, a bad tailor himself.
the inquisition tells all jews to convert or leave penniless. He leaves with a convoy, sees Toba disappear and stays with Tobas grandma, Elena and the old woman in a small town untill the next moon.
The book has two narrators Toba and Naftaly, both young I think around 20.
In the Toba part we follow her learning more about the Maziks and their magic and learning more about herself and what she can do.
Naftaly is accompanied by Elena and “The Old Woman” trying to find Toba and getting into trouble.
The book is truly incredible and the first Jewish fantasy book I’ve read. The worldbuilding is SO good and detailed. The book starts with a glossary of people, places and names which is very helpful following everything. The book has taken very real parts of history in the inquisition and the repeated forcing of Jews to convert. While the book is heavy and very sad at times, “The Old Woman” is the true star of jokes and one liners. Every character is so well fleshed out. I cannot wait for the next part of this series. The way this book sucked me in, was just stellar. A true 5 star read for me. The book has two delightful queer characters and hope to read more about them in the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the earc.

This new Jewish fairytale inspired fantasy is so good. It had me hooked from the beginning and I had to know how it ended. Now i can't wait for the next 2 books to come out! Very very good.
I just reviewed The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan. #ThePomegranateGate #NetGalley
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Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Erewhom Books for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Pomegranate Gate is an epic fantasy story that is rooted in Jewish folklore. The story is told from the perspective of the two main characters, Naftaly and Toba, each of whom must flee from their home after leaders of the Inquisition declare a choice between forced conversion or death against Jews in their land. This trip leads them on their path to an alternate land, accessed through a pomegranate gate, whose inhabitants are also experiencing a similar persecution. They also both leave with prized possessions, despite conflicting orders, and ultimately they learn how their stories interconnect.

This story is very intricate and detailed; the author truly created another universe that the reader could get lost in. Many of the elements of Jewish folklore mentioned were unfamiliar to me and I did find myself needing to look up what some of the terms meant but, I don’t think this took anything away from my reading experience and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn.

At times, I did feel that the story moved a bit slowly and overall, I would say it was a slow burn. It took a while to set everything up and move into some of the action but, I’m glad that I persisted and read on. The main benefit of this slow burn type story was that it made me feel very invested in the main characters and I felt like I was able to connect with them. Also, The ending was also set up well, in my opinion, and made me interested to know what would come for the characters.

I would recommend this book to fantasy readers, especially those with a lot penchant for folklore!

The Pomegranate Gate is an instantaneous favorite and one of the easiest five star reviews I have ever given. This first installment of the Mirror Realm Cycle was beautifully written and expertly executed. I could not put this down. I am already hungry for the next installment and I'm not quite sure how I can possibly wait to find out how this tale continues!

In synopsis: Toba and Naftaly make excellent hubs for this complex and exciting tale set in a mythical version of Spain at the apex of the Inquisition. When the order comes for the Jews of Rimon to convert or leave, Toba and Naftaly will be spurred onward towards a destiny neither of them could have ever imagined for themselves.

Ordered to forsake all possessions should they not wish to convert, Toba and Naftaly defy the Inquisition, each smuggling a priceless family heirloom out of Rimon and into the world beyond. When Toba's flight with her grandparents goes awry, it is she who stumbles through the gate in the pomegranate grove and into the world of the Mazik's. (A realm with an Inquisition of it's own. Arguably more deadly and dangerous than that of the human realm.) Meanwhile Naftaly, having witnessed her disappearance, is left behind to try to figure out what has happened and how to bring her back.

As both Toba and Naftaly work to navigate their way through the dangers of the mirror realm and the real world respectively, long kept secrets come to light. Their fates, inextricably tied together by decisions made generations ago, and the future of both realms hangs in the balance. And it is up to them to save them.

After finishing this novel, I can say without a doubt that I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. Ms. Kaplan has done an excellent job of presenting a thrilling and compelling tale with a fully fleshed out world and captivating characters that leave the reader hungry for more. The inclusion of so much Jewish culture and mythology is a refreshing addition to a genre that is too often dominated by the West. She has successfully brought to life a world that is both believable and fantastical, wonderful and dangerous. To Ms. Kaplan I must say, brava! I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

This was such a unique take with the fantasy genre, something that I started to feel was becoming repetitive, but this was exceptional. I loved the historical and fae element combos and I found the Jewish folklore to be intriguing. This was lovely and captivating.