i wish i liked fantasy, but i haven’t found a book i click with. this story was interesting but i found myself feeling like it was a chore to get through

Thank you to the author Ariel Kaplan, publishers Kensington Books and Erewhon Books, and TLC Book Tours, for an advance paperback copy of THE POMEGRANATE GATES. Thank you also to NetGalley for an accomanying widget. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The style of the writing is really beautiful! She gives just enough detail, which creates a lovely pace, contemplative and yet comfortably swift, like riding in a boat along a river of her words!

2. I love Naftaly's character trajectory, that he is a dream walker with his father, and the tragedy this leads to for him is staggering! A great turn for the character and the story.

3. I love how she writes the character with visions. It's not stuffed with ableist language and stigma, just the very functional observations that if others knew about his visions, they could misjudge him. Try to thwart his freedom. Excellent writing!

4. These skills are fantastic! This girl can translate the same passage into Italian with one hand and Arabic with the other hand simultaneously!🫨

5. I love the shade character, and I'm really interested to see where it goes in Kaplan's capable hands.

6. Magical Spontaneous Creation of Animal Life? Omg now that is cool. Can't wait to see where this goes!

7. I'm a huge fan of the glossary at the back of the book and the extensive use of Yiddish in the text. This elevates the difficulty, I think, but also the reward level of the read.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I'm not a giant fan of giving the cast at the beginning of the book. None of the information relates to the rest, or anything, for the matter, making it impossible to remember. It makes me feel like I'm having a huge cast thrown at me all at once.

2. Honestly, there are a lot of great things about this book, but I got lost a third of the way through. I pushed through to the end because I kept hoping I would find my way and re-engage with the material, but I never did. I finished with a murky idea of what I'd read after a certain point of the storyline.

Rating: 🪄🪄🪄.5 magical skills
Recommend? Yes
Finished: Sep 15 '23
Format: Advance hardback, SMPI, Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
✨️ magical skills
🧙 character driven story
🦄 fantasy
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 large cast

This book took me completely by surprise. Kaplan creates an intriguing, unique magic system that combines Jewish mythology with a version of Arabian mythology set in a fantastical version of Spain during the time of the infamous Spanish Inquisition and expulsions of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. Kaplan includes so much political intrigue and a large, yet unique and fully developed, cast of characters with relationship reveals that subvert expectation. Kaplan kept me fully engaged and made me eager to read the sequel as soon as I can get my hands on it.

This is a relatively enjoyable YA read with nicely developed characters. Was impressed by the writing, especially the plot development!

This story is set during the Spanish Inquisition and features Jewish protagonist. It is the beginning of a fantasy trilogy highlighting Jewish mythology and tradition. Jewish tradition and mythology are deeply embedded in the story. There is a glossary and a list of characters and places, which helps the reader keep track of the many characters and places mentioned. There are a number of “gate cities” and gates between the “real” world and the mirror world of the Maziks, and the titular Pomegranate Gate is one of the gates. Toba and Naftaly are two young people fleeing the Inquisition and they both have connections to the Maziks, although they don’t initially know this. The world-building was terrific.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book!

In The Pomegranate Gate Kaplan builds two parallel worlds. One is based on Inquisition-era Spain. The other, realm of the semi-immortal Maziks, is far more fantastical, and is inspired by Jewish folklore and mysticism. Jews faintly remember Maziks, but as old wives’ tales, except for the humans with intermixed bloodlines who retain traces of magic. Passage between the worlds comes through a gate in a magical pomegranate grove during the full moon. Maziks cannot survive in the human world after the moon sets, but humans can live in either.

The novel’s world-building is rich and fully developed. The complexity of the conspiracies and betrayals will keep readers guessing. A secretive Inquisition-like institution manipulates Mazik kings and society even more disturbingly than the historical one. The plot involves drawing two humans into these poisonous politics, along with the mysterious heirlooms they possess, an amulet and a book, to save this immortal realm from self-destructive autocracy. As the first of a trilogy, the ending leaves some plot elements unresolved.

The two main characters, Toba and Naftaly, are humans with Mazik connections they do not understand. They are both endearingly quirky and faulty. For example, “Naftaly was a tailor…somewhat lacking in his ability to perform basic tasks, such as sewing in a straight line. His father insisted he would improve. It did not seem to matter much to the trajectory of his life that he had not done so…What he wanted, more than anything, was to be a help to his parents rather than a hindrance, but he’d failed rather spectacularly in that regard.” Being heroic is the last thing either would expect of themselves, and yet both win over other characters’ loyalties and the reader’s heart.

This trilogy will appeal most to readers who recognize its clever uses of Jewish lore, but it’s top-notch for all readers of historical fantasy.

I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a slower pace. I liked the mystery in the magical realm and the Jewish folklore included inn the story. I wish it had moved faster and kept my attention a bit better.

This was a really compelling and beautifully written tale with a great setting and well drawn characters. I thought the character interactions were fabulous, particularly between Barsilay and Naftaly, Naftaly and the Old Woman and Toba Bet and Asmel. There was a lot going on plot-wise, but the narrative was clear and the author did a good job at keeping everything neatly packaged. Similarly, there is a lot of political intrigue, both in the human and the Mazik realms and I feel that this will continue to expand over the course of book 2. Overall, I found this to be an original and entertaining read and I will definitely be picking up the sequel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"The Pomegranate Gate" is the first in a series of an epic fantasy that is inspired by Jewish folklore. It takes place in Seafarad, which is a mythical version of Spain during the time of the inquisition. This is a portal fantasy as the main character Toba accidentally goes through a magical gate and arrives into another world. She meets Naftaly who is protecting a magical book (passed down in his family) that he is not allowed to read. The two of them go on many adventures together.
My favorite aspect of this book is the found family and the character development. The backstory added to my love of the characters. The magic system was intriguing as well.
The prose was well done, but the pace was a bit slow for me and the book was a bit long. I wanted to know what would happen next, but it just took awhile for it to get there.
My thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

DNF because it wasn't holding my attention, but I may try again as an audiobook at a later date.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc. I look forward to reading more.

I did not finish at about 30%, I just couldn't stay engaged in the story. The premise seemed promising and I hope others enjoy it.

I think this is an underrated book that more people should read. There are less than 1k reviews on goodreads and it was pretty good!! Is it the best adult fantasy I've read? No. But I still immensely enjoyed it and think more people should read it. Again, I wish books would be shorter though. I swear, every book I look at is over 450 pages when they definitely don't need to be. I understand that fantasies are different, but still.

I fell in love with pomegranates, both the fruit and its depictions, while in Israel in 2018. I wound up buying a set of Shabbat candlesticks engraved with pomegranates along with some artwork while we were there. Also, one of my sons lives in Los Angeles and his neighbor has a pomegranate tree - and we recently got to sample one right from the tree! So when I saw a fantasy book called The Pomegranate Gate, which imagines a fantasy-Spain during the Inquisition and featuring Jewish protagonists, I jumped at the chance to read it. The length of the book (almost 600 pages) intimidated me a bit, but I finally settled down to both read and listen to it (audiobooks are the best!) and I was not disappointed. I got absorbed in the complex story line quickly.

The Pomegranate Gate is an intriguing beginning to an expected fantasy trilogy highlighting Jewish mythology and tradition. It imagines not only an alternate/ fantasy Spain (Sefarad) during the Inquisition (late 1400s) but also a mirror realm. The portions of the story set in the “real” world could be considered magical realism, which is one of my favorite genres, but the mirror world features Maziks, who look mostly human but are not mortal and have extensive magical powers, making this more a “high fantasy” story.

Jewish tradition and mythology are deeply embedded in the story. There is a glossary and a list of characters and places, which helps the reader keep track of the many characters and places mentioned. (It still was a bit hard to keep them all straight.) A little knowledge of Hebrew (even just a smidge of “prayer book Hebrew”) will enhance things, but isn’t necessary. For example, there’s a character referred to as Adon Sof’rim, which translates to Lord of Books. There are references to mikveh, tzitzit and other Jewish traditions and practices along the way.

There are a number of “gate cities” and gates between the “real” world and the mirror world of the Maziks, and the titular Pomegranate Gate is one of the gates. Toba and Naftaly are two young people fleeing the Inquisition and they both have connections to the Maziks, although they don’t initially know this. Some of the side characters are wonderful, especially the woman only referred to as “the old woman.” She is feisty and funny. The world-building was terrific.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did a great job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

The Pomegranate Gate was an interesting read. I stayed interested in the storyline through the whole book but it felt dragged out and too long. It could have been shortened. I liked Toba's character but once Toba Bot came again I preferred her. Naftaly's character was okay. He felt his character building was lacking. I am not sure what else I could say because this was a good book, but it could have been shorter.

I will probably continue with the series or at least read the next book because the ending of The Pomegranate Gate indicated the real action will be in book 2.
Thank you Erewhon Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of The Pomegranate Gate.

I really wanted to enjoy this. It sounds exactly like the kind of book that I would really connect with. For some reason I just could not connect with the world and characters.

I genuinely believe this is an issue with myself, and much less with the book itself. I will say the beginning of the book is complex but no more so than The Night Circus or The Starless Sea. The prose is lyrical and gorgeous, but I never felt the desire to continue reading the book. It was far too easy to put down, and for that reason I did not finish it.

I definitely think this will find its audience, especially those who enjoy atmospheric “vibey” kind of books. I’m hopeful that I will be able to give this another chance at some point, and if I do I will update my review.

3/5 stars for the beauty and prose

It was a good read full of complexities. I just feel it was a little predictable and it is hard to move on from that. But thar is just my opinion.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, and I was absolutely devastated that it took me so long to get to it! I was hoping it would meet my expectations, which were pretty high for this story. But seriously, how could they not be? An Inquisition-era fantasy with Jewish folklore sounds right up my alley.

To start with, this is the kind of slow-paced book that I don’t mind. It gives me time to savor all of the complex aspects of the world-building, the storyline, and the incredibly detailed geopolitical aspects of both the Sefarad and the magical world behind the Pomegranate Gate. Unlike many other series I’ve read, where each book has its own individual plot with an overarching theme or mega-plot to tie them together, this one gave the impression of having the plot spread out over multiple books, so that this is more like Act I of a multi-act play. It makes it difficult to judge the plot fully, but I loved seeing how it developed and I wonder where it is going to go next.

It was so easy for me to get attached to the characters. Toba has spent her entire life being unwell, and is used to her limitations, although they frustrate her. It isn’t until she’s in a scary situation that she realizes how dangerous they can be. But the situation leads her to pass through the Pomegranate Gate, where she’s thrust into a new kind of danger—a land full of politics and magic that she knows nothing about. Naftaly is descended from a long line of tailors, but he doesn’t have the gift for it, yet is forced into the trade nonetheless. His talent lies in dreaming, instead. When he sees Toba go through the gate, he tries to follow, but can’t. So he tries to find her in dreams, yet keeps encountering the same mysterious man.

We’re introduced to two mirrored worlds—one that is basically just a fictional version of Inquisition-era Spain, where the Jewish population, who has lived there for hundreds of years, has been given the option of converting to Catholicism or leaving Spain and all of their belongings (including all of their money), of course. Even the converted Jews weren’t above suspicion, and were often in just as much danger as they were before. The other world is a magical world full of Maziks, a race of Fae-like creatures who have magic and can be identified by their square-pupiled eyes. There’s an Inquisition-like event happening in this world as well, and it was so interesting to learn about this new world.

Jewish fantasy books have been few and far between, although recent years have seen a few published. This is one of the most Jewish that I’ve seen, with the representation threaded throughout the entire story, so that it becomes impossible to separate the story from its Jewishness. From the names (the character names are common Jewish names), to the setting (Inquisition-era persecution of Jews), to the way the characters say Hashem instead of God, and even to the way words are pluralized with the suffixes -im or -ot instead of adding an “s” at the end of the word. It was also fascinating to learn about Sephardic folklore and history, since that isn’t as well-represented in books and especially fantasy.

I adored this story. Normally, slow-paced books aren’t my thing, but this one allowed me time to process everything that was being presented in the story. The world-building is a bit complex with the two worlds and the world-building, and the differing experiences of Toba and Naftaly. I enjoyed the author’s use of humor and found myself laughing while reading, the queer slow-burn subplot, having my heartstrings tugged on, my Jewish soul nourished, and my nails bitten to the quick after a cliffhanger ending that is making me desperate for a sequel to come out soon.

There are books that are pretty good, and there are books that are captivating beyond the point of understanding. "The Pomegranate Gate" is definetly the second type. Although I need to mark that I took a four months long break from reading (without particular reason, certainly not a problem of the book itself), so my opinion is partially based on trust in this story. Coming backto it after such period of time made catching with the plot harder – but, gods, if Ariel Kaplan can't serve, I am a Queen of England. Despite the break, despite months that passed, I was brought into this world again quicker than a thunder. It's magical. It's not afraid to take a long moment to unravel, but every stage is mesmerizing. The characters are great, they complement the world-building and vice versa. And the story - the story is so original, so different, and yet not overcomplicated, it's impossible to resist its charm. I loved it very dearly and regret a bit not reading it sooner.

The Pomegranate Gate was a really enjoyable book, particularly for those who enjoy a slower paced novel. This book began a bit mysterious, constantly wondering about the importance of the tiniest things. I am unsure how much of the mystic-ness of this book is from Jewish folklore compared to the author's imagination, but I was enthralled by it. The pacing bored me a bit, but the mystery behind the magical realm kept me going. That all being said, I sometimes felt confused about the timing of the story overall, and I struggled to keep track of what was happening when. I think this may be because I was listening to the audiobook, and I was getting distracted.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.