Thank you Net Galley and kensington books for providing me with a copy of this book for a honest review.

“The Pomegranate Gate” follows Toba, a sickly girl alongside with her grandparents and Naftaly, a boy that suffers of dreams and illusions while they are all running away from the Inquisition because of being Jews. Through magical gates between pomegranate trees and magical worlds, they all have to run away from the royal power and survive.

I found the world building super original and unique. I’ve never quite read a book like it which is quite surprising to find in fantasy for me these days.

Majority of the characters were morally gray. I liked Toba as one of the main characters and I enjoyed seeing her growth. Naftaly is one of my favorite characters, I loved being in his head, his growth and his bravery throughout the story. I enjoyed the rest of the cast as well especially Barsilay. There were also two characters that I personally hated with all my heart, but to avoid spoilers I won’t name them.

The ending was crazy. The plot twist kept coming and there so many twist and turns all throughout the story.

The parts that lowered my rating are the middle of the book because the plot slowed down too much in my opinion and the world building got kind of confusing in some parts.

I recommend this if you’re into complex world buildings, magical worlds and multiple POVs

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This was one of my highly anticipated books of the year! And I can say that it did succeed my expectations. It was such a gorgeously plotted story. I love that it's weaves a story through several characters lives but in a very intriguing way. This is a very unique read and I can't wait to read the next one!

What a great read! I really, really liked this book. It started off a little slow, but at around 25% it really picks up and from then on I was fully invested.

We're given multiple POVs in this book, but the majority of it is Toba and Naftaly-- both were great characters and I enjoyed following them through this world. I will admit I found Toba's story more interesting for the majority of the book, but Naftaly definitely shines towards the end.

I loved the worldbuilding in this book, it was so dense and felt complete. The Jewish folklore and tradition woven into this fantasy were so compelling. I was constantly surprised by where the plot went, and I ended up loving the whole journey.

I do think that it was confusing at times and some plot lines were more complicated than necessary. There were multiple times where I would have to reread things to grasp what was going on. Partially, I think that was my not knowing a lot of the terms-- but thankfully there was a glossary at the end that explained every term that confused me.

I would definitely recommend this book and I can't wait for the second book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for this ARC!

Really liked that one !
It's a really good historical -inspired fantasy (Spanish Inquisition). You don't have to know Jewish folklore to read, but I would like to know more, quite liked that diversity. I adore Toba and Bet, but Naftaly was a little annoying character, so it's bot a 5 stars (but could be).

And that twist in the final chapter is killing me, I really hope it has a sequel !!!

So, when I received this book, I was so excited to start reading it. The summary sounded like it was right up my wheelhouse. But, as I was reading it, I found that I was having trouble following the plot and keeping everything straight in terms of the storyline and the characters. It felt like I was wading through mud as I was trying to make my way through this book. Now, it might just be the author's writing style and the way they've written the story. After a few chapters and feeling a bit stuck, I think I'm going to have to set this book aside unfinished for the time being, and perhaps come back to it at a later date.

I loved the idea of this book. The summary really dragged you in and I felt like I couldn't put it down! A really well done piece that I think deserves to be picked up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun reading this book. It’s an absolutely amazing fantasy, merging both jewish mythology and history. The prose flows smoothly and was incredibly beautiful. There’s not much more to say than I eagerly await the release of the sequel for this. Especially after the way this book ended.

Firstly, I am so delighted and lucky to be able to read this ARC. This is such a beautiful and wonderfully written book and the only downside is that I have to wait long(er) for the next instalment.

This has all the things that I want in a fantasy novel: magic, adventure, a little bit of romance, and inspiration from Jewish mythology. I loved everything about it. At first, I got overwhelmed by the glossary at the first few pages of the book, thinking that this is going to be a very serious, high fantasy novel but I enjoyed every moment of it. The author is a very good storyteller. The main characters are wonderfully written and contribute a lot to the story. The characters personalities are well developed and described and I am very invested on what would happen to them. The plot is interesting, it gets exciting and quick-paced by the halfway point, up until the end. The few last chapters blew me away. The integration of Jewish mythology was done wonderfully, I have had no knowledge before but now I am actually quite keen to read about Jewish mythology.

I highly recommend this book and I am really excited for the next part of the series.

Review
"The pomegranate gate" by Ariel Kaplan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Epic fantasy, multiple POVs, interesting magic system -> this is a good book, and it is rooted in jewish folklore!
This is definitely a must read for 2023!
Thank you @netgalley for providing this arc.

This story was quite the ride! It is from two main points of view: Toba and Naftaly. I liked Toba’s storyline a bit more than Naftaly’s, but I was eager to keep reading to see how their worlds would intersect. The writing was well done in that it kept you moving forward with wanting to figure out the unknowns. We got multiple twists throughout the story which kept things interesting. I found a few parts a bit confusing, particularly when keeping track of characters with multiple names. There were a lot of moving parts to keep track of at times, but it does all make sense as you go. You are left wanting to know what happens next and not having all of your questions answered, which means I will be looking out for the next installment!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Following Naftaly and Toba along on their journey as they fled their homes and persecution was a nail-biting experience. The alternate land they found themselves in through the pomegranate gate was rich and felt very well-developed. It was thrilling to see what happened next and how their lives were interconnected and with the other characters they met along the way. This was a world I easily got lost in. Ariel Kaplan writes stunning prose and created an enticing universe. It was also interesting to witness they ways Jewlish folklore was woven throughout the book. I definitely recommend The Pomegranate Gate for any lovers of folklore and fantasy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Erewhom Books for providing me with an ARC!

I must confess, I'm still not certain whether one should call this fantasy, or historical fiction, or contemplative fiction, or maybe magical realism.

In many ways, it felt like a darker, more sinister & serious, version of Encanto. But with a Jewish cast instead of Combian. And a lot less singing.

I might also suggest, if one is interested, reading this in combination with The Book Thief (similar in feel).

"So many she'd met believed that trials made you kinder, but really they just wore away at your character, leaving you covered in quills and hard edges."

"The Pomegranate Gate" is a fantasy novel that will transport you to a world of magic, mystery, and danger. The story follows Toba Peres, a young woman who can speak but not shout, sleep but not dream, and write with both hands at once. When Toba's family is forced to flee Spain during the Inquisition, she and her friend Naftaly Cresques find themselves caught up in a race against time to save a magical realm from destruction.

Kaplan's writing is witty and engaging, and she brings her characters to life with vivid detail. Toba and Naftaly are both likable and relatable, and their journey is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. The book is also full of Jewish folklore and history, which adds a unique and fascinating layer to the story.

If you're looking for a fantasy novel that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, then I highly recommend "The Pomegranate Gate." It's a book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading it, and leave you with a long book hangover.

thank you both to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of one of my most anticipated reads of 2023!

the pomegranate gate is a scream of a book, and fills a gap i've been missing wholeheartedly within my reading, which specifically is sefardic jewish literature. it's not shocking that white, american jewishness tends to get the most attention in books, and while we are seeing a lot more (wonderful) slavic and ashkenazi works coming out, the acknowledgement that jews are not just in eastern europe, america, or the middle east is amazing. we have always been everywhere, and will continue to be so, and fantasy that reflects that is amazing.

i want you to close your eyes and not look at the marketing of this book though because i feel like it does it a disservice. this book reminds me far less of katherine arden and naomi novik and far more of shannon chakraborty's work, specifically the city of brass series (especially kingdom of copper, which is my favourite in that series!) and i wonder why the publisher didn't make that comparison instead. the worldbuilding, especially of the mazik realm, is lush, detailed, and evocative, and also wholly jewish. even in the mortal world, the love for jewish culture and traditions (including religious ones!) is so fantastic to read, and was without a doubt my favourite part of the book.

this being said, i think there were some major areas for me that could have been subject to edits which would have made the book much stronger. while this is more subjective for me, certain characters plotlines and dilemmas felt disjointed or unnecessary. asmel specifically was incapable of communication with toba, to points where the reasons for this did not feel justified and instead were annoying, making it difficult to empathize with their relationship or get any sense these characters had a bond. there is a specific character who i will not say too much about, but whose goals and treatment from the narrative felt entirely out of line with where the character ended up in the final 10% of the book, while many other plotlines seemed to be set up and lead to nowhere. naftaly, too, felt entirely irrelevant until the last 80% of the book, and many of the plotlines in the mortal world felt like backdrop instead of like they were being invested in. the inquisition and their struggle to pengoa felt like an afterthought, around the 50% mark, which was really disappointing as it was something i was looking forward to most. i believe many of these problems could be fixed by giving the characters more tangible relationships and showing us their individual personalities instead of relying on comparisons to one another, especially for the unnamed character i mentioned previously, because there is times where this is done perfectly. naftaly and barsilay, for example, have a subplot which feels natural and entirely bonded, and i want to see that more with other characters rather than simply being told they talked.

i'm sitting somewhere on the fence between a 3.75 and a 4.25 for this book, which i will probably have to sit with for some time and mull over the plot before i feel i can make a more public post than my goodreads. thank you once again to the publisher for this arc!

• 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 •
Jewish mythology is the foundation of the epic fantasy novel The Pomegranate Gate. The two main characters, Naftaly and Toba, who are both forced to leave their homes because Inquisition officials threaten Jews in their country with forced conversion or death, tell the tale from their respective points of view. This journey takes them to a different country, entered through a pomegranate gate, whose citizens also suffer from the same kind of oppression. Despite contradictory commands, they both leave with valued belongings and eventually discover how their stories are related. The author really did build a whole realm that the reader could get lost in; this novel is highly rich and comprehensive. The tale did seem to go a little slowly at times, and overall, I'd say it was a slow burn. It took some time to set up and get into the action, but I'm pleased I stuck with it and read on. The biggest advantage of this slow-burning style of story was that it let me develop a strong attachment to the main characters and a sense of empathy for them. Additionally, I thought the conclusion was well-set up and piqued my curiosity about what would happen to the characters. I'd suggest this book to fantasy lovers, especially those who enjoy folklore a lot!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Erewhom Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an E-Arc of this book!!

I have conflicting opinions on this book, but for the most part, I enjoyed it! Right off the bat, I think this book is very reminiscent of Spinning Silver meets The City of Brass, & I think it represented folklore & history beautifully, & at times tragically. This book was an incredibly slow-moving story with little central plot to direct it. Sometimes that worked really beautifully & effortlessly, while other times, the pacing struggled to keep me invested. The characters were very interesting. However, it felt like it was constantly leading to reveals that never really fully came. Almost causing the characters to fall flat in some ways. In many ways, this book feels like a prequel to what is going to come next, & I’m interested to see where this trilogy goes, but at the same time worry that this book on its own didn’t do enough to capture my attention & by the time the next book comes out, I’m unsure of if I will be continuing or not.

The writing of this story was gorgeous, with folkloric prose that lent itself to a fairy-tale atmosphere. However, as pleasing as this was to the eyes, it made me feel like an observer several stages removed from the characters. I struggled to connect with them in the same way that I don't feel much for characters in Brothers Grimm stories, knowing that they are moreso a vehicle for the meaning of the story than people who might actually exist. I did really enjoy the Jewish influences on the story, and was appreciate of how my culture was woven into the fabric of the narrative and celebrated as something magical and beautiful. However, none of this was enough for me to feel truly connected to the characters, which is my main criteria for liking or not liking a book.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- unfortunately, i did not find myself enjoying this story. the plot itself wasn’t bad, and could be really engaging, but the time period in the story jumped around so much that i got whiplash trying to understand what was going on. additionally, the writing style furthered this disjointed narrative by describing the events of the story with either lackluster detail or dumping of information, which really confused me.

- it was unfortunate that i did not enjoy this story, as it has potential. the writing style just drew me out of enjoying it.

Wow. What an incredible work! I have not enjoyed a book as much as this one in quite a time! Richly woven and steeped in Judaic culture, I was enthralled and delighted by the story and customs, and I deeply wish others would have the courage to include the Judaic culture without fearing censure in such an antisemitic world.
The characters were well crafted, and seemed alive and very much their own entities, not following a script at all. Barsiley was my favourite, as I'm sure was intended, and his character was well faceted.
I do have to say I wasn't a fan of the gay relationship that started to show itself in the second half of the book, but I am grateful that it did not develop outright. I don't really wish to follow that further if the author intends to pursue that in more detail. I thought their friendship was excellent and simple, awkward but trusting, and did not think it had to veer towards the romantic-- heaven knows, there's not enough healthy, platonic friendships between men in media or literature.
But that aside, I was smitten by the craftsmanship of the world, the characters, and the settings. There were a lot of questions left unanswered, but I anticipate their answer in the coming books.
I also appreciated the disclosure at the start to the book regarding sensitive content. I was appropriately for-warned!

I really wanted to finish the book but it just put me in a slump! I was excited to read it based on the description but it just felt like a long boring essay I had to write instead.