I hear assassin and I’m in. This was definitely an intriguing story. I’m becoming a fan of Urban fantasy for sure. I like that twist in a genre. I liked the action and the Asian influences. The narration was also pretty good. I want to give this another listen so I can do a more in depth review.

I love this! This reminded me a lot of the CW's Kung Fu, just with more mystical monsters. I really liked Emiko as a character. She's flawed due to her Butcher of Beijing background, but not stupid when it comes to fortifying her home. There are excellent side characters and a lion that is activated from a jade pendant - how cool is that?!

There are some areas that I think could be improved. It felt like the authors dropped the reader into the middle of this world and didn't do a great job of explaining things. The sword, for example. It has a name and they said what type it is, but there's no description of what it should look like. What's the blade like? Is it long or short, straight or curved? Are they actual dragons and have a shifter form?

There is a bit of Japanese used throughout the book. For those who are reading Ebony Gate, it shouldn't be a problem to look up a translation, but it was a bit of a struggle to figure out what was being said when there was no context added. It didn't hinder the listening of the book, but readers should be aware that they might need to put in a little work if they want to understand everything.

The narrator, Natalie Naudus, has officially become one of my favorite narrators. She does an excellent job, though the lowered voice on the flashbacks made it heard to hear. I get what they're trying to do, but it doesn't come across well on audio because you literally can't hear it.

I highly recommend this book to Avatar: The Last Airbender fans. It's got the kung fu-like motions found in bending, use of elements, and clans/tribes. I will definitely be picking up the next one in the 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.

On the Narrator: The narrator was thoroughly engaging and did a way better job at pronouncing names and other languages than I ever would.

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

I was so excited to dive into this book especially because these authors are local PNW authors and have visited my store before! They are so nice!

I loved all of the John Wick vibes in this story and the mythology you get to experience while reading this book! I highly recommend this book!

An interesting story, although it suffered from some issues with pacing that hampered my enjoyment. However, the world and city that it built was quite interesting, and felt alive in its own right. The narrator was wonderful and made this worth finishing, even if the story dragged a bit at times. I’m

3.5/5 stars

Ebony Gate was an interesting read that I ended up nearly DNF'ing. The characters ended up 'winning' and then being thwarted several times over. It was probably intended to showcase the perseverance and tenacity of the main character, Emikom but it came across a conveniences for the other side. I never felt like the other side was all that much more intelligent or powerful.

The magic system was interesting and reminiscent of Green Bone Sage in terms of relying on "hoard gifts and relics" which wasn't a bad thing. It stood apart enough to be familiar but not a copy of.

Overall, this was a quick read and I'll continue the series because I did enjoy the ending. The audiobook was incredible. Natalie Naudus does an incredible job.

Overall, well done. The premise is interesting and the back-story is enough to understand the MC’s arc but not so much to slow the story. One character seemed to be a poorly executed red-herring or a poor attempt at romance, but otherwise the characters were well-drawn.

The redemption arc felt a bit rushed, but that may be more about the length than the story itself.

I enjoyed the blending of folktales and a new world.

Overall a solid read

If you like John Wick or unrelentless action, this is the series for you. I wanted and needed more world-building behind the characters' actions and the forces that move them.

Ebony Gate is perfect for readers searching for an adult urban fantasy series to sink into. The setting is one of my favorite elements of this series opener. I loved the way you can feel the dangers lurking behind corners, down sidewalks, and in the fluttering breeze. Emiko is surrounded by loyalties and lines in the sand. By clans who are betraying each other behind their backs, who never hold their cards out, and might be hiding an even more dangerous secret.

This book was amazing! i loved everything about it and was sucked in right from the beginning. The writing is beautiful and the urban world building was fantastical. I really enjoyed the characters and thought that they had great development. The story line was so good. I honestly couldn't put it down. There was plenty of action scenes that i thought were done well, and i loved the magic system. The narrator really did this book justice when bringing it to life.

This one took me a minute to get into, but once I got into it, I was very invested. I loved having an urban fantasy with queer presentation that is set in San Francisco with Japanese and Chinese culture/mythology. Emiko was incredibly badass, making her such a fun FMC to read about. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I'm very excited for the next book,

4/5 stars!

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

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I think fellow fans of Kate Daniels will enjoy this. Great world building, high stakes, and so much more to build on. No romance in this one, but it hints at a very interesting possible love triangle. I can't wait for the next book.

This is a vividly told, wild ride. I enjoyed this start to a new series. The protagonist is fun to follow, and I enjoyed rooting for her. The added elements of magical beasts and ghosts was a lot of fun.

I enjoyed the narrators, but the story fell a bit flat for me.

It starts very slow and I had a hard time staying invested in what was happening.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

This one was a really fun read (or listen, since I had the audiobook). The best way I've been able to describe this book to people is a combination of Hunger Games and Big Trouble in Little China. The only thing I didn't like was the ending, just because it felt really rushed to me and kind of like a non-ending. But I liked the writing and the main character, and I'm hopeful that there will be other books in this series.

I have been looking for a main character that I love as much as Kate Daniels or Mercedes Hauptman, and while I can't say that Emiko is there yet, I think she has a lot of potential.

I immensely enjoyed the world-building and mythology, especially since it wasn't the more popular supernatural fare seen in urban fantasy novels. I look forward to digging deeper into the families, Emiko's new role and powers, the hierarchies, and histories in future books. I also enjoy it when the heroine isn't at the start of her journey and has to learn everything from scratch. Emiko has a past and knows her power (to some extent) and way in the world.

The lower points for me started with the not-so-subtle hints that Emiko is more than what she has been told. I felt this information was clunkily included throughout the story. The pacing was also 'off' for me. A 2-day adventure felt really dragged out and didn't quite keep the sense of urgency I would have expected. I also didn't like the 'love triangle' trope that is looming.

I look forward to the second book and hope to become more endeared to the characters, the city, and the tale.

This was such a fun listen. Loved the narration by Natalie Naudus.

In this novel, the main character Emiko leaves her past life as her clan’s assassin to build a life in contemporary San Fransico. However, she gets pulled back to her old life when a Shinigami forces her to recover the Ebony Gate.

Loved the character development with the characters, the world-building, the magic and the fast-paced action in this novel.

I cannot wait for the second book!

I didn't know what to think of this story at first, and it was almost one that I thought I wouldn't be able to finish. However, I stuck through the slow start and the story got much better. We have Emiko who is the daughter of a dragon clan leader. All the members of dragon clans have some sort of talent, whether it's something simple or something huge everyone has one. Except our MC, which comes up a lot. I mean A LOT! Like every other page a lot. It is brought up so much and talked about in such a way you know something is going to come of it at some point. Instead of serving her family with her talent she becomes a blade, the person who hands out retribution for crimes against her family. In doing so she becomes the Butcher of Beijing and is basically the boogey man that everyone is scared of. Though Emiko is not thrilled with her past life and just wants to live in peace in San Francisco. Her mother's family gets called in to fulfill a blood debt and she is the one who fulfills it by finding the missing Ebony Gate. The Gate to the Portal to the underworld keeping demons and ghost at bay. Someone stole it and now we have to find it.

The story has a very slow start. I understand we are world building, but I mean so slow, then we have some fun action scenes or some witty banter between her and her cohorts. You learn more about the power dynamics of the dragon clans and some ancient artifacts. There is a lot of folklore mixed in which is a lot of fun to see. I love myths and folklore. I would say the pacing of the middle 3/4 of the book was pretty spot on. We only had a few days to find this gate and all these things keep getting thrown at Emiko. You see how much she wants to be normal and life keeps throwing curve balls t her. We learn some about her parents but don't really interreact with them but it seems like we are setting up the next book to really delve into the home life of the Soong's.

The narrator is Natalie Naudus (Gigi, Listening, Don’t Go Down There)did an amazing job as always. I loved the voices that she gave the characters and she was great at pulling you into the action.

Overall, the book is ok. The pacing in the beginning and the end was a bit slow. The middle makes up for it, as we fight ghosts, and gang members, and self doubt. So much self-doubt. We get to see the badass female become even more badass as she learns to accept who she is. I look forward to reading more from this series to learn more about the Soongs.

Thank you @b2weird for setting up this book tour with Torbooks for Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle's "Ebony Gate."

What is the worst part about San Francisco? The traffic, housing costs, or the machinations death gods and magical families? We dive into a present day fantasy following Emiko Soong, The Butcher of Beijing. As she tries to help with her antique import business... Except a Shinigami calls in a favor from her family that she has to pay, and failure to complete the task means loss of her soul.

I was going back and forth between the book and the audio, thanks Netgalley. And I loved Natalie Naudus in this one. From Emiko's inner to outer snark, threats, and being a little thirsty at irresponsible moments it must have been a blast to voice.

Reasons to read:
-Fantastic worldbuilding
-The historical events explained by magical occurrences
-Emiko is just fun
-The swagger
-Fun side characters
-Great action
-Looking forward to the next one

Cons:
-She definitely could have put the roots through that guy's foot to stop him

Ebony Gate (The Phoenix Hoard #1)
Written by Ken Bebelle and Julia Vee
Read by Natalie Naudus
Book 150/200
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Audio/Digital, ARC
Pages: 448
Published: 2023
Rating: 9.5/10

"Some people have cats. I have a lion."

*This ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.*

Ebony Gate is a fun and exciting fantasy adventure with a good mix of "The Green Bone Saga" and "The Witcher". I very much enjoyed this book from Bebelle and Vee. This book has it all, epic fight scenes, an interesting magic system, a sentient city, and a magical San Franciscan mob. What more could you want!

I love the "magical realism" trope in this book. Since I was a kid reading Harry Potter, I have loved the idea that there is magic in the world just beyond our sight. Bebelle and Vee execute this perfectly. They also create a vibrant and detailed magic system I am in love with, especially with the concept of a Sentinel. Ebony Gate is a fantasy book I would love to get lost in and cannot wait for the future books!