I would recommend this if liked John Wick for its lone wolf character with top tier action scenes, if you like Death Note for its Shinigami characters, if you like the city magic from The City We Became, and/or appreciated the mafia family elements of Jade City. There was great character development of our main hero. The main character left her family behind to move to San Francisco for new beginning and to leave behind her violent past/lifestyle, yet we see her constantly fight throughout the book, refusing to give up her sword. After the events of the final battle, she has started her new chapter by officially allowing people close to her and finally moving on.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, but I did feel that the main conflict happened too soon, so the last portion felt a little drawn out. Also, Adam is finally brought back as a plot point even though he was ignored for a significant portion of the book after his injury. His initial importance to nonexistence was abrupt and made his presence in the story feel unnecessary.

There was a unique magic system that was slowly explained throughout the book. This meant there wasn’t any info dumping but at times this came off as “oh here is this thing because I just decided for this scene that will be useful”. I did like the multifaceted elements of the magic and how it then allowed for such dynamic action scenes.

The narrator was excellent. She was great at setting the mood by change of inflection and tone. I also loved the different voices for the respective characters. This was done well without overdoing it, yet still giving them each a distinct voice.

I absolutely adore fantasy books, but I often struggle with urban fantasy. For some reason it just usually doesn't work for me. But there are always exceptions and I'm so pleased to say that Ebony Gate by Julia Ve and Ken Bebelle is definitely one of those exceptions! I ended up listening to the audiobook, which is narrated by @natalienaudus, my favorite narrator of all time. Natalie really brings Emiko to life and it wasn't long before I was completely drawn in.

The world-building is heavy on the fantasy elements and draws inspiration from East Asian mythology and folklore. This book is set in a truly magical San Francisco, and I loved the way the authors balanced a contemporary setting with a fantasy story. Emiko is a compelling and badass main character with a dark past who is trying her best to do better. She kinda gave me Gideon Nav vibes. Someone with a good heart who is very good with a sword but not always as good at common sense. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the Phoenix Hoard series!

I really, really loved this book. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days afterwards. I kept wondering what the characters were up to now and planning to pick it up to read more only to remember that I had already finished it. The world-building and characters were so well thought out and executed. I absolutely cannot wait until the next book comes out and I will be gifting this to all the fantasy-lovers in my life.

One recommendation that I have is that the authors read through their work together as a whole or perhaps have someone else read it out loud to them. It is clear that they are working from a combined database of world and character development. Unfortunately, the way this became so clear is from the numerous times when the exact same phrasing would be used multiple times in different places in the book. The multiple descriptions of Emiko's time at school became redundant as did the descriptions of her father's character. It was as if each author wanted to make sure that those details were in the book, but forgot to check with one another to see if the details were there already. A better editing job should have caught the repetition, but perhaps it was only made more obvious by the fact I was listening to the audio.

Despite that one issue, I truly enjoyed the story and the narration. I look forward to (hopefully) many, many more books to come from these authors set in this world.

When we first drop into Emiko Soong’s life, she has been living in San Francisco for two years trying to seem normal – leaving behind as much as possible that made her hated and reviled as the Blade of Soong, the Butcher of Beijing.

But assassins don’t get to retire, and members of high-ranking Hoard Custodian families don’t get to leave their clans or their pasts behind – no matter how much they might want to. Or need to.

Emiko’s San Francisco both is and is not the one we Waīrén – read as garden-variety, no-magical-talent, original recipe-type humans see. Because Emiko is a member of one of the clans descended from the Eight Sons of the Dragon, and she has talents that seem magical. Or at least the other members of her family and the rest of the clans do. Emiko is a dud, a disappointment to her parents and her clan.

Or so she believes. (I left the book wondering a whole lot about the truth of that, but that’s me wondering and nothing revealed – at least not in this first book in the trilogy. We’ll see.)

If you haven’t guessed, Ebony Gate is urban fantasy, in a setting that’s a bit like The Nameless Restaurant where the magic and magic-users are hidden in plain sight from the mundanes, but in a world where the danger is dialed up to the max due to both political skullduggery and outright violence.

(There are also touches (or more) of Nice Dragons Finish Last, The City We Became and Jade City if you get the same book hangover from Ebony Gate that I did and are looking for readalikes. I digress.)

Emiko is a woman caught between worlds, and destinies. Without power of her own, she’s been a pawn of everyone around her, from her parents to her clan to the rest of her people, the Jiārén to the primal forces at the heart of both her world and her adopted city.

At her heart she’s a protector – but she’s been molded into a killer through guilt and manipulation. San Francisco was her chance to start over, but her mother’s machinations have just pulled her back into the middle of everything she tried to set aside.

She can’t avoid the duty – because her powerful mother has put her in a position where taking up that obligation is the only way she can keep her beloved brother safe. So Emiko is back where she started, wading through blood and guts and hoping that her martial arts skills will be enough to beat back people with the power to create whirlwinds and tornadoes.

What awaits her if she fails is a fate that is, really, truly, worse than death. If she succeeds on the terms that everyone expects of ‘The Butcher of Beijing’ she might as well resign herself to an early death as her family’s vengeance blade.

But there’s a slim possibility that she can forge a path of her own – if she’s able to let go of enough of her own damage to accept a job that may still get her killed – but on her own terms and in a truly righteous cause.

Escape Rating A+: Hot damn but this was good. It had me hooked from the opening and I stayed engrossed until I turned the last page and kind of screamed because I wasn’t ready for it to be over. And it’s not as this is the first book of a trilogy but I want that second book NOW! Dammit.

Ebony Gate is one of those stories where I started in audio, and absolutely loved it, but switched to text because as much as I didn’t want this to end I was getting desperate to learn how this first book in the trilogy concluded.

That being said, I want to give a big shoutout to the narrator, Natalie Naudus, who also narrated Max Gladstone’s Last Exit. She was a terrific choice to narrate both books, as both are written in the first-person perspective of characters with the same attitude of take no shit, take no prisoners, get shit done no matter the cost to oneself and always, always keep one’s angst and insecurities and weaknesses on the inside where no one can take advantage of the weaknesses – but no one can help carry the burden, either.

While the urban fantasy thriller pace of Ebony Gate relentlessly keeps the reader turning pages, this is a story that leans hard on the personality of its protagonist – as do pretty much all of the characters she deals with along the way.

Everyone wants a piece of her. Everyone always has. She’s second and third guessing herself at every turn, as she always has and always does, because she’s never felt like she’s enough for any of the tasks laid before her. She plows on anyway. Always.

But through her memories of her failures and her internal monologue of her thoughts, fears and frustrations, we’re able to experience her world through the eyes of someone who is an insider but who has always seen herself as being on the outside looking in. And whose fatal flaw isn’t, after all, her lack of power, but rather her inability to get her opponents to STFU. This is Emiko’s journey and we’re absolutely taking it with her and it’s fan-damn-tastic AND nail-biting every step of the way.

Before I stop the squee – and yes, I fully recognize I’m just squeeing all over the place at this point because I loved this one SO DAMN HARD – I have one more thing to add.

Ebony Gate is the first thing that has scratched even a tiny bit of the book hangover itch from Fonda Lee’s marvelous Green Bone Saga. Not that other books haven’t given me itches nearly as bad – I’m looking at you, Glass Immortals – but this is the first thing that has assuaged even the tiniest bit of that particular itch – even as it creates one of its very own. Which means I’m looking forward, rather desperately, to the next book in this series, Blood Jade, coming hopefully sometime next year

Ebony Gate was everything that I had hoped it would be, and more. I adore a bad ass FMC with something to prove, and Emiko takes that trope, raises, and then doubles it. She is the penultimate reluctant hero, self isolating and self sabotaging at every turn. I enjoyed the mystery of her character, the strength of her will, and the way she consistently showed up in spaces she swore she wanted no responsibility for. While the story is a bit of a slow build, the groundwork is necessary and gives the plot a punch when all the reader wants to happen finally does. Bao is, by far, my favorite character and doesn't get enough page time! Who doesn't love a magical guardian cat?! The supporting cast is lovable and complex, the magic system compelling, and the lore rich and wonderful. I am so excited for book two, and will be reading it as soon as I can possibly get it in my hands!

This was a lot of fun. This was essentially an action movie, but because it was in book form, you get to hear the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist. The main character in this book, Emiko Soong, is a badass FMC, and I loved being in her head. Having her narrated by Natalie Naudus only improved that experience.

The pacing was a bit odd. While there are numerous action scenes, it does have a lot of slower pacing than I anticipated. I did find myself drifting away in thought from time to time. Because of the pacing, and the fact that I tend to get lost in action scenes, I felt a bit lost throughout this book. I very much got the vibe of "this book isn't bad, it's just not great for me." I think this book would be enjoyed a lot by people who want to get a book version of an action movie.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC!

3.5/5

Pros:
- A realistic flawed main character
- Cool magic system and swords
- Interesting clan politics
- Cool animal companion

Cons:
- A little slow to start
- Felt like it should have been a bit shorter

Overall, it was a good book and Natalie Naudis did a good job with the narration as well.
Will most likely read the sequel, but it won't be a top priority.

Emiko Soong was the Blade of her Clan until she earned the title of the Butcher of Beijing. Now she's building a new life for herself, importing antiques in San Francisco. But when a god of death calls in a family debt, Emiko must recover the artifact that holds back the hungry ghosts of the underworld, or forfeit her soul in its place.
This was a wild ride, and I’m looking forward to book two.

Thank you to the Author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance listening copy

This was a great read from start to finish. Loved the urban fantasy setting of San Francisco. Loved the Japanese folkloric elements that was the backbone of the world building.
Our FMC, Emiko, was a badass, who was struggling with finding her path once again after choosing to sever ties with her old life and the consequences of that decision. She finds herself answering a talon call that her family owes to a death God, and has to find a gate before the ghosts of the underworld take over the city.
There were frequent actions scenes on page that were immersive, and showed that our FMC was not infallible, which I appreciated.
There is also found family in this story and I loved that for our FMC

This book caught my attention with the Asian follore elements. I was really intrigued how it would be woven into the story. Unfortunately I dnfed this at 30%. I wasn't engaged with the characters or the story. Both seemed to move from point A to point B so quickly that I didn't get a chance to care what was going on or the connections between characters.

An unfortunate DNF @ 45%. I really wanted to love this title - the premise had such promise but neither the plot or the characters really held my attention. I don't sense any tension or sense of urgency that the plot should be giving. I'll be keeping an eye on the author's and their future projects but I need to put this one down.

And let me just say, narrator Natalie Naudus is fabulous as ever but the content was just not enough to keep me going.

Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

While I loved the audiobook narrator (Natalie Naudus is one of my audiobook queens), this book felt like it was trying to do too much all at once. The powers were slightly confusing, and Emiko's "lack of power" that we are supposed to learn more about later never felt like it was fully described to me (maybe I'm just forgetting that part if it actually happened??).

For a modern fantasy story, I feel like there were far too many descriptions of food that kind of took me out of the book. I'm someone who loves a good description of food in a book where it makes sense, and it could have worked one or two times in this book. But we got at least four or five pretty detailed depictions of the sight, smell, and taste of numerous foods. And while delicious, it just seemed to add to the page count rather than actually do anything for the story.

The characters were okay, but I need a bit more backstory on Emiko for me to care about her having been the Butcher of Beijing. If we had a tiny bit more insight into the things she did, it might make me feel just a little bit more for her.

I think I'll continue this series, but as for now it's just very average for me.

4 stars

My favorite thing about Ebony Gate is the incredibly immersive worldbuilding. I think Phoenix Hoard has the potential to become one of my favorite urban fantasy series ever just based on the world it is set in—one that combines classic xianxia traditions with modern action tropes.

Several reviewers seem to have DNFed this book due to its slow progression of plot towards the beginning. I agree that the first 25% felt bogged down with info-dumping and references to past events that readers do not get clarity on until much later in the novel. While the pace does eventually pick up and I found worldbuilding elements to be quite accessible because of my prior knowledge of Chinese mythology, I do not think everybody will find the story as rewarding as me.

I enjoyed Emiko as a main character but found some aspects of her characterization to be somewhat heavy-handed. There is a continuous repetition of her motivations that does not feel supported by the text itself. We are told she seeks to protect her younger brother’s place as heir to the Soong clan but rarely get context about their sibling relationship. Also, Adam is missing for 80% of the time and I do not care about him—there are many side characters I am more invested in and I resent that he took up so much of the last few chapters.

Despite my critiques, I had fun listening to the audiobook of Ebony Gate and it is my favorite read of July thus far. I will eagerly await the next installment in Phoenix Hoard and encourage more people to give this book a shot.

Thank you for the ARC!

Ebony Gate is a ride that borders on Young Adult, New Adult. I found it a touch too violent at times, but I couldn't tell if that was what actually bothered me or the constant recycling of inner monologues. Blade, Butcher, Sentinel etc I'm pretty sure I had gotten that Emiko had left the life and was in SanFran by the 3rd time she has whole pages of reflection on it.

I love how Emiko is a strong female character. She is AMAZING. What's not so amazing is that we have 3-4 possible love interests in just the first book. I felt like I was getting whiplash from all the emotions Emiko was doing whenever Adam, Freddie, or Kamon were in the vicinity. I also felt that when we are introduced to the twins, Emiko is far to quick to be impressed with Freddie. It's weak characterization if we are going to develop the male twin, while the female twin is still referred to at the end as pristine, fashionable, and immaculate. It felt a little gross, if I'm honest.

The pacing was also wonky. I must've missed it - I couldn't seem to understand why there was no urgency happening. Where parts were fast and exciting, others dragged. As such, while I enjoyed how unique the story was, I just am not a fan of other things. A solid 4 stars for a read I wanted to love and just ended up liking.

I listened to the audiobook and read the book on a road trip. The audiobook in my opinion is far better, as the narrator does a fantastic job with the language pronunciations, with one exception. However, I didn't really like the narrator as I don't think her voice fit very well (she sounds way too young), yet I enjoyed the audiobook more than the actual book, which is rare for me as I usually prefer written text.

Thank you to the publisher, the authors and Netgalley for allowing me to preview an ARC of Ebony Gate. The above are my honest thoughts.

This book was recommended via one of Tor.com next read quizzes and then became available for advanced copy review. Seemed like a perfect fit. The concept for this book is fun and interesting and unique. I’m always excited when East Asian history inspired fantasy and scifi.

This book has a lot going for it to draw you in and keep you on your toes. It is also well narrated as to be expected with Natalie Naudus. As a whole, the book did not drive me to want to continue reading.

Each time I paused, I had to make myself start again. Despite the magnificent parts of the book I think this happened for a few reasons. There is a lot of exposition in this book and it interrupts plot movement often. There is also not a ton of meaningful character interactions. Emiko interacts with a TON of other characters but it’s quick and she moves on to other interactions. There’s a lot of history with many different characters but we only get little snippets. It just feels like she’s bouncing around. Part of her persona is being detached from the world she knew and not being settled where she’s at but it makes it hard to connect to her as a reader.

Still highly recommend the book and can see it being well liked by a lot of people. It was worth the read.

I didn't know this was a contemporary fantasy (100% my fault for not reading the description - whoops), so that was a surprise for me, but I quickly found that it was a happy surprise! This book is action-packed, filled with feuding families, fascinating magic systems, and a retired assassin. I enjoyed the narrative voice and found this to be a really fun read.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

This audiobook was provided to me from NetGalley and Tor Publishing via MacMillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. Ebony Gate is available to purchase as of 7/11/23.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers! :)

This is a story about Emiko. She is her family’s Butcher. As the name sounds, she is responsible for certain tasks for her clan. Emiko leaves this life and settles into San Francisco… but family debts are called in by the Death God… and she must answer.

I found this book to have a really interesting premise and detailed action scenes. The world and the magic was a joy to discover. On the flip side, there was too much discription and information given. The artifacts, who belonged to what clan and what each can do… it was hard to keep track, especially in the beginning. There was an opportunity to develop the emotional connection between the characters to draw in the reader as the mission was clearly laid out. If you like action packed books with a clear plot… this is for you. 😊 🥭🥭🥭
#booktok #books #newrelease #ebonygate #read #audiobooks #netgalley #arc #urbanfantasy

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Tor for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ebony Gate is marketed as a female version John Wick story.

There are eight premier magical families in the world and our main character Emiko Soong belongs to one of them. She was once upon the Blade of the Soong Clan and never needed any magic, but that all changes when she finds herself drenched in blood, surrounded by bodies, and the scent of blood as well as human waste while she is in the middle of a market located in China. Now, she is living in San Francisco living a quiet life and is trading antiques. But that quiet life she has been living ends up being uprooted by a Shinigami, which is a god of death and it calls upon Emiko for a family blood debt. Emiko must recover the Ebony Gate, which just happens to hold back the lovely, hungry ghosts of the Yomi Underworld and if she does not recover it, then life will suck because she will have to forfeit her soul to be the anchor. Oh, and the catch: she has about a day to complete the task.

It really has been a while since I have delved into an amazing and unique fantasy world that brims with intrigue and some awesome magic. While yes, this is a contemporary fantasy world, I still really enjoyed exploring it and for real it has been a while since I have been in a contemporary world...now, I just need to get back into the epic/high fantasy worlds as well, but baby steps.

For a side note: I do not know anything about John Wick so I cannot comment about the comparisons.

I am going to start off with what did not work for me:
My biggest issue with Ebony Gate was that it suffered from pacing issues. The beginning had somewhat of a slow start, but it quickly picked up and I became very intrigued with what the Ebony Gate was, the Yomi Underworld, the magic system, and the Shinigami. But, during the last quarter of the book, I felt it struggled from pacing issues once again and I was to the point where I was ready to be done with this book because that portion of it was dragging. This why I gave Ebony Gate a 4 star rating.

What worked for me:
I loved that Emiko feels like a real person with flaws and being exhausted like most of us adults are. She is really fleshed out as a character and has great character development as the story progresses. I love seeing her reluctant about having to go about this task and being pretty annoyed that this has been dealt to her, but even more annoyed about there being a deadline attached to the task.
The magic system was definitely unique, and I loved learning about the families with their magical abilities/being descendant from the Eight Sons of the Dragon.
Also, I enjoyed the immersion of Asian culture due to it highly influencing the world building.

You will love this book if you love these tropes:
-Reluctant Hero
-The Quest

When reading Ebony Gate, I kept thinking of Jade City by Fonda Lee because of the politics, magic, and then the Asian culture. I am just going to say if you loved Jade City, then I think you'll enjoy this book.

Emiko is the retired Butcher of Beijing, a job that only after a short time made her feel like a hired brute. Now after living the last couple of years peacefully in San Francisco, a family debt is calling her back into a more prominent role — not as the ‘butcher’ but rather the only person who has the ability to save the Ebony Gate and keep the dead where they belong.

First, I really enjoyed the flow of the audiobook. The narrator captured the perfect amount of sass, insecurity and awesomeness of Emiko. The pacing was well done and the transition between characters was seamless.

As far as the novel goes, I also really enjoyed it. Emiko is a great protagonist and there has been a nice foundation laid for her character to grow as the world expands. The story was engaging and also laid a solid foundation for the series. There was some slight slowness at the end as the novel wrapped and set you up for the continuation in book two, but not anything that should deter a person from reading. A solid fantasy set in a familiar setting. 4 stars.

Review based on a Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

Earlier this year I had a chance to read an ARC of Ebony Gate and enjoyed the heck out of it. Until then the only books I can remember reading that had any kind of Eastern influence had been some LitRPGs. I’ve since added a number of books my TBR list. But then I had the chance to listen to Ebony Gate, and having enjoyed it some much the first time I jumped at the chance. I have to say it was just as good the second time around (perhaps better as I discovered I’d been pronouncing a number of words wrong, lol) The book is described as a female John Wick story with dragon magic set in contemporary San Franscisco…and believe it or not that’s fairly accurate. Emiko, the Butcher of Beijing, is trying to put all the violence behind her and live a quiet, peaceful life. So I guess it’s kind of ironic that when we first meet her she’s carrying the body of a massive yeti she’s just killed. Unfortunately for Emiko family obligation overrides her own wants, and when the Ebony Gate, a doorway holding the ghosts of the underworld at bay, is stolen she is pressed into service and tossed back into action, given very little time to recover the gate or she’ll suffer a rather dire fate. The book is loaded with rich lore and world building, which I absolutely loved. The story is fast paced with plenty of action and intriguing magic systems. I can’t wait for more. This was definitely an adventure I didn’t mind going through twice. Natalie Naudus does an excellent job with the narration. She completely brought the world to life. I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Ebony Gate.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2YO2Q9DWB01NU/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv