This is a pretty slow-paced book, but the things that were happening kept me pretty interested throughout. It helped that the humor from the first book was still very much present in this one and that helped elevate some of those slower moments. I don't want to get too deep in the weeds of spoilers because this takes place directly after the ending of the first book. I think the way this is playing out is very fascinating and I'm so interested in how the author is going to end it.

I will say that the one thing I didn't like was the development of the relationship between Toba as Asmel. The first book seemed like the mentor/mentee relationship between them would stay largely platonic and was romantically one-sided on Toba's part. That... took at turn in this book and I hated it lol. For one thing, I still doesn't make sense or feel like it works for me. A lot of this is due to the fact that I don't really like Asmel. Like, he's a mildly interesting character, but I don't care much for his relationship with Toba at all.

Overall, still enjoyed my time, though I can see why others might not. Definitely excited to see this conclusion.

Much like its forerunner, The Pomegranate Gate, this book is a wondrous melding of historical fiction, Jewish myths, and magical fantasy. At the end of the first book, Toba and Naftaly had switched worlds, now Toba finds herself in the human world with Asmel ,while Naftaly and his group are in the Mazik world. The Republic of Salt continues the vivid world-building, expanding to the land of Zayit in both human .and magical worlds. The cast, too, has grown, and relationships, romantic and platonic develop slowly. The tale winds through curves of politics, magic, connections, and war with enjoyable prose that kept me tuning the pages to a suspenseful ending. I enthusiastically enjoyed this entry to The Mirror Realm Cycle as much as the previous one and look forward to the conclusion of this trilogy. I recommend this book to everyone who liked The Pomegranate Gate and for those that enjoy historical fantasy but haven't discovered The Pomegranate Gate, I suggest they start their reading journey into The Mirror Realm Cycle.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Publishing -Erewhon Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Slow-building, slow-burning, and even gayer than the previous book! And full of rage, questions, grief, and love.

A fantastic build of a middle book, with a ending that both draws together threads and creates cliffhangers!

I thought this was ok but I think it suffered in places. The writing was decent but I found the pacing to be disjointed.

This was a great book. I really loved this book and the writing was so beautiful. And this book had a great message behind the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of The Republic of Salt in exchange for an honest review.

The book started really slow, but definitely picked up in the second half! I prefer The Pomegranate Gate, as all of the magic and mythology was so new, to this book which felt a bit meandering until it all came together at the end.

I am still really excited to see where the series goes from here and cannot wait for the next book!

I truly love Kaplans writing but I really struggled with this one. I'd definitely recommend going back to read the first book before delving back into this world as lot of things I had forgotten and I feel my tastes with fantasy has now changed but this doesn't change the fact that this is a great read and Kaplans writing is still one of the best!

A captivating and enchanting sequel to THE POMEGRANATE GATE, with a focus on more characters as they interweave into a complex story. Cannot wait for the next one!

Never have I read a fantasy so unique. Like its predecessor, The Republic of Salt is rich with Jewish mythology and culture. I love the diverse cast of characters we follow of different ages, races and genders. I especially like that you get to follow the perspective of two elderly women. It is not something I often see in fantasy. I adore all of our characters along with the relationships and friendships that have developed in this series. If you love found families you’ll enjoy that aspect. The dynamic and banter between the characters was one of my favorite parts. I found myself laughing a few times throughout the book. The pacing was a bit slow for me at times, as the characters to go on a long journey to get to the destination they all meet up in. I do enjoy political intrigue in my fantasy and this was certainly full of it. I was a bit confused at times, as it has been about a year since I read the first one. The world is very complex and can be hard to follow at times. But I do enjoy the fact that it is complex and unique. I would recommend rereading the first one before diving back into the sequel or waiting till the entire trilogy is out so you can read them back to back. Luckily there is an extensive glossary included, which I always really appreciate. I adore this series and can’t wait for the next book!

I loved to read this book so much. This is such a fun and cool story. The storyline and plot was amazing. The characters are super interesting.