4.5 stars

Well, I don’t know what I was expecting from a sci-fantasy following sky pirates going on a fool’s quest of a treasure hunt, but Cello’s Gate truly was the wickedly wild and uniquely imaginative adventure I didn’t know I needed in my life. It’s epic yet intimate, dark yet light-hearted, playful yet emotional, and it’s got a fun factor that just soars higher than the sky. Ghandammit frens, this is how you write one hell of a debut!

Okay so Cello’s Gate is really one of those books that just hits the ground running and never lets up. And while I am usually not the type of reader who likes to be thrown straight into the action, Africh just made it work oh so well. When we first meet our motley crew of loveable rogues, they are mid-heist, which not only instantly set the stakes and tension sky-high, but which also showcased how this diverse cast of characters works together like an oiled machine as everyone’s unique skills are put on full display.

And so, the sturdy foundation for this absolute romp of an adventure is laid. From the very first page, I totally believed that the charming captain Grey and his ragtag crew would be able to pull off the impossible. So when the immortal daughter of the infamous Archgovernor tasks them with a treasure hunt to steal the Stones of Indigo, which are widely believed to be nothing but pure myth, in return for a bounty that sounds too good to be true? Let’s go baby, we got this, I am IN.

From the very first page, I felt like I was part of this crew; they are my frens, whether they know it or not. Captain Grey immediately captured my heart with his snarky attitude and amusing swagger, but the main reason why I fell head over heels in love with him is because he is not afraid to show his softer, vulnerable side or to admit that he was wrong when things go sideways. The man truly has a heart of gold, and seeing how deeply he cared for his crew and trusted blindly in their abilities just made me feel all the feels.

Though as big a presence as he is on the page, he somehow never overshadowed all the other intriguing and endearing characters who each have their own important role to play in Cello’s Gate. I honestly couldn’t pick a favourite character if I had to (okay lies, it’s probably my girl Dot), and I just loved unpacking everyone’s own emotional baggage throughout all these wild trials and tribulations. I personally loved the balance between the light-hearted banter, soul-stirring introspection, emotionally impactful conversations, and bursts of exhilarating (and often horrifying) action, which all really built up that deep emotional investment and made me fully feel and believe the stakes. Also, do not get me started on the found family vibes; just perfect, no notes.

Now, I do have to admit that the enigmatic big baddie of the story maybe felt a bit underdeveloped compared to the main cast, but I honestly didn’t mind that too much. See, I was just along for the wild ride, and the captivating present tense narration combined with the irresistible air of mystery and intrigue had me so deeply immersed that I honestly felt like I was living and breathing this story myself. Especially once we reached the mysterious abandoned island (which cleverly cancels out all tech), I was just glued to the page, and the section in the maze-like catacombs where everyone got tragically separated had my anxiety and claustrophobia running wild in all the best ways.

Plus, this future (queer-normative!) sci-fantasy world is just SO COOL! Like, not only does it have a fascinating detailed history, rich lore, tense political landscape, and unique flora and fauna, but it’s also inhabited by sky pirates in spaceships, enigmatic immortal baddies, powerful mystics, honourable sword wielding knights, and gunslinging guardians. Africh’s wild imagination just continued to surprise me with each new turn of the page, and I absolutely loved how he was able to capture and maintain that mystical fantasy vibe I so adore while also bringing in so many excitingly fresh modern tech elements.

While Cello’s Gate is truly unlike anything I have ever read, I think especially fans of Django Wexler’s Burningblade & Silvereye series, Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, and Tamsyn Muir’s The Locked Tomb series will find so much to love here. There truly wasn’t a single dull moment in Cello’s Gate for me, and the diabolical twists and turns during the heart pounding ending would’ve made me fly straight into book 2 if that had been available. Honestly, forget about the Ghandamned mythical Stones, this book itself was the true treasure all along.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've unfortunately have DNF'd this book, I'm about 150 odd pages in and just finding it too predictable and no promises or mysteries to read on for.

I do like the writing style, full of personality, and the characters, but the plot is just a bit on the slow side for me. I'm also finding with the personality of the narration being the same as of that as the main character, doesn't cause confusion but is just painting with the same colour on the same painting.

I won't post my thoughts on this book elsewhere as its just released and this could just be a me thing and could be unfair.

I love finding a good sci-fi fantasy adventure and I was quickly hooked with this story. This is a sci-fi, pirates, treasure hunt, with hints of heists and mission impossible like break ins.

We first meet Grey when he is younger and he is climbing through some air ducts to spy on some leaders. It seems as though he is always causing some level of havoc and is quickly caught and sent to a sci-fi type of boarding school. After several years, Grey is back and seemingly doing some similar antics but with a new team. However, these new heist adventures seem to be part of his new "mission".

The stakes are high, the adventure is intense, and the characters are fun. I am really glad I took a chance to request this and see what adventure may await, Someone else said this feels like it could compare with the sci-fi show Firefly and I agree. it's funny, fun, and an epic adventure well worth the read. I hope more people find this book and give it a chance.

I absolutely loved this book and the adventure it brought. The way the author slowly introduces characters and their backstories kept me wanting more. The story was creative and I never could predict where it was going. Well written, and definitely hard to put down as the end of each chapter leads into the next. Absolutely loved this one and will be recommending it to many many people.

Really enjoyable read, with vibes of Star Wars and a great found family trope.

Characters were excellent, each finely crafted with their own thoughts and felt flushed out. Dot was my favourite, complete fighting machine.

The world building was fantastic. It felt like I lived within the world with the characters. Great beasts, who doesn’t enjoy some fantasy creatures?

The plot went along nicely, although, I felt the story could have been wrapped up sooner and found myself just wanting to get to the end.

3.5/5 stars, extra half star for the fun fighting scenes.

Cello's Gate is an absolute blast from start to finish. Author Maurice Africh blends a lovable cast of characters with solid action scenes, humor, and classic adventure vibes that evoke the great pirate tales of decades past, while giving it all a slick science fantasy coat of paint.

The novel tells the tale of Captain Grey and his crew of sky pirates, who are hired by an enigmatic immortal to seek out an all-powerful stone on a mysterious island filled with all manner of threats. It proudly wears its influences - Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Guardians of the Galaxy, among many others - on its sleeve, while effortlessly blending in its own ideas and mythology, and introducing readers to a world practically begging for further exploration.

Above all, the book is just FUN. You'll connect to all the characters and find yourself rooting for them. You'll laugh out loud at some of the dialogue, and you'll be taken in by the story's quick pacing the author's engaging writing. This is an absolute must-read for fans of science fiction or fantasy, and others who don't typically like the genre will likely find things that will keep them invested. It's my favorite book so far this year.

Very special thanks to NetGalley and Second World Books for the eARC I'm exchange for an honest review.

Cello's gate was a fantastic read very funny had the feeling of a rag tag group of misfits look forward to more from this author.

WHAT AN EPIC ADVENTURE!

The prologue immediately transports you into the new world, where we meet 3 of our new friends.
We learn of the magic and the mechanics of the world in such an easy way - that the usual "being lost" feeling when reading fantasy, disappears. The characters are described in such a way that you can envision every detail, without it being overly descriptive.

In the first chapter, we learn that years have passed and our new friends are meanwhile adults. The clever prologue set up a dynamic that easily explains where we find ourselves "today".

I believe to have spotted some nods to Brent Weeks and his The Black Prism, mixed with Mandalorian (or maybe even the Guardians of the Galaxy), piracy, treasure maps and even romance. Who doesn't love an ill behaved rag tag group with an actually likable MMC that is somewhat an antihero with morals!

I enjoyed the writing, the world building, the characters and the plot! There isn't a thing I didn't enjoy. Also, I truly appreciated how well and normal POC characters were described. This tends to be something cringe in other stories, which to my absolute surprise was done so effortlessly - the author should share his pointers with his colleagues....

Easy 5 star read and I cannot wait for the next installment!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to embark on this amazing adventure and finding a new series to love!

Thanks to the folks at Victory publishing for providing an ebook via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
***

Action packed with memorable characters, this is the perfect heist/treasure hunt adventure for fans of treasure planet and Indiana Jones, filled with knights, immortals, monsters, glowing swords, mazes, flying ships and the power of friendship.

This story follows our gang of sky pirates on the hunt for -not infinity- stones on a strange island full of puzzles, danger, science and magic.

I feel like I'm often repeating myself in reviews, but... wow. This was quite the debut and a lengthy one at that! (With my settings on my e-reader this was a whopping 1160 pages! 😳)

Now, onto the review!

First of all, loved the story, I liked every single part of it and nothing truly felt like filler. The book is split in 6 acts and they all fit nicely. I liked all of the characters.
Correction: I hated some of them, but in a good way! They were written fantastic!

I liked the addition of the characters list and map in the beginning of the book, I always like those in books! A glossary to group info on the different factions, groups, etc would've also been handy however.

Now... when's the next journey of Captain Grey Shimada coming out? 🏴‍☠️

WOW! What a wild ride. This was by far a stand out read for me for 2025. Grey Shimada is the captain of the ship Trench along with his ragtag crew of pirates for hire. Clients seek them out for only the toughest hunts that only the best of the best could pull off - their specialty. After completing one of their most dangerous missions, they're approached by an immortal named Dalia and her personal Crest Knight for an impossible job. Find one of seven stones imbued with the essence of a god that grants the wielder incredible power. Except the only clues they have to go off of is an indecipherable map, the words of a secretive immortal with questionable intentions, and only the vague possibility of a location where it might be. Oh, and also, the stones are a well-known myth. They don't exist. As Grey and his crew embark on this outrageous mission, they quickly learn they may have involved themselves in something much bigger than they ever thought existed and will have to overcome obstacles they have never dreamed of encountering. Dalia's simple quest of stealing a stone turns into a life-threatening, heart-clenching, god-provoking mission that Grey's infamous crew may not make out of this time.

This was definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I was hooked from the very first sentence of the prologue. Maurice Africh writes such an immersive world with heart-stopping action and adventure and mystery, I am so sad I finished reading already! There wasn't a dull moment and as the plot got deeper and more and more layers were uncovered the less I could put the book down. I'm already hopeful and anticipating a sequel. This is the perfect mix of action-packed fantasy pirate adventure with futuristic sci-fi and even some romance sprinkled in! Usually a large cast of different characters is hard for me to keep track of, especially with pov switches, but Maurice does a fantastic job at letting each character shine and stand out in their own way that I actually liked the switches and I was emotionally invested in the whole crew! I really loved getting to know each character, and Eddie and Izzy especially hold a special place in my heart.

I also loved the pacing. There really wasn't a dull moment, even in the "down time" the characters had, there was always some mystery or some world-building being uncovered and the lore built in just this one novel is insane. I feel like I have a really good grasp of the universe this is set in, the magic system and where the series is going. I really can't wait for future installments!!

I usually try to find some critique for all the books I review, but it's really hard for this one! If I had to say one thing, I would say even though Grey is the main character, I feel like his actions and role in the story weren't as consequential as the others plot-wise. He was also reckless and needed the most help out of everyone which seemed contradictory to his upbringing and who his father is. But perhaps we will see more character development from him in the next book.

Overall, an excellent read and I recommend this to people who like fantasy pirate heists, well fleshed out characters, immersive world-building with unhinged immortals and high stakes that will leave you breathless.

This seemed like this would a fun read after reading the description for the book. I thought about a few different sci fi movies or shows that this book seemed to draw some influences from, at least I think so. Read the book and I think you will see those on this journey. There are attempts at humor and while everything didn't hit with me there were those moments it did. The story itself is interesting in it's own way. It has action and a bit of intrigue and suspense. Some of the fights were better than others but overall, pretty decent. The characters were not the most lovable to me, but they weren't totally lame or anything. For the world building I think that it was not over done but it leaves something to discovered as you continue reading. The creatures sound very cool well at least the ones we are introduced to so far. The science seems sort of futuristic but at the same time sort of similar to some technology of our reality. There are references to alien metal but really nothing specific about the aliens themselves or other planets or whatever. It seems like a very diverse world the story takes place in though. What is described as magic seems more like psionic powers or something like that. Didn't really feel that was explored as much as I wanted to know about but then maybe in the next book. Not to sure where the story will lead to without talking about things that should be read about for yourself though. The writing wasn't overly complicated but felt easy to read. A decent read that has made me more than a little curious to read what could happen in the next book. So, thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read yet another good book. This was a 3 and half to four star read for me.

Cello’s Gate follows Grey and his crew of sky pirates as they begin to search for powerful stones that may or may not be a total myth. This story was an absolute adventure! Between the twists, mysteries, and combat, I didn’t want to put it down, constantly wanting to read one more chapter.

The way the crew work together and take care of each other was one of my favorite aspects. Strong, but vulnerable at times, badass men and women who regularly check in on one another.
This is the type of found family I adore and I would love to go on a heist with this crew!

While this story is its own and truly unique - it reminded me of a mix of Treasure Planet, Indiana Jones, and Guardians of the Galaxy. I think you will really enjoy it if you like those.

•Magic and immortals
•Sky pirates
•Sci-fi fantasy
•Dangerous quest

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for my eARC

This is my first ever Netgalley read, and boy am I glad this is the first book I requested. Pirates (on sea) have always been a topic I really enjoyed, but sky pirates might just top it now.
I love the way the book is written. The writing style makes it feel like I am not only reading the book, but I'm actually there with the Trench crew as my own person, especially as the point of view isn't solely focused on Grey, the crew's captain, but on everyone quite equally. I also absolutely love the humorous language.
This book is about a sky pirate crew who are tasked by an immortal to help to find the seven stones of Indigo for a hefty sum of 1 million credits per stone. As the crew sets out to find the first stone, they are faced with a multitude of tasks and problems. with plot twists at every corner.
I do feel like at some points the book felt a bit dragged out, but not enough to make the book any less enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC, i can't wait for book 2

Boy am I glad I requested this from Netgalley because this book turned out to be outstanding. This really scratches my sci-fi itch because I’m always trying to get into it but I need more of a fantasy feel with light sci-fi elements like Christopher Ruocchio, and that’s exactly what this gives me!

This book is about space pirates that get a job from an “Immortal” to find 7 “stones” that are scattered all over the place. What seems to be an easy job turns out to be very difficult since they are shot down on an “abandoned” island and have to survive horrific creatures and a long lost Immortal.

That’s pretty much the sci-fi aspect of it but the fantasy element is that there are people who will come back to life after death, people who can heal wounds or manipulate fauna, etc. It’s a fun romp and I would urge anyone to read it because the characters are amazing, prose is fast and easy, and it’s full of action and adventure.

The only thing I’m worried about is this becoming a 7 book series with 1 book per stone. I think it will become redundant after a point but I had so much fun with this that I’ll read them anyway

Pirates in space! Cello's Gate is a fun action adventure scifi novel. I enjoyed going on this wild ride with the characters.

The vibes:
magic powers
pirates
secret compartments
immortals
hidden treasure
jungle island

This is a fun jaunt although I think the characters are overpowered, but then not using those powers to their fullest. It was hard to tell what the real limit of the magic was. Not sure any of them should have made it out of these escapades alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

Cello's Gate was a lot of fun, something that I've really been craving. Action packed scenes right there immediately, culminating into a thrilling adventure.

The concept of an airship crew searching for treasure sure sold me there. In this case, it has a flight crew of seven (each with different and specific roles, as pointed out in the Dramatis Personae) has a close-knit bond and high loyalty. Captain Grey leads this pack as a level-headed, balanced captain. Grey is well-described jack-of-all-trades- other than leadership, he's slightly outclassed by his crew on the specific duties, but he is flexibility in just about any situation. Most importantly though, he cares about his crew, never at all choosing to give up on anyone, no matter what type of dicey situation they are in.

The setting and plot is quite intriguing too- in this, it is a treasure hunt in a seemingly abandoned rugged island. I also do see plenty of potential of plenty of other emerging plotlines, based on the worldbuilding and the overall culture/lifestyle established from such worldbuilding. The book ends at an intriguing cliffhanger, opening up such great potential.

The writing style was a little bit different from what I am used to (present-day third-person perspective), but the prose seemed good, and it flowed quite well. Not much deadwood or tedious infodumps here, which is nice to see.

I plan on reading any subsequent books in this series. I'm appreciative of how the author marketed and advertised the book, otherwise I would not have noticed it on my own accord.

This is good - well written, well edited - but not what I was expecting. I thought I was getting steampunk fantasy; what I actually got was cyberpunk dystopia with magic, and I just don't like dystopian. It's unfortunate, because it's much better executed than most of the books I get from Netgalley, but it wasn't to my personal taste.

From the moment I started reading, I couldn't stop. I love pirates stories and this one was complete with actions, mythes and dangerous creatures. The tone of the story is set from the start as we join the team in action in the middle of a heist, which doesn't quite go as planned naturally, and from there I was hooked on the adventure to the end.

The worldbuilding is very interesting and unique with lore revolving around a mix of magical/immortal beings and mythical/militaristic knights. The mystery surrounding the stones keeps you wondering until the end about the veracity of their existence, about what is or is not hidden behind the myth, and I did not expect the twist at the end.

We have a wide variety of complex characters from whom we learn each background history throughout the story. My favorites were Grey, the captain, who wanted to be a pirate from a young age and he has no shame about it. He is a great leader and the relationship he develops with each member of the crew helps him temper the conflicts of strong personalities. And Dot, raised from a young age to become a warrior knight.

There may be something about saving the world, but the Trench crew is in it above all for the money and the thrill of adventure. They find an island, an old treasure map, dangers, traps, mazes and monsters, but that's the pirate life!

It ends on a cliffhanger with an intriguing reveal and no, I didn't want it to end! I can't wait to read about the next Hunt

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley for the eARC

This was a really unique and fun fantasy adventure. The world-building was really good, I liked the mythic Knights and the lore behind them, and the concept of sky pirates interested me immediately. Grey and Dot were my favourite characters because they both had a lot of emotional depth to them, which hopefully can be explored a bit more in the upcoming books. This blended the heist narrative with fantasy fantasically and it worked to create an overall really cohesive and fun read.

I do wish there was more queer representation - as all of the couples/love interests are m/f but maybe this will be explored further in the next book.