I am delighted to share my review today for The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplin. This is the first book in the series and mixes fantasy, Jewish folklore and historical fiction. It is a gorgeous story and one that I adored.

My huge thanks to Erewhon Books who granted my request to read this title via NetGalley.

Ariel Kaplan’s The Pomegranate Gate is the lyrical first installment of the Mirror Realm Cycle, a vibrant and heartfelt Inquisition-era Jewish epic fantasy in the vein of Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, and Tasha Suri.

Toba Peres can speak, but not shout; she can walk, but not run. She can write with both hands, in different languages, but has not had a formal education. The only treasure Toba has dared to keep is a precious star sapphire, set in a necklace she must never take off.

Naftaly Cresques sees things that aren’t real, and dreams things that are. He is a well-trained tailor, but a middling one, and he is risking his life to smuggle a strange family heirloom: a centuries-old book he must never read, and must never lose.

The Queen of the Sefarad has ordered all Jews to convert, or be exiled with nothing. Toba, Naftaly, and thousands of others are forced to flee their homes. Toba, accidentally separated from their caravan of refugees, stumbles through a strange pomegranate grove into the magical realm of the Maziks: mythical, terrible beings with immense power. There, she discovers latent abilities that put her in the crosshairs of bloodthirsty immortals, but may be key to her survival. On the other side of the gate, Naftaly, intent on rescuing Toba, finds his new companions harbor dangerous secrets of their own.

Now, hunted by an Inquisition in both worlds, Toba and Naftaly must unravel ancient histories and ancient magics in order to understand the link between the two realms. More than their own lives might be at stake.

Brimming with folkloric wonder, The Pomegranate Gate weaves history, myth, and magic into an exquisite tale of fate, legacy, and friendship that will leave readers spellbound.

MY REVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed this story it is one that I had been meaning to pick up and read for a while, and I am so glad I did not leave it much longer. This is the first book in The Mirror Realm Cycle and one that I am looking forward to returning to.

The story is of Toba, a young girl who is frail, with few friends, lonely and often made fun of. It is not until she follows a man into a light that she finds herself somewhere completely different and finds that she is not as frail as she thought she was.

There is another main character in this story, Naftaly, who admits himself to being a fool. A tailor’s son who cannot sew, who is lousy at business and he also finds himself travelling. He along with Toba are leaving their homes before they are either kicked out or killed for being Jews. The Queen is allowing those who will not convert to leave but taking nothing with them.

The story follows Tabo into another world, one of magic and power struggles. Here there is a King and also those who wish to see a change in the way things are. Those who have better positions are more able to affect change, and Toba’s arrival is certainly noticed.

This is a story that weaves in between worlds and is full of magic lies, deceit and corruption. The author has brought in various Jewish words and also some characters from mythology and this adds the magical element. I don’t know much about Jewish mythology but I do love the idea of a Ziz. A large bird supposedly with large enough wings to block out the sun!

Having two main characters means there is some back and forth between them and it was done so well. The author told of their lives, their history and then some of the history of this other realm. I like her descriptions and also the people they meet. It is a great way to get to know the characters better and also progress with the story.

I should mention that the two characters are aware of each other, well Naftaly is more aware of Toba. It is he who wants to find where she went and it is with the old woman and Elena that he tries to find her.

This is a story of magic and sorcery, there are those that you automatically kind of like or loathe and then there are those you really are not sure about. There is the odd character mentioned that does not really have a large part, more of a walk-on, but I have a feeling they are going to have more important things later on.

The story is well-paced and once I started to get to know the character and understand the story I was hooked, the ending was well done. Sort of finished and left many unanswered questions if that makes sense!

Action and adventure, with a good fantasy feel and some mythology woven in to create a wonderful story and one that I am looking forward to continuing. It is one I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx