I think this is an underrated book that more people should read. There are less than 1k reviews on goodreads and it was pretty good!! Is it the best adult fantasy I've read? No. But I still immensely enjoyed it and think more people should read it. Again, I wish books would be shorter though. I swear, every book I look at is over 450 pages when they definitely don't need to be. I understand that fantasies are different, but still.

I fell in love with pomegranates, both the fruit and its depictions, while in Israel in 2018. I wound up buying a set of Shabbat candlesticks engraved with pomegranates along with some artwork while we were there. Also, one of my sons lives in Los Angeles and his neighbor has a pomegranate tree - and we recently got to sample one right from the tree! So when I saw a fantasy book called The Pomegranate Gate, which imagines a fantasy-Spain during the Inquisition and featuring Jewish protagonists, I jumped at the chance to read it. The length of the book (almost 600 pages) intimidated me a bit, but I finally settled down to both read and listen to it (audiobooks are the best!) and I was not disappointed. I got absorbed in the complex story line quickly.

The Pomegranate Gate is an intriguing beginning to an expected fantasy trilogy highlighting Jewish mythology and tradition. It imagines not only an alternate/ fantasy Spain (Sefarad) during the Inquisition (late 1400s) but also a mirror realm. The portions of the story set in the “real” world could be considered magical realism, which is one of my favorite genres, but the mirror world features Maziks, who look mostly human but are not mortal and have extensive magical powers, making this more a “high fantasy” story.

Jewish tradition and mythology are deeply embedded in the story. There is a glossary and a list of characters and places, which helps the reader keep track of the many characters and places mentioned. (It still was a bit hard to keep them all straight.) A little knowledge of Hebrew (even just a smidge of “prayer book Hebrew”) will enhance things, but isn’t necessary. For example, there’s a character referred to as Adon Sof’rim, which translates to Lord of Books. There are references to mikveh, tzitzit and other Jewish traditions and practices along the way.

There are a number of “gate cities” and gates between the “real” world and the mirror world of the Maziks, and the titular Pomegranate Gate is one of the gates. Toba and Naftaly are two young people fleeing the Inquisition and they both have connections to the Maziks, although they don’t initially know this. Some of the side characters are wonderful, especially the woman only referred to as “the old woman.” She is feisty and funny. The world-building was terrific.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did a great job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

The Pomegranate Gate was an interesting read. I stayed interested in the storyline through the whole book but it felt dragged out and too long. It could have been shortened. I liked Toba's character but once Toba Bot came again I preferred her. Naftaly's character was okay. He felt his character building was lacking. I am not sure what else I could say because this was a good book, but it could have been shorter.

I will probably continue with the series or at least read the next book because the ending of The Pomegranate Gate indicated the real action will be in book 2.
Thank you Erewhon Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of The Pomegranate Gate.

I really wanted to enjoy this. It sounds exactly like the kind of book that I would really connect with. For some reason I just could not connect with the world and characters.

I genuinely believe this is an issue with myself, and much less with the book itself. I will say the beginning of the book is complex but no more so than The Night Circus or The Starless Sea. The prose is lyrical and gorgeous, but I never felt the desire to continue reading the book. It was far too easy to put down, and for that reason I did not finish it.

I definitely think this will find its audience, especially those who enjoy atmospheric “vibey” kind of books. I’m hopeful that I will be able to give this another chance at some point, and if I do I will update my review.

3/5 stars for the beauty and prose

It was a good read full of complexities. I just feel it was a little predictable and it is hard to move on from that. But thar is just my opinion.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, and I was absolutely devastated that it took me so long to get to it! I was hoping it would meet my expectations, which were pretty high for this story. But seriously, how could they not be? An Inquisition-era fantasy with Jewish folklore sounds right up my alley.

To start with, this is the kind of slow-paced book that I don’t mind. It gives me time to savor all of the complex aspects of the world-building, the storyline, and the incredibly detailed geopolitical aspects of both the Sefarad and the magical world behind the Pomegranate Gate. Unlike many other series I’ve read, where each book has its own individual plot with an overarching theme or mega-plot to tie them together, this one gave the impression of having the plot spread out over multiple books, so that this is more like Act I of a multi-act play. It makes it difficult to judge the plot fully, but I loved seeing how it developed and I wonder where it is going to go next.

It was so easy for me to get attached to the characters. Toba has spent her entire life being unwell, and is used to her limitations, although they frustrate her. It isn’t until she’s in a scary situation that she realizes how dangerous they can be. But the situation leads her to pass through the Pomegranate Gate, where she’s thrust into a new kind of danger—a land full of politics and magic that she knows nothing about. Naftaly is descended from a long line of tailors, but he doesn’t have the gift for it, yet is forced into the trade nonetheless. His talent lies in dreaming, instead. When he sees Toba go through the gate, he tries to follow, but can’t. So he tries to find her in dreams, yet keeps encountering the same mysterious man.

We’re introduced to two mirrored worlds—one that is basically just a fictional version of Inquisition-era Spain, where the Jewish population, who has lived there for hundreds of years, has been given the option of converting to Catholicism or leaving Spain and all of their belongings (including all of their money), of course. Even the converted Jews weren’t above suspicion, and were often in just as much danger as they were before. The other world is a magical world full of Maziks, a race of Fae-like creatures who have magic and can be identified by their square-pupiled eyes. There’s an Inquisition-like event happening in this world as well, and it was so interesting to learn about this new world.

Jewish fantasy books have been few and far between, although recent years have seen a few published. This is one of the most Jewish that I’ve seen, with the representation threaded throughout the entire story, so that it becomes impossible to separate the story from its Jewishness. From the names (the character names are common Jewish names), to the setting (Inquisition-era persecution of Jews), to the way the characters say Hashem instead of God, and even to the way words are pluralized with the suffixes -im or -ot instead of adding an “s” at the end of the word. It was also fascinating to learn about Sephardic folklore and history, since that isn’t as well-represented in books and especially fantasy.

I adored this story. Normally, slow-paced books aren’t my thing, but this one allowed me time to process everything that was being presented in the story. The world-building is a bit complex with the two worlds and the world-building, and the differing experiences of Toba and Naftaly. I enjoyed the author’s use of humor and found myself laughing while reading, the queer slow-burn subplot, having my heartstrings tugged on, my Jewish soul nourished, and my nails bitten to the quick after a cliffhanger ending that is making me desperate for a sequel to come out soon.

There are books that are pretty good, and there are books that are captivating beyond the point of understanding. "The Pomegranate Gate" is definetly the second type. Although I need to mark that I took a four months long break from reading (without particular reason, certainly not a problem of the book itself), so my opinion is partially based on trust in this story. Coming backto it after such period of time made catching with the plot harder – but, gods, if Ariel Kaplan can't serve, I am a Queen of England. Despite the break, despite months that passed, I was brought into this world again quicker than a thunder. It's magical. It's not afraid to take a long moment to unravel, but every stage is mesmerizing. The characters are great, they complement the world-building and vice versa. And the story - the story is so original, so different, and yet not overcomplicated, it's impossible to resist its charm. I loved it very dearly and regret a bit not reading it sooner.

The Pomegranate Gate was a really enjoyable book, particularly for those who enjoy a slower paced novel. This book began a bit mysterious, constantly wondering about the importance of the tiniest things. I am unsure how much of the mystic-ness of this book is from Jewish folklore compared to the author's imagination, but I was enthralled by it. The pacing bored me a bit, but the mystery behind the magical realm kept me going. That all being said, I sometimes felt confused about the timing of the story overall, and I struggled to keep track of what was happening when. I think this may be because I was listening to the audiobook, and I was getting distracted.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

The POMEGRANATE GATE by Ariel Kaplan is an epic fantasy about two worlds bound by a pomegranate gate.

- multiple POVs
-unique world
-Jewish folklore and 15th-century Spain
-found family
-lyrical prose

"It's a bad idea," she told the man, "to attract someone who cannot run away"

We follow the storyline of Toba who unintentionally enters the Mazik realm where she shouldn't be. Toba is special, in her own way; she can speak, but she cannot shout and she can walk, but she cannot run. Yet, she has the ability to write in different languages with both hands at the same time.
Toba soon realizes that she is stuck until the next full moon.

Our other POV follows Naftaly, the hero who tried to save Toba when she stepped through the Pomegrante gate. Toba's grandmother and the old woman from town join him in the adventure and will have to find the next Pomegranate Gate during the following full moon to get to Toba.

Although the beginning felt a little slow, it allowed for such depth and character development that made the rest of the book much more enjoyable. The writing is phenomenal and the POV comes together in such unexpected ways.

4,5 stars

Thanks to @netgalley and @kensigntonbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3,5 stars

The Pomegranate Gate is a slow build portal fantasy that is set in a time where the Jews were persecutated. Be converted or exiled. It creates a jarring but realistic backdrop to a more whimsical tale in a different world.

I feel very conflicted about this book. In places the story and writing were very compelling and I found the book hard to put down. But in other places the story was bogged down by a drawn out narrative and too much details in one place of the story. There were many tiny switch scenes that could have been combined. It would have centered the book better and I would have been able to settle into a character better. Instead we switched between every scene. And every switch between our two main characters meant switching between the worlds.

While I love a good world building there were so many mentions of places and people, I found it hard to keep up. Some places were called the same thing in both worlds and then there were other names for others. We get the queen and rulers mentioned a lot but as we don't even meet the queen in 'our world' it was hard to picture where everything fit.

Having said that, I found it interesting to learn about the magic and this world through Toba and learing of this dream world through Navalny. There were a lot of compelling magic and politic bits that grabbed me in certain moments of the story.

The characters, Toba and Navalny were mostly decent but I didn't always find them compelling enough. I was actually more invested in two side characters. Old granny who we learned almost nothing off. But her character really helped make Naftaly's story interesting to read. I can only imagine what we will learn of her in next installments. And on Toba's side there was Barsilay, who was a bit flamboyant and created some tension and push in there.

I did care a little more for Naftaly who was genuinely just a good guy. But his motivation to have to find Toba was weak at best. The lengths he went through to get her back while he barely even knew her, felt weird in times. Adding in her grandmother into his story pretty much said that.

I struggled more with Toba, especially once she got split into two persons and especially one of them was really jarring. They kept talking about one being the original and the other the copy while personality wise it was pretty clear they were split. The 'original' Toba became a little whiny and quick to tears while the 'copy' Toba was more hardened and pushed through things to get what she wanted.

Despite being conflicted I am still interested in reading on with this series. I am especially curious what will happen between Navalny and Barsilay and to hopefully learn more about old granny.

This book has a lot of things going for it, but I’m sorry to say that the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

The setting is a great one. It’s set in a fantasy version of Spain in 1492. The Reconquista is over, and Christian rule has been reestablished over the entire Iberian peninsula. The kingdom’s Jews, who had prospered under Muslim rule, have been presented with a choice: either convert to Christianity, or leave the land where you have centuries-deep roots (and leave your money behind, thanks very much). Any practicing Jews remaining after the designated time will die. And even those who choose to convert have a hard time of it; the Inquisition is keeping a *very* close eye on them, because for some reason they think people who converted under threat of death might not have been entirely sincere about it.

The main characters are Toba, orphaned granddaughter of a translator, sickly and with no particular prospects; and Neftaly, a remarkably inept tailor. During their journey from their hometown towards fantasy-Portugal, Toba is quietly pulled away from the group by a bandit. Neftaly sees, and follows, but cannot find her. Toba has stumbled through a mysterious portal in a grove of pomegranate trees, and is in a world that mirrors our own in some ways, and is very different in others.

The story proceeds along two lines from here. Toba falls in with (essentially) the Fae, while Neftaly is trying to both find and rescue Toba and survive in a country that is rapidly becoming a very deadly place to be a Jew. Along the way, they both begin to learn about themselves and their heritage (which, it is not surprising to learn, is not entirely human).

For the most part, this is decent. There are some parts that drag a bit, but it’s not too bad. But the books fails in one major area: motivations. Why is Neftaly working so hard to find Toba? They’re from the same town, but they only knew each other in the vaguest of ways. And why are the Fae that Toba stumbles into on the other side of the gate helping and sheltering her? It’s made clear that they’re doing so at some degree of risk to themselves.

These are serious questions, and the lack of any good reason in either case undercuts the entire novel. Ultimately I finished it, but I’m not interested in reading the sequel.

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan, is a fantasy story set in a magical, mythical version of Spain during the time of the Inquisition, and based on Jewish Folklore. We follow our two main characters as their separate journeys lead their paths to intertwine with one another. We have Toba Peres who can talk but not shout, walk but not run and who can write simultaneously with both hands in different languages. Then we have Naftaly Cresques who has strange dreams of square-pupiled strangers in a magical world, who sees things that aren’t real while awake and has been passed down a book that has been kept within his family which he must never lose or read. These two unique characters are forced to leave their homes when the Queen forces all Jews to leave or convert. During their travels Toba is driven from the road and stumbles through a magical gate to land in the world of Maziks. After attempting to find Toba and bring her back to the road, and left behind at the gate, Naftaly finds himself fifty miles off course and in the company of a stubborn old woman who followed him into the woods. As Toba’s uncovering the secret of her parentage and newfound magic, Naftaly keeps being pulled into the dreamworld to one particular orange-eyed Mazik. To survive they both must uncover secrets about legend, magic and how a magic book is linked to Naftaly, Toba and a conflict in Mazik history, the lost city of Luz.


This book is definitely at a slower pace than I usually prefer to read in a fantasy, but Kaplan does an exquisite job of making that pacing seem just right. The introduction of characters and the unfolding of the story is done in a way that you are given just enough at the moment but not feeling overwhelmed by everything you are learning. This delivery, I feel, helps make a book like this that has so many places, characters and phrases that are uncommon, welcoming for readers new to fantasy.


While this book technically has two worlds, the world of the humans and the world of the Maziks, they are explored equally and the world building is delivered slowly throughout. There is no info dumping in this as the world you’re in or the magic that you’re experiencing is explained as it comes into play within the story. The magic system itself is quite fascinating and while there are influences from magic systems I have read before, they have a unique twist to them in the lands of the Maziks.


The characters are some of the most fascinating as there are many of them. You are introduced to the characters similar to the way you are the magic, as the story develops. This story is told in multiple POV and not just Toba and Naftaly which adds to the viewing of the worlds in unique takes. Each character is given their own personality and while I did love and enjoy each character, I really enjoyed that you got to know their flaws in full. None of the characters are painted as perfect, especially when it comes to learning or navigating the magic. One of my favorite characters is the Old Lady (you never learn her name), she is a spit fire, smart, sassy, and quick witted. She very much is the comedy relief in some tense moments, which I appreciated.


This story being based in a version of Spain during the Inquisition and pulling from true historical facts about the treatment of Jewish people during that time was fascinating and extremely eye opening. Kaplan is able to deliver the cruel actions of the crown forcing Jewish people to make the decision to leave their home and seek refuge elsewhere or convert, in a way that you are understanding that this happened to real people but keeping you within this fantasy world she created. I finished this book and wanted to dive into my own research of the true facts that inspired this story.


Overall, I think that this book was well written and very enjoyable. It draws you in deeper and deeper as you read. The characters are enjoyable on their own and together, especially as their journeys start intertwining. The banter between the characters was strongly written and felt genuine and true to their voices. As for complaints about this book I only have one. There is a strange romantic…pining, I believe that’s the best word for it, that takes place between two characters that depending on how it plays out later on, could have gone without. That being said, I very much enjoyed reading another developing romance (and the only queer one). It's very sweet, flirting, and I can’t wait to watch what it becomes.


This is the first book in the Mirror Realm Cycle trilogy and does leave on a cliffhanger. But I cannot wait to pick up the sequel when it comes out. This was a five star read for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I have to be honest and say I stopped halfway through. The story was intriguing but the prose was wordy, and ultimately too much. This book is LONG, and I don't mean by sheer page numbers but in reading it, it feels never ending. I read the giant dragon book, so I have zero issue reading longer books, but this one simply did not need to be this huge. More succinct language and tightening down on POVs would have helped in a big way. There was also the issue of jumping from one POV to the next without warning and that really pulls a reader out of the story, when they have to read a page r two to figure out what is going on. I think this could have been done in such a way that I would have loved it, so I am sad I couldn't get through it. After 2 months of reading only a page or two at a time I had to simply give it up.
I hope the book finds it audience.

Entering the labyrinth of The Spanish Inquisition, the mysticism of Jewish Kabbalah, and the expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century, this novel unveils a promising fantasy saga. Magic, mystery, and the struggle for survival across parallel worlds enhance the allure, initially setting the stage for an engaging adventure. With a foundation built on inventive ideas, well-crafted characters, and a skillful narrative, the book manages to capture the reader's attention. However, the plot lost its grip for me halfway through, after which it was meandering without a satisfactory climax. This prompts speculation about whether the much-anticipated moment might unfold in a subsequent installment.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the ARC.

Where to begin?? This book was brilliant with lush magic and wonderful characters that felt like fully fleshed people. A did have a hard time getting into though I have to admit and sometime I was fighting and pushing myself through to the end. That said however, I really enjoyed the character driven plot and the political plot points. Overall, I think Toba was a very compelling character but I don’t think she’s what kept me reading the novel. I think it was mostly the magic and the history however fictional it was. The novel definitely has some Alice through the looking glass vibes and I’m so here for it! I need to find out what happens in book two!!!!!!

What an intriguing concept, beautifully rendered. An epic fantasy set among Sephardic Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, this may be stepping out ahead of my skis, since just the one book is published, but it could do for Sephardic magical stories what S.A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy did for Arabic folklore.

I’ll say little to spoil the plot – so much of the The Pomegranate Gate’s delight is in the lush and strange world, the strange but alluring characters (those that are - or seem - human and those that very much do not), the sense that not everything is as it appears. There’s not yet a publication date for the sequel(s?) in the Mirror Realm Cycle but hopefully we’ll get them soon!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️💫 4.5 stars rounded up
Rep: Queer, Jewish

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I really expected to like this book. The premise is excellent - inquisition-era fantasy is such a great avenue for storytelling given the vibrancy and complexity of the period - and I'm always glad to see efforts to bring portal fantasy back into vogue. I could see the bones of an excellent story here, but ultimately, it failed to grip me. I think my main problem is simply that nothing happens for the first half of the book; Toba spends a lot of time trying to do vague magic that mostly involves turning lentils into other things, and Naftaly is simply wandering around trying to find a girl he barely even knows. There wasn't enough for me to latch on to the characters as their worlds seemed so small despite the hints of a larger universe, and I didn't really understand their motivations or what drove them throughout the story.

I did enjoy the way that Jewish myths and beliefs were incorporated into the story, and I'd potentially still recommend this book for others looking for more religious-themed works, but I just wish I'd been more inspired by this book overall.

5 ✰ // a wonderful book full of rich sephardic folklore and an engaging storyline. utterly atmospheric and truly refreshing to get to read books told from a lesser told tradition that i wish was more widely written upon. also, i cannot wait to read more of Kaplan’s work in the future!! i would highly recommend this book to those with sephardim heritage or anyone just looking to read an invigorating book with a riveting plot, interesting characters, and an immersive setting! cannot recommend this book highly enough! if you are a fantasy reader make sure to get The Pomegranate Gate on your tbr asap!!

thank you so much to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!