The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan is book one in The Mirror Realm Cycle fantasy series. This was a 4 star read for me.

There are two parallel storylines, one tells the story of what happens when Toba unwittingly follows Barsilay and Asamel into the Mazik realm, where she shouldn't be. Toba has always been sickly, able to speak but not yell and able to walk but not run. That's not the only way she's different though. She has the ability to write with both hands at the same time in different languages.
Now she's stuck in the Mazik world until the next full moon, so Barsilay puts her to work translating their library. Toba is very curious, though, and as she lives and learns about Barsilay and Asamel, it becomes clear she can never return to the mortal world and her family.

The other storyline tells of Naftaly, son of a tailor, who was trying to save Toba when she walked through the light-filled gate in the pomegranate grove. He doesn't know her, but feels the need to save and protect her, so he tries to find a way to the gate by the next full moon. But Naftaly isn't just any man. He has dreams where he can talk to people who are far away. His father was able to do this, too, but never explained the significance to Naftaly. Now, Naftaly is in charge of a secret book that his father left him that he's not supposed to ever open or read, only protect and never let it get into someone else's hands. With him is Toba's grandmother Elena and an Old Woman who begged around their town. The gate opens at different places at each full moon, so they must get to the correct location before the next full moon ends to be able to get Toba back.

The beginning is a little slow as the foundation and world-building are established, but it is well-written and imperative to the story. The characters are all well-developed and there is tension where necessary. Our main characters are all Jewish, and are needing to evacuate where they live due to a decree that all Jews must convert or deal with the consequences. We see the fear through the different characters' eyes, and how persecuted they are by those around them. They aren't able to take many items with them, having to leave behind not only their possessions but life as they know it. They have to flee their homes or face execution.

All in all, this is a great beginning to the Mirror Realm Cycle series. The pacing is good, and the storylines come together in an unexpected way at the end. If you enjoy fantasy novels, then this would be a wonderful addition to your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a digital copy of The Pomegranate Gate for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"The Pomegranate Gate" started very slowly, I found the first 1/3 or so to be an absolute slog, but it picked up after that point. Despite some additional pacing issues, I thought this book was wonderful. Mystifying and mystical, engrossing and charming, I came to love reading this book.

The Pomegranate Gate is the first novel in the Mirror Realm Cycle. This is my first novel by Kaplan and will not be my last as she weaved together a unique fantasy tale that features elements of Jewish mythology and the Spanish Inquisition. The story follows two main POVs, along with other POVs, a woman named Toba Peres and a man named Naftaly Cresques. In the kingdom of Seafarad, an inquisition-era Spain-like place, the queen has ordered all Jews to convert or be exiled. Toba gets separated from the group and enters the world of the Masiks through a mysterious pomegranate grove. Naftaly vows to find her.

The pacing is slow as the details are stretched out like a bedtime narrative. Since this is a high fantasy world, there are a lot of set-ups to the world, politics, and all the other elements that need to be established. Along with the establishment of characters and plot that takes a bit to connect with, the entire story did take me a while to become invested. Once you are in the middle of it all, the story keeps you captivated; however, I can see some readers giving up before reaching this point. The characters themselves are all interesting, although with so much going on around them they can sometimes appear flat. There are romances in the story for Toba and Naftaly where I was more invested in one relationship compared to the other.

As this is the beginning of a series, there are still some unanswered questions left for the sequels. This also means that there is not a huge payoff at the end compared to a standalone, so it is difficult to fully judge the storytelling without the rest of the series. Some readers may connect with the drawn-out writing, but, for me, I feel there are portions that could have been edited to be more concise. I don’t mind longer novels, but I also prefer slightly more brief sections throughout where I can get myself motivated to continue reading. While I prefer some changes, I did still want to read it and will eventually read the sequel. Overall, this was a great intro to the author and a great unique tale.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Erewhon Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This book was so good! It reminded me a lot of The Lost Gate series by Orson Scott Card, but with some unique world building. It was a well written book with a lot of movement and multiple third person PoVs. This book had the absolute CUTEST LGBTQ+ m/m couple I've read in a book in a long while.

The ending was a lot, but so well done. I didn't realize this was part of a series until the ending,

Three stars for unaliving a child without a content warning.

Content Warning: death of a child, burning alive father and child, full rainbow of curse words (used sparingly)

An intriguing fantasy. You have to persevere for a while because the pace of the story is very slow. It's only halfway through the book that it truly becomes interesting. Of the two main characters, I found Toba's development the most interesting, although I also greatly enjoyed the budding romance of Naftaly. A fascinating introduction to the mirror realm.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tough book to review.

On the one hand, the world building and setting was absolutely fantastic and unique. The Pomegrante Gate is set during the Inquisition in a fantasy version of Spain and features Sephardic Jewish characters and folklore. And as if that weren't enough, there is LGBTQ rep AND neurodivergent rep. Toba and Naftaly were fascinating characters, trying to do the best they can with the limited choices and information available to them.

However, this book is SLOW. You can 100% tell it's book 1 of a trilogy, and honestly, it's mostly vibes and little plot, which is almost always something I don't care for and this was no exception.

But the vibes? Immaculate. I'll definitely pick up the next one.

4/5 stars.

P.S. The Waterstones Standard Edition has lovely sprayed edges.

The world building and mythology in this story is delightfully rich and engaging.
I enjoyed learning about the characters and the world they live in. The main characters I found very interesting seeing their stories unfold and intertwine across two worlds. The romance is very slow and subtley done which makes me excited for book 2 in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I was really looking forward to this release, I really enjoy historical fantasy and I've read Jewish fantasy before and found found it very interesting.
However, I sadly couldn't really get into it and ended up DNFing at 25%.

I think it's a well written book and I liked the setting and the general setup, it just failed to get my attention. At 25%, I still felt like I didn't know much about the direction of the plot or what the objective of the book really is.
I was also a bit confused with the worldbuilding itself, it felt like you're really getting thrown into the story and I personally think that it would have been better to get more explanations.
It also didn't help that the POVs felt rather impersonal, I don't need to connect to characters in order to enjoy a story, but it did feel like there was some detachment between the reader and the character.

Overall, I think it is worth a shot for anyone who enjoys historical fantasy and that this was a "it's not you, it's me" situation.

My first thought upon finishing the Pomegranate Gate was that I cannot wait for this book to be fully out in the world so I can force everyone I know to devour it as I did, and finally have people to talk about it with. What an enrapturing ride! Ariel Kaplan proved to be incredibly skilled at weaving so many seemingly unconnected threads of this story together into something that stole my breath by the end. Toba as a main character was complex and intriguing, and I was rooting for her with her every evolution. Though I will say, by the third act, Naftaly and Barsilay had completely stolen my heart. This book is completely drenched in rich, vivid folklore and worldbuilding, and I found myself completely lost in the machinations of this magical alternate history of the Spanish Inquisition. Kaplan brings to life this world strife with fear and tension; I felt the chase as easily as if I were who they were after.

Perhaps what I loved most is that every single character in this book is intelligent. Even Naftaly, branded by everyone and himself to be a fool, finds intelligence and sacrifice in his compassion. Toba, who knows nothing of the world of Maziks, survives through her cunning to possibly become the realm's only savior. Elena, Toba's grandmother, calls upon ancestral knowledge to protect Toba's life in childhood and chase her across time and place to save her as an adult. All of them, and this world itself, were a genuine pleasure to acquaint myself with over these nearly six hundred pages.

I will be waiting with baited breath for the next installment of this series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Pomegranate Gate had a really interesting and unique premise, but unfortunately suffered from having too many POVs. The novel could also have profited from being a tad shorter, as I found myself skimming the last twelve or so chapters.

I really loved the idea of reading a story based in Jewish folklore, but I found it hard to get into the story. I think the pacing and story structure made it hard to connect with the characters.

I think I might have liked this if I started it in a different reading mood. But it’s sat unread for a while now and I don’t feel compelled to go back. I do hope to come back to it at a later time as I did really like the historical setting and the Jewish perspective/characters of the story. The magic/fantasy aspect was intriguing and definitely made me curious as to why the main characters had the attributes that they did, as well as wanting to find out more about the villain.

I believe this would be a great read for someone looking for a fantasy book written from a voice and representation not commonly found in Young Adult Fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for an ARC

How is this book not popular?

The Pomegranate Gate is an exciting new series, first book of the Mirror Realm Cycle, set in 15th century Spain during the time of Inquisition and persecution of the Jews. Simultaneously, it also opens to the mirror-world bound by the gate, a magical world where Maziks and fantastical creatures live. I’m fairly new to the Jewish folklore and I enjoyed learning more about it.

I think the only drawback of this is the pacing, if one prefers more fast-paced. However, I appreciate that the author took time for world-building. The plot is full of depth and very intricate, but nonetheless comprehensible, making this book as a whole, a spell-binding experience.
Although, there were a handful of characters to keep track on, the character list at the beginning was a big plus. The story is still told based from two POVs and the main protagonists were still the main stars. Their side arcs were rather entertaining too.

There were plentiful of fantastical elements that were embedded and were used creatively and the prose was also pretty good too. This is an adult fantasy to certainly look out for as it simply offers more. Just look at the endpages and edges on this one and this is the normal edition folks!

Read this if you like:
-Interesting setting, historical setting
-Want to know more Jewish folklore?
-Portal fantasy
-Political discussions, power greed
-Satisfying character development
-Onion: peeling layers of plot

The Pomegranate Gate is a book I could hardly wait to get my hands on. I’d only read a few other fantasy books set in Spanish Inquisition inspired worlds (The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson; the Hollow Crown duology by Zoraida Córdova), and I’m always eager to read more. I had high expectations for this book, and I’m happy to report that it easily met and even exceeded them.

This is a fairly strange book, at least compared to what I normally read. Perhaps it draws on different folklore and mythology than I’m familiar with. Much as I know about Spain, I don’t know much about Jewish folklore. Sometimes the “too weird” in a book can take me out of it, but in The Pomegranate Gate, I actually loved every bit of it. Things only get weirder as it goes, but it always works.

There is a wide cast of characters, and it takes some time to get to know them all. Toba is strange in the unusual limitations she has: She can’t run or shout, but she can write with both hands in different languages simultaneously. Naftaly is odd, too: He sees square-pupiled people in his dreams, visions that seem increasingly real. The old woman; Elena; the two Mazik men, Asmel and Barsilay; the many side characters and villains along the way… there are a lot of characters to keep track of, not to mention the many unfamiliar cities in a fantasy Spain world, the magic system in the Mazik realm, and the rules around the different realms. At nearly 600 pages, The Pomegranate Gate has enough room for readers to get familiar with everything, so even if it feels overwhelming at first, the author leads us forward with care and a sense of fun. Perhaps the most fun is the old woman, with her constant complaining and snarky insults. She’s a riot!

Since Toba is separated from her mortal companions, the book mostly follows two different POVs, both in third person. In the Mazik realm we follow Toba, Asmel, and Barsilay and the increasingly dangerous circumstances surrounding them all. In the mortal realm, Naftaly, Elena, and the old woman have their own adventure as they track down Toba. I found both POV sections to be equally enjoyable and captivating. Both are high-action, but also leave room to breathe and let things unfold in their own time.

The Pomegranate Gate is a winding and imaginative journey filled with magic, action, politics, religion, and even some romance. But that cliffhanger! As much as the events of this particular book do wrap up… the way it ends leaves so many doors open. What will happen next with our characters? Now that they know so much more, and perhaps have more desire to change their circumstances, where will they go and how will they put things to right? This is a strong opener to the trilogy and will leave readers eager for the next chapter.

The Pomegranate Gate is unlike any other book I’ve read. It’s unusual but wholly engaging, and I loved every moment of reading it. I’m excited to continue the Mirror Realm Cycle series; hopefully the second book will be out within the next year or so!

There were parts of The Pomegranate Gate that I loved (namely the Sephardic Jewish influences on the plot). However, there were a lot of things that I personally look for in a fantasy that I thought were missing. I wouldn't say that's a criticism as much as a preference on my part though.

I was so excited to read this book because I love Jewish inspired fantasy. And all of the Jewish elements of The Pomegranate Gate were fantastic. I loved how the Jewishness was woven throughout the entire story, rather than just having a few Jewish elements or references.

For me, in order to become engaged in a fantasy series I either need to become invested in the characters or in the world. With The Pomegranate Gate, I wasn't really given enough information to do either. There are several major characters in the book whose backstories and motivations are not revealed until late in the story, by which point I already didn't really care about them. There was a similar issue with the world building - it was so slow to develop that for a good chunk of the book I just didn't care that much because I didn't know enough about it. While it's hinted that some more threads are going to be revealed in later books, the first book didn't totally motivate me to pick up the next ones.

Overall The Pomegranate Gate had a lot of really great parts to it, and I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy it. However, it was not personally my favorite in the genre.

3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

The Pomegranate Gate is an intriguing Jewish fantasy story. The development of the world is detailed and gripping. However, the pacing and structure make the story difficult to get into to. Whilst, I loved Toba, Naftaly and even the Courser as characters, the development of the story makes their POV's slow to read. I didn't get into the story until 60% through which is a shame because the concept of the story is amazing, but the execution is hard to enjoy because of the dense nature of the writing.

Despite this, the story continues to intrigue and I enjoyed the direction the romances took in the second half. I was mostly invested in Toba's story for the first half as I enjoyed her journey of discovering her Mazik magic. Naftaly definitely shined more in the second half and I'm interested to see where this will go.

I want to read the sequel and see if the writing style changes and what happens next in he story.

What a stunning start to a new fantasy series set in a fantastical version of Medieval Spain!🏰

Before getting into late 19th century Anglo-Irish poetry, I was enamored (and still am really) with Medieval Spain and its mystical Jewish poetry. Not only did this take me back to that period of my life and research, but it also continued to build on my understanding of Jewish folklore. 🪬

Toba is one of multiple POVs in the book, and she was a fascinating character as she finds out the secrets of her past. I loved her quiet reservation and determination to know and get things done. Her relationship with Asmel was rather. . . Odd as it did give off a feeling of grooming, but I can see how Kaplan ensured that it wasn’t exactly that, just an ageless man falling for a young woman. . . But still rather strange. 😕

Naftaly was probably my favorite of the POVs as his budding relationship with a certain Mazik was just so endearing as you see the two different sides of that character. I hope to see more of them together in the next installment! ❤️

The world building, while not super over the top, still felt different and unique. I loved the idea that different dimensions of the same world exist and that the humans and Maziks are reflections of each other instead of solely demons as in folklore.🪞

All in all, I did love the characters, magic system and the world, but the age gap in Toba’s love interest was rather weird and the plot did at times feel like it stalled. But in the end, I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait to get back into world again! ✨

For those interested in learning more about this incredible period of Iberian history, I HIGHLY recommend reading María Rosa Menocal’s The Ornament of the World. It’s a gorgeous study on how Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived harmoniously and even influenced each other in Medieval Spain and how it bled into the Reconquista of Spain. ⚔️

Thank you again to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for gifting this eARC in exchange for an honest review! 💖

Overall: 4.25/5 ⭐️

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that pulls you into a new world and doesn't let go. I'm invested in the characters and fascinated by the story. This is very much first in a series, though, so the reader should be prepared to have many questions unanswered at the end.

The Pomegranate Gate might be the most original fantasy I’ve read ever.
Steeped in lush Jewish mythology and symbolism and told from the perspectives of multiple, distinctive characters, the story unfolds with clever dialogue and an enchanting (if not entirely unusual) cast. I was genuinely spell-bound for the entirety of the story, and felt an immediate empathy and connectedness to the characters. Ariel Kaplan’s writing is the perfect blend of imaginative and straightforward, and I appreciated the foreshadowing woven throughout the story like a gold thread within a tapestry. I found the Tobats to be witty and oddly relatable, and I feel strongly that Naftaly and Barsilay should be protected AT ALL COSTS. And that ending?? A delightful cliff-hanger (and I never thought there could be such a thing before now). Well done, Miss Kaplan and I truly can’t wait for more from the world of The Mirror Realm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an arc of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan!