This book was everything I wanted it to be! From the setting to the magic system and the characters, I loved it all.

In “Ebony Gate” we follow Emiko, the retired Butcher of Beijing and descendent of one of the eight dragons exiled from their Realm a long time ago. As one of these descendants, most have inherited substantial dragon powers. However, not our heroine Emiko. With no significant dragon powers to speak of and being done with all the blood shedding, she breaks her blade and leaves Asia behind to start a new life in San Francisco, a relatively new city when it comes to magic. While avoiding being drawn back into magic for quite some time, when a Shinigami calls in a family blood dept, Emiko is forced to find the Ebony Gate such that the ghosts of the underworld would not infest her San Francisco.

The magic system in this book was amazing. I really enjoyed the incorporation of aspects of Asian mythology, such as qi and auras. The setting was also really cool. San Francisco + magic feels like a recipe for success. Additionally, I also liked that the story was really descriptive. While reading this book, I could really imagine myself following the daily routine of Emiko as well as wandering through the streets of the magical part of San Francisco.

The fact that Emiko was uncertain about herself and her abilities regardless of her badass past was really relatable, and I love that she felt so human (even though she technically isn’t :)).

The only thing in the book which bothered me a little was when the main character listed the languages which she spoke, naming a list of Asian languages (three dialects of Chinese, Japanese) but forgetting to mention English. As a non-native English speaker, I don’t think English would be Emiko’s mother tongue, and it felt like it should have been mentioned.

I would for sure recommend this book to everyone who loves Asian inspired fantasy, urban fantasy, or just loves to read about the streets of San Francisco, and there better be a second book soon!

Lastly, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really think I would have liked the book better if everything was more established and explained. The potential is there for a great read, the execution just could have been done a bit better.

The main issue I had with this book was that I was hoping for more of everything. By that I mean, there was a really interesting magic system introduced but very little explanation into how it worked, the world building needed more time to be established and I wish there was more time taken with the side characters.

The main character seemed to distance herself from everyone and there was a reason for that but it created a disconnect because we didn’t get to learn much about the side characters who seemed interesting. It was a very one sided narrative where it was kind of only perceived as one way because the main character believed it to be so even though as the reader, you know that they should be picking up on very obvious clues for what is really happening. Another note about the characters is that they were all referred to by many different names be it titles, nicknames, clan names, first names etc. It made it pretty difficult to keep track of who was who. These characters would also be addressed by different names at different times so that made it even harder, especially at the start of the book.

With the direction of the ending, it seems like her relationships with the side characters and family as well as the world and magic will be explored more in the sequel. The ending makes me think the sequel will be better.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Tor in exchange for an honest review.

This was an exciting fast paced contemporary fantasy. I loved the representation and the inclusion of many East Asian inspired myths, monsters and magic. Also any book that includes a cool mythical animal companion for the main character gets extra points.

The beginning started off a little slower with us readers getting into the world building and background information on the main character Emiko. It’s not just a fantasy story it also has heartwarming and funny moments. I really connected to Emiko. She is a strong willed character who doesn’t like to ask for help and Isn’t accustomed to showing any weakness. She just wants to be retired and left alone. We as readers slowly see her growth and watch her form new connections, life long friends and find her place in the world.

I loved the overall story and the pacing picked up quickly into what has to be the most intense 48 hours for Emiko. The subtle hints at what’s happening and unraveling the larger plot was fun to piece together. The characters were all unique but the story never felt overcrowded to where I couldn’t keep up with who was who like I do in some longer fantasy novels. The dragon mythology and clans talents/magic were fascinating and I loved the clan history. This book was definitely a great set up for what’s to come in the next two books.

This was a super fun contemporary fantasy story and I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

This book has an awesome premise-- dragon magic, feuding families, death gods, and one girl in the middle of it all trying to save her soul from guard duty. All very cool things!

Unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me. For the entire storyline, our main character Emiko Soong is trying to steal back the gate to the underworld from unknown enemies all to pay back the talon call-- a favor her mother traded with a Japanese death god. This should be high risk, high tension, but that emotional tension is lacking. Emiko is constantly going on side missions, and time seems to bend and shape itself to whatever she needs. I also just didn't love Emiko as our main character. She is a hardened and well trained--though retired-- assassin, having earned the title the Butcher of Beijing, but at times she's alarmingly naive. The characters that surround her, though, are all amazingly done. The denizens of San Fransico are interesting and intense, and I would love to read books about them-- especially the scary librarian! The idea of the city being alive and almost sentient in its own way was also really different from other stories I've read, and I thought it was a very cool concept.

My other issues with this story are more because of what I like and don't like in the books I read. For example, I absolutely hate reading descriptions of what people are wearing, and that happens throughout this book. Constantly. One character, Fiona, changed outfits three times in one chapter, and we got descriptions of each one. There are also characters that just disappear from the storyline, and Emiko doesn't think about them again until they're important to the plot.

Overall, this is a fun read, but it was slow for me between the slow pacing and the constant clothing descriptions. It has some really cool moments (I would read whole books about the librarian), and the family-centric dragon magic is cleverly done and ties in themes of the Asian diaspora that show up throughout the book. As it stands right now, I would be interested in picking up the second book to see where the authors take these characters and the living magical city of San Fransisco.

*Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reader copy of this book

Ebony Gate is an action packed adventure following Emiko, who has moved to San Francisco to separate herself from her past. However, escaping her past is not quite as easy as moving a continent away. The magic system itself is spellbinding, eight (or nine) dragons were exiled from their realm long ago, and their human descendants have hoard talents and magical artifacts that still connect them to the lost realm. Emiko is drawn back into the world of magic that she tried to escape when a Shinigami shows up and requires her help. This was an engaging story that is clearly an introduction to something much larger. My only critique is that sometimes Emiko's internal narrative can be a little much sometimes, though the only time this really happened was during action sequences. Many of these internal monologues provide important information to the reader. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the opportunity to listen to the audiobook as well. The narration was engaging, clear, and truly brought Emiko's voice to life.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Net Galley for this e-arc

I love a fearless strong woman and Emiko portrays that she’s a complicated character and all she wants is peace but with the name like “the butcher of Beijing” that’s hard to come by.

I thought the magic system, the different clans and the different powers they have were extremely interesting there is a lot of world building and Info dumping that I felt could have been more fluid and fell flat at times but I definitely think this book has so much potential and I hope the second book is better. I overall enjoyed it I just wish it wasn’t so slow in the first half of the book.

Ahoy there me mateys!  This was a hard book to wrap me noggin around.  For one thing, I thought it was a standalone.  It is, apparently, the first in the series with two other books currently listed.  It felt like a book two.  I felt like I was dumped into the world and was missing a ton of backstory and world building that I should already know.  The buildup was meandering.  There were lots of introduced side characters that were not explored at all.  Also way too many descriptions of clothes, objects, etc.  The book was better than okay but less than good.

The main character, Emiko, is given a quest with a tight deadline but the pacing and plot lead to very little suspense.  Forty-eight hours seemed to take several weeks.  Emiko is also in the dark about her own talents and, given the non-subtle hints everywhere, she should not be so obtuse.  The cover-ups are blatant and the overall feeling when I finished was that the plot was a tease and rather dissatisfying.  The ending was drawn out unnecessarily.  And there is a love-triangle being set-up.  It felt like this book could have used a lot of trimming.

That said, I did like Emiko and enjoyed her character overall.  I also liked the death god.  The magic was fun and I would like to see more of sentient San Francisco.  And the foo lion was awesome and could have been used at lot more.  I also loved the librarian and the library itself.  I do want more answers about Emiko's talents and about her mother.  I am not adverse to reading the next book.  I just hope it has better editing.  Arrrr!

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I initially thought I was going to. I thought this was going to be a DNF but, the story to recover the Ebony Gate and the magical world were compelling enough for me to stick it out.

This book introduces us to Emiko Soong, the former Butcher of Beijing, as tries to leave her dark past behind and build a new life in San Francisco. All this flies out the window when a shinigami calls in a family blood debt and tasks Emiko with helping seal the gate of the underworld.

I really enjoyed the cultural details and folklore that was woven in throughout the story. The magical system and the talents of different clans/characters were compelling but, I wish we had gotten a bit more background on some talents. I also would have liked to see more explanation or details on Emiko’s talent in this first book so that she could really explore what it means and how to use it in future books.

I don’t know how I feel about the love triangle that the authors seem to be establishing here.. At times, the romantic relationships felt forced and it feels like they were added just for the sake of Emiko having a romantic partner. I didn’t really see her being interested in Adam, and I don’t think we received enough background about her past with Kamon to really care.

Additionally, the pacing also felt a bit off. It took us a lot of pages to get through the first 18-24 hours of the story. Then the story kind of rushed through the resolutions, and I was left wanting more information. In the first half, we could have used more information on Emiko’s past (since it influences the story heavily) instead of the detailed descriptions of relatively unimportant details.

It’s a good start to a series that has a lot of potential and, an overall fun read. There’s a lot that can be built on here and I look forward to seeing where Emiko’s story takes us.

Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you to NetGalley, authors Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle, and Tor Publishing Group for this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm so excited to immerse myself in a new urban fantasy read, Phoenix Hoard, with the first installment, Ebony Gate. The MC, Emiko Soong, is the self-exiled Blade of the Song Clan, the daughter of one of the premier magical families in the world. She is trying her best to live a quiet life away from all the family politics in San Franciso, California. It isn't going so well.

Emiko finds herself called to honor a family blood debt owed to a shinigami - particularly a god of death. She needs to recover the Ebony Gate, which holds back ghosts of the Yomi underworld, or else pay for it with her soul. Her connection to the city, community, and family (found & blood) is fascinating, all while Emiko finds her calling.

Great action scenes, tension from her past, and her present connections kept me turning pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the unique magic system of this story built around Dragons and the Asian lore/myths incorporated into the world-building. I could not put the book down.

This is a superb lead into a larger story, and I look forward to continuing the series!

2.5 stars rounded up.

There were lots of cool ideas in this book. I saw another reviewer say that "This is a good story, sandwiched between a slow start and a drawn out ending," and I think they hit the nail on the head.

You follow Emiko, a former Blade of a Jia-ren clan and the Butcher of Beijing (we never find out how she earned this title, but nobody lets her forget that she is revered and hated for being the Butcher). She is now attempting to make a new start in San Francisco, but is foiled when a debt her mother owes drags her into doing the bidding of a death god. She has two days to help it do a seemingly impossible task.

This was a really interesting premise, and I was initially invested in Emiko's story and the magical world she inhabited. I liked some of the side characters and the multicultural aspect of San Francisco's Chinatown and little Tokyo.

For a story that focuses on events that supposedly span only two days, the pace was incredibly slow, and I often felt that there was no way all of these events were occurring within the implied time frame. There was a lot of needless detail in fight scenes that eventually went nowhere. Certain words and phrases were repeated often and didn't serve any purpose.

I do enjoy a story when the protagonist fails in order to learn and grow. This was sadly not one of them. Emiko blunders so many of her tasks (usually physical battles, which are meant to be her expertise), and only ever seems to succeed by fluke. It was frustrating, and I almost DNF'd this at the 80% mark.

In conclusion, I wish this had been put through another round or two of editing. The prose was meandering and the pacing off. Key plot points meant to be huge revelations were incredibly predictable and perhaps hinted at a bit too much. This disappointed me because there was so much in this book that could have potentially worked (cities imbuing their guardians with magic; magical, qi-based powers; a Foo lion charm animated to protect the wearer)!! But the execution felt clumsy and a chore to read. Sadly, this isn't one I'll recommend.

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC of this book! I first picked this book up because of its very intriguing premise: urban fantasy meshed with East Asian mythology? YES! And wow there were so many great points of this book that I would like to highlight. The main character Emiko Song is born from a descendant of dragons, but does not possess any magical abilities of her own. As such, she spends most of her former life being a trained assassin for her father. But then, after moving to San Francisco to “restart” her life, she finds herself tangled with the god of death and involved in clan politics.

One of the main highlights of the book was definitely the way the author was able to take myths and legends from a variety of Asian cultures to create a somewhat new culture of its own — rich in magical elements, action and adventure. I found myself getting so engrossed whenever bits and pieces of this world was revealed throughout the story. I also loved how the author touched upon various struggles that Emiko is facing in terms of finding a place to fit in, finding a home, trying to redefine one’s identity, experiencing grief and upholding traditions. And through everything that she went through, I loved her character development and how she comes out of it stronger than before.

I do admit that the pacing of the story dragged in some parts, and I was a bit confused with the world and the various unique terms it uses, especially at the beginning. And as someone who loves seeing characters’ relationships to one another, I thought that Emiko’s friends could have played a more pivotal role in the story, but it felt as if they disappeared in the middle and conveniently reappeared at the end.

Otherwise, this was a great urban fantasy fitting for readers who love action-packed adventures! And very excited to see what happens next in Emiko’s story!

I immediately wanted to pick up this book when I heard "female John Wick story set in contemporary San Francisco." I initially loved the world building and the magic system and I think there are a lot of cool ideas to explore. I found myself wondering what sorts of things were implied about the world just from what was shown and I'm sure there are many new magical secrets lying in wait.

Another strong point for this book was the main character. I loved Emiko, especially as a representation of a strong female character. Plus her Foo Lion, Bao, was adorable and I loved their interactions. Additionally, I found her relatable in the way that she didn't quite fit in with her family and burned bridges with them. She is trying to figure out a new life for herself but is constantly pulled back to responsibility and duty with them.

What ultimately made the book fall flat to me was the length of the book, and the lack of feeling like the stories premises had an impact on the decisions Emiko makes. Specifically, Emiko is given a very short time to recover the Ebony Gate but she often made choices that seemed to obviously waste that time. That didn't seem true to the situation and premises in the story, and took away from my immersion.

When starting this book I thought that with the time pressures that were laid out, this would be a fast paced action filled story. Overall, for a book that relies so heavily on action sequences, I was bored. The story in between action felt so slowly paced and when the action did pick up, those scenes felt entirely too long. I could definitely see this book working more on screen, where the action can be more attention grabbing and focusing, whether it be a movie or TV series.

All in all, this was a fine book to me, not particularly strong, definitely not bad. I think there is a lot of potential in the world and characters so I would give a sequel a try.

I want to thank NetGalley, and Tor Books for allowing me access to an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ebony Gate is the story of a girl, her sword, her spirit lion, a death god, some bao, a secret society of magically gifted families, and a race against time to save San Francisco from the hordes of the undead.

Ok, but seriously. I loved this book. Our main character is Emiko. Emiko moved to San Francisco to get away from her former life as a trained assassin for her father. She is pulled from her new life of relative anonymity when she is called on to fulfill a promise her family made to one of the Shinigami, a god of death. She must find the Ebony Gate and its source of power. The gate locked one of the portals to the underworld and if it is not replaced then the hordes of the undead will overrun San Francisco and destroy the life she’s made for herself.

If that little bit isn’t enough to catch your attention, then let me say that there are so many great things going on in this book. The lore behind Emiko and the clans that make up her hidden world is amazing and so in depth. The story pulls in elements of myth and legend from all across the Asian diaspora and blends them into a tapestry of faith, magic and martial talent. Emiko struggles with her past and with the demands of her family and community. Her determination and will are infectious and leap off the page. There is also an abundance of action in this book, and I just kept coming back for more.

My biggest critical issues with the book revolve around Emiko and her non-clan friends. Her business partner and a sword collector who are not among the clans make a few appearances throughout the book, but then fade off into the background as they aren’t allowed to get involved in the clans business. I felt that there was a lot left on the table in regard to her relationships with these friends who appear to be pretty crucial to her new life in San Francisco, but they don’t make much of an impact and only resurface again at the very end of the novel. I’m not sure if this falls into a criticism of this novel, or perhaps an intentional bit of unresolved tension for another book in this story. I, for one, would not be upset to see some more stories from Emiko in the future.

If you enjoy any of the things that I mentioned in the beginning of this review, then go get this book. You won’t regret it.

Imgur link directs to Instagram graphic scheduled for July 10th
Blog Post live on July 7th
Will be featured in next Recent Arc Roundup on Youtube Channel July 10th or 20th (Depending on health and filming opportunities)

It’s incredibly rare for me to find an Urban Fantasy that’s solid and does not fall into the trap being more on the Romance than the Fantasy side. If that’s you and you want that great Urban fantasy feeling - pick up Ebony Gate.

The story follows Emiko Soong who, after giving up a coveted and rare position in her family, moves to San Francisco and attempts to make her own way and her own life. Emiko is part of a race of humans descended from Dragons who all manifest different powers at different levels. Emiko seems to have little to no magic and as such as fulfilled the role of assassin and earned the nickname “The Butcher of Beijing”. Because of that we see her move through a society that doesn’t quite accept her on the whole but begrudgingly respects her. The magic is fascinating and fun, and the teases about Emiko and her ‘abilities’ through the book have me very ready for another installment.

The characters themselves are fun, and even San Francisco as a city takes on a character role as the city is manifesting itself as a sentient force that requires a guiding hand, something it has seemed to pick Emiko for. She struggles against that throughout the book (we all know how it’s going to end) but I always love a sentient magic city idea.

On the whole I really enjoyed this. The beginning dragged a bit, and it was also fairly overwhelming with the new setting and ideas so it may take some getting used to. I loved the lack of romance, but the beginning also managed to somehow feel like it was setting something up that I’m not crazy about for future books, a plot line that really didn’t feel needed. There was some repetition to the writing, but on the whole this is definitely a book and series I’ll be looking forward to.

A solid new urban fantasy - for fans of the genre I’d definitely recommend this one. 4 out 5 paper lanterns.

This title started off very fast to the point it was a little confusing. Yes, it was to capture the reader’s interest but you still need clarity and context. However the book finds its leg and gives the reader and very interesting story full of action and adventure. I got occasionally frustrated with the main characters naïveté but overall a winner of a story.

Honestly this one had me at the tagline that it was a female john wick with dragon magic set in a contemporary San Francisco Chinatown, like what? That’s a hodgepodge magnet of goodness and absolutely lived up to that comparison. This is an urban fantasy filled with magical elements from Asian influences and we follow our main character who is a retired assassin who was mostly known as the butcher of Bejing. She seeks a peaceful existence in San Francisco, but soon finds herself entangled in clan politics and bound to a death god who must restore the Ebony Gate. It’s a very intriguing start to a new series and it's just as unique as it sounds.

I really enjoyed Ebony Gate! I am excited to continue this series. As with most new fantasy series, the opening was a bit slow but I liked the characters and the action scenes!

Ebony Gate is the first book in an urban fantasy trilogy with Asian mythology roots and complex worldbuilding. I picked this up because of the comp to an Asian John Wick set in San Francisco. There are over the top action sequences with a retired assassin, but add magical abilities. This book is fun and explores themes of finding one's home, new identity, traditions and grief.

Emiko has abandoned her duties as her family's Blade and become a hermit in San Francisco. She tries to keep everyone at arms length in order to protect them, especially after the massacre that named her the "Butcher of Beijing." She's an interesting character who strives to fulfil her family duty when a Talon (favour) is called and ends up requesting assistance from the Tran siblings. Freddy and Fiona are entertaining, both with opposing personalities, and Freddy stood out in scenes. I also look forward to seeing more Adam, Andie and Tessa.

The novel happens over a short period of time but the pacing drags at times due to overwriting and repetition. I couldn't place what was feeling off for me until I read another review where they mentioned heavy handed omniscient reveals, which made it a little less interesting. Emiko is also not as smart as she should be for an assassin? She talks about how she was training and how she's gotten sloppy - but she's super sloppy?

Overall, I enjoyed Ebony Gate for its fun and action-packed adventure. It intrigues me enough to want to continue the trilogy, though I do hope that the writing is tightened up in future books.

CW: murder, violence, death

In Ebony Gate, Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle offer up exhilarating action set in a fantastic Urban Fantasy setting. Ebony Gate is book one of the Phoenix Hoard and right from the second you pick it up, it grabs your attention and you will not be able to put it down. The main character, Emiko Soong, is incredibly engaging and her actions compelling. The world is immersive, wonderfully absorbing and the descriptions are beautiful and full of complexity. 

The action of the novel is fast paced and reads much like Jim Butcher meets Big Trouble in Little China. I love the descriptions of dragon magic and the various types of skills the different magic users have. And I love the twists and turns in the story. While there is one element that is predictable, it is honestly set up as an expectation of the novel and if it hadn’t happened, it would have left readers disappointed. I loved how the story is resolved and how Emiko Soong solves the situation and comes into her own. 

If you love The Dresden Files, John Wick, or Seanan McGuire, I guarantee you will love this Asian inspired urban fantasy. It is compelling, exciting, has exhilarating action and is full of emotion. Emiko is a complex and endearing character who will stick with you long after you finish the story. I highly recommend the book and can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Thanks to both TOR Books, Julia Vee, and Ken Bebelle for the complimentary copy through Netgalley. This doesn’t affect my review in any way. Ebony Gate comes out on July 11th, 2023!

Emiko Soong is known as the Butcher of Beijing. But after the incident that cost her the lives of innocent people, she moved to San Francisco, away from being her clan’s Blade and away from bloodshed. However, as she tries to live her quiet, newfound life, the Shinigami suddenly summons her for a mission to retrieve the ebony gate to prevent the vengeful ghosts of Yomi from wreaking havoc on her city. But as she tries to meet the death god’s deadline, she discovers there is more hidden to the missing gate. And as she ties the missing pieces together, she soon realizes that someone is manipulating with the balance of the city’s peace and magic. A mess that puts her brother Tatsuya’s life in danger, and she might not be able to fix it unless she wields her blade once more.

This book was able to incorporate different Asian cultures with a diverse cast of characters, but most focused on the elements of East Asian mythology. Ebony Gate offers a promising story of adventure, self-discovery, and redemption with a badass female lead. A female John Wick with a penchant for swordfighting and dragon magic? SIGN ME UP! I love how this book richly encompasses magical realism with minor elements of science fiction set in modern-day San Francisco. The world-building was clever and is said to be on par with Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, with the hierarchy of magical, powerful families fueled by politics and power. I would just like the narration to be a bit toned down, especially with regards to unnecessary details since I believe we could’ve saved so much page time. Other than that, I think The Phoenix Hoard will go a long way and I’m excited to see where the sequel will take us.