This book is great for YA book fans and beginner fantasy. It is written to that element specifically. For adult fantasy, it needs a bit more umfph in the story and better writing. The writing in this is very amateurish but is written to the effect needed by the over the top story. As a collection of elements, it works incredibly. But the elements in it are ones that need working on.

Considering that I don't think Dresden will be making an appearance soon, this will replace my current urban fantasy/protector of a realms magical and not void.

Heavy on exposition, there is a LOT to take in. This book does the best job it could with taking so much lore and meting it out so a reader could understand. If you're familiar with any Japanese folklore, then that will help. It doesn't detract from the overall story to have to learn the ins and outs of the clans, the auras, the talents, the alliances, the realms etc but there is a lot happening over a short period of time.

Emiko is a great lead and I'm partial to her Foo Lion (another thing I loved about Dresden). There is so much to learn and so many stories opened in just one book that I can not wait to explore this world more!

This was a fast-paced, fun read with a pretty badass main character. Ebony Gate has an interesting magic system based on Asian influences. It was neat to have a blend of different Asian countries making up the backbone of the world-building and magic systems and it was done really well.

Emiko is an interesting character and I enjoyed being in her head as she fed the readers a little bit of information at a time about her past. We don't get all the answers in this book though, but hints at a past that I'm eager to read about in the next book.

While Emiko's personality is fleshed out, the other characters fall a little flat. Adam, a potential love interest? has a pretty small part, as well as her business partner. I'm assuming we'll have more of them in the second book, but I would have loved a bit more from them in this book. The info-dumping at the beginning is also a little difficult. I was confused for the first 15% of the book at what was going on and how this world functions. It does pick up quick though and gets less confusing once you're past the initial setup.

I would recommend this book and will be picking up the next one to unravel more of Emiko's past :) Definitely a nice take on contemporary fantasy that stands out.

I would like to thank Netgalley, tor Books and Julia Vee and Ken Babelle for an advanced copy of Ebony Gate. All opinions are my own.

I admit I requested this book purely because I really, really miss that good, old-style urban fantasy series akin to Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson and Dresden. I want first person pov, the grit of the city setting, down of their luck heroes fighting against the magical foes, episodic nature of books with one overreaching arc.
In that sense, Ebony Gate totally fits the bill.

Emiko Soong is our main protagonist.When we meet her, she is trying to keep a low profile in San Francisko, which is kind of hard when you are a from the Hoard family and you have a bloody reputation as the Butcher of Beijing. That kind of baggage makes it hard for her to make friends among Jiārén- those who have Dragon blood and powers that come with it- or Waīrén, humans without powers. Being a magical dud of Soon family, taking the Blade was the only way for her to serve her family, but the endless killing took a toll on her which is why she ran away from her family and settled into San Francisco 2 years ago. All of this makes Emiko a bit of a loner which is exactly how most of the urban fantasy series start.
And... that's pretty much all I have to say about Emiko, because she is the main reason for my rating. She sounds one-note on most of the things and thus, comes off a bit dull which contributed to why I never felt particularly engaged in what would happen to her. First person point of view allows the reader to get into this complex character's head, but it seems that Emiko's past and her reputation is her entire personality. A lot of telling and not even showing is such a cliche thing to say in a review, but I've read pages of Emiko telling us all about her training and how many people she killed and yet, I was frustrated with her deduction skills in times: do you want to hear how many times people would try to comment on her aura? Or how she was allowed to the eight level in Library, something that's very odd for a magical dud like her, but she shrugged it off? Or how she didn't take in consideration what kinetic would be able to do with his power knowing fully well there will probably be kinetic? These are, of course, contrived to keep the suspense rolling out and for twists to land, but I honestly don't expect obtuseness from someone with Emiko's so much pointed out training and experience.
The reason I find this so baffling is that every other character introduced- especially Tran siblings- were miles more intriguing, not to mention her parents who are teased in a big way and who, I hope, we'll get to know better in the next novel. Even both love interests were fun in their way, though there was a bit of fawning in describing Kamon which I was not a fan of, but I hope to see more of him and his powers.
Action scenes were plentiful and fun especially combined with various Jiārén powers.
Infused with Asian culture, magic system introduced in the book is complex and detailed and I have a feeling we haven't even scratched the surface. The first book carries the burden of introducing the world to the reader, so it made for a lot of infodump scenes, but not confusing at all. I especially liked the fact that the magic system it's fully encapsulating Asian mythology and not limiting it to just Japanese or Chinese. A lot of small touches like culture of bargaining or "dash of skepticism" oil. Since Emiko is going to Tokyo in next one, I hope the magic system will be expanded with more lore, powers and Hoard families.

There was a lot of things to like in Ebony Gate, but the most important for me, the main character just didn't grip me enough. but I do hope this will be remedied with the sequel. After all, it took me several books to get into Kate, Mercy and Harry as well. :)

I was so lost when trying to read this book. I think for me it was just too far out there.
I am sure it is a fantastic book, but not for me.

The marketing team sent me the blurb for this, and I was absolutely ecstatic. I began reading it immediately. We open up to an image of our protagonist covered in blood, and the imagery was so powerful.

I think I could have loved this book had it been more plot-focused. Conceptually, it is really cool, but as I was reading, I just felt like I was getting a huge batch of exposition building up the world with nothing interesting actually happening. I gave up at the 5% mark. That said, I’m here for immortality peaches,

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

Ebony Gate is a stunning fantasy-thriller that brings together beautiful atmosphere, a stunning magic system, and a lush writing style. the main character was super interesting, and the structure is a blend of classic and twisty, which makes it so much fun to read! i think several elements—such as the romantic plotline, info-dumping, etc. would keep me from rating this a full five stars, so my rating currently stands at 3.5/5.

Ebony Gate is a compelling novel that blends action, fantasy, thriller and family drama with a Chinese and Japanese inspired magic system. The protagonist, Emiko Soong, is on the run from her family and her violent past (You don’t earn the moniker ‘Butcher of Beijing’ for no reason.) 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.The book provides an intriguing world-building and well-developed lead with a mysterious past (that, sadly, isn’t fully explained). Despite her desire for independence, Emiko is tied to her past, her family, and her town. She’s a strong lead, dedicated and unyielding. While the plot is simple enough to follow, it is complex enough to keep readers guessing. Each character has hidden motivations, and the ticking clock adds a sense of urgency. However, the book appears to be mostly set up for future adventures, with much of the information and characters unnecessary except for hinting at a greater future plot. And we get a lot of informations that slow down the pacing. Those who love lore, we’ll be thrilled. Those more interested in characters and plot progression may feel rich descriptions and exposition slow things down.

Overall, Ebony Gate is an intriguing start to the series. I’m looking forward to seeing how the story progresses in future books.

First off, I would like to offer much thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me the chance to review this book. Additionally, congratulations to the authors on their work being published!

Ebony Gate is part-action, part-thriller, part-fantasy novel, infused with a Chinese (and, at some points, Japanese) inspired magic system and family drama to boot. The story follows Emiko Soong who has escaped across the ocean to San Francisco after breaking with her family and her bloody job of destroying their enemies. She hopes to carve a peaceful, low-key existence away from her past… but it wouldn’t be much of a story if she could do that. Our protagonist finds herself bound to a death god, fighting a tight deadline to restore the titular structure and successfully navigate a web of clan politics she does not have the patience for.

Emiko is easily the most interesting part of Ebony Gate for me. The authors do a nice job of slowly dropping breadcrumbs to her backstory in a way that leaves the reader feeling as if they are unraveling a mystery. Emiko wants so desperately to be independent, but previous baggage makes this goal impossible. Even after leaving her old life behind, she discovers that she is beholden to her family, her past, and her city, to name a few. She is a morally flawed character just how aware of inadequate she is, but her snippy internal dialogue and unceasing determination endear her to the reader. After reading this novel, I want to know more about her backstory and what may be hidden from both her and the reader.

I also found the magic system intriguing. It holds a complex history with eight/nine dragons, and most major characters possess their unique talent. These talents were innovative and wove into Emiko’s story (Emiko believes that she has no talent). There also appear to be references to different Eastern religions holding different magics that I hope will be explored more in future books.

Ebony Gate’s plot is simple enough to follow, yet complex enough to keep you guessing. Each character has their hidden motivations. It contains several action-packed sequences and the sense of a clock ticking down. However, I did get the sense that the book was mostly set up for further adventures. Despite the cataclysmic portents of the undead, one receives the sense that the true danger lies in Emiko’s past and the future of a building conflict. Lots of characters and information appears throughout the story, much of it unnecessary, except that it hints at a greater, future plot.

In addition to the setup, I found some of the side characters difficult to connect with. I went in expecting some characters such as Adam, Emiko’s possible love interest, to become major, fleshed out players in the story. However, Adam and many characters like him quickly disappear from the screen. Emiko is supposed to care about and grow with them, but I mostly saw them off-camera. This not only feels like more setup, but it makes it difficult for the reader to care about each of them. The side character dialogue also feels scripted at times, though I am reading an uncorrected copy.

This series has a lot of potential, and I can tell it is going places. I found myself interested in Emiko and the world, and there were several tense moments that grabbed my attention. There was also a lot of set up that sometimes negatively affected the book. I debated between rating the story 2.5 or 3 stars. It’s a mixed bag, and I am interested to see how the series progresses down the road.

Thoroughly enjoyable! Fluid writing style making for an easy reading experience, kickass heroine who was throughly enjoyable, awesome dragon heir magic system, back notes of self-discovery within all the action and excitement. I really loved this book. I'd say the only thing keeping it from a full 5 stars was a lack of emotion towards the story in a consuming sense. I had FUN while reading it, but my heartstrings weren't tugged as much as I would have hoped.

First of all, I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of the ARC!

There were many things I liked about Ebony Gate, the main thing being the incorporation of Chinese and Japanese culture and mythology. I can tell the mythology is well researched and it is explained in depth which may be useful for people who are unfamiliar with myths from these cultures. I think it was very unique that Ebony Gate uses a mix of Asian cultures for inspiration while most Asian-inspired fantasy books use just one- it makes a more interesting mix of mythical creatures and magical powers. The urban setting of San-Francisco is also a nice touch, I always enjoy urban fantasy because it makes a familiar modern day setting infinitely more interesting with magic and action.

Emiko was a very interesting heroine, all of her action scenes were really exciting to read and she’s clearly a very interesting character. There are many hints throughout the book at a dark past where she was known as the ‘Butcher of Beijing’ but her past isn’t really explained in this book which is a bit frustrating but hopefully means there’s more to come in the following books! Another really intriguing part of the book was the history behind the various clans and the relationships between the families. Despite wanting a peaceful life, Emiko is very loyal and dutiful towards her family which reflects Asian culture very accurately.

One thing I didn’t really enjoy about this book was the writing style. The action scenes were well-paced and gripping, however a lot of the book suffers from a lot of information dumping and random facts about the characters that don’t really contribute to the story. One such example is when we learn the exact type of face cloth Emiko uses to wash her face or the “5.11 cotton poly blend tactical pants with lots of pockets and a Teflon finish” she chose to wear one time. There’s so much random information throughout this book that is really unnecessary and it distracts from the more important aspects of the plot. Also, there is a lot of information dumping (although I appreciate the authors are trying to explain the mythology in detail) and it leads to pacing issues. Every character, mythological creature or some other world building aspect has one or two paragraphs explaining it, which is just too much information and makes it really hard to keep up during the first third of the book. There are also many Chinese words used in the book and, while I am Chinese myself so I understand, I feel like this would be confusing for readers who don’t speak the language so maybe a glossary of terms would be a helpful addition!

Overall this was an enjoyable enough read despite these issues, it was really unique and intriguing! I will definitely read more in this series!

This was such a cinematic read. It really felt like I was watching a movie, and I loved it. I don't know, though, if I would market it as similar to John Wick. I can kind of see where they are coming from with that comparison, but I really do think there are better more accurate ones out there. This was still fantastic, though. The characters and the world-building were really well done. I also loved the setting and the plot was paced so well. I enjoyed getting to read about a myth-system that wasn't your standard fantasy, too. I think this is going to do really well with the teens at my library, so I'm really excited to get the physical copies in!

4.75 stars. Emiko Soong was the Blade of her Clan until she earned the title of the Butcher of Beijing. Now she's building a new life for herself, importing antiques in San Francisco. But when a god of death calls in a family debt, Emiko must recover the artifact that holds back the hungry ghosts of the underworld, or forfeit her soul in its place.

This was a wild ride, and I'm hoping this turns into a multi-book series. It was refreshing to read a contemporary fantasy with a badass Asian heroine and culture. I did find myself wishing for a glossary or primer at times, but I also appreciate that the author didn't stop to comprehensively explain each newly mentioned school of magic or technique. Emiko isn't the only reason to dive into this book, either. Many of the supporting cast members could have their own spinoffs exploring different Clan magics and Hoardes.

I did get lost in the setting of the deadline for recovering the artifact (possibly because the god mentioned the full moon but we didn't initially know how far out that was from that moment), and I was puzzled by how casual Emiko seemed with the time she had until her threatened moment of doom. There were also elements of her backstory that I'm surprised weren't expanded upon, but perhaps that's for the next book.

I was given the opportunity to review an e-ARC of EBONY GATE through NetGalley and the Tor Publishing Group.

Introduction:

Emiko Soong is a member of one of the world’s top magical families, but she never relied on magic. Instead, she was known as the Blade of the Soong Clan. However, after a gruesome incident in a Chinese market where she was covered in blood and surrounded by dead bodies, Emiko gave up her assassin lifestyle and settled in San Francisco where she imports antiques.

But her peaceful life is disrupted when a god of death, a shinigami, demands that Emiko repay a family debt by recovering the Ebony Gate, which holds back hungry ghosts from the underworld. If she fails, Emiko will lose her soul. Thus, the retired assassin must come out of retirement to save San Francisco from an army of the dead.

Thoughts:

Sugiwara’s voice was low and terrible, the sound of waking nightmares. “I will not allow Miss Soong to be harmed.”

His eyes dropped to where the knife had pierced my side, blood welling around the wound. “Any further.”

Oh, so he was a comedian now.

Reading Ebony Gate was like watching an Asian action movie. It was action packed from start to finish with impressive world building, sprinkled with comic relief and beautifully crafted magic system based on east Asian lore and mythology. Although I felt disoriented at the beginning of this urban fantasy book as the authors kept throwing terminologies without explanation but as the story progressed this was remedied and I began to enjoy the story.

The backstory of the clans in Ebony Gate was highly engrossing, with the tale of the eight dragons being banished from ‘The Realm’ to the mortal world, and their descendants inheriting their respective dragon’s magical gift to form the eight clans with the ability to travel to fragments of the realm, across the Void through Doors. The book’s magic system was skillfully constructed and the magical creatures featured were well-explained, making for a highly immersive read. The world building was also exceptional, as the authors took great care to explain the intricate details of Asian mythology in a way that would be easily understood by readers unfamiliar with it.

One aspect of the book that I found particularly admirable was how the authors portrayed the familial bonds of Asian families, despite the estrangement that often exists between family members. Additionally, the concept of the city Sentinel was highly intriguing, as it depicted how a city itself could bestow power upon a worthy individual to protect it.

Despite the numerous positive elements of The Ebony Gate, the book also had some notable flaws. For a book that explained so many things well, I never understood why Emiko was called The Butcher of Beijing because it was never explained. Also this entire book seemed like a stepping stone to a much larger picture because I never believed for a second that Emiko was without any power because of the fleeting flashbacks and the hints from the shinigami. I wished the authors tried to at least give us a glimpse of this bigger picture because I personally love a jaw dropping cliff hanger ending at the end of a first installment. Another thing I thought unnecessary was the huge cast of characters. It made it extremely difficult to remember names and the importance of their characters to the story.

Having said that, I liked all the main characters with their different and unique personalities. Emiko with her struggle to wanting a peaceful quiet life but wanting to fulfil her familial duty to her clan. Freddie reminded me a lot of my dear friend Jamie with his carefree happy go lucky self. Fiona was a tiny bundle of badass energy. Sally and Baby Ricky were so endearing. However, while I found Kamon as a shifter extremely intriguing, I was not convinced about the chemistry between him and Emiko. Same goes for Adam. At last but not in the least, a shout out to our adorable two hundred pound foo lion, Bao.

Wrapping up my review of Ebony Gate, I am eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series, which I am certain will be nothing short of awe-inspiring.

My sincere thanks to Netgally and Tor Publishing for providing me this advanced reader copy.

Note:
Quotes may change upon publication of the book.

Rating:
4.5

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

DNFed at 58%

I wanted to like this book so bad, but after falling asleep three times while reading it (over a span of three days), I decided to call it quits.

The only thing that I really liked about this book was the world building and lore. I love how this book takes Asian lore and ties it into this book. The authors spend a lot of time with world building, which is much appreciated. As a Chinese person myself, it’s always nice to see someone like me represented in fantasy books. Plus there are cultural aspects and references that I enjoyed reading about.

However, I felt like there were too many characters and not enough plot. I wanted to know more about Emiko’s history. Why is she the Butcher? What happened? We get a glimpse of it in the beginning but nothing else since then. The whole issue about finding the Ebony Gate: the process to find it is slow. I got 58% through the book before realizing only a day or so had passed in the story. I wish the pacing was a bit faster.

Overall, there was very little that kept me engaged with the plot. Emiko could have been much more interesting, but it was hard to follow her. Perhaps these authors are not for me.

Would I recommend this book? N/A because I didn’t finish it.

Heard amazing things about this one and am so exciting to have been approved for this ARC— thank you again to the authors, the publishers, and NetGalley for this opportunity. I’m certain this one will be another hit for fantasy lovers and newcomers alike!

Ebony Gate was an absolute surprise and I loved it. It was billed as being similar to John Wick and I'm not sure that is accurate but it's understandable I guess. However, even though it wasn't quite similar to John Wick it was still excellent. I loved the characters and I'll definitely be picking up a copy of this for the library once it comes out.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC!

Ebony Gate was a fantastic beginning to a sure to be epic series! This book is more of an urban fantasy, with the setting in San Francisco and it was SO fun. I really adored the look into familial duty as well as so much Chinese and Japanese culture and lore which I just love to read about 🥰

Emiko is absolutely phenomenal, such a badass! And I liked the casual queer rep included as well. I definitely look forward to more of the series!

EBONY GATE takes the well-established Urban Fantasy tradition and drives it into a setting rife with East Asian themes, myths, and traditions. Where fans of Jim Butcher come to expect devious machinations of ancient vampire families, readers here will find devious Shinagami. The substitutions of East for West are the most obvious difference, and the writers hew to expected genre conventions surrounding the voice of the narrators (first person, cynical), as well as a punchy-plot-hooky pacing (problems arrive one-after-another, multiplying and complicating each other in a tangled web of short chapters that tend to pull the reader forward).

Where the East-vs-West setting suffers in execution of this book is where the authors seem to default to presenting backstory in in-voice narration. It is as though the baseline editorial expectation is that Western readers will be both unaware of what mythological basis of the story is on the page. For example, in a "Western" urban fantasy short shrift is given to explaining what a vampire is, most likely out of an assumption of shared knowledge. But in EBONY GATE, there seems to be a penchant for using an expository paragraph or two to explain every supernatural feature of the world, and it grew to feel as though the authors had little faith in the reader's prior knowledge or ability and willingness to learn on the fly.

For readers who want punchy urban fantasy with a unique flavor from Chinese and Japanese cultural traditions, this provides precisely that.

"Ebony Gate" by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle is a female-driven action-packed story that takes place in contemporary San Francisco's Chinatown. The book follows Emiko Soong, a former assassin and member of one of the eight magical families of the world. Emiko must complete a dangerous mission to recover the Ebony Gate and save her own soul from the underworld's hungry ghosts.

The world-building in this book is impressive, with a detailed magical system and an intricate web of family politics. The action scenes are fast-paced and thrilling, and the authors do an excellent job of keeping the tension high throughout the story. Emiko is a complex and interesting character, and the secondary characters are equally well-developed and engaging.

The book's unique blend of magic and action is reminiscent of the John Wick movies, with a strong female lead who is just as capable and dangerous as her male counterparts. The setting of San Francisco's Chinatown adds an extra layer of depth to the story, with rich descriptions that bring the location to life.

The only reason I'm not giving this book five stars is that at times, the pacing can feel a bit uneven, with some scenes dragging while others move quickly. However, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise exciting and engaging read.

Overall, "Ebony Gate" is a thrilling and well-written book that fans of urban fantasy, action, and strong female protagonists are sure to enjoy. I highly recommend it.