3.5 stars

I think I was not entirely in the mood for this book. The premise is exceedingly interesting, and it does carry out some very emotional and heartwarming plot lines that weave together. My problem was really that I haven’t read a fantasy book in a while, and I was not used to the complicated nature of whole new worlds and places and magic systems. It was a bit much to take in, which is my fault and not the book’s. I would say this is good for someone who wants a fantasy that gives what it promises.

It took me a while to get into this story, and there was a bit of a pacing issue in the middle, but apart from that, I really enjoyed it. Inquisition-era Spain from a Jewish perspective is a refreshing setting for a Fantasy novel, and the blending of history and fantasy is well-done. I enjoyed the writing and the character work, and the plot is interesting. I will be recommending this one to my students because of the Jewish characters and inspiration, which are uncommon in Fantasy.

I love this storyline. The idea is cool and I like the two main characters, but I DNFed at 64%. I didn't love the jumping between POVs. I just felt like I was constantly battling the switch and overall it has been a super slow read for me. I may come back to it in the future. I think it is a good story and I am curious about what happens. It just isn't for me right now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ariel Kaplan and the publishers for letting me read an arc of this book before its release.

I absolutely loved this book!
I will not go into detail about the story itself, as others have already done that way better than I could.
It hit all the sweet spots for me - worldbuilding, character development, good pacing and a very well thought-out story. I hope the story will continue and cannot wait to see where it goes next!

I will admit that I knew very little of Jewish folklore and mythology.
This is why the beginning was a bit slow and confusing to me, having to go back and forth between the glossary, the story and even a bit of the internet to clarify some things. It was just slightly tedious to do it so often, but once I hit the 25% mark or so, everything started to make sense and I felt I understood and remembered everything I needed to.

The parallels to Jewish history, the Inquisition and the Spanish influences that the book are somehow based on made for a very compelling read. It also piqued my interest and curiosity and made me go into documenting myself more on the subject.

The Pomegranate Gate is a fantasy novel interwoven with Jewish folklore and elements of the Spanish Inquisition. The book is told predominantly from the perspectives of a young woman, Toba Peres, and a young man, Naftaly Cresques.

Toba has always been sickly, unable to shout or run without becoming fatigued, but she loves helping her grandfather translate books–she knows several languages and is even capable of writing with both hands, in two different languages. Though this ability is something she keeps hidden because her grandparents do not want her to attract any unwanted attention, especially in these times in which the book is set.

Naftaly is the son of a tailor, expected to carry on the family business. Unfortunately for him, he is extremely bad at tailoring. Naftaly also has vivid, bizarre, and often clairvoyant dreams–a trait Naftaly’s father also shares, but refuses to discuss with Naftaly, no matter how troubling the dreams are.

The book opens with Toba’s and Naftaly’s community in turmoil after the Queen (who I don’t recall ever being named) decrees that every Jew in the country must either convert, or be banished and forfeit all of their possessions. They are among the thousands of Jews who flee their home, joining a caravan out of the country.

Toba and Naftaly each covertly take one possession with them, however, in defiance of the decree. Toba has an amulet that her grandparents have warned her to never take off for her own protection, and Naftaly has a book that has been in his family for generations and which his father has forbidden him to ever open or read. Toba becomes separated from the caravan and Naftaly, being the honorable and heroic type, attempts to go after her, finding that Toba has disappeared into the woods.

Toba, meanwhile, has stumbled into a pomegranate grove that leads to the mirror realm (series name!), where she meets the mythical Mazik, immortal and magically powerful beings who are embroiled in an Inquisition in their own world.

As the story progresses, Toba and Naftaly learn more about the Mazik, the connection to their respective family heirlooms, and the threat that the Inquisitions in each world pose. There are also chapters from the perspectives of Toba’s grandmother, Elena, and a mysterious figure known as The Courser.

The Pomegranate Gate does switch perspectives with each chapter, which was overwhelming to me at first, but ultimately necessary given that we are following events in two different worlds. The Courser’s chapters were especially cryptic at first, and so few and far between that I completely forgot about this character a couple of times. However, things do come together at the end and the payoff is worth it.

I loved the overlay of Jewish folklore onto a fantasy world, which is not something I have seen very often. The Mazik that Toba encounters were some of my favorite characters because they had such distinctive personalities. I also loved the character of The Old Woman (honestly, this is how the book refers to her exclusively) because she was such a great source of sarcastic, crotchety comic relief.

The Pomegranate Gate is definitely the first installment in a larger series, because there are still a number of unresolved questions and plot points (about which I have concocted some of my own, probably wrong, theories). I am eagerly awaiting the next installment!

I would definitely recommend The Pomegranate Gate to anyone who likes intricate fantasy novels, has an interest in Jewish folklore, or enjoys complicated characters who sometimes make questionable ethical choices.

I also want to thank Kensington Books, Erewhon Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Four and a half
Well this was a fabulous surprise as yes it's fantasy but mixes Jewish persecution with the Inquisition and then for good measure a magical world that just happens to coexist besides the mortal one. It features Toba who somehow finds herself definitely not in Kansas and at the same time Naftaly, a young Jewish man trying to escape.
I will admit it took me a while to really sink into the story but once Toba ahem has an unexpected fall it certainly came into its own ! Plus the supporting characters with Naftaly are simply hilarious which was very unexpected. I loved the twists and the surprises and the sweetness that was just enough to stop everything from being too dark. This ends with tragedy and yet I have hope for the next book which I will certainly be anxiously waiting for.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Not my style, I DNF'd it at 25%. The world building was very slow and I wasn't a fan enough of the author's style to continue.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was very innovative, and many of the characters will stay with me for a long time. I will agree with other reviews stating that the plot dipped in the middle, but the ending more than made up for it.

Thank you Net Galley and kensington books for providing me with a copy of this book for a honest review.

“The Pomegranate Gate” follows Toba, a sickly girl alongside with her grandparents and Naftaly, a boy that suffers of dreams and illusions while they are all running away from the Inquisition because of being Jews. Through magical gates between pomegranate trees and magical worlds, they all have to run away from the royal power and survive.

I found the world building super original and unique. I’ve never quite read a book like it which is quite surprising to find in fantasy for me these days.

Majority of the characters were morally gray. I liked Toba as one of the main characters and I enjoyed seeing her growth. Naftaly is one of my favorite characters, I loved being in his head, his growth and his bravery throughout the story. I enjoyed the rest of the cast as well especially Barsilay. There were also two characters that I personally hated with all my heart, but to avoid spoilers I won’t name them.

The ending was crazy. The plot twist kept coming and there so many twist and turns all throughout the story.

The parts that lowered my rating are the middle of the book because the plot slowed down too much in my opinion and the world building got kind of confusing in some parts.

I recommend this if you’re into complex world buildings, magical worlds and multiple POVs

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This was one of my highly anticipated books of the year! And I can say that it did succeed my expectations. It was such a gorgeously plotted story. I love that it's weaves a story through several characters lives but in a very intriguing way. This is a very unique read and I can't wait to read the next one!

What a great read! I really, really liked this book. It started off a little slow, but at around 25% it really picks up and from then on I was fully invested.

We're given multiple POVs in this book, but the majority of it is Toba and Naftaly-- both were great characters and I enjoyed following them through this world. I will admit I found Toba's story more interesting for the majority of the book, but Naftaly definitely shines towards the end.

I loved the worldbuilding in this book, it was so dense and felt complete. The Jewish folklore and tradition woven into this fantasy were so compelling. I was constantly surprised by where the plot went, and I ended up loving the whole journey.

I do think that it was confusing at times and some plot lines were more complicated than necessary. There were multiple times where I would have to reread things to grasp what was going on. Partially, I think that was my not knowing a lot of the terms-- but thankfully there was a glossary at the end that explained every term that confused me.

I would definitely recommend this book and I can't wait for the second book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for this ARC!

Really liked that one !
It's a really good historical -inspired fantasy (Spanish Inquisition). You don't have to know Jewish folklore to read, but I would like to know more, quite liked that diversity. I adore Toba and Bet, but Naftaly was a little annoying character, so it's bot a 5 stars (but could be).

And that twist in the final chapter is killing me, I really hope it has a sequel !!!

So, when I received this book, I was so excited to start reading it. The summary sounded like it was right up my wheelhouse. But, as I was reading it, I found that I was having trouble following the plot and keeping everything straight in terms of the storyline and the characters. It felt like I was wading through mud as I was trying to make my way through this book. Now, it might just be the author's writing style and the way they've written the story. After a few chapters and feeling a bit stuck, I think I'm going to have to set this book aside unfinished for the time being, and perhaps come back to it at a later date.

I loved the idea of this book. The summary really dragged you in and I felt like I couldn't put it down! A really well done piece that I think deserves to be picked up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun reading this book. It’s an absolutely amazing fantasy, merging both jewish mythology and history. The prose flows smoothly and was incredibly beautiful. There’s not much more to say than I eagerly await the release of the sequel for this. Especially after the way this book ended.

Firstly, I am so delighted and lucky to be able to read this ARC. This is such a beautiful and wonderfully written book and the only downside is that I have to wait long(er) for the next instalment.

This has all the things that I want in a fantasy novel: magic, adventure, a little bit of romance, and inspiration from Jewish mythology. I loved everything about it. At first, I got overwhelmed by the glossary at the first few pages of the book, thinking that this is going to be a very serious, high fantasy novel but I enjoyed every moment of it. The author is a very good storyteller. The main characters are wonderfully written and contribute a lot to the story. The characters personalities are well developed and described and I am very invested on what would happen to them. The plot is interesting, it gets exciting and quick-paced by the halfway point, up until the end. The few last chapters blew me away. The integration of Jewish mythology was done wonderfully, I have had no knowledge before but now I am actually quite keen to read about Jewish mythology.

I highly recommend this book and I am really excited for the next part of the series.

Review
"The pomegranate gate" by Ariel Kaplan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Epic fantasy, multiple POVs, interesting magic system -> this is a good book, and it is rooted in jewish folklore!
This is definitely a must read for 2023!
Thank you @netgalley for providing this arc.

This story was quite the ride! It is from two main points of view: Toba and Naftaly. I liked Toba’s storyline a bit more than Naftaly’s, but I was eager to keep reading to see how their worlds would intersect. The writing was well done in that it kept you moving forward with wanting to figure out the unknowns. We got multiple twists throughout the story which kept things interesting. I found a few parts a bit confusing, particularly when keeping track of characters with multiple names. There were a lot of moving parts to keep track of at times, but it does all make sense as you go. You are left wanting to know what happens next and not having all of your questions answered, which means I will be looking out for the next installment!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Following Naftaly and Toba along on their journey as they fled their homes and persecution was a nail-biting experience. The alternate land they found themselves in through the pomegranate gate was rich and felt very well-developed. It was thrilling to see what happened next and how their lives were interconnected and with the other characters they met along the way. This was a world I easily got lost in. Ariel Kaplan writes stunning prose and created an enticing universe. It was also interesting to witness they ways Jewlish folklore was woven throughout the book. I definitely recommend The Pomegranate Gate for any lovers of folklore and fantasy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Erewhom Books for providing me with an ARC!

I must confess, I'm still not certain whether one should call this fantasy, or historical fiction, or contemplative fiction, or maybe magical realism.

In many ways, it felt like a darker, more sinister & serious, version of Encanto. But with a Jewish cast instead of Combian. And a lot less singing.

I might also suggest, if one is interested, reading this in combination with The Book Thief (similar in feel).

"So many she'd met believed that trials made you kinder, but really they just wore away at your character, leaving you covered in quills and hard edges."