Mystgate is a story of a group of people coming together to avenge the deaths of their loved ones at the hands of an evil cult that will stop at nothing to unleash an army of so-called dark creatures.

This book suffers, in my opinion, from two major problems: pacing and a lack of character development. Pacing-wise, almost nothing happens in this book until the 50% mark. Everything before is build-up for different characters told in chapters so short that it hinders engagement. Once you reach that 50% mark, however, it has the opposite problem; everything is happening too fast. The major ending event in this book is started and handled in the last 5% of the book. Major conflicts are resolved in maybe three pages.

You might think that characters are getting truly developed in that first half of the book with all that extra time, but honestly, they aren't. There's not a lot of distinction between personalities and even the POVs characters are quite bland. Add in just how many characters are added throughout the entire book and there's not a lot of time to care about any of them at all. And the romance aspects are so random and insta-lusty it was annoying and detracting to read.

Overall, I think there are some good plot elements and ideas in Mystgate, but there's just too much being thrown at the reader at once in this first book.

seriously? Did I just find one of my new favorite authors?

Mystgate completely pulled me in from the very first page. The world Sandra Salas created is so vivid and unique, and the characters feel real and unforgettable. It’s the kind of book you don’t want to put down, and when you finish, you can’t stop thinking about it.

I loved how easy it was to get lost in the story—every chapter kept me wanting just one more. The writing flows so well, and it feels fresh and different from anything I’ve read lately. Honestly, it gave me that rare “book hangover” in the best way possible. If you’re looking for your next great read, this is it! I cannot wait for the next book in this series and anything else Sandra writes!

The fae people were evacuated to earth when they lost the war for their home world centuries before the story starts. The gates were sealed. But now a shadow faction wants to reopen them. Dark things are slipping through and attacking fae outposts in Tarrin. Sophie, a Fae with powers to warp time, her brother, who can teleport, a human detective named Caleb, and a young firewielder, Gael, are among the heroes trying to keep Tarrin safe from the darkness that waits beyond Mystgate.

Tarrin is a beautifully described secondary world, depicted on a map included at the front of the book. The area is warded so humans can’t stumble into it, but it is located within our known world. There are scenes at the start of the book that are set at recognisable locations in the US.

The story is told in 1st person, present tense. There are many point-of-view characters, and each chapter title marks clearly whose head readers are in.

The prose is smooth and straightforward, a little repetitive in places, but not outrageously often. The story reads like a mix of detective novel, epic fae war saga, with a sprinkling of magic academy and dragon bonding as well. Mystgate has little to no romance. The plot is complex and mysterious, and the book is well edited.

I’m not the exact target audience for this novel, but I reckon a lot of people will really like it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. Thank you.

This was a fun, fast paced fantasy novel. This book does have quite a cast of characters so it helped me to jot down all of the names just so I could keep them straight at first. It didn't take long to remember who all the characters were but I'm still glad I had notes. There are several main characters each with their own POV so it kept the book interesting throughout. There were several surprises, lots of action and an overall exciting story. I almost wish I would have waited to read this one until more than one book was released because even though this book is strong on it's own, I think it will be even better once the series continues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sandra Salas | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book hooked me from the very beginning. Great story, wonderful world building! I will say, a few spelling/grammatical errors need to be ironed out. The only true downside to this book was that the ending felt a little rushed. I wish that it could have been a little more drawn out. Overall, a fantastic book. Loved the different POVs as different chapters. Can't wait for the next one!

La historia sigue a Sophia Beaumont, una poderosa Fae que ha pasado el último año ocultándose del dolor de una pérdida devastadora y huyendo de su pasado como guerrera de élite. Su aparente retiro llega a su fin cuando una cadena de muertes misteriosas la obliga a regresar a Tarrin, su tierra natal oculta, para enfrentar una creciente amenaza.

En paralelo, Caleb, un investigador humano y viejo amigo de un soldado caído, comienza a desentrañar una conspiración que involucra criaturas oscuras, magia ancestral y una organización secreta conocida como la Facción, que está utilizando a estas bestias con fines desconocidos.

La historia entrelaza los destinos de Sophia, Caleb, y otros personajes como Gael, una joven Fae que aspira a ser guerrera, mientras enfrentan secretos del pasado, luchan por proteger lo que queda del equilibrio mágico y descubren que las antiguas barreras que separaban los mundos están a punto de romperse.

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No puedo esperar al siguiente libro.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I really enjoyed this book. I was pulled in from the very start. The characters were great and the book was well written. I enjoyed the development of the story and characters and looking forward to the next book in the series.