Am I saying I’ve found ANOTHER favourite book of the year? Yes. Am I also saying this may well be the BEST fantasy I’ve ever read? Also yes.

The Pomegranate Gate is the perfect type of fantasy book. A complex and interesting magic system and world with characters full of sass and depth and complex relationships between them all.

Throughout the book, we follow three main arcs that cross-cross with each other in the most tension-filled way possible. It’s a relatively slow-build, setting the scene for the drama in book two, but you’ll end up loving the characters so much that it doesn’t matter. I’d happily read an entire series of these characters just living their life.

As if this book couldn’t get any better, it has some amazing queer rep (with one of the most wonderful gay romances in a queer book I’ve ever read) and Jewish rep. I really loved how aspects of Jewish culture were woven into this - it made for such an interesting and original fantasy as so many of the popular books are inspired by Christianity.

It’s political, hilarious, heartbreaking. This is such an amazing book I could genuinely write an essay on it. (And if you’ve read this and also loved it please do message me because I can and will talk about this for days.)

If you’re looking for an original, addictive high-fantasy that you want to step into - The Pomegranate Gate is the one for you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

This was a great fantasy read for me. It features history with Jewish folklore. I’ve not read any Jewish Folklore before and this was really interesting.
It had a good plot and the world building was fantastic.
The book is told from two main characters POV, Toba and Naftaly. This really helps with the story.
I enjoyed the characters and felt that they were well rounded. I liked that you saw the characters developing throughout the book. I really enjoyed the side characters in this book and at times definitely wanted more about them.
I really did enjoy the authors writing style and felt that it has a good flow.

I look forward to reading the next book in this new series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!!! What an amazing book! My first ever adult Jewish Fantasy book 😊
It was everything I wanted and the characters were so loveable.
As a Jew it was amazing to see everything presented in this lovely novel.
I’m very excited to read the next one in the series whenever it comes out, I’ll be waiting.
Ariel did a fantastic job!!!
The best fantasy book I have read this year.
Thank you Netgalley for my ARC and too Ariel Kaplan.

Congratulations! Your review for The Pomegranate Gate, captioned
below, has been published. Visit
<https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=83926> to view your
published review.

Please share your review via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest,
Instagram and other social media venues. Include the #FFreview
hashtag or @FreshFiction in your posts.

I really enjoyed this. The writing was done really well, good plot and characters. I found it easy to pick up and get into.

I was absolutely hooked from the off by this intricate interweaving of history and Jewish folklore and by the cast of characters that were skilfully brought to life.

Although the first volume of a proposed trilogy, this isn’t one of those books where you want to scream because so much of the plot is left unresolved. Instead, we are left with enough questions to make us eager for the second but still satisfied with how this one is left.

Toba and Naftaly both live in the ghetto in Rimon, under the constant threat of the Inquisition. When they are forced to leave their homes and flee, their narratives separate and we follow their disparate journeys.

Toba takes us into the world of the Maziks, a mirror world of magic and myth. Naftaly struggles on in the familiar world, accompanied by an amazing old woman (who remains nameless) and Toba’s grandmother.

I loved how the relationships built and the characters developed and am really excited to see what comes next.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure if this fantasy, alternate history or a mix. There's some parts that made me think of the Moriscos and the forced conversion of Jew in Spain, there's elements of Ashkenazi folklore, and there's a story I loved as it mixes all these elements.
Not a fast paced or action packed story but one of small things and emotions.
There's a lot of characters and I loved the world building and the storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was so wonderfully Jewish. I liked especially how the characters weren't just said to be Jewish and then move on with the plot, they actually kept to the Jewish traditions. It was also based on Jewish mythology. As someone with Jewish ancestry, it was nice to see these characters and imagine what it would have been like for my family at the time.

I preferred the bits with Toba more than the Naftaly bits. Both had their ups and down but I liked exploring the Mazik world. I also just liked Toba more as a character. She was more interesting to me, whereas Naftaly I only really found interesting when he was dreaming.

All in all, I just really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the characters were great. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy.

This book got me out of a two month long reading slump. From the outset, this book had my full attention. The plot was intriguing and the characters felt alive and well developed. I loved the dual storylines that were going on throughout, although I tended to prefer reading about Toba so I would sometimes be racing to get back to her chapters. After around the 50% mark, I really couldn’t put this book down. The pacing was excellent, not going too fast through the action as to make it seem unimportant but not lingering so long that it became same-y and boring. The only thing that knocked this down from a four-star rating for me was the magic system the Mazik’s used, as I felt as frustrated as Toba not being able to understand how it worked, but that is purely a me thing and I would still fully recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Rebellion/Solaris for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: death, violence, antisemitism, genocide


“The Pomegranate Gate” takes place in the 15th century during the Spanish Inquisition (here called the Seafarad Inquisition); this is combined with epic fantasy, creating an incredible narrative and gripping story. It follows Toba, who has been cursed from birth to be unable to run or shout, and her grandparents as they try to flee from the Queen’s banning of the Jews. She speaks five languages, can write with both hands at the same time and is highly skilled but there are parts of her life that have been hidden from her, including why she has to wear a specific amulet at all times. After following a man into the woods and almost being murdered by wolves, Toba goes through a gate- into a world made up of Maziks. These are people with strange square-shaped pupils and unexplainable magic. Held within one of their homes, Toba soon learns that her life has partially been a lie: she is in fact half Mazik, and her grandparents have spent years trying to protect her from the immortals she’s now trapped with. At the same time, there is Naftaly- the son of a tailor, he has no ability to sew but he does have the incredible power to see things in dreams and reality that aren’t real, and a stranger with orange square pupiled eyes haunts him. He seeks to flee Seafarad before he can be executed, carrying only a book he cannot open. After the death of his secretive father, and witnessing Toba disappear, Naftaly throws himself into trying to find her, working alongside her tricky grandmother Elena, a family of converted merchants and a strange old woman to do so. In both worlds, Toba and Naftaly must seek to survive two very different Inquisitions and find out the truth about their ancient powers while also trying to discover the connection between their world and that of the realm beyond the pomegranate gate.

The prose of this story is fascinating and dreamlike, the story embraces you from the first page and draws you into a world where everything is a danger and everyone has their own motivations. I raced through this book, finding it impossible to put down because I so badly wanted to see what would happen with Toba and Naftaly. Their stories feel separate, except for a chance meeting early on in the book, but they weave together so well throughout. Likewise, the side characters, from the Mazik lord Aslon and his heir Barsilay to Toba’s grandmother and the merchant family, are engrossing and realistic; I especially loved the old woman that Naftaly travels with, because she shows up in disguise as a pickpocketing nun at one point. Toba is brave, high-spirited and educated, challenging Aslon and Barsilay to teach her the magic she’s been deprived of her entire life while also dreaming of her life back home. Naftaly is naive and idealistic, but his well-meaning actions lead to a lot of difficulties for him (including being drugged and sealed inside a coffin). For a book with such a dark subject matter, there are excellent moments of longevity and humour which adds balance really well. The worlds in this story are beautifully written, whether it be the Mazik Court and its debauchery or the villages and towns on the way to freedom from Seafarad. This is a powerful story, with a wandering style that works perfectly for a book of dreams and that comes together with a satisfying conclusion. I can't wait to see what might come from this world next.

The cover was gorgeous, and I loved the idea of the book. I unfortunately just couldn't get into the story, so this was a DNF for me. I'm normally all in when it comes to unique stories with a folklore retelling angle (I love the books that were compared to this!), but with the significant historical aspect of the Spanish Inquisition and the fantasy world, my brain couldn't quite get a solid sense of time and place, and because of that, the characters fell flat to me. I can see why this has a lot of reader love to it though. It's well-written and sets up for an interesting series. Sadly it just wasn't for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story it is one that I had been meaning to pick up and read for a while, and I am so glad I did not leave it much longer. This is the first book in The Mirror Realm Cycle and one that I am looking forward to returning to.

The story is of Toba, a young girl who is frail, with few friends, lonely and often made fun of. It is not until she follows a man into a light that she finds herself somewhere completely different and finds that she is not as frail as she thought she was.

There is another main character in this story, Naftaly, who admits himself to being a fool. A tailor's son who cannot sew, who is lousy at business and he also finds himself travelling. He along with Toba are leaving their homes before they are either kicked out or killed for being Jews. The Queen is allowing those who will not convert to leave but taking nothing with them.

The story follows Tabo into another world, one of magic and power struggles. Here there is a King and also those who wish to see a change in the way things are. Those who have better positions are more able to affect change, and Toba's arrival is certainly noticed.

This is a story that weaves in between worlds and is full of magic lies, deceit and corruption. The author has brought in various Jewish words and also some characters from mythology and this adds the magical element. I don't know much about Jewish mythology but I do love the idea of a Ziz. A large bird supposedly with large enough wings to block out the sun!

Having two main characters means there is some back and forth between them and it was done so well. The author told of their lives, their history and then some of the history of this other realm. I like her descriptions and also the people they meet. It is a great way to get to know the characters better and also progress with the story.

I should mention that the two characters are aware of each other, well Naftaly is more aware of Toba. It is he who wants to find where she went and it is with the old woman and Elena that he tries to find her.

This is a story of magic and sorcery, there are those that you automatically kind of like or loathe and then there are those you really are not sure about. There is the odd character mentioned that does not really have a large part, more of a walk-on, but I have a feeling they are going to have more important things later on.

The story is well-paced and once I started to get to know the character and understand the story I was hooked, the ending was well done. Sort of finished and left many unanswered questions if that makes sense!

Action and adventure, with a good fantasy feel and some mythology woven in to create a wonderful story and one that I am looking forward to continuing. It is one I would definitely recommend.

When I started reading this book, I immediately fell in love. The setting, the characters, the romance, the prose! But then the story went on and left me feeling super conflicted - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. I still really like all those things, but sadly the plot took a turn I really didn't enjoy and soured the ending for me. I still have to give it four stars because I loved it so much in the beginning and still loved certain aspects in the end, will probably even recommend it some of our customers, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy a continuation.

Wow, I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I definitely wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did! This was just incredible, set across two mirrored worlds - one, the mortal world, in the time of the Spanish Inquisition and the persecution of Jewish people, and the other in the mirror world, full of magic and Maziks and dreams and books. And dreamy really is the word to describe this book - it is meandering and whimsical and beautiful and scary all at the same time. The slower pace really fits the story so well and I wish it hadn't ended.

The characters are all so well developed, and feel like real people from the get go, which I think is really impressive in such a high fantasy novel. Toba and Naftaly were so compelling, not to mention the side characters of Barsilay, Elena, Asmal, the old woman and more.

The author's writing is really beautiful and I was completely immersed in the story throughout. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it and I could not wait to pick it back up again. It had heavy political aspects going on, but it still found a way to include humour, and the inclusion of Jewish folklore into this fantasy world was so beautiful.

I thought this was a standalone book while I was reading it so now I am DEVASTATED at having to wait so long for the sequel, I need it in my hands RIGHT NOW.

I sadly ended up unable to finish this.
While the start was slow I was intrigued enough that it didn't bother me.
But as I read on the pace didn't pick up at all. There never seemed a sense of urgency by any of the characters. I was unsure why he cared that she went through the gate. To the point he felt the need to save her. They didn't really have a relationship beforehand.
As I got to the halfway mark I just felt more should have happened by now. Something to keep me intrigued but sadly it never seemed to come.

I was instantly drawn to the title and the cover of this book and was so excited to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an incredible and beautifully written fantasy novel that I found truly captivating. I cannot wait for the next installment.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at about 30 % and it makes me really sad. I think it is a combination of personal well-being and being overwhelmed with the perspectives of this narration.

I really like the two main characters and their closer companions. They felt very interesting, complex and quite distinguished. Unfortunately for me the other perspectives that got thrown into the story didn't work. I got quite confused about the storyline of the Courser and couldn't put it in the greater picture of the storyline.

It is possible that a combination of not being in my mother tongue and the pre-formated form of the eBook made it difficult for me to comprehend more. I really with that this book gets translated to German so I can give it another shot.

Because there is so much that got my intrigue picked up: The parallel world behind the pomegranate gate, what will become of Toba, if Naftaly also gets into this realm and how their path will get mixed up again.

I was pleasantly surprised by this, as someone who is not usually a lover of fantasy but this was beautifully written, skillfully plotted and paced - a highly enjoyable read. There was excellent worldbuilding enriched by weaving Jewish culture throughout, it had dark and shade and was both funny and heartbreaking at times, and I adored the POV characters. Very much looking forward to the next books in the series!

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan draws upon Jewish folklore and artfully infuses it with high fantasy to create a wonderfully complex and beautifully written story about persecution, love, friendship and hope.

As carefully crafted and thoughtful as this book was, I struggled with the pacing. I was often left feeling
a little bewildered at how everything was flowing together and this stunted my enjoyment of the book overall.

I absolutely loved this book. The mixture of historical fiction and fantasy was just perfect and the characters of Toba and Naftaly were both brilliantly written. I really liked the Jewish elements of the story and the actual historical details which made the fantasy aspects seem more real somehow.
The secondary characters were a huge strength of the novel and the Old Woman almost needs a story of her own.
I enjoyed the ending and look forward to reading more in a future book.
Thank you to Rebellion Publishers and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.