The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan Review

Title: The Pomegranate Gate

Author: Ariel Kaplan

Genre: Historic Fantasy

Publisher: Solaris

Pages: 544

Release Date: 20 July 2023

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Hello fellow book lovers! Today im sharing my review for The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan. As intricately woven and rich in detail as a renaissance-era tapestry, The Pomegranate Gate is a cleverly written epic fantasy (and first in a new series), that blends Jewish inspired folklore and history into a world full of ancient magic and deadly secrets —that will appeal to fans of Ava Reid, Naomi Novik or Hannah F. Whitten.

Synopsis

Two worlds bound by a pomegranate gate...

Toba Peres can speak but she can’t shout; she can walk but she can’t run; and she can write in five languages… with both hands at the same time.

Naftaly Cresques dreams every night of an orange-eyed stranger; when awake, he sees things that aren’t real; and he carries a book he can never lose and never read.

When the Queen of Sefarad orders all the nation’s Jews to leave or convert, Toba and Naftaly are forced to flee, but an unlucky encounter leaves them both separated from their caravan. Lost in the wilderness, Toba follows an orange-eyed stranger through a mysterious gate in a pomegranate grove, leaving Naftaly behind.

With a single step, Toba enters an ancient world that mirrors her own. There, she finds that her fate—and Naftaly’s—are bound to an ancient conflict threatening to destroy both realms.

Review

I really enjoyed reading this and loved the lyrical, dark fairytale style of writing, which expertly explores the themes of power, oppression, found family and the trauma of religious persecution through an historical, fantasy-esque lens that kept me glued to my seat (and emotionally invested) the whole way through.

I adored Toba, who was such an inquisitive and surprisingly driven protagonist who, much like Beaty and The Beast’s Belle, finds herself bargaining with and making headaches for the house’s surly master, Asmel —whose role as Toba’s reluctant mentor led to some humorous and rather entertaining scenes.

Though I admit, Barsilay (Asmel’s heir) did steal the show a little with his flamboyant antics and charmingly flirtatious demeanour. As did the well meaning but hopelessly naive, Naftaly, whose idealistic outlook and drive to do the right thing gets him into more trouble than he can handle—much to the chagrin of his grandmotherly travel companions.

The pace was a little slow (so do bear this in mind if that’s something to you don’t enjoy) however, the level of detail in the word building, it’s unique magic system and the exploration in both Toba and Naftaly’s backstories definitely made up for it.

So, if you love multilayered (and multi-POV) epic, historical-based fantasy that’s full of emotion and magic then you don’t want to miss this!

Also, a huge thank you to Casey Ann at Solaris Books for the proof.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Ariel Kaplan was born in California and raised in Virginia, where she lives to this day. She managed to survive the college-admissions process twice in order to receive her BA from the College of William and Mary and her MLS from Florida State University. Nevertheless, she continues to have dreams in which she did not graduate and must repeat school from the third grade on as an adult.

Ariel’s books, Grendel’s Guide to Love and War, We Regret to Inform You, and We Are the Perfect Girl, have received seven starred reviews among them and been named to the Indie Next List and the ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list among other honors.

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