The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
Published by Rebellion Publishing Ltd
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Chronic Illness, Epic Fantasy, Gay Characters, Jewish Characters, Historical Fantasy, Jewish, Jewish Authors
Series: The Mirror Realm Cycle #1
My Rating:
Published on: 20th July 2023
Pages: 544
Disability Representation: Fictional Condition, arthritis, trauma.
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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.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan offers an interesting fantasy setting, and I was drawn to both the world-building and the characters. Unfortunately, at the heart of this fascinating book is the magical cure trope, with the female main character starting the book as disabled. Her disability is magically reversed as a part of the plot, and she develops inhuman strength and other senses. While certain aspects of the plot were necessary, I don’t feel the character needed to be disabled; she could have been written as smaller and weak. The author also uses terms such as “handicap” and “lame”, which did not endear me to her writing style.

Overall, this book felt a bit lopsided to me. Some parts I loved as they were so well-thought-out with intricate details, and others I felt were quite lacking. The plot and characters did hook me enough for me to read the next book.

Thanks for reading my book review for The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan!

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