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booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Top tier urban fantasy!
Vee and Bebelle excel in creating a lush and contemporary fantasy world in San Francisco, drenched in the beauty of Chinese culture, magic and mythology. A well rounded and intriguing cast of characters, with a sassy badass lead.
My favorite part of the whole book was learning about the families and the dragon magic connected to each of them.
I cannot wait to get more out of this series and to read other books by these two authors.
Cw
Blood
Gore
Death
Murder
Vee and Bebelle excel in creating a lush and contemporary fantasy world in San Francisco, drenched in the beauty of Chinese culture, magic and mythology. A well rounded and intriguing cast of characters, with a sassy badass lead.
My favorite part of the whole book was learning about the families and the dragon magic connected to each of them.
I cannot wait to get more out of this series and to read other books by these two authors.
Cw
Blood
Gore
Death
Murder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death, and Murder
sarrie's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s incredibly rare for me to find an Urban Fantasy that’s solid and does not fall into the trap being more on the Romance than the Fantasy side. If that’s you and you want that great Urban fantasy feeling - pick up Ebony Gate.
The story follows Emiko Soong who, after giving up a coveted and rare position in her family, moves to San Francisco and attempts to make her own way and her own life. Emiko is part of a race of humans descended from Dragons who all manifest different powers at different levels. Emiko seems to have little to no magic and as such as fulfilled the role of assassin and earned the nickname “The Butcher of Beijing”. Because of that we see her move through a society that doesn’t quite accept her on the whole but begrudgingly respects her. The magic is fascinating and fun, and the teases about Emiko and her ‘abilities’ through the book have me very ready for another installment.
The characters themselves are fun, and even San Francisco as a city takes on a character role as the city is manifesting itself as a sentient force that requires a guiding hand, something it has seemed to pick Emiko for. She struggles against that throughout the book (we all know how it’s going to end) but I always love a sentient magic city idea.
On the whole I really enjoyed this. The beginning dragged a bit, and it was also fairly overwhelming with the new setting and ideas so it may take some getting used to. I loved the lack of romance, but the beginning also managed to somehow feel like it was setting something up that I’m not crazy about for future books, a plot line that really didn’t feel needed. There was some repetition to the writing, but on the whole this is definitely a book and series I’ll be looking forward to.
A solid new urban fantasy - for fans of the genre I’d definitely recommend this one. 4 out 5 paper lanterns.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Xenophobia and Abandonment
catsandbookstacks's review against another edition
3.5
*Thank you to @torbooks and @netgalley for the eARC.
Ebony Gate is the first book in an urban fantasy trilogy with Asian mythology roots and complex worldbuilding. I picked this up because of the comp to an Asian John Wick set in San Francisco.
There are over the top action sequences with a retired assassin, but add magical abilities. This book is fun and explores themes of finding one's home, new identity, traditions and grief.
Emiko has abandoned her duties as her family's Blade and became a hermit in San Francisco. She tries to keep everyone at arms length in order to protect them, especially after the massacre that named her the "Butcher of Beijing."
She's an interesting character who strives to fulfil her family duty when a Talon (favour) is called and ends up requesting assistance from the Tran siblings. Freddy and Fiona are entertaining, both with opposing personalities, and Freddy stood out in scenes. I also look forward to seeing more Adam, Andie and Tessa.
The novel happens over a short period of time but the pacing drags at times due to overwriting and repetition. I couldn't place what was feeling off for me until I read another review where they mentioned heavy handed omniscient reveals, which made it a little less interesting.
Emiko is also not as smart as she should be for an assassin? She talks about how she was training and how she's gotten sloppy - but she's super sloppy?
Overall, I enjoyed Ebony Gate for its fun and action-packed adventure. It intrigues me enough to want to continue the trilogy, though I do hope that the writing is tightened up in future books.
Ebony Gate is the first book in an urban fantasy trilogy with Asian mythology roots and complex worldbuilding. I picked this up because of the comp to an Asian John Wick set in San Francisco.
There are over the top action sequences with a retired assassin, but add magical abilities. This book is fun and explores themes of finding one's home, new identity, traditions and grief.
Emiko has abandoned her duties as her family's Blade and became a hermit in San Francisco. She tries to keep everyone at arms length in order to protect them, especially after the massacre that named her the "Butcher of Beijing."
She's an interesting character who strives to fulfil her family duty when a Talon (favour) is called and ends up requesting assistance from the Tran siblings. Freddy and Fiona are entertaining, both with opposing personalities, and Freddy stood out in scenes. I also look forward to seeing more Adam, Andie and Tessa.
The novel happens over a short period of time but the pacing drags at times due to overwriting and repetition. I couldn't place what was feeling off for me until I read another review where they mentioned heavy handed omniscient reveals, which made it a little less interesting.
Emiko is also not as smart as she should be for an assassin? She talks about how she was training and how she's gotten sloppy - but she's super sloppy?
Overall, I enjoyed Ebony Gate for its fun and action-packed adventure. It intrigues me enough to want to continue the trilogy, though I do hope that the writing is tightened up in future books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Minor: Xenophobia
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