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A review by yuck1209
Ebony Gate by Ken Bebelle, Julia Vee
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Reminded me of The Jade City.
Emiko is a decent protagonist, with her main motivation slowly transforming throughout the course of the story. She goes from wanting to stay far away from her past and clan politics to striving to protect the city and the people around her who’ve offered her a second chance. Emiko often considers herself a blunt instrument of sorts, out of touch with the inter-clan politics and niceties, though I was occasionally frustrated with that translating to bumbling mistakes in her quest to track down the Ebony Gate.
Other characters that stood out… well, it’s hard to say since Emiko maintains a distance from most everyone else. I was convinced, for example, that she would team up with Tessa and Andie, get their assistance in her mission, but that didn’t happen. I wondered if she’d have some sort of romance with Adam, or enlist his helpafter taking him under Soong Clan protection , but no. I guess even Kamon, her hot Tiger ex-boyfriend, points out that she doesn’t ask for help so I guess it all tracks… Some exceptions included the Trans, mostly Freddy, the Suns, and Popo.
This means that a lot of the narrative weight falls on Emiko’s shoulders, though she isn’t compelling enough to pull it off all the time. She leans heavily on being a disgrace, not being equipped to navigate the goings-on, and the slightly bitter “pulled back into the life you never fully left” schtick. Her narrative voice is fairly straightforward - competent, with the occasional wry or sarcastic comment.
The world-building was interesting, mixing in elements from various Asian cultures and mythology (e.g., shinigami, pennangalan, qi). I did chuckle at some of the smaller day-to-day references to Emiko’s heritage or the fact that she’s Asian and lives in the Bay Area (e.g., mentions of Daiso products). All this to say there were bits that felt thought-out, with other small winks and nods to the characters’ and authors’ identities and culture.
It looks like there will be other books in the series, which hopefully means I’ll get an answer to Emiko’s “nonexistent” Talent. There are hints across the story that this explanation and her fragmented memories around it are more than they seem, so I was annoyed that nothing was revealed by the end.
Felt a little lengthy given that it takes course over the span of like two days.
Emiko is a decent protagonist, with her main motivation slowly transforming throughout the course of the story. She goes from wanting to stay far away from her past and clan politics to striving to protect the city and the people around her who’ve offered her a second chance. Emiko often considers herself a blunt instrument of sorts, out of touch with the inter-clan politics and niceties, though I was occasionally frustrated with that translating to bumbling mistakes in her quest to track down the Ebony Gate.
Other characters that stood out… well, it’s hard to say since Emiko maintains a distance from most everyone else. I was convinced, for example, that she would team up with Tessa and Andie, get their assistance in her mission, but that didn’t happen. I wondered if she’d have some sort of romance with Adam, or enlist his help
This means that a lot of the narrative weight falls on Emiko’s shoulders, though she isn’t compelling enough to pull it off all the time. She leans heavily on being a disgrace, not being equipped to navigate the goings-on, and the slightly bitter “pulled back into the life you never fully left” schtick. Her narrative voice is fairly straightforward - competent, with the occasional wry or sarcastic comment.
The world-building was interesting, mixing in elements from various Asian cultures and mythology (e.g., shinigami, pennangalan, qi). I did chuckle at some of the smaller day-to-day references to Emiko’s heritage or the fact that she’s Asian and lives in the Bay Area (e.g., mentions of Daiso products). All this to say there were bits that felt thought-out, with other small winks and nods to the characters’ and authors’ identities and culture.
It looks like there will be other books in the series, which hopefully means I’ll get an answer to Emiko’s “nonexistent” Talent. There are hints across the story that this explanation and her fragmented memories around it are more than they seem, so I was annoyed that nothing was revealed by the end.
Felt a little lengthy given that it takes course over the span of like two days.