The pomegranate gate

YA author Kaplan (We Are the Perfect Girl) draws readers into a bewitching folkloric world in her enthralling adult debut and Mirror Realm Cycle series launch. After the Queen of Sefarad issues an edict expelling her kingdom's Jewish citizens, Naftaly Cresques, a tailor's son with the secret ability to travel the dream world, smuggles a treasured book and flees, while fragile but brilliant Toba Peres escapes with her grandparents and her childhood amulet. Wolves separate Toba from the group and she follows two strange men to safety through a gate into an alternate realm where the Maziks, or magic users, reside. Trapped until the next full moon, Toba must trust wise astrologer Asmel b' Asmoda and his charming nephew Barsilay b'Droer to protect her, both of whom are shocked to discover that Toba may have magical abilities of her own. Meanwhile, Naftaly aids Toba's grandmother by navigating the dream world to search for Toba before they're all discovered. The plot has a tendency to meander and then suddenly accelerate, creating some uneven pacing, but the worldbuilding is lush and exciting and the dynamics between the leads charm. (Toba and "popinjay" Barsilay have some especially choice banter.) This spells good things for the series to come. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Assoc. (Sept.)

This debut fantasy follows two young Jews escaping the Inquisition who discover their connection to another world. In a region resembling Renaissance-era Spain--to the extent that it includes Christians, Muslims, Jews, and the works of medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides--the Inquisition is coming, and Jews must flee or convert. Naftaly Cresques, a bad tailor tormented by true visions and odd dreams of familiar-seeming places peopled by square-pupiled inhabitants, is among the refugees. Strong-willed fellow refugee Elena Peres soon drags Naftaly into the search for her lost granddaughter, Toba. Toba is a strangely weak and strangely gifted young woman--she cannot run or shout but can simultaneously translate a book into Latin with one hand and Arabic with the other--who has disappeared into a burst of light within a pomegranate grove. She has been transported to the realm of the square-pupiled people, the magical, long-lived race known as the Maziks, who are still suffering the effects of a brutal political coup and spiritual upheaval centuries before. As Toba explores her own mysterious connection to the Maziks and struggles for control of her newly discovered magical gifts, Naftaly faces deadly challenges both on the road and in his dreams, and both become entangled with the Maziks' dangerous intrigues. It is perhaps a bit confusing that the mortal world of the book, which specifically names the languages, religions, and politics of our own history, is set entirely in imaginary lands. On the other hand, a great deal of Jewish-inspired fantasy tends to employ a coded version of Judaism, and some might find it refreshing to read a book with clearly identified Jewish protagonists and that directly draws on Jewish rituals and culture instead of cloaking them in author-invented terms. It is also refreshing that although the introductions of Naftaly and Toba initially suggest to the experienced reader of traditional fantasy novels that they are destined to become a couple, that expectation is shattered fairly definitively. The worldbuilding is intricate and takes up most of the plot, which unfortunately causes the pacing to drag somewhat. The climax is exciting, but it's clear that the book is mainly a setup for actions that will take place in future volumes, which makes this installment an intriguing tease but not entirely satisfying in and of itself. A unique take on Jewish history and legend, with the prospect that it will pay off further in later books. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.