#ebony gatee

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle's Ebony Gate is a female John Wick story with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown. Emiko Soong belongs to one of the eight premier magical families of the world. But Emiko never needed any magic. Because she is the Blade of the Soong Clan. Or was. Until she’s drenched in blood in the middle of a market in China, surrounded by bodies and the scent of blood and human waste as a lethal perfume. The Butcher of Beijing now lives a quiet life in San Francisco, importing antiques. But when a shinigami, a god of death itself, calls in a family blood debt, Emiko must recover the Ebony Gate that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi underworld. Or forfeit her soul as the anchor. What's a retired assassin to do but save the City by the Bay from an army of the dead?

Review:

Female John Wick except with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown? HELL YEAH. Emiko Soong is part of one of the eight premier magical families of the world, but unlike many others she isn’t that gifted with magic but rather blades. She became the Blade of the Soong Clan, or rather... she is known as the Butcher of Beijing before she moved to San Francisco. But Emiko is done with that life, she left her clan and broke her blade in an attempt to retire and finally get away from the killing... but when a Talon ( think of it like a blood oath marker that essentially is a debt- once called upon must be answered), is activated and she goes to answer it to save her younger brother who is the heir to the clan from having to deal with it... things are about to get bloody. To her shock Emiko discovers that her mother has given a Talon to a shinigami, a god of death.... and now Emiko finds herself being tasked with finding the Ebony Gate... a doorway that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi Underworld and if she can’t retrieve it she will have to forfeit her soul as the anchor instead. Finding this door is going to be harder than ever and it means that Emiko has to go back to her past career as the Blade and not only try and make new allies but uncover the new enemies who are after the door as well. With her blades, her pet lion, and a ticking clock, Emiko will have to slash her way to uncovering the truth behind why her mother owes a Talon to a Shinigami and what Emiko wants to do with her future. This is the first book in a series and WHAT A RIDE!!! It was non stop action, adventure, and I absolutely adored Emiko so much and BAO!!! (he deserves all the scratches and treats).  I am so excited to see what the next two books bring and where Emiko’s relationship with certain individuals in this book goes, you get to see her open herself up to others and friendship in this book and it was wonderful. The quest was a fun one and the world setting was so interesting!! Definitely give this one a go if you like action fantasy with a bit of a twist and a contemporary setting!

*SPOILER*

Emiko becomes the Sentinal of the city, leaving behind her life as the Blade. She is now coursing with magic from the city. She discovers that her mother made the talon trade to save Emi and her father when she walked into the underworld and the death god brought her back. Emiko also faces her ex, Kamon, a tiger shifter who she broke it off with when she also quite her life as a Blade. They work together in this one and she assumes that he has moved on and is dating Fiona, the next in line as the clan head of the Tran Clan. It is shown that he still really cares and worries about her but she thinks she is not good enough for him and not what he would want as opposed to what Fiona could give him.  Emiko also befriends Freddy ( Fiona’s brother) and Adam ( a human collector who is now protected and claimed under the Soong clan by Emiko). It is hinted that Emiko has a secret Gao ( magic gift) that could destroy the clans if it gets out but we dont find out for sure. Emiko finds out that the Louie clan stole the Ebony Gate and tried to make a power grab and they are also close to having a feud with the Tran clan which will probably occur in the next book. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[panksage]

It’s hard to go alone. Take your Bhaalspawn. Even of they have a falling out with their family and are extremely bad at what they’re doing.

[torpublishinggroup]

GET BOOKT

A guide of books to gift the people in your life and yourself!

For the person who made a 200+ slide powerpoint about Neon Genesis Evangelion for a presentation party… Also for those who attend presentation parties…

The Archive Undying by @emcandon

For all former and current theater kids (affectionate)...

Will Do Magic for Small Change by Andrea Hairston

For the reader who prefers their off-the-wall science fiction tempered with social commentary, or enjoys social commentary in a space opera font…

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

For the friend with the SHUDDER account…

Piñata: A Novel by Leopoldo Gout

For the burned-out chosen one who’s so, so tired…

The Saint of Bright Doors by @adamantine

For the tumblr mutual that fell down the wuxia cdrama hole…

The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

For the gamer who fondly remembers their confrontation with Rayquaza atop the Sky Pillar…

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

For the “smash first, questions later” friend in your life…

Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

For a tragic superwholockian in dire need of restorative sapphic fiction…

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

For the reader who wished Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was actually Jonathan Strange/Mr Norrell…

The Last Binding trilogy by @fahye, including: 

● A Marvellous Light

● A Restless Truth

● A Power Unbound

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

Not enough books? We agree. Check out our other GET BOOKT guide.

[sjbattleangel]

Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he’s a major freaking hottie. I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a witch, and I live in Baldur's Gate in the Sword Coast. I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow. I was walking outside. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of nobles stared at me. I blasted magic missile at them.

“Hey Ebony!” shouted a voice. I looked up. It was…. Astarion!

“What’s up Astarion?” I asked.

“Nothing.” he said shyly.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU LUDACRIS FOOLS!"

It was……………………………………………………Minsc!

[smowyashe]

"so who do you ship your ocs with?"

no one

Ebony's aroace and fucking dies before she hits 20 and is also wayyyyyyyy too unstable for any of that

Ivory dies even sooner and was shut out from society and didn't really have much time to think abt romance while on the run from the Federation and her manic sister

Kit is practically my self insert and personally, I see the spooky scary skeletons as more of a family than romantic interests

[hoenns-champion]

Meet my newest Durge Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way. She has long ebony black hair (that’s how she got her name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches her mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell her she looks like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!)

[mercury-and-scry]

I haven't played bg3 myself but I rlly like the designs of all the companions tents so I did some for my own pcs <3 referenced tents in game for this, Ebony's is Shart's and Deangelo's is Astarion's

[ripflemeth]

Remember this horrible person?

The trader, Araj, who wanted Astarion to bite her??

Today my friend @prince-of-the-comet told me that, in Drow, her name means Vengeance.

And I couldn't help but think...

Hi my name is Vengeance Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long bone-white hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and ebony black eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Orin the Red (OR: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m not a Chosen of Bhall but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a vampire-wanna-be but my teeth are straight and white and I've never been bit. I have pale grey skin. I’m also a bitch, and I trade in a secret base called Moonrise Towers in the Shadow Cursed lands where I’m in the inner circle (I have my very own room).

[lurkinginmyboots]

I never cared about playing as a vampire in this game but I had a vision and I had to get the mod to make it happen

Her guardian, obviously

[isabelpsaroslunnen]

Two of my friends and I recently went on a road trip, and since the other two were trying to stay awake in the second half on the journey, they suggested that I entertain them with a dramatic reading of My Immortal (following from my reading some iconic excerpts from The Playboy Sheikh's Virgin Stable-Girl via Smart Bitches, Trashy Books). We had a blast re-discovering the deep lore of Enoby, Willow/Raven, Dumblydore, Vampire, Snap and Loopin, and the rest, along with the unexpected brief crossover with Back to the Future that I'd completely forgotten in the many years since last time I read it.

Anyway, one of these friends is also a big D&D and BG3 fan, and we got to talking about Enoby in D&D terms and then had the brainwave of using the many mods we've found and downloaded together to recreate her as closely as possible. Behold our genius:

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Ebony Gate | Author: Julia Vee / Ken Bebelle | Publisher: Tor (2023)

[panksage]

Spawn of the world, unite!

You have nothing to lose but your chains.

[torpublishinggroup]

Which Fantasy Class Are You? (and what you should read next)

having trouble deciding what your next fantasy ttrpg class is? hmm? trouble deciding your next read?

while seemingly disparate, these two fantastical phenomena are inextricably linked, and we're going to prove it with This Quiz.

so click some answers, tell us what you got, read a book or something, and go ruin a hapless town with your table of ttrpg gamers. it's what's best in life

[warden-commander-aeducan]

Seren, Tempest Cleric of Selûne and Sorcerer of the Silver Draconic line

[fireandirons]

It’s late mods asleep time to post Tav/Shadowheart WIP

[eruscreaminginthedistance]

Lmao how embarrassing having to introduce yourself like that xD