by Katherine Briggs
publisher’s synopsis
Destroy the key. Save her people and herself.
The Eternity Gate is found, and kings and monsters battle over its legends of treasure. But rumors whisper that someone stole the gate’s ancient key.
Seyo, handmaiden to the princess, keeps three secrets. First, she’s gifted in fire, not light, and may as well be cursed.Second, she translates a prophecy warning that the gate does not offer treasure but judgment. Third, Jorai, the scorned prince and Seyo’s confidant, entrusts her with the key and disappears.
Surrounded by war, Seyo and her companions embark on a journey to seek help from a faraway empire and find Jorai, unaware of the trap awaiting them. But what should Seyo do with the key? Who can survive judgment, especially someone as flawed as her? Will hiding the key—or destroying it—save her people or ensure their defeat?
Characters:
Brigg’s writing skill really showed with the side characters. They were all well-developed. I would have liked a little more done with a certain side character, but I honestly can’t say anything more than that because of spoilers. 🙂
Seyo was a nice main character. I liked how Briggs wove the themes of the book so close to her character arc.
Worldbuilding:
The worldbuilding had a lot going on, but it didn’t quite work together.
I wasn’t quite sure what the setting of Laijong was supposed to be. There were numerous times when it seemed Asian-inspired, but the book never leaned enough into those vibes for me to feel confident that that was the inspiration. The uncertainty of what the setting and culture were supposed to be like kept me from being fully immersed in the novel.
There were also brief mentions of railroads and steamships that gave those moments an industrial era feeling, but it seemed a little out of place. But that might have stemmed from me being uncertain about what the worldbuilding was supposed to be.
Now, let me clarify: Briggs didn’t skimp on the worldbuilding. There are five distinct kingdoms and cultures in The Eternity Gate. However, I wonder if there was almost too much going on, and that’s why I was left a little uncertain about the worldbuilding.
Plot:
There is a lot going on with the plot: invasions, fake identities, wilderness survival, and, of course, a looming prophecy. But it was balanced well, not overwhelming the reader while still maintaining proper pacing and progressively raising the stakes.
Briggs did a choice job with the ending. A lot of duologies seem to feel more like one plot split into two books; The Eternity Gate didn’t. Briggs wrapped up the novel, while also making clear that the story wasn’t finished without leaving the reader on a dreaded cliffhanger.
Final Thoughts:
Fans of extensive worldbuilding and large-scale plots will probably enjoy this debut from Katherine Briggs.
Cautions: light romance; semi-graphic heavy violence (mainly pertaining to war); non-descriptive, brief mention of a character’s mother having committed suicide
*The Eternity Gate releases August 2023 from Enclave Publishing. I received an eARC; all opinions are my own.*
Hailey Huntington 
Leave a comment