Title: Gates of Thread and Stone
Author: Lori M. Lee
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone, Book 1
Pages: 333
Genre: Fantasy
Method of acquirement: Library
Publisher: Skyscape
My rating: 4.5-5 stars
Summary:
Kai has the power to manipulate
time. In the city of Ninurta, this is a dangerous secret. Only Kahl Ninu, the
city’s leader, is allowed to have magic. So, at the instruction of her “brother”
Reev, Kai struggles keeps her power a secret. When Reev suddenly goes missing,
Kai becomes very worried and investigates his disappearance. In doing so, she
is told that the “Black Rider” has taken him. Joined by her friend, Avan, Kai
decides to make the dangerous journey across the Outlands toward the Void where
the Rider is rumoured to live.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Gates of Thread
and Stone very much. A few weeks ago, I entered a contest to win it and the
sequel (The Infinite) on audiobook from the author. Sadly, I did not win, but I
decided that I needed to read GoTaS right away, so I put my other books on hold
and ordered it from my library. I’m really glad I did!
I found Kai to be a very realistic
and believable character. Her feelings and fears were very real and I felt as
though I could connect with her through them. When going to search for Reev,
her friend, Avan, offers to go with her on the journey. Kai does not want to be
selfish and take Avan away from his home to accompany her, nor does she wish to
put him in danger. Yet she knows that she cannot do it alone, even though she
wishes she could. She is afraid of refusing his help, but she is also afraid of
accepting it in case that is not what is best for him.
The romance between Kai and Avan
isn’t the instant “falling in love at first sight” that most books seem to
have. They have been friends for a very long time, and the quest to find Reev
brings them much closer. Kai is unsure of her feelings for Avan and is a bit
confused about the whole thing.
The relationship between Kai and
G-10 was quite confusing. I definitely don’t like them together romantically.
**SPOILER** When Irra announced
that he was Famine, I thought that maybe he was one of the four Riders of the
apocalypse, especially when Death and Conquest were also mentioned. However,
they are Infinites, an immortal group of which there are 70 members. This
cleared up the confusion of whether they were the Riders, but I am unsure of
why there are 70 and how the author will choose to explain or use this
information. 70 seems to be quite a lot of immortals that each have their own
specific power. **End spoiler**
That being said, I am very
interested to see how the lore continues to play out. I am also looking forward
to the development of Kai and Avan’s relationship after the events at the end
of the book.
**SPOILER** Kai’s true identity was very
predictable, though Avan’s role was a total surprise to me. **End Spoiler**
Again, I enjoyed reading Gates of
Thread and Stone very much. It is a story about real loyalty, family and
humanity, and has wonderful potential with world building and lore.
Language:
The author made up a word for the
world of the book (“drek”), which was used a bunch of times; about 3 uses of “a**”
Sexual content:
The town where Kai lives has many
prostitutes, many of which seem very keen on getting to know her brother.
However, Kai spends the majority of the book out of her town, so this is only
in the beginning of the book.
Kai and Avan sleep very close
together when there is no room in the cave they are hiding in
On multiple occasions, Kai thinks
about kissing Avan
Kai briefly admires Avan’s butt
when he’s in his training uniform
G-10 jokes about hoping Kai was
trying to make a sexual request
Kai wishes she and Avan could
sleep in the same bed (nothing sexual about it is implied, though)
Kai thinks about bathing with
Avan
A boy kisses/tries to kiss Avan
Avan says he “doesn’t care about
gender”, implying he is bisexual
Kai and Avan kiss passionately a
couple times
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