Hey friends! Welcome back to Blonde Girl Writing! Today, I'll be reviewing one of my favorite books ever, which is The Eternity Gate by Katherine Briggs!
As you may or may not know, part of my mission at Blonde Girl Writing is to give readers good books to read. This book review accomplishes just that.
First, let me explain my rating method. I have it divided into a few categories: world-building; characters; theme; fear/violence/swears/etc; and, for Christian books, religious aspects. Each one has the same weight because each category is important in its own way.
In total, The Eternity Gate gets a 9.2 of 10, and is recommended for children of fourteen years and older for scarier bits and mentions of war and death.
World-Building - 9/10
The world-building for The Eternity Gate is seriously amazing. It's set in a fictional land split into five different countries, each with its own language, Gifting, culture, and more. There's Vedoa, Nazak, Laijon, Pirthyia, and Ai'Biro.
Of the Giftings, Light and Fire are prominently displayed. Seyo, due to her mixed heritage, has the Fire Gifting, even though she should have the Light Gifting, as do most of her countrymen do. She seems to believe this a curse, and one that would never be covered no matter how many confessions she makes.
The countries of Laijon--where Seyo is from--and Pirthyia are focused on in this book. Pirthyia is far different and much less religious than Laijon, and Laijon and Pirthyia are at war throughout the book.
All in all, world-building is a solid nine of ten. It wasn't insanely detailed and well-executed, but still very well done.
Characters - 10/10
The characters in The Eternity Gate, even the side characters, are so well done.
Seyo, the main character, seems so real. She's easy to relate to--unsure of herself, often feeling like she isn't good enough. I don't know about the rest of you, but that is something I feel on a deep level. Even so, in tough situations, she is quick to act and throughout the whole book, never gives up, even when things are hard.
Jorai, the second-born prince who likes to make trouble for his half-brother and father, is unique. He isn't perfect--and he often tries to be imperfect, just to be annoying. However, he is kind and sweet towards those he loves. Jorai is kind of like Prince Jaron from The False Prince, but nicer.
Kiboro, the princess, is so strong and leads well. Even when forced into tough situations, she is confident in herself and always collected. She is a great example of a strong female character who is still very feminine.
Geras, the prisoner that Seyo frees, is misunderstood and often mistreated. Despite his condition, he cares about others and doesn't want to hurt them. He also trusts in God deeply and craves companionship and normalcy.
Every character not listed here is similarly interesting, conflicted, and life-like.
All in all, characters get a ten of ten. I can't find any two-dimensional characters, and each character served a purpose of some sort.
Theme - 10/10
The theme of The Eternity Gate is God can use anyone, and He accepts everyone. Or, at least that's how I interpret it.
In this book, Seyo, a conflicted character who thinks she isn't good enough, who thinks she can't be accepted by the Father of Light without constant confession, is used to find the Eternity Gate. Geras, who accompanies Seyo on her quest, is also broken, cursed, shunned-and yet the Father of Light used him, too.
At the end of the book, there's a quote that I think highlights my point on the theme:
What a pair we were. He was cursed, and I possessed my enemy's gifting. Unworthy vessels, yet used by the Father of Light to demonstrate that he alone possessed greatest power.
All in all, theme gets another ten of ten. The theme is masterfully woven, easy to see, and perfectly lined up with the journey of Seyo and Geras.
Fear/Violence/Swearing/Etc. - 8/10
Let me be clear: there is no swearing or bad scenes in The Eternity Gate. However, there are some intense and possibly scary scenes throughout the book that give it the YA stamp.
Some include: mentions of creatures evil and twisted from humans by dark magic; mentions of blood (not detailed); man gets lashed with a whip (not detailed); mentions of concubines (once); attacks from aforementioned creatures, getting chased and even hurt/killed by them (not detailed); attacks from wild dogs, fighting them off, getting hurt by them (not detailed); being kidnapped and held prisoner by evil creatures, living in fear; main character gets mildly hurt several times; war between the evil creatures and people, with many wounded and killed.
Most of the fear comes from the evil creatures called Shadows. So, although this book is quite clean, all in all, this category gets an eight of ten.
Religious Aspects - 9/10
Since The Eternity Gate is Christian fiction, I have to mention the "religious" aspects of the book, including how well it portrays God.
The Eternity Gate constantly mentions the temple, prayers, cleansing, rituals, etc. which might remind you of nuns. Kiboro and Seyo are both training to become temple priestesses, and often get up early for prayer and stay up late for vigils. You could say that Seyo's people are doing these things more out of religion and necessity than wanting to serve God.
God is known as the Father of Light, and as the book wears on, Seyo begins to understand Him better and better--realizing that He's more than an impersonal God that demands her life and that she has no fun; He is a God who cares, who loves, and who helps.
All in all, religious aspects get a nine of ten for the fantastic portrayal of God, showing the difference of beliefs people have, and exploring which belief is the best of them all.
In the end, The Eternity Gate gets 9.2 out of 10 stars. It has fantastic--though not completely solid--world-building; interesting, conflicted, relatable characters; a great and well-woven theme; a bit of violence and some scary parts; and a great portrayal of God. This Christian fiction fantasy book is one that I'm sure many will come to love, as I have!
If The Eternity Gate sounds like your cup of tea, why not buy it? It's currently on sale on Amazon for $13.50, which is 46% off! Plus, Katherine Briggs has the next book in the duology coming out September 17, and you can preorder it now on Amazon for $24.99.
Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope this review gave you a new book to add to your to be read pile.
Best wishes,
Jonah
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