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In a mystical 15th century Spain at the height of the Inquisition’s power, young Jews Toba and Naftaly must fight for survival. Driven from their home, their only hope for a future is to unravel the mysterious connections they have to the magical world of the immortal Maziks whose fates are tied to their own…

Steeped in myth and magic, The Mirror Realm Cycle is full of fascinating characters and complicated relationships, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver and S. A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy.

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In a mystical 15th century Spain at the height of the Inquisition’s power, young Jews Toba and Naftaly must fight for survival. Driven from their home, their only hope for a future is to unravel the mysterious connections they have to the magical world of the immortal Maziks whose fates are tied to their own…

Steeped in myth and magic, The Mirror Realm Cycle is full of fascinating characters and complicated relationships, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver and S. A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy.

Get Started

Marvellous, numinous and strange.
Liz Bourke
Reactor Magazine

Combines lyrical writing with meticulous world-building and brilliant characters and douses it all with a good dose of magic.
Fabienne Schwizer
Grimdark Magazine

Lush and exciting
Publishers Weekly

A spellbinding work of storytelling with profoundly real characters who will stay with you long after you turn the last page. I loved everything about this book.
H.G. Parry
Author of The Magician’s Daughter

Wow, I loved it. It’s mythic and human, breathtaking and special. I want to read everything Ariel Kaplan does. You’ll break the rules and eat the fruit just so you can stay in this magical world for a little while longer.
C. L. Polk
Nebula Award-winning author of Even Though I Knew the End

The Pomegranate Gate is the sweeping Jewish epic fantasy I’ve been waiting for all my life
Rebecca Fraimow
Author of The Iron Children

An amazing, exciting book, full of Jewish lore, history, and enchantment!
Veronica Schanoes
Author of Burning Girls and Other Stories

The Pomegranate Gate is an unforgettable journey to a world lush with magic and imagination. Every page is unearthly and delightful in equal measure—I couldn’t put it down.
Natasha Siegel
Author of Solomon’s Crown
Main product image for The Pomegranate Gate
Main product image for The Pomegranate Gate

The Pomegranate Gate

Two worlds bound by a pomegranate gate

Toba Peres can speak but she can’t shout; she can walk but she can’t run; and she can write in five languages… with both hands at the same time.

Naftaly Cresques dreams every night of an orange-eyed stranger; when awake, he sees things that aren’t real; and he carries a book he can never lose and never read.

When the Queen of Sefarad orders all the nation’s Jews to leave or convert, Toba and Naftaly are forced to flee, but an unlucky encounter leaves them both separated from their caravan. Lost in the wilderness, Toba follows an orange-eyed stranger through a mysterious gate in a pomegranate grove, leaving Naftaly behind.

With a single step, Toba enters an ancient world that mirrors her own. There, she finds that her fate—and Naftaly’s—are bound to an ancient conflict threatening to destroy both realms.

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Meet The Characters

Toba Peres – A young Jew from Serafad, known for her ability to speak several languages and her sickly constitution. Whilst fleeing the Inquisition, she falls through The Pomegranate Gate into the Mazik’s magical realm. Separated from her family and friends, Toba must rely on the immortal Maziks she encounters there to ensure her safe return home – if they don’t get her killed first. As she navigates the politics and dangers of the Mazik world, she comes to realise that she is carrying a dangerous secret that even she does not understand…

Naftaly Cresques – A young Jewish tailor (though not a very good one), Naftaly is also escaping the inquisition. He is haunted by an orange-eyed man from a strange world he sees only in dreams and carrying a forbidden book which is all that remains of his family’s legacy. Separated from Toba as their people flee into exile, he sets out on a quest to save his friend.

The Old Woman – Mysterious, unscrupulous, and out for what she can get, The Old Woman was formerly a beggar on the streets of Rimon’s Jewish quarter. Driven out of the city, she becomes Naftaly’s reluctant travel companion, but her motives, like her past, remain obscure.

Elena Peres/Elena bat Beladen – Toba’s grandmother, she has protected and cared for her all her life. Resourceful and highly capable, she has fought to keep her family afloat once her husband lost his position at court. When they are separated on their journey into exile, she will stop at nothing to rescue her granddaughter.

Asmel d’Asmoda – a member of the immortal Mazik race, isolated scholar, and minor nobleman. Asmel is drawn back into the perilous of court life when Toba stumbles into his world.

Barsilay d’Droer – a member of the immortal Mazik race and Asmel’s nephew. Dissolute but charming, a former medical student, originally from Luz.

Meet the Author

Ariel Kaplan grew up outside Washington, D.C., and spent most of her childhood reading fairy tales and mythology before settling on a deep love for Jewish folklore. She began studying the history of medieval Spain and the Convivencia while working on a Monroe Scholar project at the College of William & Mary, where she graduated with a degree in History and Religious Studies. She is the author of several books for younger readers. The Pomegranate Gate is her first fantasy novel.

Main product image for The Republic of Salt
Main product image for The Republic of Salt

The Republic of Salt

Peace in one world always comes at a cost to the other.

Toba and Naftaly’s lives changed forever when Toba discovered the mirrored world of the Maziks beyond the Pomegranate Gate. In their search for answers, they must find their own ways to the wonderous and powerful neighbouring republic of Zayit. A magnificent city overflowing with olives, spices and salt—but not the safe haven they need. The republic has turned its back on fleeing Jewish and Mazik refugees, and is closing its ears to warnings of war.

Meanwhile, the tyrannical Mazik King Tarses is building his army to cross the sea to Zayit. With time running out, and his visions growing worse, Naftaly must convince his beloved Barsilay to rally the armies of the world and accept his role as the true heir to the throne. But Barsilay resents the fate that’s been thrust upon him.

Toba knows that Zayit's fate is only the beginning: she must discover her own destiny to defeat Tarses by restoring the balance between worlds.

Unlikely alliances must be forged, impossible myths must be made real, and the city of Luz must be brought back from the depths of the sea.

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The World of The Mirror Realm

The Mirror Realm Cycle is set in a mystical alternate 15th Century Europe, where gate cities across the world lead to the mysterious realm of the immortal Mazik: a land of dreams and demons that exists alongside our own. Toba and Naftaly’s journey begins in an alternate Spain in the shadow of the inquisition, but their journey will take them far from their home on a quest that will reach across both worlds…

The spectacular map artwork was created by our very own graphic designer, Gemma Sheldrake.

The World of The Mirror Realm

The Mirror Realm Cycle is set in a mystical alternate 15th Century Europe, where gate cities across the world lead to the mysterious realm of the immortal Mazik: a land of dreams and demons that exists alongside our own. Toba and Naftaly’s journey begins in an alternate Spain in the shadow of the inquisition, but their journey will take them far from their home on a quest that will reach across both worlds…

The spectacular map artwork was created by our very own graphic designer, Gemma Sheldrake.

Meet the Cover Artist

The stunning book covers for The Mirror Realm Cycle are by award winning artist, illustrator, and designer Micaela Alcaino.

Micaela “Mic” Alcaino was born in Sydney, Australia to a Chilean father and a German/Argentinian mother, but has lived in London, UK since 2013. She was selected as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2021, named Designer of the Year at the British Book Awards 2022, listed in The Bookseller’s 150 most influential people in publishing 2022 and shortlisted for Future Leader of the Year at the FutureBook Conference 2023.