Title: Gates of Thread and Stone
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone #1
Author: Lori M. Lee
Year: 2014
Rating: 2/5
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2014 is almost over and for me, it has consisted mostly of poorly written books and superb fanfiction. I was hoping that Gates of Thread and Stone with its intriguing premise and beautiful cover would be the YA book to break the curse of 2014 – alas, I had set up myself for a huge disappointment.
Gates of Thread and Stone is set in what seems to be post-apocalyptic world, an enclosed city ruled by an all-powerful kahl. The kahl is supposed to be the sole possessor of magic in the city. However, our main character, Kai, is able to manipulate the threads of time – a secret ability which could potentially put her life in danger.
There are two people in Kai’s life who matter to her the most – her “brother” Reev who has found her on the riverbank when she was eight and has been taking care of her ever since, and her best friend, Avan. So when one day Reev is kidnapped, she has no choice but to go look for him, even if it means leaving the confines of the city walls. Kai and Avan set out on a journey to uncover more secrets than they have bargained for.
The Plot
It’s baffling how much can happen in 350 pages and a plot could still manage to feel sluggish and boring. In order to get her characters from point A to point B to point C, Lori M. Lee “sacrifices” pages and pages of potential subplots and fleshed out side characters and character development. Had the plot been more carefully developed, it could have sufficed an entire trilogy, wrapped with a bow.
The first half of the book consists of Kai and Avan’s journey. Moments that could’ve been interesting or thrilling or damn right scary actually end up boring and dragged on. After the characters reach their first milestone, the plot falls into the trap that many novels seem to have hard time escaping – after having spend a serious amount of time with only two characters, we are suddenly introduced to tons and tons of new side characters, some of which we don’t meet for more than one scene; we end up being flooded with terms and concepts that are never fully explained so we just kind of stare in confusion and try to just roll with it.
So much happens in that second (ideologically) part of the book – and they happen so fast! – we never get to fully understand them. The flood of events seems so rushed and doesn’t manage to hide the most obvious fault in the plot – it lacks build up. Major events and major revelations lack build up so instead of the quick flow of events to make the novel feel dynamic, it just makes it feel boring and inconsistent.
The Setting
The post-apocalyptic setting mixed with Middle Ages cities plus a charming mix of magic and steampunk is actually a thing. And it can set up your work for intriguing world building (hello, Adventure Time)… if done right. It is tricky to combine so many elements and Gates of Thread and Stone never quite manages it. Because we see the world of the novel through Kai’s POV, we should automatically know the things she knows – be it terminology or hierarchy or what her home looks like. That is where it all goes wrong when it comes to the world building of the novel – the readers don’t have the full context to navigate this world on their own, they are completely limited by Kai’s knowledge and willingness to let out different bits of information. This could be a great asset to a novel but it becomes a great disadvantage for Gates of Thread and Stone.
We never get to fully understand the world of the novel, nor its mythology; we never get to imagine what Kai’s surroundings must be like or what her world feels like. A contributing factor to that must be the fact that instead of perceiving Kai’s surroundings, we hear her thoughts – which are mostly about Avan (or his eyes, or his arms, or his whatever). The novel fails at introducing us to its world and leaves us disoriented and indifferent.
The Characters
This book has tons and tons of under-developed characters and side characters and barely anyone that a reader could care about. Kai feels inconsistent and too limited of a POV. She might be out narrator but that doesn’t excuse her from being a realistic, fleshed out character. She never undergoes a true hero’s character development which makes the ending of her story feel superficial. The conclusion of the book never quite manages to work within the framework of the novel as it feels like Kai has not earned that sort of ending.
The other “honorable mention” in this section should be Avan. He could’ve easily been the most interesting character in the book – definitely queer, polygamous, but at the same time a hard working sweet boy – if he had been given much of a personality. He is introduced as a love interest, is constantly reminded to be the main love interest, and remains nothing but the main love interest.
The Verdict
There are 365 days in a year. Even if it’s a leap year, it’s not worth it. Get an AO3 account, maybe read Deep Waters, make it worth your time.
The Book Palace 