Gates of Thread and Stone Review: Kai

The power of magic.
It's possessed only by the leader of the city.
Or so it's supposed to be.

I have a secret.
A secret that might kill me if anyone finds out.
I can see and manipulate the threads of time.

I live with my adopted brother.
He's the only family I have.
I owe him everything.

But now he's gone.
Kidnapped.
And I intend to find him.

I will do anything to get him back.
I have power at my disposal.
I will use it.

My name is Kai.

That's me! Kai :)

Book: Gates of Thread and Stone
Author: Lori M. Lee
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone
Book Standing: Book 1
Setting: Ninurta (fictional world)
POV: first person, by Kai
Genre: YA fantasy

Book reading: first time
Favorite line: "I would be strong enough. I was strong enough."
Rating: 4 stars





My god, guys. This book. That ending. The plot twists. The brilliance. EVERYTHING.

First off, Kai. The name Kai actually has a special place in my heart, so it really resonated with me. I loved Kai's character. Her determinism to do whatever it takes to get her brother back? Yes. That is what family is supposed to do. And even when she hears that there's little to no chance that she'll see her brother again, she doesn't give up. She does what no person has done before, and ventures outside the city to find him. It's a risky move, but if it will bring her one step closer to finding and rescuing her brother, she'll take it.

I love Kai's power: the ability to see and manipulate the threads of time. She can't full-on reverse time, but she can slow time down. I loved the description of time being like a river, ever flowing, and after you slow time down, it comes with a relapse. It's so cool! I don't think I've ever read a book this descriptive about someone controlling time before. Wouldn't it be cool to control time like that? Or at least slow it down? It works great for Kai during fights, because though everyone else is slowed down, she's not. Meaning she can get in a few hits before time relapses again.

The world of Ninutra itself is quite neat. A world based off of both technology and magic? That's cool. But like other stories, we have the main characters living in the lower end of the city. Money, or credits, are hard to come by, but Kai makes do with her brother. Even if they don't have the luxuries that other people have, they still have each other.

Can I talk a little about G-10, now known as Mason? He's awesome. He's not the love interest, no, but I still love him. Mason and Hina. I love those two! They're fully supportive of Kai, and they're butt-kicking too. Mason is just sweet. I'm getting the sense that he likes Kai. But he knows that Kai's interested in Avan, so he doesn't press. He still remains as her friend, supportive and awesome. Hina's terrific too. She's Kai's friend, someone who will seriously miss her. Together, Hina and Mason make up a great support base for Kai.

And now...the rest is spoilers. Don't read unless you've read it, or want the story to be spoiled. (I don't recommend that, because you should just read the book instead)



HOLY MOLEY there are GODS. Or Infinites, as they're called, but let's be honest, they're basically gods. Irra is the physical manifestation of Famine. Kalla is the physical manifestation of Death. Istar is Strife. GUYS. That is seriously COOL.

Okay, okay, I'm being a big gods-nerd here. But I happen to love stories with multiple gods, all having different personalities. I love mythology, after all, which is why I'm such a big fan (and nerd) of books like Percy Jackson or Mythos Academy series. But seriously. There are about 70 Infinites (according to Irra), including Famine, Death, Conquest, Peace, Time, and Strife, all who we learn a little about in the book. But I want to know about them all, which makes me an idiot because there's 70 of them. Oh well.

Oh my god, Kai was being played the entire time. *shudders* I'm not sure how I feel about that. Not in a bad way! I mean, I feel the doubt of every action Kai makes now. She feels it too. It puts me on edge. Reev knew bits and pieces, and so did Avan, but neither of them offered any information up. That being said, Avan had sort of made a deal with Kronos, meaning he couldn't tell her, and Reev sort of has a few blanks in his memory. BUT STILL. The agony of trust issues.

You know those collars? The ones that bind the sentinels to Ninu? That's brilliant. Tattoos in the form of controllers. They enhance magical abilities, or just physical strength. But they all connect the sentinel to Ninu, making it nearly impossible for them to betray, or escape, him. That is the perfect controlling technique. A bit scary, but extremely effective nonetheless. 

I must say, the fast-healing on Avan's part was pretty neat. I totally had him pinned as a mahjo the entire time, just with some super-fast healing abilities. Never did it cross my mind that it actually was Kronos reversing time for him in order to continue to protect Kai. BUT THEN. Kronos releases the time on him once their deal is done, and Avan regains all the time (and injuries) he lost. Even the fatal ones. *sobs* Yet Avan fully knew it would happen, and was completely accepting of his death. And My. Heart. Broke. For. Kai.

BUT THAT ENDING. Kai's being manipulated once again. Avan, coming back to life as an Infinite? Avan, losing his memories? YIKES YIKES YIKES. I foresee plenty of issues coming Kai's way...

And now, I desperately need the next book. I need more TIME, I need more KAI. I need THE INFINITE.