Review: The Crossing Gate

• Title: The Crossing Gate

• Author: Asiel R Lavie

• Series: A Waltz of Sin and Fire #1

• Genre: YA Dystopian fantasy

• Rating: ☆☆

**I was given a free arc copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I wanted to enjoy this book when I first read the synopsis, however, the writing style was what ultimately made it too difficult for me. I’ve never seen a book with so many exclamation marks throughout both serious and uncomfortable moments before. Some might see this as a small issue, but for me, it not only cheapened the storyline, but Lenora’s voice felt much younger than 18. The more I found them in places that made little sense for one, the more frustrated I became with what kind of voice and main character the author was trying to show in The Crossing Gate. Lenora confused me. I didn’t understand how she could think or do some of the actions she had even with understanding the societal rules and differences between juveniles and adults within this dystopian read. The betrayals along the way to her made some sense, but I was left overall with little opinion on the main character and how she understood (or didn’t understand) her feelings. In theory, the world-building, sins and its separation of age classes worked, but in practice, I found it hard to keep up with the twists and turns that occurred. I felt uncomfortable at times, especially when the government were doing testing on Lenora. The love interest was messy and flip-flopped around a great deal, causing further confusion than needed. I did like how you got the “visions” into the royal life, so Lenora was given a deeper understanding of what had happened, but admittedly I struggled overall with the entire plot due to the writing style. I am an older reader and perhaps because this book has a younger voice to it, it would suit a younger audience more as I didn’t quite grasp the intent behind this story at all which disappoints me.