Gateway by Sharon Shinn

Gateway

by Sharon Shinn

As a Chinese adoptee in St. Louis, teenage Daiyu often feels out of place. When an elderly Asian jewelry seller at a street fair shows her a black jade ring—and tells her that “black jade” translates to “Daiyu”—she buys it as a talisman of her heritage. But it’s more than that; it’s magic. It takes Daiyu through a gateway into a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China. Almost immediately she is recruited as a spy, which means hours of training in manners and niceties and sleight of hand. It also means stealing time to be with handsome Kalen, who is in on the plan. There’s only one problem. Once her task is done, she must go back to St. Louis and leave him behind forever. . . .

Reviewed by ladygrey on

3 of 5 stars

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[b:Gateway|218427|Gateway (Heechee Saga 1)|Frederik Pohl|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172796283s/218427.jpg|1668837] is a smart, simple book, pleasant enough to read on a hot summer day, sweet without being especially emotional... nice. The world building is unique and effective enough, though relatively simple. The characters are interesting and engaging, though without a lot of depth. There wasn't much of a sense of urgency about the whole thing, though, so it wasn't especially dynamic. It's a cute little book and I'm definitely curious to read [a:Sharon Shinn|28544|Sharon Shinn|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1218995575p2/28544.jpg] again.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 23 June, 2011: Finished reading
  • 23 June, 2011: Reviewed