Publishers Weekly
Daiyu was adopted as a baby from China by an American couple, and now as a teenager in St. Louis, a strangely attractive gem sends her into an alternate world where North America was colonized by Chinese settlers rather than Europeans. Daiyu is recruited by Ombri and Aurora, two “servants of the gods” who are also able to move between worlds, to help stop Chenglei, a dangerous traveler who has been elected prime minister of Shenglang (the alternate version of St. Louis and “arguably the most important city on the world called Jia”). But even as Daiyu becomes increasingly fascinated by Shenglang and attracted to Kalen, who assists Ombri and Aurora, she begins questioning everything: is the charming Chenglei truly evil? (“Were Aurora and Ombri simply interdimensional bounty hunters who had their own agenda?” she wonders. “How could she possibly know?”). Shinn's (General Winston's Daughter) fantasy finds the right balance between adventure and romance, while illuminating how seductive evil can be and that sometimes the best weapon one can possess is a skeptical mind. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)\
Children's Literature
- Jennifer Waldrop
Daiyu has walked under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis more times than she can remember, but when she walks under it wearing the black jade ring she was inexplicably drawn to, something new happens—she is transported to Shenglang, another world in which the upper class is made up of Chinese people and the lower class of Caucasians. In this new world she is immediately met by Kalen, a poor laborer who lives with Aurora and Ombri, two people who can travel through iterations like Daiyu has just done. They explain to Daiyu that the reason she was brought to this world was to take Chenglei, the enigmatic leader, out of it. As Daiyu spends more time in Shenglang, she finds herself conflicted about whether Aurora and Ombri are to be trusted, whether she should help them get rid of Chenglei, and if she can bring herself to go home, where she will forget that Kalen and the feelings she has for him ever existed. Gateway is a unique, original fantasy that transports both Daiyu and the reader to another world. Reviewer: Jennifer Waldrop
VOYA
- Grace Zokovitch
I thought that Gateway was terrific. It was a very fast book. I couldn't put it down. What's she going to do next? What will happen next? It didn't have much humor. That would make it better but not by much. Just like the main character, I couldn't tell the bad guy was bad for a while. It had romance, sadness, suspense, and magic, which I consider a very good combination. Overall: A really good book. Reviewer: Grace Zokovitch, Teen Reviewer
VOYA
- Diane Colson
Daiyu is Chinese by birthright, but she was raised by American parents in St. Louis, Missouri. During a fair held on the grounds of the Gateway Arch, she finds herself drawn to a black jade ring and impulsively purchases it when the strange vendor tells her that "Daiyu" means black jade. As she walks away, crossing beneath the magnificent gateway of the Arch, Daiyu finds herself instantly transported to another St. Louis. In this world, most of the people are "Han," or Chinese. Daiyu learns that her arrival was deliberately planned as part of a scheme to bring down an unscrupulous Prime Minister. She only has to play her role in banishing the Prime Minister and she can return to her own world with no memory of these other world events. But Daiyu falls deeply in love with a boy named Kalen. It would break her heart to leave him behind, but it seems her destiny is to forget him forever. Shinn's creation of a parallel world is immensely enjoyable and creative. Here the Han people are dominant over the other races, and the ramifications are seen in architecture and social structure. The political intrigue is satisfying, making the story more attractive to fans of alternative worlds than to romance readers. The conclusion to the romance is one of the more awkward elements of the story, and Daiyu's easy successes in a strange world also strain credulity. The book is still an excellent fantasy selection that bucks the current trend of horror romance. Reviewer: Diane Colson
School Library Journal
Gr 6–9—When Daiyu, a St. Louis high school student adopted as a baby from China, buys a black jade ring from an old woman and then walks through the Gateway Arch, her life instantly changes. The Arch has been replaced by an enormous pagodalike gate, and most of the people around her are Chinese. A young man assures her that everything is fine and takes her to the people who have been expecting her. Daiyu discovers that the world she knows is only one of many "iterations" created by contentious gods who wanted different versions of the world when it was created. Because she is Chinese, she has been brought to this particular iteration, a place where the ruling class is Chinese, to help eliminate one of the gods' rogue servants. The fantasy is coherent and engaging and has the potential for sequels that explore other iterations. Shinn is a prolific and skillful writer, and the world in which Daiyu finds herself is full of interesting detail, though its use of Chinese culture is superficial. The story itself moves slowly. Daiyu is placed into the household of an upper-class woman who claims the teen as her niece because she is desperate to get certain invitations only available to families with girls being introduced into society. Daiyu falls in love with the young man who rescued her and is also courted by a wealthy suitor. In the end, it is the hint of a happy ending to the slight love story that will satisfy most readers.—Barbara Scotto, Children's Literature New England, Brookline, MA
Kirkus Reviews
Blending romance with a touch of fantasy, Shinn's new series rests on a promising premise: The St. Louis Gateway Arch is a portal to other universes, each an "iteration" of the basic template created by gods of whom readers learn little else. Daiyu, about 17, adopted as an infant from China by white parents, is magically pulled into Shenglang, a version of St. Louis. Here, America was settled by Han Chinese, and whites are an ethnic minority. Servants of the gods have brought Daiyu here to dispatch Chenglei, the powerful prime minister, back to his own iteration. Daiyu's uncertainty about their objectives is complicated by her attraction to Kalen, an impoverished, white stone-picker. Groomed to travel in high society and catch the eye of Chenglei, Daiyu makes seeing Kalen a condition of her cooperation with the scheme. The vivid contrast of Shenglang's elite class-combining great wealth with rigid social customs-to Kalen's hardscrabble world is especially effective. That, along with the intelligent and convincing characterization, lends weight to an otherwise light romance. (Fantasy. 12 & up)
