
Gate To Kagoshima
Book 1: Ancestor Memories Fantasy
Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Poppy Kuroki
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: January 28, 2025
In Gate To Kagoshima, a new historical romance-fantasy that begins in early 21st century Japan, a Scottish women researching her Japanese ancestry experiences both love and war after she’s transported back in time during the Satsuma Rebellion, the bloody 19th century conflict which saw the samurai make their final stand.
While studying abroad in Tokyo in 2005, Scottish-born Isla Mackenzie ventures to Kagoshima City, where she seeks to verify her family lore that her third-great-grandfather, Hisakichi Kuroki, was a samurai who fought in the Satsuma Rebellion alongside its leader Saigo Takamori, known to history as “last samurai.” While there, she meets a young barista, who offers to show the fiery redhead around his native city. But before they can meet up, Isla gets swept away in an out-of-season typhoon that magically lands her 128 years into the past to the onset of the samurai’s rebellion against the new Imperial government of Japan. Soon after, Isla comes face to face with famed historical leader Saigo, who renders the mysterious foreign girl into the care of Keiichiro Maeda, a young samurai whose family honor has been disgraced. With war on the horizon, Isla wonders what her purpose there is and if she’ll ever make it back to her own time again.
“Romantasy” books like this are quite popular right now, though they’re not something I’m too familiar with. While Isla is given a love interest, it’s not her main motivation. The relationship builds organically without melodrama or stereotypical romance-novel language. The love story never overshadows the historical aspects, which is the book’s greatest feature. The fictitious Isla is a strong, likable character with a compelling journey that shines a spotlight on this intriguing, almost mythical time in world history through a richly detailed and well-paced narrative.
Poppy Kuroki‘s writing beautifully brings to life the setting of 1877 Japan through the eyes of a modern woman, making it accessible even to readers unfamiliar with the period. Overall, Gate To Kagoshima nicely blends together history and romance with the fantastical element of time travel in an engaging way that offers a unique perspective of Japan’s past.
It’s worth noting that Gate To Kagoshima includes supplementary material at the back of the book, including a Character List, which is divided up by fictional characters and real historical figures (a major bonus!); a Glossary containing Japanese terms used in the story; a Family Tree; Historical Timeline; a By The Numbers section containing dates, times, figures, etc., and along with an Acknowledgements page, there’s a special Author’s Note detailing Kuroki’s love of Japan and what inspired her to write this book. This ancillary material will be especially helpful for those not familiar with Japan, its language, and this time in its history. Also, if you get the Audiobook version, it comes with a PDF of this supplementary material.
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