I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee is the start of an exciting new series about Kai, a young woman with the mysterious power to control time and her search for her "brother" Reev after he doesn't come home from work one night. With the help of her best friend (and crush) Avan, she starts on a journey to find Reev, but what she discovers is so much more.

I want to start by saying I liked this book...no LOVED this story so much that when I finished it I immediately went out and found book two so I could continue Kai's story. It is that good! I love the characters, the unique story, and the world-building is fantastic.

Kai is seventeen and she has no memory of her life before Reev found her next to the river when she was eight. He has always been there, protected her and took care of her like she was his sister. So when he disappears she breaks all his rules to find him and I can't blame her. He is her family and the only family she can remember. She also knows that if the shoe was reversed he would do the same. Kai is fascinating to me. She is shy to the extreme, having little to no friends except her brother and Avan, who really didn't give her much choice but to like him, and then she has this disturbing yet really cool ability to manipulate time (slow it down, speed it up or just stop it altogether...like I said cool ;) ) She really doesn't know anything about herself or these powers and what's awesome is she really doesn't care. She just wants her brother back.

Avan is just amazing :D He is Kai's rock throughout this story. He supports her and protects her throughout their journey to find Reev, even when he doesn't necessarily agree with her. And did I mention he was hot? Because that's important too ;) Where Kai is concerned, Avan is always there, always willing to help her, and it is obvious to anyone who watches his actions how he feels about Kai, at least to everyone but her!

The plot really revolves around two things: finding Reev and what is Kai. The way the two plots converge though is what makes the story just awesome! Kai and Avan are in way over their heads as they travel for the first time into the lands outside the city's walls and discover that not all of what they've learned their whole lives is true. They encounter gargoyles and Famine and his band of rebel sentinels. They learn the truth about their city Ninurta and it's leader Ninu (which I must say he makes a fantastic villain :D ).

The world-building though is what really drew me in. Lee seamlessly incorporates her own version of the gods from ancient mythology into the story adding to the dystopian world that we read through the eyes of Kai. The mass destruction and basically the fall of humanity is evident in every description Kai gives of her home and life with Reev. I found myself drawn in instantly from the very first line:

Death lived in a glass tower at the center of the White Court.

Again just fantastic! I loved Kai and her world. Lee drew a complex story and threw in twists that I was not expecting. I can say with all certainty that I will be watching for more from this author as I loved her writing style as the characters and world came to life on the pages. If you enjoy young adult, dystopians, and fantasy I highly recommend you read this book!

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