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Gate to Kagoshima
In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.
While in Japan researching her family’s history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance.
But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion—and Kai’s fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she’d had before?
Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Gate to Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty, and of timeless love.
While in Japan researching her family’s history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance.
But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion—and Kai’s fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she’d had before?
Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Gate to Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty, and of timeless love.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2025
565 people are currently reading
21944 people want to read
About the author
Poppy Kuroki
9 books192 followersPoppy was born in Scotland and has been living in Japan since 2014. GATE TO KAGOSHIMA (BOOK 1), a sweeping historical fantasy set in samurai-era Japan, releases in summer 2024.
Poppy loves video games, cooking, history, and reading books of any genre. She lives in a beautiful town near the sea with her husband and son.
Poppy loves video games, cooking, history, and reading books of any genre. She lives in a beautiful town near the sea with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 599 reviews
January 7, 2025
2.5 Stars
From the premise, this easily could have been a favourite book of the year. I am a sucker for time travel stories (especially with Romance elements) and I have always been fascinated by historical Japan. It just felt rushed and underdeveloped. I wish the story and worldbuilding were more fleshed out. It left me wanting more because the premise had so much potential.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
From the premise, this easily could have been a favourite book of the year. I am a sucker for time travel stories (especially with Romance elements) and I have always been fascinated by historical Japan. It just felt rushed and underdeveloped. I wish the story and worldbuilding were more fleshed out. It left me wanting more because the premise had so much potential.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
August 16, 2024
2.5*
On paper this was everything I wanted and I'm really sad it didn't work out for me. The story had a lot of potential and I am still curious what the next installments of this series are going to be about. However, the writing did not work for me at all.
I had a lot of issues but I'll try to just sum them up a bit. In terms of story, most of it was fine with the main exception of Kana's story. The whole way her lie was written (and the kind of lie that it was) left a bad taste in my mind. I feel like it was all just there to make Kei head back home, which could have been achieved differently. Furthermore, while I obviously don't know if the author has read these books, the way the gay characters' story ended and the way the romance between Isla and Kei is turned into a happy ending-ish seemed very similar to Julie Kagawa's Shadow of the Fox series. In that series, I feel it worked a lot better though.
In terms of the writing... it just felt very unfinished to me. There was a lot of repetition (e.g. of thoughts), the dialogue felt quite stilted, the historical information wasn't threaded into the story naturally and there were very weird jumps in scenes and atmosphere, even within paragraphs (switches from sad to happy in one paragraph with no real bridge). On top of that, while for the first half of the book it feels like little was happening, the book needed to be a lot longer to properly build relationships and make us care for the characters. Then the second half moved so fast, it was a bit jarring. Lastly, this book is meant to be adult rather than YA. Poppy is of university age and every other major character is an adult too. Yet, it all read like a YA book and Poppy felt like a 16 yo a lot of the time. This ended up clashing with her more adult moments, including thoughts about having children and the sex scenes that really felt out of place.
All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed this book, but I'll give PK's future books a try anyway, atl if they are set in Japan or Scotland.
PS I know many writers add non-English words to their books, esp when set in another country or when they themselves have a link to a non-English speaking country/culture. But so far I have never found a book in which it works. You end up having lots of double dialogue and as they are usually just simple words, I think many people will understand both the original text and the translation. It just bogs it all down. Maybe it could work if there is a word-list at the end of the book that readers can check (or if the words/phrases are so simple that people can understand from context).
On paper this was everything I wanted and I'm really sad it didn't work out for me. The story had a lot of potential and I am still curious what the next installments of this series are going to be about. However, the writing did not work for me at all.
I had a lot of issues but I'll try to just sum them up a bit. In terms of story, most of it was fine with the main exception of Kana's story. The whole way her lie was written (and the kind of lie that it was) left a bad taste in my mind. I feel like it was all just there to make Kei head back home, which could have been achieved differently. Furthermore, while I obviously don't know if the author has read these books, the way the gay characters' story ended and the way the romance between Isla and Kei is turned into a happy ending-ish seemed very similar to Julie Kagawa's Shadow of the Fox series. In that series, I feel it worked a lot better though.
In terms of the writing... it just felt very unfinished to me. There was a lot of repetition (e.g. of thoughts), the dialogue felt quite stilted, the historical information wasn't threaded into the story naturally and there were very weird jumps in scenes and atmosphere, even within paragraphs (switches from sad to happy in one paragraph with no real bridge). On top of that, while for the first half of the book it feels like little was happening, the book needed to be a lot longer to properly build relationships and make us care for the characters. Then the second half moved so fast, it was a bit jarring. Lastly, this book is meant to be adult rather than YA. Poppy is of university age and every other major character is an adult too. Yet, it all read like a YA book and Poppy felt like a 16 yo a lot of the time. This ended up clashing with her more adult moments, including thoughts about having children and the sex scenes that really felt out of place.
All in all, I cannot say I enjoyed this book, but I'll give PK's future books a try anyway, atl if they are set in Japan or Scotland.
PS I know many writers add non-English words to their books, esp when set in another country or when they themselves have a link to a non-English speaking country/culture. But so far I have never found a book in which it works. You end up having lots of double dialogue and as they are usually just simple words, I think many people will understand both the original text and the translation. It just bogs it all down. Maybe it could work if there is a word-list at the end of the book that readers can check (or if the words/phrases are so simple that people can understand from context).
October 14, 2024
I've read better fanfiction than this
February 7, 2025
I’ve got two questions and two questions only.
1. Did the editor accidentally send the rough draft to be printed?
2. Was the author held hostage and forced to write this book because this was the most underwhelming, underdeveloped, unenthusiastic book I’ve read in a really long time.
1. Did the editor accidentally send the rough draft to be printed?
2. Was the author held hostage and forced to write this book because this was the most underwhelming, underdeveloped, unenthusiastic book I’ve read in a really long time.
did-not-finish
June 10, 2025DNF @ 22%
This boring weeb author self-insert that belongs on Wattpad isn't worth my limited time on Earth.
This boring weeb author self-insert that belongs on Wattpad isn't worth my limited time on Earth.
March 10, 2025
forced myself to finish this just so i’d be able to leave a review saying how much this book annoyed me. great premise but felt like a first draft.
April 4, 2025
I want to begin by saying I desperately wanted to love this book and I'm kinda pissed off it didn't deliver in any way.
Random Thoughts:
The characters are husks.
Everything is told to us and nothing is described.
There is no chemistry between the FMC, Isla, and MMC, Kei.
Yes, Isla is not like other girls.
No, Isla does not reckon with the ethics, purpose, risks, or opportunities of her isekaiing herself back in time by typhoon-kun.
No, Isla doesn't actually do anything the entire book. In fact, I'm confident she doesn't even have a thought through the whole nine months she's in Meiji era Japan.
No, she doesn't have women friends because they all hate her or are jealous of her for REASONS 😡.
I didn't need to hear about women staring at her breasts at the hot springs because they're So LaRgE.
There is not really a story. It all meanders. Nor is there actually a romance because Isla and Kei share literally nothing in common and have almost no meaningful conversations.
No, you are not "impulsive, passionate Isla" because you have no personality and never once showed you were either of those things.
Some more in-depth thoughts:
As an isekai enjoyer, I'll admit the book called to me. Bad, good, ridiculous, I can often get down with an isekai. In fact, I was excited this was transferring to books out my way in the US (I know time travel romance stories exist, but I would classify this as isekai and suspect Poppy Kuroki would do the same). But what tends to make isekai so fascinating to me is missing in this story: the push and pull of modernity vs. history, the changes in language, culture, customs, beliefs, medicine, education, views of women/their role in the world, and how characters reckon with a world they know nothing of or only know through stories and history. This book is bereft of all of it. The spark that makes isekai fascinating was never lit. The rich culture and fascinating political shifts of the era is used like an elementary schooler painted backdrop for their after school play. It was ALL THERE FOR HER and she didn't grab it or develop it in any way. Every time the book touched on something potentially fascinating, it just moved on. If I were isekaied into the past, I would desperately be trying to figure out what I could remember about that era. What if she gets hurt and needs medical care? How will she get food? Does she need to work? Does she need to marry? How can she get home? Nah, none of those questions are ever really contemplated. Isla is the most Type-B person who ever B'd.
Authors need to remember that we do not love their characters, world, and story as they do, nor do we know it as they do. We have to be convinced and brought along as we're compelled to see what the author sees in their world. That work is not done here. I care for none of the characters or their plight. Actually, I hate most of the characters, especially Isla who has no real moral compass and yet still disappoints me often. Of course this is a self-insert, but I can even get on board with that as long as everything else isn't lackluster. The main has no personality, not just because she's a self-insert, but because she takes almost no real action in the story that could show us who she is. Nor does she have any thoughts that could show us who she is and how she uniquely views the world. She even went to Japan looking for info on her great-great-great grandfather and barely does that when she's in the past!! She asks Kei one time and does nothing else to hunt for this man. He just shows up one day. Her WHOLE PURPOSE was just given up on immediately and so there was no feasible way to connect with this character.
TW: SA
Kei's sister lying about rape that leads to the death of the man she was seeing and their own father was appalling to read. I couldn't believe a woman was writing it. Irresponsible, tone-deaf, and reductive. I almost DNF'd the book because my jaw was on the floor. When Kei confronts his sister about it, she admits she was sleeping with a man and she got pregnant, then chose to lie about him raping her. Then ten sentences later, Kei is inside Isla. Again, my jaw was on the floor. How anyone could think of sex moments after such a horrifying conversation, I will never understand. It's giving "her moans drowned out the sounds of the injured and dying" but so much worse.
The prose read like middle grade. It's stilted, basic, uninteresting, non-descriptive, and unvaried. There is no flow. I consistently forgot everyone in the story was an adult because of how they spoke. And they all spoke exactly the same so I stopped bothering to notice who was speaking. None of the characters had interest or thoughts or hobbies. It felt like they were nothing but a samurai or a woman. There are no other traits a person can have, apparently.
Isla should have never "gone to war." It was pointless, she did nothing, she was incapable of doing anything. I can get down with an unskilled person trying to fight or making themselves useful somehow, but she just kinda sat around and ran sometimes while everyone died around her. What was the point of the swordplay lessons if she never picked up a sword?
There is no real magic system, but the little magic we have is never explained. I've never seen an isekai that didn't at least have some explanation for how the MC got knocked into another world/time. That's just a basic writing requirement. How did these temples move her through time??? Can she do this for other times/locations? Is it the temple itself? WHO KNOWS? Certainly not Isla or the author. Isla didn't even care herself how it happened!! Isla is pathetically and hilariously incurious, which makes for an abysmal lead.
I'm just gonna stop here because I feel like I could keep going and I don't think any of us want that.
The last thing I'll say is that if you want a fun historical isekai from this era-ish watch or play Hakuouki or Meiji Tokyo Renka.
Random Thoughts:
The characters are husks.
Everything is told to us and nothing is described.
There is no chemistry between the FMC, Isla, and MMC, Kei.
Yes, Isla is not like other girls.
No, Isla does not reckon with the ethics, purpose, risks, or opportunities of her isekaiing herself back in time by typhoon-kun.
No, Isla doesn't actually do anything the entire book. In fact, I'm confident she doesn't even have a thought through the whole nine months she's in Meiji era Japan.
No, she doesn't have women friends because they all hate her or are jealous of her for REASONS 😡.
I didn't need to hear about women staring at her breasts at the hot springs because they're So LaRgE.
There is not really a story. It all meanders. Nor is there actually a romance because Isla and Kei share literally nothing in common and have almost no meaningful conversations.
No, you are not "impulsive, passionate Isla" because you have no personality and never once showed you were either of those things.
Some more in-depth thoughts:
As an isekai enjoyer, I'll admit the book called to me. Bad, good, ridiculous, I can often get down with an isekai. In fact, I was excited this was transferring to books out my way in the US (I know time travel romance stories exist, but I would classify this as isekai and suspect Poppy Kuroki would do the same). But what tends to make isekai so fascinating to me is missing in this story: the push and pull of modernity vs. history, the changes in language, culture, customs, beliefs, medicine, education, views of women/their role in the world, and how characters reckon with a world they know nothing of or only know through stories and history. This book is bereft of all of it. The spark that makes isekai fascinating was never lit. The rich culture and fascinating political shifts of the era is used like an elementary schooler painted backdrop for their after school play. It was ALL THERE FOR HER and she didn't grab it or develop it in any way. Every time the book touched on something potentially fascinating, it just moved on. If I were isekaied into the past, I would desperately be trying to figure out what I could remember about that era. What if she gets hurt and needs medical care? How will she get food? Does she need to work? Does she need to marry? How can she get home? Nah, none of those questions are ever really contemplated. Isla is the most Type-B person who ever B'd.
Authors need to remember that we do not love their characters, world, and story as they do, nor do we know it as they do. We have to be convinced and brought along as we're compelled to see what the author sees in their world. That work is not done here. I care for none of the characters or their plight. Actually, I hate most of the characters, especially Isla who has no real moral compass and yet still disappoints me often. Of course this is a self-insert, but I can even get on board with that as long as everything else isn't lackluster. The main has no personality, not just because she's a self-insert, but because she takes almost no real action in the story that could show us who she is. Nor does she have any thoughts that could show us who she is and how she uniquely views the world. She even went to Japan looking for info on her great-great-great grandfather and barely does that when she's in the past!! She asks Kei one time and does nothing else to hunt for this man. He just shows up one day. Her WHOLE PURPOSE was just given up on immediately and so there was no feasible way to connect with this character.
TW: SA
Kei's sister lying about rape that leads to the death of the man she was seeing and their own father was appalling to read. I couldn't believe a woman was writing it. Irresponsible, tone-deaf, and reductive. I almost DNF'd the book because my jaw was on the floor. When Kei confronts his sister about it, she admits she was sleeping with a man and she got pregnant, then chose to lie about him raping her. Then ten sentences later, Kei is inside Isla. Again, my jaw was on the floor. How anyone could think of sex moments after such a horrifying conversation, I will never understand. It's giving "her moans drowned out the sounds of the injured and dying" but so much worse.
The prose read like middle grade. It's stilted, basic, uninteresting, non-descriptive, and unvaried. There is no flow. I consistently forgot everyone in the story was an adult because of how they spoke. And they all spoke exactly the same so I stopped bothering to notice who was speaking. None of the characters had interest or thoughts or hobbies. It felt like they were nothing but a samurai or a woman. There are no other traits a person can have, apparently.
Isla should have never "gone to war." It was pointless, she did nothing, she was incapable of doing anything. I can get down with an unskilled person trying to fight or making themselves useful somehow, but she just kinda sat around and ran sometimes while everyone died around her. What was the point of the swordplay lessons if she never picked up a sword?
There is no real magic system, but the little magic we have is never explained. I've never seen an isekai that didn't at least have some explanation for how the MC got knocked into another world/time. That's just a basic writing requirement. How did these temples move her through time??? Can she do this for other times/locations? Is it the temple itself? WHO KNOWS? Certainly not Isla or the author. Isla didn't even care herself how it happened!! Isla is pathetically and hilariously incurious, which makes for an abysmal lead.
I'm just gonna stop here because I feel like I could keep going and I don't think any of us want that.
The last thing I'll say is that if you want a fun historical isekai from this era-ish watch or play Hakuouki or Meiji Tokyo Renka.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2024
Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.
**BIG SPOILERS BELOW. Read at your own risk**
Gate to Kagoshima, while not an entirely original plot idea, was a really interesting story. It will appeal to lovers of historical fiction especially, I think, to learn about the Satsuma rebellion from a different angle. Kuroki has done some excellent research and presented it with likeable characters and clear prose.
I'm not entirely sure who the intended audience is; from the heavy-handed exposition to the very simplistic prose (such as repeatedly explaining the surname/given name order in Japanese), it really felt like an early YA. Then of course, the later material and explicit sex scene veered towards adult. It felt quite jarring to me - although I felt the same way about Fourth Wing, and we've all seen how that worked out, so I'm likely in a minority.
I did really take issue with the Kana reveal scene. The fact that Keiichiro immediately believed his rival rather than his sister is perhaps culturally appropriate in 1800s Japan, but still struck me as inconsistent with his character. What I cannot explain away is how he then left this highly traumatic conversation to immediately have sex with Isla. I felt like I had set this book down and picked up another one. I did not at all feel the way the author intended me to feel during that romantic scene. I just felt... confused. And kind of icky.
The ending, as well, felt random, with Keisuke's dreams making him and Isla spiritually connected or something. It didn't have enough build up or explanation to really make sense contextually. I would have just preferred the tragic ending, and I usually hate those. 🙃
I still want to give the book two stars though, for the solid historical research and the vivid depiction of the rebellion. Perhaps it's just the romance that fell flat for me; everything else that I can think of was enjoyable, especially if I think of it as a YA. I would have eaten that up as a teenager. I hope the book finds its audience and does well!
**BIG SPOILERS BELOW. Read at your own risk**
Gate to Kagoshima, while not an entirely original plot idea, was a really interesting story. It will appeal to lovers of historical fiction especially, I think, to learn about the Satsuma rebellion from a different angle. Kuroki has done some excellent research and presented it with likeable characters and clear prose.
I'm not entirely sure who the intended audience is; from the heavy-handed exposition to the very simplistic prose (such as repeatedly explaining the surname/given name order in Japanese), it really felt like an early YA. Then of course, the later material and explicit sex scene veered towards adult. It felt quite jarring to me - although I felt the same way about Fourth Wing, and we've all seen how that worked out, so I'm likely in a minority.
I did really take issue with the Kana reveal scene. The fact that Keiichiro immediately believed his rival rather than his sister is perhaps culturally appropriate in 1800s Japan, but still struck me as inconsistent with his character. What I cannot explain away is how he then left this highly traumatic conversation to immediately have sex with Isla. I felt like I had set this book down and picked up another one. I did not at all feel the way the author intended me to feel during that romantic scene. I just felt... confused. And kind of icky.
The ending, as well, felt random, with Keisuke's dreams making him and Isla spiritually connected or something. It didn't have enough build up or explanation to really make sense contextually. I would have just preferred the tragic ending, and I usually hate those. 🙃
I still want to give the book two stars though, for the solid historical research and the vivid depiction of the rebellion. Perhaps it's just the romance that fell flat for me; everything else that I can think of was enjoyable, especially if I think of it as a YA. I would have eaten that up as a teenager. I hope the book finds its audience and does well!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2024
I think they forgot to edit this book. 2.5 ⭐️
January 18, 2025
This was a good concept with really mediocre/poor writing. There were chapters towards the end that were good and I wish the whole had been that quality.
March 12, 2025
I was very disappointed in this book. It's a "telling" book, so it feels very middle grade fiction instead of adult. I wasn't invested in any of the characters, I wasn't sad when any of them died. I'm very enamored with the concept of the book series, so since it's the author's first book, so I will willingly read the next one in hope that her writing matures.
June 12, 2025
🍦 🍓 The Ripped Bodice's 9th Annual Summer Romance Bingo 🕶️ 🏄🏼
/ Historical Ruins
I don't know why I requested this. It's giving weeb. I have nothing nice to say, so I shouldn't say anything at all, but before I get to that, all of the katana sword and obi belt references, of which there are many, and others, are giving chai tea. Impale me on said katana sword.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial
/ Historical Ruins
I don't know why I requested this. It's giving weeb. I have nothing nice to say, so I shouldn't say anything at all, but before I get to that, all of the katana sword and obi belt references, of which there are many, and others, are giving chai tea. Impale me on said katana sword.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial
March 11, 2025
DNF at 50% - fan-fiction-esque, insta-love. I couldn't care less what happened to her or him. Dull. I'm offended by the comparison to Outlander
July 10, 2025
Hey, a full Japanese man who only speaks Japanese calling you “Bonnie Lass” isn’t as romantic as you think it is Poppy
February 4, 2025
the hakouki edo blossoms otome game still being the best satsuma rebellion media I’ve consumed
April 16, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. I wanted to love this book and I liked it but it wasn't what I expected. maybe after reading outlander, I expected more. but it was interesting for some Japanese history. I really liked those parts.
July 13, 2025
Para um romance histórico está muito bom.
Inspirado em outlander, o livro conta a história de Isla que se vê misteriosamente arrastada para 1877.
o livro relata os ultimos momentos dos últimos samurais no Japão. Escritos em dois pov, e onde Isla e Kei, contam o que se passa à sua volta.
a escrita é fácil de ser seguida, e de certo ficamos realmente a conhecer a Rebelião de Satsuma, a partir de dentro.
Inspirado em outlander, o livro conta a história de Isla que se vê misteriosamente arrastada para 1877.
o livro relata os ultimos momentos dos últimos samurais no Japão. Escritos em dois pov, e onde Isla e Kei, contam o que se passa à sua volta.
a escrita é fácil de ser seguida, e de certo ficamos realmente a conhecer a Rebelião de Satsuma, a partir de dentro.
March 20, 2025
I am disappointed because I was really looking forward to this book, but hoooo boy was it a slog to read. If I was borrowing it from the library I would have DNF'd and returned it but the pretty cover and sprayed edges lured me into buying it.
Premise? Loved it! I was looking forward to learning more about the satsuma rebellion and enjoying some fantasy time travel in a non euro-centric setting. The wheels fell off so quickly though and suffered from editing issues that I looked up to see if it was self published (Harper Collins what happened??). There were grammatical and spelling errors which I could overlook, but the repetitive thoughts of the MC's inner monologue having the same thoughts over and over and over seemed like it was a first draft, not a published book. As far as historical context, I'm pretty sure I could have learned more from a plaque than from this whole book. But hey, that's okay, it's romantasy, so romance is the focus, right? WELL, despite wanting the characters to end up together, it was cringe AF to read all the scenes where they were together. Getting spicy on the battlefield after a grueling winter living in a ditch and the last thing you would be thinking is "oh wow your lips are so soft you smell so nice.." The author spends time talking about how gross everyone looks and feels (which makes sense, it's WAR!) but then completely forgets it in favor of some hallmark channel bokeh lit spicy times. Later one of the MCs learns some *devastating* news and then the MCs are like welp anyways lets romantically hook up under a tree by a hot spring! It made no sense and made me deeply uncomfortable and took away from any chemistry I felt like the characters had.
Overall this reads like a first draft of a self-insert fanfiction, and if I had not purchased it there is no way I would have finished it.
Premise? Loved it! I was looking forward to learning more about the satsuma rebellion and enjoying some fantasy time travel in a non euro-centric setting. The wheels fell off so quickly though and suffered from editing issues that I looked up to see if it was self published (Harper Collins what happened??). There were grammatical and spelling errors which I could overlook, but the repetitive thoughts of the MC's inner monologue having the same thoughts over and over and over seemed like it was a first draft, not a published book. As far as historical context, I'm pretty sure I could have learned more from a plaque than from this whole book. But hey, that's okay, it's romantasy, so romance is the focus, right? WELL, despite wanting the characters to end up together, it was cringe AF to read all the scenes where they were together. Getting spicy on the battlefield after a grueling winter living in a ditch and the last thing you would be thinking is "oh wow your lips are so soft you smell so nice.." The author spends time talking about how gross everyone looks and feels (which makes sense, it's WAR!) but then completely forgets it in favor of some hallmark channel bokeh lit spicy times. Later one of the MCs learns some *devastating* news and then the MCs are like welp anyways lets romantically hook up under a tree by a hot spring! It made no sense and made me deeply uncomfortable and took away from any chemistry I felt like the characters had.
Overall this reads like a first draft of a self-insert fanfiction, and if I had not purchased it there is no way I would have finished it.
January 24, 2025
WOW! I confess I dove into this book knowing nothing other than that it's been getting compared to Outlander and was about Japanese Samurais. I knew very little about late 19th century Japanese history and enjoyed this soo much!!
The book starts in 2005 where Scottish Isla is spending a study year in the country of her mother's heritage. She herself is one quarter Japanese and is grieving the recent death of her grandfather. While trying to track down a connection to a famous Samurai, she somehow finds herself transported back to 1877 on the eve of the last great battle of the Samurais.
This book was full of action, romance, fascinating history and is sure to appeal to all the Outlander fans out there. I loved how the book ends and am really excited to see where this new series is going to go next! It was also great on audio narrated by Siho Ellsmore and the print copy has GORGEOUS sprayed edges!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Librofm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. This is definitely going to be a favorite of mine for 2025 and I now have a new fav author!
The book starts in 2005 where Scottish Isla is spending a study year in the country of her mother's heritage. She herself is one quarter Japanese and is grieving the recent death of her grandfather. While trying to track down a connection to a famous Samurai, she somehow finds herself transported back to 1877 on the eve of the last great battle of the Samurais.
This book was full of action, romance, fascinating history and is sure to appeal to all the Outlander fans out there. I loved how the book ends and am really excited to see where this new series is going to go next! It was also great on audio narrated by Siho Ellsmore and the print copy has GORGEOUS sprayed edges!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Librofm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. This is definitely going to be a favorite of mine for 2025 and I now have a new fav author!
June 2, 2025
Time travel, historical Japan setting, samurai, romance, and a dash of war. This book has a lot to offer and it’s also the first in a series. I can’t wait to see the next installment.
# Gate to Kagoshima (Ancestor Memories, #1)
# 5/6/2025 ~ 5/8/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0
# Gate to Kagoshima (Ancestor Memories, #1)
# 5/6/2025 ~ 5/8/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0
February 10, 2025
2.5, generously. This was such a disappointment because the premise is incredible and the execution is SO lacking in almost every way.
first off, the idea is amazing. I love time travel fantasy as a concept, and it doesn't get done very often so when i saw this was about the satsuma rebellion i got so hyped! And then.... nothing.
It is very, immediately obvious that this is this author's first book (and possibly first time writing anything of length) There is a very obvious lack of story structure that hinders this right from the top, and only gets worse as the book goes on. Which again, is such a shame because the concept of the story is so interesting- i just wish a better writer had been hired to do it.
i dont want to nitpick and all the structural things that are wrong, but like. Damn. Girl we get it, Saigo was a famous samurai with honking big eyebrows, you dont have to say that as a clumsy descriptor literally every time hes on page (which is honestly.... not often enough, considering what this book tries and fails to be about)
it felt like this author did a research project on this historical event, and got paid to turn it into a novel. And of course, it must be romantasy, because thats whats popping fresh right now. All of which deeply hindered its readability.
i also always find it super weird and off putting when the main character is a author self insert as well. Geez.
first off, the idea is amazing. I love time travel fantasy as a concept, and it doesn't get done very often so when i saw this was about the satsuma rebellion i got so hyped! And then.... nothing.
It is very, immediately obvious that this is this author's first book (and possibly first time writing anything of length) There is a very obvious lack of story structure that hinders this right from the top, and only gets worse as the book goes on. Which again, is such a shame because the concept of the story is so interesting- i just wish a better writer had been hired to do it.
i dont want to nitpick and all the structural things that are wrong, but like. Damn. Girl we get it, Saigo was a famous samurai with honking big eyebrows, you dont have to say that as a clumsy descriptor literally every time hes on page (which is honestly.... not often enough, considering what this book tries and fails to be about)
it felt like this author did a research project on this historical event, and got paid to turn it into a novel. And of course, it must be romantasy, because thats whats popping fresh right now. All of which deeply hindered its readability.
i also always find it super weird and off putting when the main character is a author self insert as well. Geez.
May 7, 2025
2.5 stars. Idk it wasn’t bad like I was kinda entertained. I feel like the beginning had so much potential, but there was no character depth or really that much depth to the plot. I really didn’t care what happened to anyone, and it was pretty predictable. The reason she went back in time was stupid too, and then she stayed anyway?? It made me mad. Like why wouldn’t she just go back? And also how did she even go back? I just didn’t care about her, or Keiichiro, like they just all of the sudden fell in love? It was out of no where. It had potential but it was just underwhelming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2025
I so BADLY wanted to like this book! I love historical fiction/time travel books (HUGE Outlander fan) but this was so meh….I felt no connection with the characters and it just all fell so flat…
May 8, 2025
Almost dnf’d because of what happened in Chapter 20.
The book also reads like a rough draft with little to no editing.
The book also reads like a rough draft with little to no editing.
June 13, 2025
Hmmm no.
Stars for the research.
Stars for the research.
July 28, 2025
I was SO excited to read this book. It’s a beautiful cover with sprayed pages and I was excited about the premise being that I love anime and Outlander. That said, the writing is really weak and needs some work. I was most disappointed that so many plot points were similar to Outlander.
1)sister w bastard child from (supposed) rapist with plot twist
2) the whole intro: searching family history, transported while searching
3) man in modern world is related/connected to historical ancestor, both of which are romantic interests
As for the writing…the imagery was juvenile. The majority of it was scent. It was doing too much. Describing the scent of “rock” “metal”, etc. THOSE THINGS DONT HAVE SMELL??? Not to the degree it was described.
And EVERY time we walked into a room, it was described as having tatami mats. Yep, mentioning it maybe twice is good. We can imagine historical Japanese architecture after that point.
AND THE ROMANCE AND SPICE SCENES…YIKES. There was no bonding or build between them. The sex scenes felt forced and rushed with much taken from other authors but not used effectively. You know what was not sexy? The idea of crawling into a mosquito net to have sex??????? I get that she mentioned mosquitos just prior but none of it was really necessary. Nothing says “I’m ready to jump your bones” like crawling into a mosquito net.
And why the HELL did she just run out to war having no experience?? Completely idiotic. Not really sure how she made it through all of that without a single scratch.
And the pregnancy thing…I could tell that’s where we were going seeing as he “erupted inside of her” but the end when she mentions being sad to start her period after only really being with the guy intimately for a month. Cringeyyyyyy.
The switching between POVs was not done well. It was hard to tell who was talking bc it wasn’t explicit, as well as there was no tonal change between characters. There was also very little dialogue which I think made for little investment in the characters.
I think this story has potential and I wanted to like it, but the sequel(s) really need some workshopping if they’re anything like this.
1)sister w bastard child from (supposed) rapist with plot twist
2) the whole intro: searching family history, transported while searching
3) man in modern world is related/connected to historical ancestor, both of which are romantic interests
As for the writing…the imagery was juvenile. The majority of it was scent. It was doing too much. Describing the scent of “rock” “metal”, etc. THOSE THINGS DONT HAVE SMELL??? Not to the degree it was described.
And EVERY time we walked into a room, it was described as having tatami mats. Yep, mentioning it maybe twice is good. We can imagine historical Japanese architecture after that point.
AND THE ROMANCE AND SPICE SCENES…YIKES. There was no bonding or build between them. The sex scenes felt forced and rushed with much taken from other authors but not used effectively. You know what was not sexy? The idea of crawling into a mosquito net to have sex??????? I get that she mentioned mosquitos just prior but none of it was really necessary. Nothing says “I’m ready to jump your bones” like crawling into a mosquito net.
And why the HELL did she just run out to war having no experience?? Completely idiotic. Not really sure how she made it through all of that without a single scratch.
And the pregnancy thing…I could tell that’s where we were going seeing as he “erupted inside of her” but the end when she mentions being sad to start her period after only really being with the guy intimately for a month. Cringeyyyyyy.
The switching between POVs was not done well. It was hard to tell who was talking bc it wasn’t explicit, as well as there was no tonal change between characters. There was also very little dialogue which I think made for little investment in the characters.
I think this story has potential and I wanted to like it, but the sequel(s) really need some workshopping if they’re anything like this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2025
The synopsis was excellent, and the painted edges sold me. Although upon closer inspection the girl on the cover has three lips and seven fingers, but that's besides the point.
I'm not a huge fan of historical novels, but I do like time travel and romance, when done right. Alas, this was not done right. I know next to nothing about samurai or Japanese history, and I've never even heard of "outlander," but yeah, this kind of fell flat. The main characters, Isla and Keiichiro, had no cohesive personality. Keiichiro at least had a samurai code to work off of, but Isla felt like a blank slate. She described herself as anxious, but all of her anxieties were super normal and valid, and then as brave, but she never actually does very much. She's just kind of there and disgruntled.
The writing felt all over the place. I liked a lot of the descriptive language, but I also finally understand what "show, don't tell" is referring to.
I might be biased, but the relationship was my least favorite part. The war was cool. But the intimacy felt so out of place between all the gore. The character's emotions were kinda one-dimensional, Kana seemed more like a plot device than an actual character, and I kind of want Keisuke to be hit with a car. I really like how often guys cry, just because I (a guy) cry a lot and I feel like its never shown casually in media, but I am also personally offended every time Keiichiro shows feeling, since I don't like him and don't care.
This felt like self-insert fanfiction. Except I would never comment something this negative on fanfiction. I don't have to pay 18.99 to browse ao3
On the bright side. I loved Toramasa and Nene soso much. They were perfect. My only criticism there is that there should have been more of them
Overall 2.5/5, I read it in one go and was a little distracted the entire time
I'm not a huge fan of historical novels, but I do like time travel and romance, when done right. Alas, this was not done right. I know next to nothing about samurai or Japanese history, and I've never even heard of "outlander," but yeah, this kind of fell flat. The main characters, Isla and Keiichiro, had no cohesive personality. Keiichiro at least had a samurai code to work off of, but Isla felt like a blank slate. She described herself as anxious, but all of her anxieties were super normal and valid, and then as brave, but she never actually does very much. She's just kind of there and disgruntled.
The writing felt all over the place. I liked a lot of the descriptive language, but I also finally understand what "show, don't tell" is referring to.
I might be biased, but the relationship was my least favorite part. The war was cool. But the intimacy felt so out of place between all the gore. The character's emotions were kinda one-dimensional, Kana seemed more like a plot device than an actual character, and I kind of want Keisuke to be hit with a car. I really like how often guys cry, just because I (a guy) cry a lot and I feel like its never shown casually in media, but I am also personally offended every time Keiichiro shows feeling, since I don't like him and don't care.
This felt like self-insert fanfiction. Except I would never comment something this negative on fanfiction. I don't have to pay 18.99 to browse ao3
On the bright side. I loved Toramasa and Nene soso much. They were perfect. My only criticism there is that there should have been more of them
Overall 2.5/5, I read it in one go and was a little distracted the entire time
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2024
• Hello, I just wanted to say how much I adored Poppy Kuroki's book GATE TO KAGOSHIMA.
This book looks a lot like IKIGAI, at least from the cover. Furthermore, it is my assumption that this book's content is identical to that of IKIGAI. It is not like that, though! 🌷🥀🌻
"... 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑠."
• I believed that fantasy literature was not for me. But I… I really did fall in love with this specific book! I do have a question, though. Why did Isla have to part ways with Keiichiro? Whhyyy 😩😩I adore how the author transported the readers to the 1800s while incorporating the idea of time travel. But I also love Nene's characterShe is a really sweet figure. Somehow I feel if… if there anything happens to me like thisWhy is everything here fictitious? ! Why!!! 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕
• "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 2005 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑡𝑦𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑝 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ."
• The writer portrays women carefully and sincerely.
" 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠. "
• The scenes that are shown are accurate the most of the time. You are nodding and blushing. But you're also re-reading those lines. Your curiosity is piqued about those stages. Without a doubt, I am interested in seeing more. I hope this book becomes a movie. I want to know if this dream comes true. ☀️🌤️⛈️
"𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒, 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑒"
- 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑀𝑖𝑦𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑜.
This book looks a lot like IKIGAI, at least from the cover. Furthermore, it is my assumption that this book's content is identical to that of IKIGAI. It is not like that, though! 🌷🥀🌻
"... 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑠."
• I believed that fantasy literature was not for me. But I… I really did fall in love with this specific book! I do have a question, though. Why did Isla have to part ways with Keiichiro? Whhyyy 😩😩I adore how the author transported the readers to the 1800s while incorporating the idea of time travel. But I also love Nene's characterShe is a really sweet figure. Somehow I feel if… if there anything happens to me like thisWhy is everything here fictitious? ! Why!!! 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕
• "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 2005 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑡𝑦𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑝 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ."
• The writer portrays women carefully and sincerely.
" 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠. "
• The scenes that are shown are accurate the most of the time. You are nodding and blushing. But you're also re-reading those lines. Your curiosity is piqued about those stages. Without a doubt, I am interested in seeing more. I hope this book becomes a movie. I want to know if this dream comes true. ☀️🌤️⛈️
"𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒, 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑒"
- 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑀𝑖𝑦𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑜.
February 26, 2025
Boy.... Big ol EH for me. Felt like the story was trying desperately to be comparable to Outlander but fell short sadly. The writing felt confusing at times and didn't offer enough setting/detail for me to be able to follow along in the story or keep characters straight. The book didn't feel very good until about 75% of the way through and then the ending was totally not worth it. The romance felt so forced and the ending actually made me laugh out loud with how silly it felt. I really wish it had been better, I loved the idea of it but the execution fell short for me 😕
April 14, 2025
Honestly the only reason I finished this book is that it was the only thing to read on a flight today. It’s kind of impressive that you could write 290 pages about characters with no personalities, real conflicts (even though the second act is called War), or critical thinking skills. Truly meh, except for some genuinely terrible plot points and at least one godawful stereotype.
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