Attorney Julia Vee and prosthetics expert Ken Bebelle launch their urban fantasy series, The Phoenix Hoard, with a stellar first entry, Ebony Gate. The oldest child of one of the most powerful magical families in the world, Emiko Soong turned her back on her role as the family enforcer to live a less bloody life in San Francisco. Here, the city's Chinatown harbors a secret enclave of magic-wielding descendants from dragons. With a full-human partner, Emiko has built a solid reputation as an expert authenticator of East Asian weapons, specifically swords. Her purposefully quiet life is abruptly disrupted when a family promise, made by her powerful mother, is activated. Only Emiko or her beloved younger brother can answer the nonnegotiable demand, and Emiko refuses to endanger her brother. She must immediately locate the stolen Ebony Gate and its priceless jade anchor and seal the weakened portal to Hell. If she manages this seemingly insurmountable task, she saves the population of San Francisco. If she fails, the shinigami, a Japanese death god, will demand her soul as an anchor to seal the portal. Emiko gathers allies, straps on her swords and knives, and sets out to save the city and everyone she loves.
Emiko Soong is a smart, kick-ass heroine with a noble heart and a lifetime of assassin training and violence. Set against the vivid background of San Francisco's singular neighborhoods, the novel's plot is clever and wildly adventurous, boasts an authentic sensibility, and is populated with well-drawn characters. Fans of Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels novels are certain to love this new series. --Lois Dyer, writer and reviewer