This book is for you if you love unique worlds, mysteries, the struggle of lower classes against suppressors, portal travels and spices. Eight kingdoms are defined by and highly dependent on spices, which are brought by Carriers through Spice Gates at great cost to themselves. This alone is a world so imaginative it left me breathless. But then there's secrets discovered and mysteries unfolding.

At the heart of it all is Amir, a Carrier with a veiled past. His story is important and interesting, however the way his character is described and developed left me underwhelmed. This is not at all due to the writing style, because this is very engaging. It's just that he is too passive for my taste, and following the story through his eyes makes it duller than it deserves. As I really like character-driven stories, this book wasn't for me despite the unique worldbuilding. 3,5/5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins @harpervoyager_uk for the eARC! #SpiceGate #Netgalley #Bookstagram