This is book 1 of the Ancestor Memories Series
Poppy Kuroki’s Gate to Kagoshima tells the story of a young Scottish woman, Isla Mackenzie, who goes to Japan searching for her roots. Her grandparents emigrated to Scotland and she wants to see where they were from. However, Isla gets more than she bargained for when she is magically transported to the last Samurai era, 128 years into the past, where she meets her own ancestors. Isla falls madly in love with her ancestor, the samurai Kei.
I really enjoyed this book – I do like a good time-travel story, and this one is set in one of my favourite destinations: Japan! Kuroki obviously knows Japan and its customs well – her bio states that she was born in Scotland but she’s lived in Japan for over a decade.
Read for the Read Between the Lines Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 20: Written by an Author with a Flower in Their Name
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
