Reviews with content warning for Death - City of the Plague God

Reviews tagging 'Death'

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

9 reviews

aureolyn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one cause Covid has made anything relating to a pandemic feel exhausting. But I love myths and legends and it’s always interesting to learn about the different gods, goddesses, and heroes of other cultures. I also got to put stories to familiar names which was great! We follow the MC on his journey of dealing with grief and it really made me think about who and what are important to me.

Content Warnings

nicolewhopickedthisbook's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Watch the livestream discussion
https://youtu.be/X56hpdYkI_Q

Content Warnings

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

City of the Plague God is the first Rick Reordan Presents book I have read, and what a way to start! This new mythologically-inspired series by Sarwat Chadda revolves around Mesopotamian mythology and centers on a first generation Iraqi-American named Sik. The book has an excellent balance of Riordan-style humor and heroic recklessness placed alongside the microaggressions, overt racism, and islamophobia that a young man of Sik’s ethnicity would have to endure. I enjoyed the story, loved learning the new mythology, and found myself enraged on Sik’s behalf. Chadda’s world building and story building balance is incredible.

Most readers would come into City of the Plague God looking for a mythologically-driven story about a teen saving the day like heroes of yore. You absolutely get that story here, including the classic multi-part quest and multi-level bosses. Very few people are familiar with Mesopotamian mythology because it doesn’t permeate pop culture, at least not in the United States. I’ve read the epic of Gilgamesh, but it’s been over a decade, and I remember very little of the story – now I want to reread it. I adore mythology, so many of the books by either Rick Riordan or his Rick Riordan Presents label come adorned with deities I am familiar with and stories I’m ready to commentate. It was nice to be able to sit back for a change and learn about Ishtar and the other ancient gods of the Middle East. I loved the conversations between Sik and Ishtar about immortality and the nature of being a god. Definitely not the type of thing I would’ve thought about when I was the target age for these books, but as an adult, I appreciated the philosophical conversation.

Chadda does an excellent job of mimicking the Percy Jackson style. It’s a tribute to Riordan. The familiarity of the storytelling style makes it cozy and comfortable, but the new characters and situations give it a fresh face. City of the Plague God presents a modern day plague that breaks out in New York City, and although the book was finished and ready for publication before COVID-19 hit, it is somehow a stronger and more relatable story because of the enduring pandemic. In the foreword there is discussion about the decision to release the book despite coronavirus. Ultimately, they decided to publish despite the timing because everyone involved felt that the book had value despite (and maybe because of) the current situation. I absolutely agree. Although City of the Plague God is more than just details of the plague, the situation reminds us of the importance of perseverance and compassion. Because it is more relevant than the author could have imagined, it is more meaningful as well.

I absolutely recommend City of the Plague God to anybody interested in mythology or who were fans of any of Rick Riordan’s books or those of his label. Sik and Belet are excellent characters, Ishtar and Daoud are an absolute delight, and even our villain has some dialogue that hits home. It was entertaining, but it was also endearing and thought-provoking. The representation was fantastic on all levels and I appreciated that it was never a big deal, that these identities were not the center of the story but part of the characters in it. I’ve already got the next book on my TBR and I can’t wait to read it when it is published next year.

Content Warnings

emily_mh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a really interesting and adventurous MG fantasy that showcased Mesopotamian mythology really well. It was also great at confronting serious issues such as the blame put on oppressed communities in times of crisis, and the experience of grief. Belet was definitely my favourite character as I loved how determined and sharp she was. My biggest criticism is that the pacing was a little slow considering this is 350 pages and a MG read.

As a side note, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator Vikas Adam did an absolutely phenomenal job.

Content Warnings

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

4 🌟 CW: violence, descriptions of blood and corpses, grotesque descriptions of organ and other gross things, disease and quarantine mentions, lockdown mentions, Islamophobia, grief, death of a loved one

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda is a middle grade novel that was gifted to me. This was such a fun read! This was published by Rick Riordan Presents, and is based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology, and it has a Muslim hero!

We follow 13 year old Sik (Sikander Assiz), a Muslim boy working in his parent's deli, wishing he were somewhere else while also still grieving the loss of his older brother, Mo. Life quickly gets turned upside down for Sik after he gets detention for laughing while his classmate, Belet (the only other Iraqi girl in school) argues with the teacher.

Instead of actually going to detention, Sik discovers Belet's mom is actually the goddess Ishtar. Cue the heroes journey.

It was so great to read about a Muslim hero and to read the words 'jihad' and 'Allahu Akbar' without any negative connotation. As someone who loves mythology, it was wonderful to read more about Gilgamesh and other Mesopotamian stories and gods. It also had great commentary on the plight of folks of Middle Eastern descent only getting cast as villains and terrorists, but never the hero or the lead. (Get on this Hollywood).

My favorite character of this whole book was a sword. Yes, a sword. Not only a sword, but a talking scimitar. Kasusu was snarky, sassy, and great at cutting remarks (see what I did there? Cutting? I crack myself up 😂). If Kasusu could only be voiced by one person, it would have to be Billy Porter, because that's whose voice I heard in my head the whole time lol.

I highly recommend this for young readers and anyone who is a fan or Rick Riordan or mythology in general.

Content Warnings

luckykosmos's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

In the foreword, Riordan worries about the timing of this book, but I honestly think it helped the book - reading this in a time when things are finally, hopefully, turning around, it was cathartic to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Pandemic aside, seeing the loving relationships carrying these characters through, and how that same love was their weakness, was heartwarming. Even more, as much as every book in the RRP universe is a love letter to the author's culture, its particular place here - whether it's Sik's parents being refugees, or responses to Islamophobia - made things feel even more personal and even intimate. I hope dearly this one gets a sequel.

Content Warnings

mfieldshalva's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

hungryandhappy's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I had never even thought about Mesopotamian mythology before stumbling onto this book. It was really fascinating getting to know different gods and demons, their roles and tales, and see the similarities to myth figures I have read about before.

Sik was a likeable character; he had rage within him that made him behave not always in the right way. Mostly due to the loss of his hero, his big brother. The pain of loss was so clear in Sik I was so sad everytime he had his "talks" with Mo. The memories were keeping him down. He just needed a distraction and what better one that a plague god infecting the whole city??

Great side characters such as badass Belet and actor wannabe Daoud! And so many cats!! I would've loved to live in Belet's house surrounded by all the kitties!!

Action packed, full of emotions and love for a culture many decides to hate doing what we call in Italian "making a bouquet of a single flower" but instead of flower is grass. I was charmed by everything Sik and other characters said about Iraq and its culture. Loved reading the various interjections and greetings. It's going to feel like a home far from home for many muslim american kids and also adults when reading the adventures of Sik!

Will there be more?? I hope so!!

Content Warnings

leahsbooks's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You can find my full review on my blog:

https://leahs-books.com/2021/01/11/city-of-the-plague-god/

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am providing my honest opinion voluntarily.

Sik is the son of refugees who have settled in Manhattan and opened a thriving deli. His older brother has passed away, and Sik has taken on a lot of responsibility helping his parents at their deli after school. My heart broke seeing him deal with his grief while also struggling with his unresolved emotions about his brother. I think this was really well portrayed — a sudden death often leaves people with conflicting emotions, and Sik isn’t quite sure how to deal with these.

Sik is unapologetically Muslim, and I love that about him. He is sweet, funny, and kind, and has no idea how to fight demons or Nergal, the plague god who comes to find him. I love seeing the way that a kid like Sik is portrayed in this story, and placing characters like him front and center as a hero makes him relatable to young people who see themselves in him. Even as he believes in him faith so strongly, he readily accepts the existence of the Mesopotamian gods and goddesses. I loved seeing his character arc, and he experiences such a great change throughout the story.

Belet is the trusty sidekick in this story. As Ishtar’s adopted daughter, she fills in the gaps in Sik’s skills — where he is a smart-aleck that relies on his brains to get him out of tough spots, she’s the brawn that leans on her fighting skills and her awareness of mythology. She complements Sik very well, and they work great as a team. She’s not as in touch with her emotions, and she undergoes a major transformation during the book.

The story is full of action, and moved quickly. I enjoyed reading this way more than I expected to, and there were parts that made me laugh as well. It definitely brought back Percy Jackson vibes. There were some simple Arabic words interspersed into the text (and a glossary to explain the words at the end), and I loved how it changed the perspective around some commonly vilified words associated with Muslims. Several times in the story, Sik relates his quest to a jihad, which is explained as a righteous cause. In this case, it is saving Manhattan from the ravages of the plague god. I loved how that word was reclaimed from how it has come to be viewed. This isn’t a book to be missed!

Content Warnings

More...