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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Filled me with countless inspiration, taught me a million things, made my heart beat with a thousand emotions. Forever cherished.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Antisemitism, Death of parent
Moderate: Rape, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
No
Set in 1893 Chicago at the height of the World’s Fair, teenaged Alter finds himself at the heart of a murder investigation. Jewish teenagers are disappearing and Alter’s best friend Yakov is murdered. Alter becomes possessed by Yakov’s spirit and together he and the dybukk must race against time to find Yakov’s killer.
I appreciated this book because it is unapologetically Jewish, which is not something I’ve read before. I learned so much about Jewish culture and tradition and I really think this representation in YA literature is so important. I also appreciate the equally important storyline of coming to terms with homosexual identities within a heavily religious upbringing.
As ground-breaking as this book is, the plot really fell flat for me. The story launches in and I felt like I was stumbling blindly through and struggled to catch up until about halfway through the book. This easily could have been remedied with a little more initial context. For example: I didn’t mind having to use the Yiddish glossary, but I would have loved to be clued into the fact that the characters were speaking Yiddish before it was declared they “switched to English”. There were other plot points that made struggled for me, too.
I would try another book by this author, I think he has a lot of potential, but I wasn’t super enamored with this one.
I appreciated this book because it is unapologetically Jewish, which is not something I’ve read before. I learned so much about Jewish culture and tradition and I really think this representation in YA literature is so important. I also appreciate the equally important storyline of coming to terms with homosexual identities within a heavily religious upbringing.
As ground-breaking as this book is, the plot really fell flat for me. The story launches in and I felt like I was stumbling blindly through and struggled to catch up until about halfway through the book. This easily could have been remedied with a little more initial context. For example: I didn’t mind having to use the Yiddish glossary, but I would have loved to be clued into the fact that the characters were speaking Yiddish before it was declared they “switched to English”. There were other plot points that made struggled for me, too.
I would try another book by this author, I think he has a lot of potential, but I wasn’t super enamored with this one.
Death lurks around every corner in this unforgettable Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together.
What an absolute delight of a book.
Set with the backdrop of the Chicago World Fair Polydoros gives us queer horror in such a fantastic way. Besides the horror of having his body taken over by his friends dybbuk - Alter is also having to face the trauma of his own past to discover how to save his future.
The main cast of characters are so great and have such a great dynamic with one another. I can't wait to see what else Polydoros does!
What an absolute delight of a book.
Set with the backdrop of the Chicago World Fair Polydoros gives us queer horror in such a fantastic way. Besides the horror of having his body taken over by his friends dybbuk - Alter is also having to face the trauma of his own past to discover how to save his future.
The main cast of characters are so great and have such a great dynamic with one another. I can't wait to see what else Polydoros does!
I had to ruminate over this book. It wasn't an easy read, but it was gorgeous. The prose is incredible, and the plot intricately detailed. I felt immersed in the world and with Alter. There have been many different takes on the Chicago World's Fair, but I've never seen one from this angle before. The book was truly enhanced by Polydoros' knowledge and experience in Jewish and Eastern European culture and history. I can't imagine this story being told by anyone else. It was a delicious blend of history, fantasy, ghosts, romance, and detective work. Highly recommended!
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
rep: Romanian Jewish gay mc, Lithuanian Jewish gay li, Ukrainian Jewish gay li, Jewish characters
tw: antisemitism, mentions of past rape, mentions of past pedophilia, body horror (chapter 42), blood, gore, violence, murder, drowning, vomiting, fire, immolation
five reasons to read this book
tw: antisemitism, mentions of past rape, mentions of past pedophilia, body horror (chapter 42), blood, gore, violence, murder, drowning, vomiting, fire, immolation
five reasons to read this book
Definitely for fans of Devil in the White City and books about H.H. Holmes and Belle Guinness. The overlay of the Jewish experience in Chicago, similar to that of those in NYC's Lower East Side, and how the community spanned the very religious to the anarchists to the integrated, adds a little something extra to the story. It would be remiss of me to not mention that there is a gay theme that informs both the story and the mystery.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.